This is not something I have given much thought to until someone specifically asked me the question, “is safer to have a collar on your dog or not?” I have always had a collar on my dogs and thought that was just how it should be. So I gave this some serious thought. This person’s argument was that it was safer not to have a collar on the dog, in case the dog was swimming and got a foot up through the collar, or was hunting wide and got the collar caught on a limb or a fence.

Here are my thoughts on the matter. If your dog was a farm dog out in Arthur County, Nebraska he may not need a collar (trust me, this is some empty country – beautiful, but empty). Otherwise, dogs need collars in today’s world. Here are a few reasons why: First, a collar acts as a handle on the dog. Often times you need to get a hold of the dog, when a truck is zipping by, when you encounter a rattlesnake, meet another hunting party with dogs in the field, or any other myriad of other things you encounter. Without a collar, people end up grabbing the dog’s tail, a handful of skin, or other inhumane and less effective methods.

Second, a collar on a dog says that it is someone’s and not a stray. A collar on a dog with a reward tag and phone number is the very very best way to get a lost dog back. When you are on an extended hunting trip in Arizona or South Dakota and your dog turns up missing, the best way to get him back is to have a collar and tag. Microchips help once they hit the shelter, but the family at the farmhouse that finds him can call you directly as soon as they find him.

If your dog can get a leg through their collar, or a limb can fit up through it, the collar is way too loose. You should be just able to get three fingers under the collar. If you are using a e-training collar, it should ride even higher on the neck, right behind the head and to ensure consistent contact with the points, you should just be able to fit one finger under the collar.

In my opinion, the ability to get physical control of the dog and the information provided on the collar in case of a lost dog is well worth the small risk of a dog getting caught up by the collar in a life threatening situation.

The type of dog collar is really a matter of personal choice. I like the looks of a leather collar, but they do not hold up as long as nylon ones. As for durability, the best collars I have found are the plastic coated nylon collars. No matter which collar material I use, I prefer one with a center ring, because of the ease of clipping on a lead. I just ordered six collars from Scott’s Dog Supply and they came with engraved brass nameplates. I was pleased with the quality and their service.

 

The number of young people interested in hunting is declining dramatically. This is a serious concern to wildlife agencies, and should be to all hunters. (Look at the lack of hunters in Britan and loss of many hunting privlages there.)

In the past, all Utah hunters were pheasant hunters. I’m sorry to say, that’s a thing of the past. Unfortunately, many are turning to pheasant farms. I don’t believe that’s good for the long term sustainability of hunting. It’s too artificial and too expensive to bring young hunters up in the hunting tradition. It’s the young cohort of hunters that we are not recruiting. It’s upland game hunting (dove, pheasant and rabbit)where they most often gain their passion for hunting.

My answer, Chukars! Chukar hunting in Utah has really taken off. With introductions and the Utah DWR’s chukar-guzzler program in the West Desert (thanks to Bruce Bonebrake’s efforts and the Habitat Account program) Chukar numbers are higher now than they have ever been. There is a five month season and a nice sized bag limit. Chukar hunting is not easy. You have to get out and walk over some rugged country, but man is it worth it.  Kids are young and nimble, they can hack it. So, my suggestion is to get kids out chukar hunting.

 

To some, this is intuitive, to others it may be novel. Work the wind with your dog to improve your success in the field. The two reasons we use dogs to hunt are, their sense of smell, and their social nature (they hunt in a pack). The sense of smell in a dog is the first sense they develop. Before they hear, see, or are even aware of others in the litter, they can smell. In fact, dogs smell somewhere on the order of one-thousand times better than humans (220,000,000 olfactory receptors), and something like 14% of their brain is devoted to their sense of smell. (I don’t know how this compares to humans, but there’s got to be a huge difference.)

I was excited to see my 18 month old puppy running way out and working the wind back to me while hunting chukars on the downwind side of the mountain. My older, more experienced dog did this as a matter of routine. The first time someone told me that their dog would range out and purposely hunt into the wind back into them I was amazed and thought it was just a fluke.  Now it doesn’t surprise me, I expect it.

One of my favorite experiences that I had happen several times was when hunting in brome grass CRP fields, I had a dog tracking pheasants running with the wind. The dog, a VDD wirehair pointer, would stop, lift her head up, and run way out and around and work back on the pheasant, trapping in between us. Truly awesome, if you ask me. That is why I love hunting with dogs.

Once again today I heard someone tell me that they once had a dog that would only point roosters and ignore the hens. I was polite, but I have never bought this tale. I do enjoy hearing stories of past dogs. The dogs always get better with time. Like the dog that retrieved the pheasant that flew into next county, plus he brought back a cold brew. That dog was something else!

 

Let me hear some of your best stories and I will post them.