Bring your own dog? Hunt Over Ours? What to do? Here’s some valuable insight…
It’s one of the first questions we get when someone books a hunt: can I bring my own dog? Short answer — yes, you certainly can, and a lot of guys should. But the honest answer is that it depends on your dog, and we’d rather tell you straight than have you discover that you have issues with the dog once out in the real world of running Wild Pheasants.
Here’s how we think about it…
The Case for Bringing Your Own Dog
For a lot of upland hunters, hunting over your own dog is the sole reason for the hunt. You put in time, the training, the summer conditioning, the yard work — and watching your dog lock up on a rooster or make a hard retrieve is the whole reason you do this. No guide’s dog, however good, can ever replace that feeling of mutual satisfaction between Hound and Handler.
If you’ve got a solid, birdy dog and you want to hone those inherent traits in the field, bring your hunting companion(s). We’re not here to talk you out of your own dog. We’ll work it into the rotation, provided you have full control as young and new dogs tend to want to chase running birds. We can quickly get your dog(s) up to speed as they work with ours and will be immediately picking up queue’s and on their way to true “hunting dog” status.
Before You Load Up: An Honest Gut-Check
South Dakota is not your back forty. Before you commit your dog to a multi-day hunt out here, please evaluate the following honestly:
- Conditioning. Big, open country and three hard days will find the bottom of a dog that only hunts a couple hours on weekends. An out-of-shape dog gets worn down fast — and a tired dog is where overall performance suffers and opens the door for injuries.
- Bird contact. There are a lot of birds here. A green dog that’s only bumped game farm birds or a mere handful of wild birds at home can get overwhelmed and start busting them out of range. Exciting for the dog, frustrating for everybody with a gun.
- The country. Wide-open ground rewards a dog that quarters in range and holds. A big-running dog that’s never seen this much space can and does push roosters right out the far end of a field.
- Group hunting. A lot of our hunting is done as a party — drivers, wingmen and blockers working a field together. A dog that won’t hold or honor in a group can undo a good push in a hurry.
- Wear and vet access. Even though most of land lies in East River South Dakota with no snakes, cactus, etc. to be concerned about, we still need to be conscious of the wear and tear a hard charging hunting dog endures. Always have a medical kit with the basics in your truck. All our rigs have ample supplies, at all times. The nearest vet isn’t around the corner. Know what you’re asking of your dog. It is not a bad idea to research and find a local vet that takes after hours calls should the worst occur.
None of that means leaving your dog home. It means showing up with a dog that’s prepared and primed to perform at its very best. You owe it to your hunting buddy, yourself and your hunting party.
The Case for Hunting Over Ours
Our dogs — do this every day, all season long. That matters more than any pedigree or ribbon.
- They’re conditioned for the terrain and the grind of a full week.
- They know this ground — the cover, the edges, how a Dakota rooster runs before he ever flushes.
- They’re steady in a group and handle driven pushes and retrieves to hand.
- Allowing your dogs to work at their own pace with ample rest periods between. Thus, your dog isn’t getting ground down. Making the whole experience more memorable and ultimately, enjoyable for all involved. A tired dog is just going through the motions. A rested dog is not only hunting better, but just as importantly, learning the entire time.
If you don’t own a dog, or yours is too young, too old, or just better off riding this trip out — you’ll never feel like you’re missing one. You will be exposed to many of ours. Not just showing off their prowess in the field. These are people orientated dogs that quite frankly we need to keep an eye on as each group departs. Everyone seems to have a favorite they would like to dog nap for the ride home.
Want or need a great hunting dog?
If so, call Ryan Gabriel at 308-750-7511 as he runs Alacie Gun Dogs and may just have a couple of candidates to consider. Born, bred and brought up in Bird Country.
The Answer, Most of the Time: You Don’t Have to Choose
Here’s what usually works best. Bring your dog, and we’ll run it when it’s fresh and the setup fits. Rest it, and put our dogs down when the country’s big, the pushes are long, or the heat’s up. Over a multi-day hunt, rotating dogs keeps everybody’s dog sharp and nobody’s dog worn down. You get the partnership with your pal, sharpen their skills, strengthen bonds, and the birds still end up in the bag.
The one thing we always ask of our guests: tell us about your dog before you get here. Breed, age, experience, temperament, and how it handles a group. The more we know, the better we can build the hunt around it.
At Dakota Pheasant Guide, we will continue watching conditions closely and publishing updates as the season gets closer. We spend a lot of time talking with landowners, checking ground, watching bird movements, and paying close attention to the many little things that matter before the season ever starts.
Let’s have a discussion about your dog
Got a dog you’re thinking about bringing? Call to walk us through it — we’ll give you an honest evaluation and some straight from the field advice.
Dennis Foster: 605-887-7069 • dakotapheasantguide.com