re: Don’t take your lab out in the marsh in LA during teal season.

quote:

---

Until that one time you don’t for some reason.

---

It's reasons I do send and reasons I don't send. I walk my hunting dogs in the morning and the afternoon. Sometimes on lead, but mostly off lead. I do this to enforce my discipline on my dogs to show when it's okay or not. Didn't always have this control and lucky not to lose one in the marsh, lake, or highway. That's why I don't teal hunt anymore. Hell I hunted in December and watched a 5' gator swim thru the decoys.

quote:

---

Whats the point of having a duck dog if you dont bring them duck hunting?

---

I understand what you're saying....if it's a working dog, it should work. However, Pecan Island (and many other places in the south) during teal season is not a place I'd personally put a 7k+ dollar animal. the gators will be hibernating by big duck season, and it'll be fine by then. just a few weekends of sweating/wading for birds, and then the dogs can work

quote:

---

I highly doubt yall are all hunting in spreads full of 6 foot + alligators.

---

You can typically clear out the spread of gators in the morning just by setting the decoys. Sure, you will probably get a swimmer to come in if leave too many dead ones on the water, which happens if you are ripping them good and don't want to get out of the blind to make a pick up. The issue is where the dog is going to pick up a mark way outside of the spread. In our marsh, we run the boat from a canal where a female gator has nested the last 5 or 6 years. She has babies swimming all over this time of year and quite often you can hear her grunting although we rarely see her. Momma gators are ultra protective of their babies right now and if your dog somehow crosses where there are babies, you will get an attack even with a gator that isn't really hungry. Then you have the gators that hang out just out of range that are attracted by the cripples. You see their heads and then they disappear so you really don't know if they are coming into the decoys or not. For these reasons, it is just not worth risking the life of your dog and who wants to sweat every retrieve your dog makes as if will this be the time a gator gets him/her. Teal hunting is supposed to be fun and that worry isn't fun.

Thought you were supposed to leave the gators an "offering" when you were done for the day. The way I hear it is that you choose the worst shot up bird for that purpose, but first open up the body cavity and insert a baggie with about 1/2 cup of insecticide in it (to keep the worms from eating the duck). Cutting one corner of of the baggie and folding it over before inserting it makes for positive release of the worm medicine. I guess it might be frowned on in modern times.

I never want to have to answer the question, “Dad, where’s our dog?”

Absolutely, shite happens. To not take necessary precautions is just dense though.

quote:

---

I never want to have to answer the question, “Dad, where’s our dog?”

---

I'm all for protecting the innocence of children, however death is the only certainty in life. Your dog is going to die (hopefully) way sooner than your child. In my house the children know pets don't live forever.

quote:

---

I see you and DS are making friends in this thread

---

DS and I go way back to lasportsman forums 10-12 yrs ago baw

quote:

---

I thought this could go unsaid, but a guy lost his to a big gator at Pecan Island the other day. Dog went looking for a teal in some tall marsh grass and he heard him yelping like crazy. Feel sorry for the guy, but damn.

---

I heard they were hunting flooded cow fields so the danger was a little less than hunting PI marsh. I do not think the owner thought there was risk of that big a gator where they were. Just unfortunate.

quote:

---

In my house the children know pets don't live forever.

---

what about dog birthday parties? ya'll do those?

Anyone want to take my 13+ year old chocolate lab hunting now, let me know.