How many leave their pups at home, because of alligators. And how many hunt with their dogs but take precautions. And what precautions?

I bring my dog but I don't let him retrieve Early season. He's just happy watching for birds on the front of the boat. Most of where I hunt is full of gators.
I also no longer let him go after a cripple that lands in marsh grass that's a good ways out when it's foggy. Last year I sent him after a cripple (the one in my avatar) and he was lost for a good 10-15 minutes. He took off out of the front of the boat and crossed the pothole to the marsh grass where I lost sight of him due to the light fog. 10-15 minutes later after blowing the whistle and calling for him, We hear what sounds like a asthma attack cough coming from behind us. Look back and there he is! somehow through the fog and wind he made a huge circle and found us. After I pulled him back in the boat he just layed down for the rest of the hunt from exhaustion.
I put out too much of my personal time training him and creating that bond to send him out with gators in early season and fog for a cripple

Mine won't be going with me on our place. My dad saw 2 huge gators in front of our camp house today.

Please don't take your dogs teal hunting.. This is a friend of mine, they caught the gator following the tracking collar.

I have a hard time leaving my dog, but its not worth it....

After seeing a 10' gator hangin out close to my blind...Wife hates it though, he cries after I leave and wakes everyone in the house up...

HELL NO. Thats seriously a sad pic with that gator. Couldnt even imagine what that dude went thru.

wow, the picture with the gator says it all.

Rex stayed in bed this weekend. We could hear him barking and whinning far down the road as we left him behind at the camp.

I havent even seen my pup in about a month cause he's with a trainer but im attached to him enough that if he was eaten by a gator id become an exterminator for a while. Tags or not

Gator season here. Carry a slug or two w you and shoot true. I never worry




.

Sent from an small phone using fat fingers

wouldnt be a question for me if id shoot or not. Theyre about as thick as pigeons by me anyways so i dont think anyone would miss a gator or two.

get a repeating rifle

It's not just gators. Buddies dog got bit by a snake this year on the opening day of teal season. Her foot swole up bad and she had to be admitted in dog hospital for 2 nights with IV and all.

We never even saw the snake. She just was sitting in the water before the hunt, all quiet. When I told her to get in the blind she was limping. I honestly thought she had a thorn in her foot.

During teal I just bring the dog to watch. Unless I am in very shallow water. When I mean shallow I mean like 2'. When I was in Afghanistan 2-3 years ago I remember getting an email from a buddy of mine telling me about someone's dog getting grabbed in STA 5 by a gator. Was saying they heard it screaming through most of the management area. I don't think I would handle that very well. I'd be pretty devastated. My chocolate is retired now, he has gotten far to old, my current dog is my ESA, which I've had since he was 5 weeks old. I'm not sure how I'd react. He has helped me so much between adapting to civilian life and PTSD management. It would for sure kill duck hunting for me for a long time. Bear is a pretty special dog to me. I had 0 intentions of him being a duck dog. To be honest I lost interest in hunting. I shot enough s*** overseas that I was just about over it. Bear is actually a pitbull. He has so much drive. The best bird dog I have ever had. He was extremely trainable because of the breeds desire to please. It all started out with him falling in love with the water and retrieving. Perfect mix right? So I figured why not? Started working him and training him. He got me back into the sport and he absolutely loves it. Whether it be just training out in the dog lake, scouting and running the boat or going out retrieving during season, he is very pleased and can't get enough of it.

I don't know if I'll take the Nut opening weekend, now that opening weekend is damn near still summer...

We'Ve set records the past two days for heat down here in the Tampa Bay Area.

My buddy runs his dog every day of the season that he hunts and I see other guys doing it as well. My dog is gone but you have to be willing to see it get taken and live with yourself for putting it in that situation. When you send a hound after a bear or put a dog after hogs you know and accept the risks but the amount of time and energy in a retriever as well as the affection make it a lot harder decision.

Is it legal to carry a rifle and lead shot while duck hunting?

It's legal to have have a rifle with lead bullets, yes. Lead shot for a shotgun, no.

FYI. Saw a 9' today sunning on the bank. They still out

We had a good sized gator we never saw ate the first duck that hit the water where we were hunting Sunday. It happened so fast nobody even got a shot off and we never saw him again. Don't think that rifle is going to save your dog if a gator grabs him and pulls him under.

It's a precaution. If it happens which hopefully it never does, at least I know I've taken many steps to attempt to prevent it.

I understand the risk and necessary precautions...but how often do you think gators get dogs?

I'm just getting my first dog. I met him and paid him last night - 5 months old. Hunting will just be a awesome secondary benefit. I know this dogs gonna be a big part of the family and bond with my kids. I'm suddenly trying to decide if its worth it to spend the money training him 4 months or just to keep doing what I do and retrieve my own birds.

I was dummy training my lab years ago in a pond that had trees all in it. I trained it in the pond cause it was close to the house and the trees for a obstacle course for her. it was right next to the bayou and a gator found it way into the pond. On third retrieve which was over a log she was on her way back and got up on the log to come back and a gator popped up right behind her. that log saved her. she jumped towards me over the log and the gator was behind it. it tried to climb over the log and I unloaded my 22lr (which I was using to get my puppy acclimated to gunfire) gator retreated and days later I came back to a bloated gator floating. saved my puppy and she made it 12 year since then and passed of old age. I was luck that time.

I was out scouting yesterday here in central MS and was going to bring my dog to get some exercise but opted out of it and am sure glad I did. As I was walking along a slough in some timber I stopped to call a buddy to see what he had seen in another area. I just so happend to turn around and there was an 8ft gator laying right next to the slough 15yds behind me. I had just walked no more than 5ft in front of him with his mouth facing me. He could have gotten me and I would have never had a chance. I was 8 miles from the closest road so I would have had zero help. I'm sure my pup would have seen it and probably been the end of it. I'm very thankful for not bringing my pup and that he wasn't hungry. I made a beeline in the other direction. As hot as its been you can never be to cautious. The whole time I was keeping an eye out for snakes and here there was an alligator hidden in the mud.

:l ol:

This fella paid a lil visit after doing a few retrieves in the bayou behind my house . the post is 10' in front of him