Thread: Deer dog?

Originally Posted by Bonecrusher

Not ideal for Aussie, you need to be within 30ft of water with one of these to keep cool

Do black labs get on point and half point? How good are their noses? I've always thought of them as retrievers but now that I've done a bit more research into deer dogs it seems like a fair few people use them.

A deer dog just needs a good nose, a calm disposition, and to be under good control. Doesn't have to be a pointer, or a gun dog breed. I've had a huntaway, a golden retriever and a heeler in the past. All were ok. The best I have seen was a foxy/heeler x. Another good one was a kelpie.

My current is a Wirehair Pointer. She's pretty good. I watch her nose and body language far more than I rely on her pointing.

This turned out to be spiker (that I missed)...

Originally Posted by Tahr

A deer dog just needs a good nose, a calm disposition, and to be under good control.

Mine is a Wirehair Pointer. I watch her nose and body language far more than I rely on her pointing.

+1

Jack the reason I asked about snakes is I have met a lot of blokes here (QLD)that have lost dogs too them. Mainly pig hunters.
My GSP would have definitely been bitten by a snake as he couldnt help investigating anything new.

Originally Posted by Tussock

This is what I have been told as well, by people who are shooting deer over dogs regularly. I would suggest getting a pointer from a top hunting line for your first deer dog is like getting a ferrari for your first car.

Totally agree !

When choosing a breed or breeder, pics of dogs sitting next to dead deer mean nothing. You need to be convinced that the breeder actually uses the dogs for deer indicating, and that that is what they actually do. Any mug can take of pic of a dead deer and a dog together. I've done it often enough, and the reality has been that the dog had very little or nothing to do with securing the deer.

Pics like the one of my wire indicating (above) actually mean something.

Ok. I'll ask the dumb questions.
How much dog experience have you got? What type of country do you hunt?
Both gwp and gsp's can be a handful.

Well I live with the idea that in hunting your never more than 5/10 beacause there is always something to learn any time that you have gone into the bush. Having said that I have spent nearly every spare moment since I was 16 in the bush. So I reckon I can say I an handle myself alright.
Mostly hunt reds and fallow in flat bush country that varies from 10-150 metres of visibility. Also hunt sambar in the high country but only a couple of times a year. Also hunt them in local mountains that aren't quite as big.

I've had no experience with deer hunting dogs though. I use my whippet for fox and hare hunting but that's it.

Why not the viszla? hasnt got the winey disposition of a GSP and not as willful or dominant as a GWP.

Wow, this is like one of those "what is the best caliber" threads
What works well for one may not be good for another. The dog you choose may be the fucktard of the breed and end up in a shallow grave with you forever saying that breed is crap for deerstalking

Originally Posted by Tussock

I was just thinking that.

Tussocks third law of internet forums. Always choose the middle option in a "what to get thread". In any calliber suggestion thread, you will get everything from 17HMR to 50cal reccomended. If you asked for an aircraft you would get recomended everything from a hand glider to the jet fighter.

Yeah but a MD600N would be the shit as far as aircraft. I want one painted in speights colours and a dirty girl dancing pole in the back cabin

As for dogs I have hunted with and over all sorts. I prefer GSP's. But as said above they can have their drawbacks like any breed. Personally, I reckon you have to have run a few dogs on deer and the like before you know what you want from one. Dont get caught up in spending heaps from a so called reputable breeder for your first.

Originally Posted by R93

Yeah but a MD600N would be the shit as far as aircraft. I want one painted in speights colours and a dirty girl dancing pole in the back cabin

As for dogs I have hunted with and over all sorts. I prefer GSP's. But as said above they can have their drawbacks like any breed. Personally, I reckon you have to have run a few dogs on deer and the like before you know what you want from one. Dont get caught up in spending heaps from a so called reputable breeder for your first.

I just dunno what to do then because I just have no idea how to train one for hunting. I think it would be worth while and I'm not expecting it to find everything thing but I figure if it finds one good stag for me in its lifetime it's paid fr itself.
Is there anyway of getting advice or help in training one? E.g. Books, training courses or just help from someone?

Originally Posted by Jackp.

I just dunno what to do then because I just have no idea how to train one for hunting. I think it would be worth while and I'm not expecting it to find everything thing but I figure if it finds one good stag for me in its lifetime it's paid fr itself.
Is there anyway of getting advice or help in training one? E.g. Books, training courses or just help from someone?

Have a look to see if there are any clubs around your way, jack. We have a GSP club in Auckland which puts on all sorts of things for beginners and experienced ones. Won't be for a few more years but when I look to get a deer dog, I'll be joining up.

Ok, here's what you do. Someone has to make your mind up for you :

Get a GWP pup from Sambarman. A bitch. Have it spayed.
Teach it to heel, sit and stay. There are thousands of books about this, or PM Ruff on here about it.
Don't take it hunting until it will do these things reliably.
Don't worry about teaching it what a deer smells like (it could actually teach you on that one).
Don't rush it.
In the bush, observe your dog very carefully. Get to know your dog, the way it works and the subtle signals it will give you.
The rest you will learn together.
Enjoy.

@sometimes has a couple of GWP's that seem to work out okay for him. He might be able to give you a steer on how he trained them. I used to breed Alaskan Malamutes in Victoria and they used to indicate for me on just about anything that breathed. But they had no sense with snakes. Had my male dog to the vet 3 times with snake bites. The vet reckoned we'd be able to draw anti-venene off him if he got any more. And I had to fight him for possession if I shot anything - bastard dog. Point is, just about any dog will do it - apart from Sydney Silkies, and suchlike.

Training is the easy part you have to find the right breed that suits your type of hunting. I use a foxy I still like to do a bit of work, I had a GSP very good hunter, but not so easy to put in a chopper & fly in.
Any way training a dog for deer any dog breed wont be easy. and every hunter that uses a dog will have a different way of training there dog. so if you can go out with someone that has a dog and watch how the dog works and the owner how he reads the dog, as they must work as a team.