Thread: Dog ready to go bush

Wrong Island for up to date tip but from first hand experience l can recommend you get a Blaze Orange /Blue collar/"Blaze Bandanna " for her before heading into public hunting areas ,hunting with a mate over a decade ago ,mate nearly had his mainly black ,Border Collie X shot by morons from across a valley when they mistook it for a pig running through the Bush & & one of the blokes who has come on a couple of our fly in Sika hunts, brother was nearly shot on DOC land in Kaimanawa 2 weeks after the last lock down, numb nuts climbing the wall & then shooting at what ever moves ,he thinks mistook his black Lab coming to heal after putting up a mob of pigs,dog was acouple of feet away from him as he was sliding down into a steep gully on his ass ,rock splinters hit both & the gutless pricks never answered him calling out .

My dogs have always been kitted up with a "Blaze Bandanna " since mate had the first close call over 14 yrs ago , even the GSP's & Vizsla l have owned over the years when hunting Sika or Reds in the thick stuff .Just loose fit for open tops deer hunting &tied on with a loop of easily broken cotton so it contains a "bun" of the blaze material,if you are pigging in thick stuff etc ,if it gets caught up bailing the cotton breaks releasing it for a loose fit dog just backs out of . Mine have worn them for years & they carry it out if it is hung up on scrub.

Shot this Red in a scrub & Vine choked gully during the roar ,if you look at dopey you can see the "Blaze Bandanna " using the cotton tied "bun" , dopey earned its feed ,tracking the Stag through thick bush & vine to find downed Stag after heart shot zombie run, making no hinderance to dog.

There is a lot of wanker snobbery surrounding "gun dogs" but over the years l have seen many working type dogs perform very well & currently have a mixed mutt myself that was only ever really supposed to be a Farm dog helper & companion for my missus on the farm & it has mostly taught it self by watching my 2 gun dogs a Lab & Vizsla & is performing as good as they were at its young age . So your girl will have plenty to offer with a bit of work .Good Luck & good hunting



1 yr old dopey bugger a GSP/ farm dog X ,self taught our old Lab's trick of finding & retrieving into the tray spot light rabbits ,so no need to leave warm cab & retrieving ducks from ponds (not keen yet on river retrieves), started "pointing " deer by freezing & waving tail like a flagpole after watching Vizsla (much to Vizsla disgust )