Duck Dogs and Ladders

During my thirty six years of duck hunting, I have had various retrievers each of whom were unique. One of the biggest challenges for some dogs is simply the task of getting in and out of the boat. I had one particular golden retriever who hated to jump out of a boat! He liked to swim, but the entrance was not to be with a splash. He preferred a more stylish approach. My wife called him, "the furry alligator", because he liked to slink into the water. He was ace with whistles and hand signals. We never lost a bird. However, he still held the splash in disdain. I tried various dog docks with him. I even modified one by adding an extra step. Wow did that get heavy. I should have made one that looked like a sliding board!

For this reason, I have been very careful in trying to create a positive learning environment for Gunner, my young yellow lab. I take him swimming daily, and we take excursions to the lake for retriever training from the boat. I started out with the heavy cumbersome dog dock and decided against it. My hunting buddy, Randy, let me borrow his Beavertail Dog Ladder. It is nice and light, of aluminum construction. My dog got back in the boat using the Beavertail without any problem. The only trouble he had was that he got used to getting on his Dog to enter the water. The Beavertail made that more difficult. Understand that this is not a fault of the equipment. It is simply a testimony to how badly I spoil my dog!

The most important thing is that the dog is comfortable enough to retrieve. For this reason, I went to Cabela's to see what they had available. (Good excuse anyway.) As soon as I saw the Cabela's Northern Flight Dog Ladder, I knew that was the answer for my dog! He loves it! As you can see in the pictures, Gunner even enjoys getting in and out of the boat while it is in the driveway! He can step out onto the ladder and jump off, and he can swim up the ladder and walk right in the boat. The ladder clamps on and it hinges at the clamps.When the boat is moving you can swing the ladder back into the boat. We have been to the local reservoir and he did very well.

The entire dog and boat thing has been a sticking point for a number of duck hunters whom I have net over the years. I believe this ladder could be the answer for many dogs and hunters. The other key is to take the boat and dog out on the water to practice! 

(Check out: Duck Dogs and Ladders Part 2)

What to do between Early Goose and October Ducks?

My yellow Lab pup, Gunner, and I visited my tree stand every other day after early goose season. I had a food plot to hunt, but I wanted to put some apples out to entice the deer a little closer. I didn't have a camera up near there, so I was not sure who was visiting. They were certainly cleaning up the apples though! The last few days before archery season opened, Gunner and I went down over the hill every day. I was careful not to put out too many apples. I wanted the bucks to have to compete with the does for the red delicious tasty treats. In order to compete, they have to come out of the woods before dark. Finally, opening day arrived, and I knew I would see deer. I was just hoping to see a nice buck in the field before dark.

I barely got in my stand when a deer appeared in the field. As it grazed its way across the field to my apples, another deer entered the field. At that point I could see that the first deer was a spike. The second deer jogged across the field straight in. I saw his fork rack as he approached the apples. I looked up to see two six point bucks heading across the field right at me. I laughed to myself thinking, "Who rang the dinner bell?" The two sixers pushed the smaller bucks away from the apples and started crunching. They had one apple each when I saw rack entering the field from the same path . Good rack! I could see it across the field. This buck started on a jog and broke into a sprint to chase those six pointers away from the fruit. I thought I was going to have to end my season on the first day with this buck. My heart started to pound, my palms were sweaty. Oh, false alarm! This was a nice tall seven point with good mass, but it was a seven. I remember thinking that I knew quite a few guys who would shoot him. I was going to give them that chance. My buddy, the landowner would not want this one killed. Besides, it was not the rack I wanted. It was just as well. Did I really want to end my season on the first day?

That was a good question, and I didn't have long to answer it. The seven point suddenly looked right. The other deer spooked. The big seven point stopped chewing and stared off to the west. I could not see what caught his gaze and alerted his olfactory senses. Then I saw him, a big bodied ten point buck! Oh my as soon as I saw him my heart started to pound and that was my cue. He was in range and I put him down. I made a nice double lung shot, and he fell 40 yards away! It always feels good to know you made a good shot and a good clean kill!

The Ohio archery season for deer opens in late September. It usually gives me something to hunt before ducks open in late October. Last year I was tracking for my friends!