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Companion Dogs on the Stand

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What are your experiences, positive and negative, with predator calling with your companions dogs tagging along on the hunt?

 

I'm curious how common it is, if anyone has any advice, or has had any major problems they'd be willing to share. i.e. Keeping them leashed, away from dead coyotes, always carry a shotgun, etc.

 

Thanks!

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Understandably, a boring month after duck season, the dog let out a whimper as I was trying to leave the house in camo yesterday for a short evening of calling after work. I said heck with it and let him jump in the truck.

 

We ended up getting a good half mile from the vehicle as he needed to burn some energy and I needed to make sure I had an extra good vantage point for this new experience.

 

I began a couple short sequences on the hand call and the dog started with some whimpering calls of his own. He stared into the wind, relentlessly searching for what the heck we were doing.

 

On the 5th or 6th sequence, getting near full volume, the first coyote appears. As Drake sees the coyotes from our overlook, he jumps from belly to butt, and the coyote takes notice and immediately comes charging in! My partner drops the coyote after stopping it with a bark. Drake starts howling in excitement!

 

10 seconds later, a second coyote comes barreling in again on my partners side. He fought to get his crosshairs on yote but couldn't do so before it eventually got downwind and disappeared. We looked at each other in excitement and kept ready as Drake wasn't giving up his howling, wishing he had the freedom to run around.

 

A full minute later, a third coyote, or possibly a return of the second, comes out into plain view 150 yards to our side. I dropped him and after a few minutes of Drake calming down, the excitement was over. The first coyote ended up in some cholla so we kept some distance and took a quick snap with the second. My dog loved this experience more than bird hunting with how fast paced the action was. I guess now he is a retriever and a caller! Haha

 

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That sounds exciting! Good dog Drake! Just knowing that Labs usually ruin everything. Ha ha!

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This post put a smile on my face. I have a Heeler mix that is a heck of an elk scout but would head for the hills if I cracked a shot off. Drake sure is a handsome SOB.

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Successful night time lion callers have been using a terrier to alert them when a lion comes within sniffing distance.

 

I would love to take my Heeler calling but he tends to attack me whenever I use a call.

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Successful night time lion callers have been using a terrier to alert them when a lion comes within sniffing distance.

 

I would love to take my Heeler calling but he tends to attack me whenever I use a call.

 

I have a female dachshund that tried to dig through my stomach to get to my phone when I downloaded a Predator calling app. I get it.

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Awesome story and good job Drake. I don't have any experience predator hunting but my lab is pretty good for elk. She's been along for a successful junior tag and archery rut tag. Search out member Red Rabbit, he had cool stories and pics of him and his dog on different hunts that were on this site back in the day.

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When my lab was just a puppy he accompanied me and my buddy Jake on a day out Predator calling. We walked up on a pack of coyotes. They didn't spook in fact they were interested. My shooting was God awful I ended up shooting one and missing three others. I wholeheartedly think that they hung around because I had the dog with me.

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