Chucker Hunt gone wrong

[Goose74]

Thanks for all the replies. 

It was a long night but way worse for him than me
We always have a lot to be thankful for but today even more so!
His feet are scuffed up some but he is being well taken care of by the wife and I. 

My wife was convinced he had had a heart attack or fallen off a ledge but I think looking back he somehow went up the canyon without me seeing him   I last saw him going down canyon chasing a bird and thought there was no way he could have gotten by me so thats where I started my search after waiting around for a while to see if he would come back.  By the time I went back up to look for him who knows where he went.
Despite his age, when he gets on scent he can be hard to stop and there were a lot of birds in the area.
I have been close to losing him before but I could always call or whistle and get him back.  With his hearing and vision probably not what it used to be, this time those things didn’t work and that’s why he’s retired.

Thanks again and happy thanksgiving!!!

[redandwhitebrit]

A lost dog is very hard to deal with, and I like others are pleased you got your hunter back. This scenario has played out for a couple of friends of mine over the years. Last year a buddy I hunt with in Arizona lost his dog, and it showed up in a remote camp a week later. Same with another friend in Idaho, but it was two weeks later at a remote ranch. It is important to have an ID tag with your contact information, and I have recently purchased a tracking and training collar for my Brittany hunter. The collar keeps track of my dog, and I can correct him with tone, vibrate and shock. Brittanies love to hunt and you need as much help as possible to keep track of them. Happy Thanksgiving, and make sure your dog gets some turkey and stuffing!

[Forks]

Sure glad it ended up as it did, it’s a sickening feeling loosing them for 30 minutes let alone overnight. My Astro has taken so much stress out of the hunt and I would never put a dog down without one.

[Westside88]

Very glad that it worked out for the best. Thank you for sharing, this may help someone else with a lost dog. Good tip

[Alex4200]

Glad everything worked out for you and the dog. I have lost a dog twice. I know what a sickening feeling it is. First time someone else found her and called because of info on the collar. Second time I found her waiting for me back at the car.

Here are my two tips that I have learned to keep it from happening again. Both times it happened when I started getting tired. I guess I quit paying close enough attention to where my dog was. Now when I start getting tired I start paying more attention to my dog. And secondly, just plan stop in your tracks when you lose track of your dog or even go back to the last place you saw the dog. Wait there. And start calling. When I have done this they have always found me. Sometimes it will seem like an eternity even though it is only a few minutes.

I am glad you posted this. Great reminder for everyone. It is truly one of the worst feelings you can experience in the field.

[TVHunts]

Glad you got the old boy back! 

It is an awful feeling for sure. I lost mine within a 1/2 mile of a hiway and she was headed that way chasing a crippled pheasant.  She was only gone for 30 minutes, I was sure she was dead on that hiway. 

Went out and bought the Garmin gps collar the next week and it works great.  Now I can work towards her when I make a crappy shot and she has to clean up the wreckage!

[PaulM]

I had my shorthair Max keel over chukar hunting one year. I had to re-hydrate him and give him my granola bar. 50 yards later he was flushing more birds. I heeled him back to the truck 2900 ft uphill. So scary when the pups get hurt. I have my other dog drake on injured reserve now. His eye was injured chasing pheasants on the east side. He will need to stay out of commission the rest of this year. I am very concerned with his recovery. The way I look at the injuries is, when it happens it always seems overdue. They put in hard miles and I try my best to keep them safe but sometimes stuff happens. Glad you pup was found ok. Thanks for the tip on the shirt. I had heard this before but not sure I would remember this if needed.

[JBG]

Wow so glad to hear you got your pup back.  If i had made that call to my wife she wouldn't have said to leave a shirt out, it would have been "sit your *SS under the sage brush and wait for our child to find you!!"  It sucks to retire a dog but at some point the body cant keep up with their mind.  Maybe you can do an annual hunt on some pen raised birds that will get them out and ensure they get on birds without too much effort.   

[birddogdad]

Great news you found your dog! this has always been a concern of mine running all 3 of my girls. its a chore to keep eyes on them in the coulees! i purchased an Garmin Alpha tracking gps system that can run several dogs. works great line of sight but OTH not so good. The winds and sound doesn't travel well and this has been such a valuable tool for me in my chukar hunting that i wont even go without it, even if just running a single dog... to me, the cost totally outweighs the potential loss!

[Schmalzfam]

I'm so glad you were able to get Moses back!
That is one of the worst feeling ever.
Thank you for the advice, it makes sense.
I hope Moses can make it out for a couple easy hunts...old dogs need a little something to keep the spark.
Thanks again

[Gearnut]

Great story