Dogs in Elk Camp

[GASoline71]

I don't bring dogs to a hunting camp.  Never have, never will. 

If your large dog incessantly barks while you're gone from your camp hunting.  Or if your dog CONSTANTLY strays into neighboring camps and drops deuces, and is just a pain in the arse.  Do everyone in the elk woods a favor and just please leave the friggin' animal at home.

Super frustrating this year to have a new camp next to us that their dogs really were a pain.

Gary

[pianoman9701]

  Had a buddy bring one once. Never again.

[Moose Master]

How about cats?

[jeffro]

I used to bring my Doberman to camp, he never barked, never left my side.
When I went into the bush he stayed in the truck.

[NOCK NOCK]

I don't bring dogs to a hunting camp.  Never have, never will. 

If your large dog incessantly barks while you're gone from your camp hunting.  Or if your dog CONSTANTLY strays into neighboring camps and drops deuces, and is just a pain in the arse.  Do everyone in the elk woods a favor and just please leave the friggin' animal at home.

Super frustrating this year to have a new camp next to us that their dogs really were a pain.

Gary

I hear ya, but, thats not a dog problem.......its the owners problem....and a lack of proper training. Some folks just should not own dogs.

[andersonjk4]

How about cats?

My Brother in Law actually brought a cat to elk camp this year down in the Blues. They have a new young barn cat that snuck into his camp trailer while he was loading it. Needless to say he was pretty surprised when he discovered the stowaway. Luckily his hunting buddy made a trip home for Halloween and was able to return the cat after two nights.

[BKMFR]

All about the dog owner, if well behaved and under control can be a pleasure in camp. We had  a Black Lab that was a real asset in camp when hunting Montana and Idaho-always knew when the bears would come by at night. In other camps they have been a pain- back to owner....

[h2ofowlr]

I have not brought one to camp, but I am tempted with all the people stealing stuff out of rigs or out of camps.  Might help keep that thief away.

[7mmfan]

How about cats?

My Brother in Law actually brought a cat to elk camp this year down in the Blues. They have a new young barn cat that snuck into his camp trailer while he was loading it. Needless to say he was pretty surprised when he discovered the stowaway. Luckily his hunting buddy made a trip home for Halloween and was able to return the cat after two nights.

I would think a cat in camp would sure keep the mice down! Would have to be a good cat though, to stick around.

[elkrack]

My brothers wall tent got completely ransacked by a dog at elk camp this year! I mean ransacked. That dog was hungry!!

[pianoman9701]

I have not brought one to camp, but I am tempted with all the people stealing stuff out of rigs or out of camps.  Might help keep that thief away.

Unless they steal the dog, too. 

[JDHasty]

"Super frustrating this year to have a new camp next to us that their dogs really were a pain."

1) Go to the legal pot shop and purchase some brownies.
2) Leave enough of them on the table in your camp to take a good size black bear on a trip to Haight Asbury
3) Watch and shake your head from side to side sympathetically when they return to camp and lift dogs into their rig before heading off to the animal emergency
4) Upon their return, listen and try to keep a straight face as they complain about the $1,500 per dog they had to pay up front to get the dogs admitted for whatever it was that the animal emergency was no help in getting sorted out

Repeat as necessary
 

[full choke]

"Super frustrating this year to have a new camp next to us that their dogs really were a pain."

1) Go to the legal pot shop and purchase some brownies.
2) Leave enough of them on the table in your camp to take a good size black bear on a trip to Haight Asbury
3) Watch and shake your head from side to side sympathetically when they return to camp and lift dogs into their rig before heading off to the animal emergency
4) Upon their return, listen and try to keep a straight face as they complain about the $1,500 per dog they had to pay up front to get the dogs admitted for whatever it was that the animal emergency was no help in getting sorted out

Repeat as necessary

That would pretty much be the definition of “dick move”.

I would bet you set up a ghost camp as well...

[pianoman9701]

...and here we go.

[vandeman17]

I would have no problem bringing my dogs to elk camp because they are well behaved but I just don't see the need. Since I leave camp before daylight and am back after dark, they are happier at home than being cooped up in my tent or trailer all day

[swampbear]

I would just start taking a dump in their camp. Maybe they’ll think it was the dog, and leave it home next time.

[gaddy]

I don't and wont bring my dog to camp. Too busy to worry about them. Had people camped a ways down the road from me one year that had dogs. It was non stop barking at any thing that smelled or came near their camp, or they were yipping and wining about being tied up while owners were away and they were tied up. You could hear them all down the canyons and draws. Spend a few hrs hiking from camp and still hear dog's ? I hunt out of camp and don't figure there will be any game anywhere close to dogs barking at all hours.

full choke-- A dick move ? I'm sure JDHasty was being facetious, but If you have invested a season scouting, planning, setting up camp, fuel, the whole nine yards and some "dick" shows up with his dog and ruins your set up, your piece of mind and every thing you were looking forward to in this hunt, I think you could understand his frustration.

[yakimanoob]

I wouldn't hesitate to bring my dogs to an elk camp, but I would also never leave them unattended nor let them disturb the camps nearby. 

In other words, +1 for this being an owner problem and not a dog problem. 


[Also rest assured if you poison my dog I will leverage every means necessary to make sure you never do it to anyone again].

[NOCK NOCK]

I wouldn't hesitate to bring my dogs to an elk camp, but I would also never leave them unattended nor let them disturb the camps nearby. 

In other words, +1 for this being an owner problem and not a dog problem. 


[Also rest assured if you poison my dog I will leverage every means necessary to make sure you never do it to anyone again].

 

[mtn muley madness]

My Chesapeake goes to deer camp every year, and so did her mom before her. It’s awesome. Couldn’t imagine it without her. Guards the fort when we are gone, goes about 30 yards out the wall tent to meet whoever is driving in and knows instantly if they don’t belong(if you’re that close to the tent and not in our camp you have no business being there in the first place). Keeps my feet and legs warm at night. Doesn’t bark, wine, cry. Always happy and in a good mood (unless you don’t belong which is also great). Great for everyone’s moral, she’s everyone in camps buddy. Poops in the brush like she’s trained to. Doesn’t drift off(not that there’s any other camps around). Guards the fort straight up and all the valuables left unattended when we are gone. I’m a huge advocate for great dogs in camp. The only downside is she snores a little..

[JJJ]

Years ago I hunted with a buddy, his dad Larry, and Larry's brother Dan. The canyon we hunted was the hell hole known as the Devil's Tailbone in the Blues; a very accurate name, I must say.... We hunted out of camp by simply dropping over the side and sliding to the bottom. A trip downhill to get to our stands at a fast clip took considerable time and effort.

Dan, being a single never married 40ish year old, NEVER went anywhere without his beloved brittany spaniel; including ELK CAMP. Over the years, Larry would "express his displeasure" to his brother about bringing that ^&(^&*%ing dog. The brittany, being a brittany, understood every word they were saying. My buddy and I would just laugh it off and thought it was hilarious how those two argued year after year; it was great entertainment.

Fast forward about 5 years. Larry explicitly tells Dan NOT to bring THAT DOG and it had better not be in the truck when Dan arrives. We are in camp, anxious for opening day the next morning, when Dan pulls into camp right at dark. Lo and behold, Dan has a beady-eyed, orange and white varmint on the seat beside him. Larry and Dan immediately proceed to go into the yearly ritual dog "discussion", while the brittany sits and listens intently. It was extremely evident by now to everyone that Larry HATED that dog, and the dog felt the same way about Larry. Tensions between the two were at an apex.

The next morning, (opening morning) we get up, eat breakfast, and Larry makes sure his nemesis is tied up securely and his collar is extra tight all the while cussing him out. We head over the side to head to the bottom. Hours later, my buddy and I  make it back to camp for dinner and Larry is flat out livid! It seems Larry finally made it to his stand to sit and glass on a extremely narrow point near the bottom of the canyon. Opening day: everything is perfect.... After 30 minutes or so, Larry said he felt "a presence". He turned his head 180 degrees and there was a wet brittany snout not 6" from his! Larry ended up dragging "that dog" out of the hell hole to camp, thus ruining his opening day. I would have loved to hear the conversation the two of them had climbing out! Needless to say, Larry and Dan had some extra "enhanced discussions" that night; my buddy and I thought it was hilarious.

The next morning was a new day, and hopes were high. Larry and the Brittany were shooting darts at each other, but no words were spoken, and peace was to be assumed in camp. All of us happily slid over the edge into the hell hole. The brittany was now in a home made straight jacket of some kind, so we all were assured it simply could not be an issue today.

Then.... it starts to rain. By the time we get to the bottom it is absolutely dumping non stop. We toughed it out as long as we could and eventually made our way out as a group. Completely drenched and exhausted, we arrive back at camp. As we get closer, Larry goes off the charts speaking 8 different languages, and some English I've never heard before. In front of us was a mud soaked brittany sitting in a downpour, surrounded by EVERY SINGLE ITEM of Larry's! I mean E V E R Y T H I N G--- Sleeping bag, clothes, pack, and toilet paper- you name it. If it had Larry's scent on it, it had been drug through the mud and left to be soaked. It seems as though his rope was long enough to get inside the tent. One minor flaw in an otherwise bulletproof plan. My Buddy and I thought it was hilarious. The dog went home early.

[71Shovelhead]

Not a lot different than listening to a generator run all night along with a bunch of drunks standing around a bonfire yelling, cussing and lying to each other about what a great hunter they are and how much they hate people from the other side of the state.

This is why I don't camp or hunt near other people.
 

[Special T]

My Chesapeake goes to deer camp every year, and so did her mom before her. It’s awesome. Couldn’t imagine it without her. Guards the fort when we are gone, goes about 30 yards out the wall tent to meet whoever is driving in and knows instantly if they don’t belong(if you’re that close to the tent and not in our camp you have no business being there in the first place). Keeps my feet and legs warm at night. Doesn’t bark, wine, cry. Always happy and in a good mood (unless you don’t belong which is also great). Great for everyone’s moral, she’s everyone in camps buddy. Poops in the brush like she’s trained to. Doesn’t drift off(not that there’s any other camps around). Guards the fort straight up and all the valuables left unattended when we are gone. I’m a huge advocate for great dogs in camp. The only downside is she snores a little..

One of the reasons I love my Chessie. Part guard dog part retriever.

[GASoline71]

Now then, I have seen camps with dogs in them, and you would have never know they had a live animal in camp as the dogs were that well behaved.  But it's always the 10% of dog owners that ruin it for the 90% of good dog owners.  Those of you that do have well behaved dogs and bring them to camp with you, I think it's pretty cool that you can.

I do agree on the generators as well. We have a generator, but it is used sparingly.  The dog camp next to us also had a generator that was on from the moment we pulled in to the moment we left.  They kept it gassed up and running the entire time.  I did muzzleloader hunt one year in 342 with a few buddies, and one of their father's had to have a CPAP running all night with a generator.  So if that is the case I can understand.  But I don't think it was the case with this camp.

At least the generators didn't crap next to our rigs every day... 

Gary

[71Shovelhead]

How about the guys that start their diesel truck an hour before daylight to let them "warm Up" with heated seats and steering wheels, so they are more comfortable road hunting. Just to return to camp talking about going Steep and deep, bone dry with clean boots.

Okay I'm done painting with such a broad brush. I don't like hunting with groups or hunting near other people.  A choice I made over 50 years ago. Glad it works for some. I don't even know how to make a reservation in a camp ground. Always been able to find a place away from others to enjoy nature.

Good luck to everyone this year.

Terry

[howlow]

I brought my lab to elk camp one year and she was sneaky would open the ice chest and get ice   well one day by the wall tent there was a 5lb package of bacon   no one in camp lost any bacon   needless to say i think she stole from neighbors camp  well we ate it and i even gave her some  the next year i asked the neighbors camp if they lost the bacon and they didnt remember but now i invite them over for a meal each year.   

[sixgun_symphony]

"Super frustrating this year to have a new camp next to us that their dogs really were a pain."

1) Go to the legal pot shop and purchase some brownies.
2) Leave enough of them on the table in your camp to take a good size black bear on a trip to Haight Asbury
3) Watch and shake your head from side to side sympathetically when they return to camp and lift dogs into their rig before heading off to the animal emergency
4) Upon their return, listen and try to keep a straight face as they complain about the $1,500 per dog they had to pay up front to get the dogs admitted for whatever it was that the animal emergency was no help in getting sorted out

Repeat as necessary

The only thing that will happen is that the dogs will take a long nap and sleep it off.

[Skyvalhunter]

Dogs and chocolate dont mix.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Really quite surprised nobody has brought up the scent aspect of dogs in camp.

It’s hard enough keeping unwanted scents of oneself let alone having a dog rubbing all over you.🤯

[KFhunter]

I don't think it would matter one bit, we stink so bad to any game animal already...a bit of dog in the mix?  Meh

I've never had a dog I'd trust to leave in camp alone, my Britts would be gone when I got back, my labs long ago would have followed me everywhere, or would have followed a stranger holding a stick to fetch...


They're cougar or wolf bait, last year we had wolves very close to camp, dog scent would have brought them closer and lingering longer

[Iveexcaped3]

I bring my dogs to my camp, I or them are not there to please you. This year I layed in bed and listened to generators, loud trucks, side x sides unloading at 4:00am, drunk guys around a fire till 11:00. “Careful who you point fingers at because 5 more are point back at you”. My dogs also alerted me at 1:00am, look outside and 2 guys were setting up camp quietly and respectful but if they didn’t hear them it easily could have been someone looking through my camp. My dogs also aren’t unattended the whole time.

[elksnout]

I bring my dogs to my camp, I or them are not there to please you. This year I layed in bed and listened to generators, loud trucks, side x sides unloading at 4:00am, drunk guys around a fire till 11:00. “Careful who you point fingers at because 5 more are point back at you”. My dogs also alerted me at 1:00am, look outside and 2 guys were setting up camp quietly and respectful but if they didn’t hear them it easily could have been someone looking through my camp. My dogs also aren’t unattended the whole time.

I'd be looking for a new place to camp.


elksnout

[Skyvalhunter]

I bring my dogs to my camp, I or them are not there to please you. This year I layed in bed and listened to generators, loud trucks, side x sides unloading at 4:00am, drunk guys around a fire till 11:00. “Careful who you point fingers at because 5 more are point back at you”. My dogs also alerted me at 1:00am, look outside and 2 guys were setting up camp quietly and respectful but if they didn’t hear them it easily could have been someone looking through my camp. My dogs also aren’t unattended the whole time.

I'd be looking for a new place to camp.


elksnout

Sounds like hes taking it personal

[Iveexcaped3]

Sounds like hes taking it personal

It’s the internet dude, nothing to take personal.

[ghosthunter]

Well I don’t take my dog to hunting camp unless it birds we are after.

But we have 15 guys in our camp. And one brings a Poodle every year now. His wife passed, so the Poodle comes. Not sure everyone likes it. And he has taken her to a stand with him some. Deer.

In elk camp we had guys bring a couple dogs. One was a lap dog. One day we were in camp mid day and one of the guys mixed dry ice in a pop bottle. The explosion sent the lap dog on the run. The old guy was real peeved. We looked and looked for that dog couldn’t find it. After hours the old guy went to his tent and set on his cot.

Heard a yelp. Dawn dog was inthe bottom of his sleeping bag.

At deer this year we had three trailers camped about 100 yards away. They had a black lab which visited us every day. We liked the dog better than their generators running at night.

In this photo, there is my sons dog visiting one day, The poodle, and the black dog from the camp next to us.

[salmosalar]

The only way I would bring a dog to camp is if I had someone there all day to be with the animal.

This year I had 2 elk camps. Both were at private "hipcamp" locations. Both times we were alone. All other elk camps have been in locations where we had no neighbors. If I brought a non-hunter to a remote camp, I could see the benefit of a dog for them. I live with non-hunting, non-gun people so I could see where having the dog may make the camping more enjoyable for one of my ladies and make them feel safer.

I only recently took up elk hunting. Before that, I camped and fished for steelhead in the fall and spring. I have taken a dog to steelhead camp before. She was with me when I got in the boat in the AM and that dog was pretty much perfectly behaved. I would not likely take her successor. He is not nearly as well behaved or as comfortable in dangerous places like boats and rivers. Part of that is that I have not taken him to the river much because the runs are down everywhere.

I never took a dog to Skeena when I went up. I was told that the Canadians frowned upon it. Manners and thoughtfulness was always something that I appreciated about Canadian steelheaders so I never wanted to rock that boat.

I think this whole discussion comes down to manners and thoughtfulness. There is no rule so I would default to asking myself if he dog is going to interfere with someone else's good time.

[dvolmer]

I know I will take a ton a flack for this but here it comes, If you are a serious elk hunter, and i'm talking about the guy that gets up before the crack of dawn and hunts all day until 1/2 hour past sunset, then there is absolutely no place for a dog in elk camp.  If you are the guy that treats elk hunting as a late camping trip with a few hikes here and there then I guess I could see if for some.  I wouldn't allow or want a dog in my elk camp.  Now bird hunting is a total different story.  Just my stand on the whole thing.  Everyone has to have there own.