Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Bird Dogs => Topic started by: SkookumJeff on September 29, 2011, 01:03:57 PM

Title: Not going back
Post by: SkookumJeff on September 29, 2011, 01:03:57 PM: I was up in the Teanaway river watershed last Saturday with my brittany Jack looking for some grouse. I'd just about given up on finding any grouse when we stopped near the top of Red Top so I could take a few pictures. I let Jack out to run while I was messing around with my photography. He ran to the edge of the timber and froze up. It almost looked like he was on point. He must have stood there motionless for a couple of minutes. Knowing my dog as I do, I could see he was scenting the air and puzzled over what he was smelling. I thought his behavior was really odd, something was wrong.

The place where I wanted to setup my camera tripod was a hundred feet down the FS road from where I was parked. I headed that way with my gear and called Jack to head that way with me. He took off ahead of me, slowly, his tail tightly clamped down on his butt. Jack is ten years old and I've NEVER seen him behave this way. What in the world could he be scenting I thought to myself. He almost looked frightened and was clearly acting submissive! He's been in the woods all his life, accustomed to elk, deer, bear, and cougar. I took my pictures and then commanded Jack to kennel up. As I drove off thinking about my dogs behavior I came to the realization that he was probably scenting wolves. That would be something new to him, something he'd never run across before.

That got me to thinking about what I would do if my valuable bird dog was attacked by wolves? I figure that if my hunting dog comes across a wolf pack in the woods while on a bird hunt, I'm certain the wolf pack would kill him as quick as they could. I can't have that happen. I'm also betting that if I had to kill some wolves to protect my bird dog, it's going to be a big pain in the a$$ with the Feds. I decided the best thing to do is just avoid the possibility altogether. So I won't be coming back to the Teanaway area with my bird dog. Now I have to wonder, how many other areas am I going to have to put off limits as these damn wolves spread out throughout the state? This isn't good.
Title: Re: Not going back
Post by: Happy Gilmore on September 29, 2011, 01:43:59 PM: Never know? I posted a story in some thread a long time ago about what I heard up on Lake Cle Elum when I was out on late archery hunt. I was convinced it was big dogs killing something big and not ONE person agreed with me that what I thought I heard may have been wolves. Different story now 3-4 years later??
Title: Re: Not going back
Post by: BIGINNER on September 29, 2011, 01:51:20 PM: bigfoot?? :yike: lol

on a seriouse note though,... if my dog was ever attacked by wolves,.. there is no way in hell i would be able to keep myself from blasting as much of the wolves as possible,.. won't think twice about it,... and nobody will know about it,.. :)
Title: Re: Not going back
Post by: 6x6in6 on September 29, 2011, 01:54:41 PM: Wouldn't surprise me Skookum.
That is very close, as in less than a couple miles, from where the sheep herder posted on here about a wolf confrontation his herding dogs had a few weeks back.
I do believe the Martinez graze their sheep in and around the Blue Creek drainage just the other side of Red Top.
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,83161.0.html (http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,83161.0.html)
Title: Re: Not going back
Post by: dirty24d on September 29, 2011, 02:03:22 PM: I'm pretty sure there isnt anyone out there that would standby and watch as there pets were slaughtered..
Title: Re: Not going back
Post by: 10Key on September 29, 2011, 03:32:59 PM: Thanks for the heads-up, definitely something to consider. Ive had our Brittany up there several times grouse hunting as it is one of the closer places to go, I hoep we never have an "encounter".