A question about dog food is probably the most common query I get at hunt tests or even in the clinic. Everyone wants a magic bullet food that will give their dog unlimited stamina. Let's see what's best.
First, we need to assume the dog is actually healthy. This means well conditioned, "in shape", and not suffering from any illness. Importantly, they need to be parasite free. This translates to either regular deworming (on a monthly basis via a broad-spectrum heartworm pill) OR checking the stool at the vet's office at least twice annually; certainly 8 weeks before hunting season.
Now, on the food: Here's the simple formula: chicken as the protein source in the 28-30% range, a fat-level, as fed (i.e. what the bag says on the label) of 20%, and from a reputable manufacturer. On this chicken business, the term Chicken By Product Meal sound horrible but, actually, it can be an excellent protein source. If it is refined and used by, again, a well-known company, I don't have a problem with CBPM. The fat source can come from a variety of animal fats, even lard. But, most fats are high in Omega-6 fatty acids which, while not toxic, are not as good as Omega-3's which are primarily found in fish oil or flax seed oil.
As far as carbs, there's no real minimum requirement for carbs in a dog's diet. They can live without any carbs. But, if you try to feed a product with low carbs, the manufacturer has to use some very expensive ingredients. So, to keep costs within reason, carbs (grains) are normally in dog food. While any of them can be used, for all practical purposes, rice is the best one.
So, we find a food that has chicken (or CBPM) as the protein source, a fat level of 20%, ideally with a lot of fish oil, and rice as the carb source. There you go.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Blood Tracking Dogs
Almost weekly, I get a call from a hunter wanting to buy a puppy for blood tracking wounded game. Of course, most of them are interested in a Drahthaar but there are other breeds, e.g. Dachshunds (Tekels) that are good choices too.
Training a dog for blood tracking is actually kinda easy. Early in life...say 16 weeks of age....you begin with food tracks. I like Vienna sausage bits. I just put a few pieces out in a line with the juice from the can sprinkled between the tidbits. Normally, I start with fairly short tracks...50 feet or so.
Then, gradually, over a period of weeks, the tracks get longer and longer with fewer and fewer actual meat pieces on it. Eventually, I switch to other scent sources. Buttermilk is a good one. There is no reason to introduce real blood at this point. You are just trying to get the puppy to learn the command "Track It" and to put it's nose down when they here those words.
Simple foot tracks where the puppy merely tracks you are nice too. You just walk through an area of long grass, woodlands, etc. and scuff your feet in each track. Eventually, you introduce turns, gradual at first but over a month or so, you make a "box" with three 90 degree turns and the track ends up in the same area (but
several yards away) from the start. Once a puppy completes a true box track, you are making real progress.
I always have a nice treat at the end of each track. The Germans recommend training on a empty stomach where the puppy is quite hungry but that has not been important in my experience. The treats at the end are anything from a hamburger to a full can of Vienna's. (Be sure and pick up the empty can when you leave!)
When switching to true blood, any type will do from hog blood, cattle blood, or even real deer blood. Getting and keeping blood is an art form. I like to bottle it in pint bottles, freeze it and have several in inventory for training. Some people strain it but I am too lazy for that so I just freeze it as whole blood.
At first, you can use a lot of blood but over time, you want to get more and more skimpy with it. Wounded game often drop scant blood and if it is spraying everywhere, well, you can find the game without a dog. So, the dog must learn to track flecks of blood. Believe me, they can do it.
Eventually, you need to put the blood out and wait at least two hours and five is better for the tracking exercise. I use colored clothes pins to mark where I laid the track. You must know where the track is yourself if you are gonna train the dog correctly!
Over a period of weeks, you use less and less blood and the tracks get longer and longer, again, finally ending with a "box" layout that makes the dog track regardless of the wind direction.
Normally, I track wounded game "on lead" but if the briers and swamps are bad, I may turn the dog loose and keep up the best I can. This means a special lead and collar designed for blood tracking which are available from various vendors online.
While blood tracking is fun it can be a hassle when someone calls you at 9 PM to help with a lost deer after several hunters have walked all over the track since dark. Also, the dog is a blood tracker. No blood=no track.
Training a dog for blood tracking is actually kinda easy. Early in life...say 16 weeks of age....you begin with food tracks. I like Vienna sausage bits. I just put a few pieces out in a line with the juice from the can sprinkled between the tidbits. Normally, I start with fairly short tracks...50 feet or so.
Then, gradually, over a period of weeks, the tracks get longer and longer with fewer and fewer actual meat pieces on it. Eventually, I switch to other scent sources. Buttermilk is a good one. There is no reason to introduce real blood at this point. You are just trying to get the puppy to learn the command "Track It" and to put it's nose down when they here those words.
Simple foot tracks where the puppy merely tracks you are nice too. You just walk through an area of long grass, woodlands, etc. and scuff your feet in each track. Eventually, you introduce turns, gradual at first but over a month or so, you make a "box" with three 90 degree turns and the track ends up in the same area (but
several yards away) from the start. Once a puppy completes a true box track, you are making real progress.
I always have a nice treat at the end of each track. The Germans recommend training on a empty stomach where the puppy is quite hungry but that has not been important in my experience. The treats at the end are anything from a hamburger to a full can of Vienna's. (Be sure and pick up the empty can when you leave!)
When switching to true blood, any type will do from hog blood, cattle blood, or even real deer blood. Getting and keeping blood is an art form. I like to bottle it in pint bottles, freeze it and have several in inventory for training. Some people strain it but I am too lazy for that so I just freeze it as whole blood.
At first, you can use a lot of blood but over time, you want to get more and more skimpy with it. Wounded game often drop scant blood and if it is spraying everywhere, well, you can find the game without a dog. So, the dog must learn to track flecks of blood. Believe me, they can do it.
Eventually, you need to put the blood out and wait at least two hours and five is better for the tracking exercise. I use colored clothes pins to mark where I laid the track. You must know where the track is yourself if you are gonna train the dog correctly!
Over a period of weeks, you use less and less blood and the tracks get longer and longer, again, finally ending with a "box" layout that makes the dog track regardless of the wind direction.
Normally, I track wounded game "on lead" but if the briers and swamps are bad, I may turn the dog loose and keep up the best I can. This means a special lead and collar designed for blood tracking which are available from various vendors online.
While blood tracking is fun it can be a hassle when someone calls you at 9 PM to help with a lost deer after several hunters have walked all over the track since dark. Also, the dog is a blood tracker. No blood=no track.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Nosler Ballistic Tips
I have been round and round about bullet choice. And, as a result, have used just about all the well-known bullets out there.
Nosler Ballistic Tips have been one of my better choices, at least on Alabama whitetails. But, they do have some idiosyncrasies. Here's some info that I have learned myself and from reading and talking to others.
Nosler Ballistic Tips have been one of my better choices, at least on Alabama whitetails. But, they do have some idiosyncrasies. Here's some info that I have learned myself and from reading and talking to others.
Ballistic Tip
Overview:
Ballistic Tips (BT's) were designed by John Nosler for violent expansion / explosion and medium penetration on light-skinned animals like deer. For most calibers shooting fragile BT's, you're better off using heavier projectiles with larger Sectional Density's (SD's) than you would normally use for a regularly constructed soft point bullet.
Why?
1. Heavy for caliber bullets are better in a BT because they tone down the violent expansion a bit and still have enough weight leftover for a extra penetration or a complete pass-through. Lighter BT bullets often fail to penetrate to the other side of the animal.
2. The shock-value with the heavier BT will still be more than lighter standard soft point bullets like 150-gr. and you get more downrange energy on target with the 180-gr. (fragile) load.
3. Short range shots also suit the heavier 180-gr. round with a higher SD versus lighter weight BT'd bullets with less mass that might blowup too quickly.
4. Raking quartering-away shots obviously benefit from a heavier bullet for adequate penetration.
5. A larger BT'd bullet is also more forgiving if you shoot accidently into the shoulder.
___________________
* Nosler says that beginning with the 30 caliber 180-gr. Ballistic Tips (and larger), the jacket's profile is changed or upgraded to a much stronger contour similar to the AccuBond (shown below). The lead core is also hardened over the 165-gr. and below bullets in smaller calibers - to include the 150-gr. you're considering.
Lighter weight bullets like 165-gr. 30 caliber and lower (shown below) do not have the thicker contour which starts in the middle of the shell and goes down to the base.
In summary, one might infer that the 180-gr. Ballistic Tip is simply a non-bonded version of the AccuBond and, in fact, over the past two years, I have gone almost totally to Accubonds because I can use 140 gr bullets in my .280AI whereas I might go heavier with BT's.
In Summary:
* Soft point bullets generally perform better on deer in lighter to mid-weight sizes, but BT's do not!
* For best performance, Nosler recommends heavy for caliber BT's.
* Reported problems of a BT blowing up too quickly are generally associated with too light of a bullet.
* Remember, remember.... Ballistic Tipped rounds are the exception to the rule!
Ballistic Tips (BT's) were designed by John Nosler for violent expansion / explosion and medium penetration on light-skinned animals like deer. For most calibers shooting fragile BT's, you're better off using heavier projectiles with larger Sectional Density's (SD's) than you would normally use for a regularly constructed soft point bullet.
Why?
1. Heavy for caliber bullets are better in a BT because they tone down the violent expansion a bit and still have enough weight leftover for a extra penetration or a complete pass-through. Lighter BT bullets often fail to penetrate to the other side of the animal.
2. The shock-value with the heavier BT will still be more than lighter standard soft point bullets like 150-gr. and you get more downrange energy on target with the 180-gr. (fragile) load.
3. Short range shots also suit the heavier 180-gr. round with a higher SD versus lighter weight BT'd bullets with less mass that might blowup too quickly.
4. Raking quartering-away shots obviously benefit from a heavier bullet for adequate penetration.
5. A larger BT'd bullet is also more forgiving if you shoot accidently into the shoulder.
___________________
* Nosler says that beginning with the 30 caliber 180-gr. Ballistic Tips (and larger), the jacket's profile is changed or upgraded to a much stronger contour similar to the AccuBond (shown below). The lead core is also hardened over the 165-gr. and below bullets in smaller calibers - to include the 150-gr. you're considering.
Lighter weight bullets like 165-gr. 30 caliber and lower (shown below) do not have the thicker contour which starts in the middle of the shell and goes down to the base.
In summary, one might infer that the 180-gr. Ballistic Tip is simply a non-bonded version of the AccuBond and, in fact, over the past two years, I have gone almost totally to Accubonds because I can use 140 gr bullets in my .280AI whereas I might go heavier with BT's.
In Summary:
* Soft point bullets generally perform better on deer in lighter to mid-weight sizes, but BT's do not!
* For best performance, Nosler recommends heavy for caliber BT's.
* Reported problems of a BT blowing up too quickly are generally associated with too light of a bullet.
* Remember, remember.... Ballistic Tipped rounds are the exception to the rule!
Schaffer's Rules of Dog Etiquette
1. You might have the best dog in the field back home, but that likelihood lessens with each mile driven.
2. Undersell your dog—always. He’s a better shower than you are a teller.
3. Every time you’re about to brag about your dog, stop yourself and compliment another dog’s fine retrieve from the day, instead.
4. Only the underdog can overachieve. The best the over-dog can do is meet expectations.
7. Never give another guy a hard time about his dog. Believe me, he knows.
10. When your dog leans against you, it either means that he’s trying to dominate you or that he has an itch he’d like you to scratch. Your call.
After reading Mr. Schaffer’s rules of dog etiquette, I realized that I’ve boasted with pride about my own bird dog far too often during the early days of this pheasant season. And after my pup’s failure to retrieve two crippled roosters during my most recent pheasant hunt with my good friend
Grayson Schaffer
Guns
Tom Givins is an instructor at Rangemasters in Memphis. I don't know him personally, but have been in his company on several occasions. This is a bit long but should put some perspective and balance on what is sure to be a tense next couple of weeks on the "Gun Control" bandwagon.
In the wake of the tragic, horrific slaughter of innocent school children in Connecticut, there has been a renewed cry for more gun control laws. This stems from the natural need to “do something” when a tragedy of this proportion occurs. I agree we need to do something, but the “something” I want is a bit different.
The “Gun Free Schools Act of 1994” made it a federal crime to possess a firearm on any school property. Many states enacted similar legislation at the state level, as the federal act required them to do so or lose certain federal funding. Thus, it has been a crime to go onto school property anywhere in the US while in possession of a gun for the past 28 years. Has that helped?
Well, I did some research and I cannot find a single mass school shooting in the US prior to 1994, when this bill was passed. For the purposes of this discussion, I will define a “mass school shooting” as one in which three or more people were killed. I have found 14 such incidents in the United States between 1997 and the Newtown, CT, incident of yesterday. That is an average of one incident every two years. ALL OF THESE OCCURRED AFTER THE ENACTMENT OF THE GUN FREE SCHOOLS ACT OF 1994! Let me emphasize that—every mass school shooting in the US occurred AFTER it became illegal to possess a gun on school grounds. Why?
The answer should be obvious. By making schools a “gun free zone”, you automatically disarm all law abiding citizens at those locations. This is tantamount to placing a sign on the front of the building inviting criminals and mentally deranged persons to come shoot up the place. “Come on in. We’re all unarmed, by law. We won’t interfere with your mayhem.” Disgusting…..
I, for instance, have a state issued handgun carry permit. I am certified by the NRA as a Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor and I have been certified by the FBI as a police firearms instructor. I am certified by two states to train and certify new firearms instructors for those states. I have held a law enforcement officer commission. I travel all over the US teaching defensive firearms use. Yet, by law, I would commit a felony by stepping onto school grounds while wearing my sidearm. Despite this, someone who, for whatever reason, wants to shoot up a school can walk right in. If he is willing to murder six year olds in cold blood, he certainly won’t be deterred by a law against bringing a gun onto the campus. Duh….. To think otherwise is so naïve as to be a form of mental illness.
I think it is truly ironic that in the first mass school shooting I could find, occurring in 1997, the mayhem was stopped when the Assistant Principal got a handgun from his car and confronted the gunman, who surrendered to him. Thank God the Assistant Principal had an ILLEGAL gun that day.
A couple of weeks ago, there was an attempted mass shooting at a mall in Oregon. The demented shooter had a high capacity semiautomatic rifle, but he only managed to kill two people and wound one other before killing himself. Why was the body count so low, given that this was obviously a copy-cat version of the Aurora, CO, shootings? The answer is simple. Because Nick Meli, age 22, was at the mall there with his wife and child. Nick has a concealed carry permit and was wearing a handgun concealed on his person. When the suspect began shooting, Nick drew his gun and verbally challenged the gunman. Meli held his fire because of innocent people in the background (excellent judgment under stress), but his actions caused the gunman to break off the attack, run into a nearby service corridor and kill himself, ending the spree. Of course, the lamestream media will not tell you about Nick. They would prefer a higher body count rather than tell you a legally armed citizen saved the day. Here are a few other instances that two minutes of internet research brought to light. In each case, a legally armed private citizen saved lives by being there and by being armed.
1. In Pearl, Mississippi in 1997, 16-year-old Luke Woodham stabbed and bludgeoned to death his mother at home, then killed two students and injured seven at his high school. As he was on his way to another school building , he was stopped by Assistant Principal Joel Myrick, who had gone out to get a handgun from his car. Having that gun was illegal, but it saved lives.
2. In Edinboro, Pennsylvania in 1996, 14-year-old Andrew Wurst shot and killed a teacher at a school dance, and shot and injured several other students. He had just left the dance hall, carrying his gun when he was confronted by the dance hall owner James Strand, who lived next door and kept a shotgun at home.
3. In Winnemucca, Nevada in 2008, Ernesto Villagomez killed two people and wounded two others in a bar filled with three hundred people. He was then shot and killed by a patron who was carrying a gun (and had a concealed carry license).
4. In Colorado Springs in 2007, Matthew Murray killed four people at a church. He was then shot several times by Jeanne Assam, a church member, volunteer security guard, and former police officer (she had been dismissed by a police department 10 years before, and to my knowledge hadn’t worked as a police officer since).
In the wake of the tragic, horrific slaughter of innocent school children in Connecticut, there has been a renewed cry for more gun control laws. This stems from the natural need to “do something” when a tragedy of this proportion occurs. I agree we need to do something, but the “something” I want is a bit different.
The “Gun Free Schools Act of 1994” made it a federal crime to possess a firearm on any school property. Many states enacted similar legislation at the state level, as the federal act required them to do so or lose certain federal funding. Thus, it has been a crime to go onto school property anywhere in the US while in possession of a gun for the past 28 years. Has that helped?
Well, I did some research and I cannot find a single mass school shooting in the US prior to 1994, when this bill was passed. For the purposes of this discussion, I will define a “mass school shooting” as one in which three or more people were killed. I have found 14 such incidents in the United States between 1997 and the Newtown, CT, incident of yesterday. That is an average of one incident every two years. ALL OF THESE OCCURRED AFTER THE ENACTMENT OF THE GUN FREE SCHOOLS ACT OF 1994! Let me emphasize that—every mass school shooting in the US occurred AFTER it became illegal to possess a gun on school grounds. Why?
The answer should be obvious. By making schools a “gun free zone”, you automatically disarm all law abiding citizens at those locations. This is tantamount to placing a sign on the front of the building inviting criminals and mentally deranged persons to come shoot up the place. “Come on in. We’re all unarmed, by law. We won’t interfere with your mayhem.” Disgusting…..
I, for instance, have a state issued handgun carry permit. I am certified by the NRA as a Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor and I have been certified by the FBI as a police firearms instructor. I am certified by two states to train and certify new firearms instructors for those states. I have held a law enforcement officer commission. I travel all over the US teaching defensive firearms use. Yet, by law, I would commit a felony by stepping onto school grounds while wearing my sidearm. Despite this, someone who, for whatever reason, wants to shoot up a school can walk right in. If he is willing to murder six year olds in cold blood, he certainly won’t be deterred by a law against bringing a gun onto the campus. Duh….. To think otherwise is so naïve as to be a form of mental illness.
I think it is truly ironic that in the first mass school shooting I could find, occurring in 1997, the mayhem was stopped when the Assistant Principal got a handgun from his car and confronted the gunman, who surrendered to him. Thank God the Assistant Principal had an ILLEGAL gun that day.
A couple of weeks ago, there was an attempted mass shooting at a mall in Oregon. The demented shooter had a high capacity semiautomatic rifle, but he only managed to kill two people and wound one other before killing himself. Why was the body count so low, given that this was obviously a copy-cat version of the Aurora, CO, shootings? The answer is simple. Because Nick Meli, age 22, was at the mall there with his wife and child. Nick has a concealed carry permit and was wearing a handgun concealed on his person. When the suspect began shooting, Nick drew his gun and verbally challenged the gunman. Meli held his fire because of innocent people in the background (excellent judgment under stress), but his actions caused the gunman to break off the attack, run into a nearby service corridor and kill himself, ending the spree. Of course, the lamestream media will not tell you about Nick. They would prefer a higher body count rather than tell you a legally armed citizen saved the day. Here are a few other instances that two minutes of internet research brought to light. In each case, a legally armed private citizen saved lives by being there and by being armed.
1. In Pearl, Mississippi in 1997, 16-year-old Luke Woodham stabbed and bludgeoned to death his mother at home, then killed two students and injured seven at his high school. As he was on his way to another school building , he was stopped by Assistant Principal Joel Myrick, who had gone out to get a handgun from his car. Having that gun was illegal, but it saved lives.
2. In Edinboro, Pennsylvania in 1996, 14-year-old Andrew Wurst shot and killed a teacher at a school dance, and shot and injured several other students. He had just left the dance hall, carrying his gun when he was confronted by the dance hall owner James Strand, who lived next door and kept a shotgun at home.
3. In Winnemucca, Nevada in 2008, Ernesto Villagomez killed two people and wounded two others in a bar filled with three hundred people. He was then shot and killed by a patron who was carrying a gun (and had a concealed carry license).
4. In Colorado Springs in 2007, Matthew Murray killed four people at a church. He was then shot several times by Jeanne Assam, a church member, volunteer security guard, and former police officer (she had been dismissed by a police department 10 years before, and to my knowledge hadn’t worked as a police officer since).
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