Uhunt Mag Information

• Posted By : UHUNT APP - Jesse Farr
• Posted On : Feb 02, 2020
• Comments : 2
• Views : 2329
• Likes : 9
• Category : DEER HUNTING » ARTICLES, TIPS & HOW TO GUIDES
• Description : Training a crazy full of beans Wire Hair Pointer to stalk deer is a whole different ball game.

Overview

• BY IZZY SESTO
  
  I have always had a passion for hunting; however, it is a whole different experience now that I have my own dogs. I have two dogs Bandit a Bullarab & Hank a Dane x Mastiff x Stag for Pigs. My main experience with hunting using Dogs has always been with Pigs. Getting Snowy a Wirehair Pointer also know as GWHP was something new and exciting. She is trained to find Deer and retrieve Ducks & Quail. As I found out, GWHP’s are a very keen and energetic breed. From my experience, I found with my other dogs. The best way to train them is by hunting them with other good dogs, and they normally pick it up pretty fast.
  
  Of course, there is more to it than just that, but I have always been fortunate enough to have some mates with some unreal pig dogs. For example, a 3-week pigging trip up North when Bandit was seven months old was defiantly the best thing to get him going. But training Snowy was a completely different story. Training a crazy full of beans Wire Hair Pointer to stalk Deer is a whole different ball game. Snowy has always had a good nose, no matter where we were her nose was always on the ground. To start her training off when she was young, I started with feeding her Venison (Deer), I would bring home a leg from a Deer that I shot.
  
  
  
  I would lock her inside and drag the leg around the back yard and then let her out to find it. This really helped her to start using her nose and training her on the scent of Sambar Deer. Throughout Australia, there are different species of Deer, but here in Victoria, Sambar Deer are our main species. After doing this for a little while and once I was confident she was capable of using her nose, I did this out in the field as well. After shooting any of the Deer, I would let her off so she could start using her nose and take me to my kill.
  
  A lot of it was natural talent with this dog, so all the little things I did with her as a pup helped, but she was an instinctive dog from the start which really sped up her training. One of my biggest struggles with Snowy was teaching her not to chase the Deer and to trust her off the lead. In this case, a lot of discipline, telling her off and being on lead was necessary until she learned to hunt and stay beside me. My favorite hunt with Snowy was up in Mansfield, we found some fresh prints and walked down a sunny face on a very cold winter morning. Her nose was straight on the ground, now Snowy for some reason points every other animal beside Deer; however, her way of telling me there is fresh Deer scent is by wagging her tail uncontrollably.
  
  
  
  
  So, I slowed down and had a look, and a nice 24 inch Stag was having a feed close by. I waited for my shot, sending him down with my .308. He made a quick dash where he ran down the gully out of my eyesight. I waited for a few minutes, and then I let Snowy off. Within 30 seconds, I could hear her barking, I followed her voicing, and she had found him. As shown in my pictures, Snowy has found me plenty of Deer, and there are so many amazing memories with her. Snowy is now 3 years old and definatley in her prime. Another thing she does well is Duck hunting. This was probably the easiest thing to train Snowy for. She was just so naturally talented with it.
  
  
  
  We did the same thing as Deer, a few shot Ducks as a pup hidden in the yard so she would get used to the scent. Snowy also has an obsession with tennis balls, so when she was a pup, we would make sure to chuck them in water to make her love swimming and get her more confident in the water. The only hard part with Duck training we had to teach her was to jump out of the tiny after shooting a Duck on the river.
  
  But even that was an easy job as she is just a super keen Dog. All we did was pushed her in once, and that was it she was jumping out none stop. If there was one thing, I learned in training this Dog. It would be that a lot of discipline and obedience training is important, of course, necessary but even more praise and rewards are also important as well. That is the best way to gain your Dog’s trust and make them your best hunting buddies.