EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

  Summer is here. 100 plus is the norm at the house now. What do yall do differantly to hunt in the heat. It is above 85 till around 11 here. Plan to go hunt in the morning. Going to TRY to leave the house around 4am so I can drop dogs by 4 45.

thats about all you can do Early quick and short Hunts. My 2 Cents

Ideally, I will turn out in the late evening. On the chance that the dogs roll out for a while.

Keep water and electrolytes on the mule with me, and after an incident last week, I will also keep alcohol with me, to pour on the ears, flanks, legs, and pads in case of overheating.

If I turn out in the AM, it is early, and we are usually calling in the dogs before 9:00 or so.

In the morning before we load up all the dogs get a bowl of half water/half gatorade or pedialyte. 

We've been kicking the dogs out way before daylight and leaving the field around 9am or sooner. 

After a long chase or after we catch a hog we put them all on leads, take them to water, and we all take 5 (in the shade if the sun is up). 

I carry pedialyte and a 500ml lactated ringer with me in the field.  I also have a 1000ml ringer in the truck.

It takes some self discipline but hunting in this heat can be done safely.  Its hard to put the dogs on leads when you know there are hogs near by and the dogs want to go but its not the dogs call....its mine and I'm not burying any dogs because I got greedy.

just go fishing instead

Short morning hunts. I might make a quick hunt late in the evenings with two dogs but try to stay close behind.

My problem is the dogs trying to catch and fighting with the hog. If they would just back up and bay....I dont think the would overheat.

I also use pedialyte as well.

Chris....how do you apply the alcohol? Do you ever drink it?

Bump,

I believe that's for personal overheating...nothing to do with the dogs but I usually pour mine around the throat area.  :)

Rubbing alcohol on pads, legs, ears to aid in cooling.

For the most part, I am not much for consuming alcohol while hunting. When you have as few resources as I start with, you cannot afford to give up any... ;D 

This is what I do when its too hot to hunt, that and fish......
Boil these up in some crab boil, add some small red potatoes, some fresh shrimp, some corn on the cob, maybe slice in some italian sausage....mmmm. Now Noah knows why I don't walk as fast as I used to....
(http://i621.photobucket.com/albums/tt293/MarkFreddy/crabcooler.jpg)

Course, I have to be careful out in my boat. I don't drink alcohol at all, but there are a LOT of boating accidents in Fla every year. The pic below is THE most common cause of boating accidents here in Fla every year.........Now you guys know why I boat more in the summer and hunt less..... ;D

(http://i621.photobucket.com/albums/tt293/MarkFreddy/howboatingaccidentshappen.jpg)

I need to go to fla for some summer (hunting) with you!!! :o

We have been hunting that midnight to about 4-5am time. Seems to be the coolest. When it comes to catchdogs we make sure we have rock solid bays, strike dogs... try to wind them when possible, take little breaks here and there.

I am not sure if it helps but I try to run my strike dogs pretty often to make sure they are in shape. In kind of the off season I go to the fields and road them around.

Dang, I thought I would have gotten a lot more response to that pic than I did....most of you guys must be dozing from the heat........ :P

They're not dozing, they're still staring. 


i adjust hunting times like people above have said.  The national weather service website lets you type in your city and state and has an hourly weather chart that has been pretty accurate, helps plan for the cooler times.  I also give my dogs a little stress-dex before hunting, and carry some pedialyte and try to have some cool water available for them. 

Just booked my trip to florida funny thing is i have the same bottoms that i wear swimming :o ;D

Lets see some more ;D ;D ;D ;)

That right there has to be the best part of livin in florida
 ;D ;D ;D ;D

Crackerc....how long have you had crabs?

hahahahahah. Thats hate.   

Sounds like jealousy to me........... ;D

maybe a little  ;D

Ahhh yes, I do love Florida......  I've had a few of those close calls on the waterway for sure! ;D

Dog wise, I like to get my dogs as cool as I can before they hunt.  Dipping them in a creek first helps.  I'll still hunt all day/night long though, as long as I'm close to water.  I guess water  would be my biggest suggestion.

I have caught the dogs with hogs around on the last two hunts.  One more hog is not worth a dog getting too hot.  Also If I have a choice I hunt places with water readily available for the dogs, irrigation water, creeks, the River, ect, in adition to carrying water with me.  And first and foremost the most important thing to do in my opinion is to keep the dogs in shape and LEAN,  a good rule of thumb is if you cannot see the last one or two ribs in the summer time then the dog is too fat for summer hunting.  Some people might not agree with this, but fat dogs overheat.

(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b364/Waylon8885/RandysDOG.jpg)
I like em to look like this just a few ribs slightly showing

Waylon

Yup, like them lean like in your pic aslo. People laugh when I tell them a scoop and a quarter for that dog, scoop and a half for that one, scoop there, two scoops there... but if you know your dogs and feed good food, it makes a difference.

I also don't feed the day of hunting...

I tell you guys what, I have postponed a hunting trip due to the heat. I had a buddy that has a lease south of me invite me down for the past two weeks and I keep putting him off. It is just too hot for me to hunt my dogs right now.

It was 102 degrees here today and the heat index was 108-110....thats a real good way to kill some of your dogs.
I got Monkey overheated last summer so have been more careful this summer. I guess the hogs will still be there when it cools off some....

Besides, I need to take the boat back out....... ;D

retire for the summer... :P have bbqs, go fishing, do ANYTHING but be in the woods sweating to 100 degree temps.

My dogs look like they are gonna overheat walking around in the yard... :o they dont need to be in the woods, even though i knew they are restless and bored, but it gives em time to fatten up some, heal some old wounds that wouldnt heal, and generally just be dogs.

ill see yall in october... :P

the water sports is the way to go, try taking  your dogs to the lake with you  you'd be suprized what you catch with them >:D >:D

I have been riding my young Cricket female on the front of the airboat on the river....she gets a lot of looks. Course, on some of the female passengers of the other boats I look back.....some more than others..... >:D

thought about taking buddy (my ab) fishing with me like i used to before he started hunting, but im kinda worried i wouldnt be paying attention and hear squealing in the distance... :o

i know one thing, i dont even wanna go outside now, its freakin hot

i need to find me a little pup to take out to the sandbar, they are little magnets ;D ;D ;D

we hunt at night to aviod the heat during the summer months and it's still hot.

cant wait till late october.