Feeding for hunts

[natetnc]

I am primarily a weekend hunter with a couple week long trips during the season. My question has to do with increased amounts of food to compensate for the extra energy burned during the hunts. I am looking for advice in both scenarios, weekend hunts and week long hunts.

Do you increase feed before the hunts? If so, when and by what %?
Do you continue the increased feeding amount prior to the hunt? If so, when and by what %?
Would it be better to increase the feed level for the whole season or feed normal during the week and ramp up nearing the end of the week?

not looking for exact science here just wanting to get a basic idea of how you feed dogs with various activity levels during the week.

[mcbosco]

I would just bring along some high protein, high fat snacks. If your dog is otherwise well fed, in shape and healthy you will be fine. If you have a particularly demanding weekend planned it cant hurt to feed a little extra but protein and fat is best.

thats my view anyway, canned sardines are the easiest to deal with when you are out

[Shadow]

natetnc- 30 years never changed from what I normally feed- third day I'll increase the amount of food- mine have always slept real good after a hard day- think that's the key

think you have some fine Britt's in good shape even without looking at them- if they go all day and then sleep real good you might give them a bit more after the second day

sometimes I'll have venison jerky- they think they should have some too- so

last few years my Britt's can go harder then me so it's not a problem

[Wlfdg]

Hunting for my dog isn't very tough due to his general level of conditioning from backcountry skiing in winter and spring to mtn.biking all summer.

Backcountry skiing requires snacking. I get beef and pork trim from the restaurant my GF works for and chicken skins from the butcher. I generally feed 4-6ozs. every hour if we are going to be out longer than 2hrs. starting after the first hour. It's about 80% fat. The dogs have done up to 10,000 vertical feet in day on this schedule. More often we do about 4,500 vert.ft. in 5 hrs > 6,500 vert.ft. in 8 hrs. I don't feed more, just snack more.

[Shadow]

Hunting for my dog isn't very tough due to his general level of conditioning from backcountry skiing in winter and spring to mtn.biking all summer.

Backcountry skiing requires snacking. I get beef and pork trim from the restaurant my GF works for and chicken skins from the butcher. I generally feed 4-6ozs. every hour if we are going to be out longer than 2hrs. starting after the first hour. It's about 80% fat. The dogs have done up to 10,000 vertical feet in day on this schedule. More often we do about 4,500 vert.ft. in 5 hrs > 6,500 vert.ft. in 8 hrs. I don't feed more, just snack more.

there are those that can hunt theirs all day long without a snack
how about 4 dogs all day- seems an awfull lot of snacks to be packing along
you ever been behind a high powered pointer all day

[Wlfdg]

"there are those that can hunt theirs all day long without a snack"
That's great!
"how about 4 dogs all day- seems an awfull lot of snacks to be packing along"
I've packed that many snacks along skiing. My friends often forget to. Don't want to cut a great day short or have to carry a bonking dog out of the mountains while on skis.
"you ever been behind a high powered pointer all day"
Actually, yes I have and high powered coonhounds (all night), sleddogs, cat hounds and bear hounds.
And your point is?

[RayGubernat]

I wouldn't do anything different for a weekend of hunting.

Couple of things I think are worth doing on a week long trip. First I would bring along some canned dogfood or some high protein meat type meals(Gainesburgers or such). My guys are pretty shot when the day is done and ssometimes they won't eat ther kibble. If I spice it up with some wet dogfood or the meat chunks, they find the energy to eat it.

I also wet down the kibble and make it pretty soft. That is because the first thing a dog will do in the morning is evacuate before running. The hard kibble can be tough on a dogs gut and result in rectal bleeding. If you wet it down amd make it mushy, it moves through with much less irritation. Might even allow them to get more goodness out of it.

In the colder weather, I will wet the kibble down with hot water. I will also towel the dogs dry if they were running in the rain, before I put them up for the night. I figure if they are dry and warm, they will rest better and recoup better for the next day.


RayG

[mcbosco]

ray, are Gainesburgers even made anymore?

[birddogger]

I would just bring along some high protein, high fat snacks. If your dog is otherwise well fed, in shape and healthy you will be fine. If you have a particularly demanding weekend planned it cant hurt to feed a little extra but protein and fat is best.

thats my view anyway, canned sardines are the easiest to deal with when you are out

Good advise, IMO.

Charlie

[Shadow]

"there are those that can hunt theirs all day long without a snack"
That's great!
"how about 4 dogs all day- seems an awfull lot of snacks to be packing along"
I've packed that many snacks along skiing. My friends often forget to. Don't want to cut a great day short or have to carry a bonking dog out of the mountains while on skis.
"you ever been behind a high powered pointer all day"
Actually, yes I have and high powered coonhounds (all night), sleddogs, cat hounds and bear hounds.
And your point is?

I used to be a ski patrol in Breckinridge- criminy sakes- you saying I needed to pack a days snacks
I also was arround Eskimo's who ran their dog team and didn't give them snacks-

and your point is

[Wlfdg]

"there are those that can hunt theirs all day long without a snack"
That's great!
"how about 4 dogs all day- seems an awfull lot of snacks to be packing along"
I've packed that many snacks along skiing. My friends often forget to. Don't want to cut a great day short or have to carry a bonking dog out of the mountains while on skis.
"you ever been behind a high powered pointer all day"
Actually, yes I have and high powered coonhounds (all night), sleddogs, cat hounds and bear hounds.
And your point is?

I used to be a ski patrol in Breckinridge- criminy sakes- you saying I needed to pack a days snacks
I also was arround Eskimo's who ran their dog team and didn't give them snacks-

and your point is

I don't ride ski lifts, I skin and hike for all my turns.
Sled dogs run on ice and packed trails, generally flat.
My dogs run down powder slopes and climb up skin tracks and boot packs.
Your point is?
Why are you taking my first post personally? It has nothing to do with you or your post?

[Wlfdg]

I'll go back to lurking :roll:

[Shadow]

ahhhhh heck- did I take it personally

sometimes hunters and dogs have problems snacking on hard hunts

[Scott Linden]

I'm convinced after experimenting, and spending some time with the vet who developed the Purina "power bar" that supplementing with maltodextrin helps. Not sure of the science or the process, being a music major, but goes something like: maltodextrin helps muscles create or replenish glycogen which "rebuilds" the muscle cell structure. Feed within 1/2 hour of completing exercise and a dog's muscles will recover close to their maximum by the next morning.

Some may argue, but I'm a believer. You can buy maltodextrin at any store that sells junk to bodybuilders, under the name "CarboGain."

[Shadow]

I'd say your words are based on what you know works Scott

I do chuckle- I do take a lunch break or when I'm hungry- sit in the field- reach in my game pouch- share a couple turkey sandwhiches with the bird dogs- specially when they done good and there are still birds arround

I just don't make it a practice to give them supplements during a hunt

got to admit- in a dwindling blizzard one time we were getting lots of pheasant points- the snow was deep- I would have made a trip to town if I knew of something I could give my little Britt and me to keep us going- best I did was dig out some snow and lay down with her- she liked it I like it- we were aways from the vehicle- pheasants were under the snow

[natetnc]

I'm convinced after experimenting, and spending some time with the vet who developed the Purina "power bar" that supplementing with maltodextrin helps. Not sure of the science or the process, being a music major, but goes something like: maltodextrin helps muscles create or replenish glycogen which "rebuilds" the muscle cell structure. Feed within 1/2 hour of completing exercise and a dog's muscles will recover close to their maximum by the next morning.

Some may argue, but I'm a believer. You can buy maltodextrin at any store that sells junk to bodybuilders, under the name "CarboGain."

so you buy this supplement at a GNC and give it to the dogs after the day is done to help with the following day? interesting. makes sense as far as decreasing recovery time (soreness/fatigue) but i don't know how much it would do for giving them the extra calories needed to produce energy. my dogs don't do well with snacking at any point during hunts, maybe between hunts when i grab some lunch so extended stops may provide snacking options. in prior years i have always increased the food the feeding before a hunt and the feeding after the hunt by 20%, they seemed to perform ok and never had any digestive problems due to the fluctuation in amount of feed.

thanks for all your replies, i will probably continue the fluctuating feeding schedule and will look into some good snacks for the lunch time breaks. i will also be looking into the supplement mentioned above although i am kind of hesitant to give my dogs supplements made for humans.

[mcbosco]

my wife gave me a good suggestion on food to bring along, hard boiled eggs, sounds like a winning idea to me even better than sardines.

i always give raw yolks at home, never thought about bringing hard boiled eggs though, hmmmmm

[Rick Hall]

Here are links to some articles on the subject that may be of interest: http://www.purinaproclub.com/sportingdo ... eeding.htm, http://www.purinaproclub.com/sportingdo ... ercise.htm and http://www.purinaproclub.com/sportingdo ... ercise.htm

The quick course would be that a healthy, well conditioned and properly fed dog is better off not eating for up to 24 hours before hunts, improper snack giving does more harm than good, and that glycogen replenishment through proper carbohydrate administration, of the sort Scott has suggested, is useful to dogs not having time for normal glycogen replacement on extended multiple day hunts, but probably not appreciably so for one or two day hunts.

Dr. Reynolds has also suggested in a Mike Lardy interview for Pointing Dog Journal and Retriever Journal that those feeling they just must give their dogs snacks during hunts should make it something high in fat and give it less than 15 minutes prior to resuming activity, so there's no time for a counterproductive insulin spike to occur.

[mcbosco]

good info,

thats why sardines are such a good food for this application

[Scott Linden]

You know, I also carry Vita-Cal from Drs. Foster & Smith. Kinda like NutriCal but about half the price. Best I remember, it's pretty much oil/fat and a few carbs. Helps a lot, if you feel the need to feed during the day.