Hunting accident...

[JakeThomen]

So we have been out of commission since a hunting accident in early October. It happened while we were dove hunting in Laredo TX. My dog Lily was with me when someone shot a dove about 75 yards away. Naturally she took off 90 miles an hour through the waist high grass towards the downed bird to go retrieve it. All of the sudden she stopped dead in her tracks just hollering. I was hesitant to run right in because I thought it was a rattler (thank God it wasn't), but she got up and went to my uncle who was closest. When I got there, the blood was so bad that I couldn't tell where it was coming from. I took off my shirt to suppress the bleeding, and she started wagging her stubby tail furiously when I got down to her... which was a good sign. She had run into an old mesquite stump that cut through her brisket right down to her sternum. To make a long story short, there was no emergency vet in Laredo TX, so we found this famous deer dog guy who was able to sew her up (and refused to accept any money unless I wanted to wrestle him). The cut was 6 inches long by 2.5 inches deep. It looked like someone took a razor to her chest clean down to her breast plate. In the end God took care of us because she couldn't have been hit in a better place and the guy that stitched her up was great (even my vet was impressed). MORAL OF THE STORY: Those dog vest aren't just for looks!

[MB]

OUCH! Glad she's O.K.

[BigShooter]

Similar thing happened to my friend when he and his wife were hunting with us. Their lab got speared in the chest right down to the brisket. I'm not certain a chest protector would have been adequate.Three years ago my nephew's dog was shot by one of his friends while they were hunting pheasants. The dog survived but still carries a lot of pellels in him. The boys were all in their early 20s.

We will not guide. We do not take friends along unless we know them well and are very certain they are safe hunters but ....... maybe it's time to start looking into kevlar vests for dogs. I have no idea if they are already available or what one would cost and they probably could only be worn by the dog in cooler weather but at least their chests could be protected. Something to think about .....

Mark

[JakeThomen]

Wow... there is no excuse for shooting a dog. If you cannot control your wits better than that then you should probably not be hunting. I also think I should have scouted the area better and been aware of this potential accident. Kevlar is a little extreme, but I know that they make them with metal inserts. I think if she would have had something like that it might not have completely protected her, but the blow would have been minor.

[SD Pheasant Slayer]

I really don't want this to start an argument here, but I think it's worth noting that accidents DO HAPPEN. Even the most safety minded hunters make mistakes in certain freak situations. I have an aquaintence that is the epitomy of a safe hunter. He wears the eye protection, loads his gun only AFTER the dog falls on point (which for anyone that's hunted pheasants can make for a very frustrating hunt) and is always aware of his surroundings. Two seasons ago he put a load of lead 5's in his DD's hind quarter. It was really no fault of his or anyone else's, just a freak situation where his dog was backing another point and for whatever reason broke and came in from the side behind some tall grass that he wasn't visible in. The rooster came out low, but with one dog steady on point and another backing (or so he thought) from his rear left he took what he thought was a safe shot that ended horribly. Ultimately the dog made a full recovery, but the shooter still hasn't. I would agree that 99.9% of hunting accidents are the result of carelessness or poor decision making, but there are exceptions and to say someone shouldn't be hunting because they make that one mistake would eliminate us all from the hunting population.

Jake - Don't beat yourself up about that dog's injury. It's part of the game, and while your event was nastier than most injuries, it happens to everyone at one time or another. You'd be hardpressed to screen every cover for potentially dangerous snags, barb-wire, etc. Just be glad it worked out okay. That's a good lucking dog - I'm assuming it's the same dog as the one in your avatar?

[BigShooter]

I don't want to argue either but I do want to extend the discussion. It's almost easier in a discussion about rifle shooting ... always have a clear line of sight to your target and beyond to where your shot will end up, period. Taking a low shot with a shotgun while bird hunting is a very well known safety no-no and you're right, it was clearly a poor decision. Really, how high is a DDs hind quarters off of the ground? To be a great shooter they say is to have a clear/blank mind with the eyes focused on the target. To be a safe shooter is to never allow yourself to clear your mind of where everyone and everything is and whether your sight picture to the target is completely clear, instant by instant. We can't think it's going to be a safe shot ..... we have to know it's a safe shot.

I know what you were trying to say, it's just that the example as explained didn't quite measure up for me. Yes, we're all flawed human beings and mistakes will be made. However, there are hunters I would never let in the same field with one of my dogs.

JMO,

Mark

[SD Pheasant Slayer]

Mark,

Thanks for your well-written reply. Your point about taking a low shot is a very valid one and there are things to be learned from every occasion. And, for the record, I completely agree that there are hunters whom I refuse to hunt with as well.

[ezzy333]

there are hunters I would never let in the same field with one of my dogs.

This would be even better stated if you said there are hunters you wouldn't get in the same field with. We all care for our dogs but your life is a heck of a lot more important.

Ezzy

[Georgia Boy]

Had the exact same thing happen to me in SD last week except my dog gave me no indication he was injured. I didnt even know until we broke for lunch and I noticed some blood and gave him a once over. He was really laid open and no vet available for us either. Luckily I had a extensive first aid kit put together by my vet. I hope to get his stitches out Thursday and get back to work with him. I ordered my skid plate and will be using it, I almost wish someone would make one out of Kevlar. I am glad everything worked out for you and your dog. Happy hunting.

[BigShooter]

I just read an article that a police unit had purchased 8 kevlar vests for their K-9 unit. 4 to 6 pounds per vest & $900.00 apiece. I guess I'll wait until the price goes down. Now if I was guiding and it was say $300 a vest for "gundog forum members" ....mmmmm.


M

[lightonthebay]

Thanks for the lesson Jake. I will purchase a chest protector for my baby when she is full grown. I am very happy for you and your friend that things worked out as well as they did.

[natetnc]

i hunt with a fellow every now and then, and even though we know each other fairly well he always begins each hunt with the same words of wisdom, " rule number one, don't shoot me, rule number two, don't shoot my dog(s), if you break rule number two then be prepared to break rule number one.". i have always liked that saying, it reminds everyone in the group about the safety of others and the dog(s), it gets the point across without ruining the mood of the hunt.

jake, i am glad to see your dog is ok. i like to see these kinds of post where the dog comes out ok. i think it will help us who have not experienced this kind of thing keep calm and collected if/when something like this does happen.

[windswept]

i hunt with a fellow every now and then, and even though we know each other fairly well he always begins each hunt with the same words of wisdom, " rule number one, don't shoot me, rule number two, don't shoot my dog(s), if you break rule number two then be prepared to break rule number one.". i have always liked that saying, it reminds everyone in the group about the safety of others and the dog(s), it gets the point across without ruining the mood of the hunt.

jake, i am glad to see your dog is ok. i like to see these kinds of post where the dog comes out ok. i think it will help us who have not experienced this kind of thing keep calm and collected if/when something like this does happen.

Natetnc,
I like the way your friend thinks! I am stealing those words of wisdom.
Impossible for a low shot to be safe. No way, no how. That's scary!

[nj gsp]

Low bird = no bird.

I'm not the first one to say it, but there isn't a bird on this earth worth the risk of shooting a dog or another person by taking a marginal shot.

[ezzy333]

Low bird = no bird.

I'm not the first one to say it, but there isn't a bird on this earth worth the risk of shooting a dog or another person by taking a marginal shot.

So very very true.

Ezzy

[Kiki's Mom]

Hubbie guides on occasion and when he was in TX he did more of it. Last Spring he hosted a Chukar shoot for a few friends. He was guiding and hosting this shoot, using our dogs of course and I was a NERVOUS wreck to say the least. He very plainly laid out the rules to the boys just as he did down in TX when he guided:

"BOYS this is supposed to be fun but above all it is mandatory that you have your fun by keeping safety for your fellow hunters and MY DOGS in your heads at all times. Should you lose your head at any time and shoot either your fellow hunters or any of my dogs be prepared for two things: 1) a lawsuit if you manage to shoot anybody else 2) to write a check for $10,000 on the spot if you shoot and/or kill one of my dogs. So in order that you do not end up signing over your truck, your wife , your house and your bank account, please keep your heads in the safety zone at all times."

It worked.....everybody had a great time and everybody respected the the dogs as well as each other. No one dared to take any "marginal" shots.

[JakeThomen]

Thanks for the replies/concerns. She is doing awesome and I am going to take her out soon. I was going to take her to the vet to get the stitches removed but once we stopped leaving the cone on her while we were gone they magically disappeared! I think Pheasant Slayers point is that even the safest and most conscientious hunters can have accidents... I mean hunting is a dangerous activity and things just sometimes happen. Ever hear about that hunted in Baytown, TX about a year ago? Shot by his dog... sad deal. Pheasant Slayer... I am going to NW Kansas with my father the 2nd weekend in December for my first ever pheasant hunt and I am ecstatic! Any tips? PM me.

[rkelly]

My pup ran into a tangle with a barbwired fence yesterday while chasing a rooster. She still hasn't exactly figured out what barbwire is. Ripped her front leg wide open and punctured her back flank. It didn't even phase her though, I didn't realize anything was wrong because she didn't yelp or anything and ran normally. She hunted the rest of the field and when we got back to the truck I noticed blood on her front and rear leg. It didn't even bleed all that much. All of the fur and the skin was ripped off and I could see muscle. It is amazing the pain tolerance they have, she would of hunted all day. Well $500 later she is all sewed up, which seemed a little spendy to me, but what can you do in a bind. They had to put her under to cut away the tissue to sew it up, so I guess that is where the major cost was incurred. And I thought girls were expensive..

[Ruffshooter]

Have a friend that had a wicked nice GSP, hard hunting dog. She was covering the grouse woods with her normal zeal. Dag heard a wicked screech and yelp. The dog contiued to cry as he made his way to her. When Dag got there she had driven the rotted end of a stump root just above her clavical right into her artery. Dag tried to stuff the cut with rags and do what pressure he could. Nothing would stop the bleeding. She died in his arms. Dag is an anethitist and was well prepared, but this is one of those cases where nothing short of a suit of armour would have kept her safe. Dag lost a great freind.

[Ruffshooter]

That is quite a cut. Glad all the dogs are okay.

[rkelly]

Here are a couple of pics of the wounded soldier. It isn't going to be fun keeping that funnel on her head the next 2 weeks, and even worse we are out of commission just when pheasant hunting around here is getting good

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[chukarguy]

Youth hunt 08 One hour before my dog ended up looking like Jake's. 19 staples and out for two weeks. Left the vest in the truck because the terrain was much easier than i had been hunting for the past week. All it takes is one random piece of metal out in the field!

[intothewind]

are you sure that dog didnt have a heart bypass......it looks alot like my chest-ughhhhh

[zzweims]

This just happened to a good friend of mine yesterday. We were both guiding at a local plantation, he in one field and I in another. His pointer bitch jumped a log and impaled herself on a limb. It cut an artery and opened her so wide, he was able to see her heart. He put her down in the field

I guide alot and have a pretty thorough safety speech, but what I say at the end gets 'em everytime. I will only guide for parties of two, so they become confused when I tell them, "under no circumstances will you lower your guns until you note the location of the other four hunters in the field, and then only if they are stationary and away from the line of fire." The response is usually, "Four hunters? There are only two of us." Then I point out that my two dogs and I are hunting also.

[KFhunter]

If you really want to protect your dog look at some "hogg dog" websites

[KFhunter]

they have kevlar vests too!

$130 bux

http://www.uglydogranch.org/udrshop/pro ... ucts_id=37