Gotta be a lab

[Judd Irland]

Thought some of you lab lovers would appreciate this story...
Hunting in flooded timber, midmorning. Beau, my 11 month old chocolate male, after having performed admirably all morning, was busily drying himself on his little platform. Apparently, his rear end needed some extra attention...well, he got so into licking that he fell off the platform into the water. That "I cant believe I just did that" look on his face was priceless. Our laughing was rudely interrupted by a group of gadwall. Half-hour later, he did it again! [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] That is when I knew that he was destined for stardom. haha.

Okay. You guys got dog stories too. Let's here em.

'God proved his love for man by giving him the dog'-I forget who said that
'But God proved duckhunters were His favorites by giving them the Lab!'-This one's mine.

[Doc & Nash]

Judd wish I had one to add, But maybe in the next year or two, I am currently looking for a good pup.

I have talked to Evone? in Ponotoc and she is e-mailing me some names of people who are going to have pups soon so keep your fingers crossed.

[Big Lou]

My black lab, "Bear", is about a year old. Onw morning this season Myself, him, and his dad, Hunter a 4 yr old chocolate, were hunting flooded timber. We were all sitting on a old log when Bear decides to move to the other end and sit down. Well, hunter and I look at him and then at each other as with a look of puzzelment as to why he would do that. well a few seconds latter we found out why! Do not ever feed your dog a honey bunn! It has the same effect on dogs as it does humans. I think he burnt the bark off that tree! Hunter and I both jumped off the log so fast that old Bear went swiming, and he probrably needed to so he could wash off any residue! [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[CaptnT]

My 7 year old choc male Beau is as dedicated hunter as there ever was. I raised him on my boat(s), I took him fishing with me when he was a pup to teach him "boat manners".

This year we were hunting alone and I shot a double over the decoys. The water was about 14' deep where we are usually wading. Beau leaps out of the boat and his vest gets hung on a broken off cypress limb, and there he is hanging, pawing the air and howling!!! Thought I would bust a gut!

Another time I was hunting a public area that another guy and I had gotten into late (because of the OTHER guy), and we missed getting the best spot. On top of being late, he had to leave early, so after listening to the other hunting party shoot birds all day, Beau was pretty wound up. When we decided to call it a day after not even firing our guns. As I began to wade in and retrieve our decoys, my partner asked where Beau was. I looked around and could't see him anywhere. Then the other guys started shooting and I heard them calling a dog. Sure enough, Beau had walked over and was retieving thier ducks. After gathering all my decoys, I waded over and called Beau. He was hunkered down with these three guys in a cypress brake, and the guys said he was welcome to stay, he has already fetched three ducks for us! I walked as far as I could to the party, and after alot of calling, Beau decided to return to me. He had that "sorry dad" look on his face that all lab owners know, but I couldn't bring myself to scold him.

[Wildfowler]

My dog, a female Black Lab, was nicknamed the squealer, by my friends after her very first duck hunting trip. There were two boat loads of us hunting in the opening weekend LA of the 98/99 season. She was only about 10 months old at the time. This particular weekend, the weather was terrible. It was warm and raining. The rain was intermittent between hard, and very heavy. Not the most ideal conditions. I don't remember any other dogs on this hunt, (Hambone, correct me if I am wrong) so any retrieves were up to me. Honestly, we really weren't expecting any retrieves with the weather being what it was. But we were well prepared to eat our way out of that hole, if necessary.

I had been working very diligently with my dog from day one, and she had been dove hunting earlier this year. But I was amazed at how steady she was on the front of the boat. She acted right at home on her perch, in front of the boat blind. She looked and acted like she was a 6 year old professionally trained retriever. I was so proud of her.

Somewhere during the breakfast feeding, a group of Gadwalls came out of nowhere. And out of nowhere, all of the shooters unloaded on them. I think we shot down 4 or 5 of them. It couldn't have more picture perfect. There were 4 ducks flapping dead on the water, right in the middle of the hole. I don't think my dog ever flinched during this shooting volley. But now she was sitting there on the front of the boat, twitching like a bomb waiting to explode. She looked at those ducks, then she looked at me as if saying, well, what are you waiting for? SEND ME NOW!!! So I did. That puppy could have won the long jumping contest when she sprung off of the front of that boat. I'll bet she sailed a full boat length before she hit the water.

As soon as she hit the water and began swim, she must have suddenly realized that the properties of deep water will slow her down. This made her furious, because she immediately began barking and yapping and squealing insanely to get at those ducks. I mean to say, that she just couldn't get there fast enough. It sounded like she had just been skinned alive. I'm sure anyone could have heard all of this barking and all of our laughter for miles away. It was hysterical.

This is my first dog, and I really had now concept of the notion that a dog could contain such an innate burning desire to retrieve those ducks. Wow, it was amazing!! And it was at that point when I realized just how lucky I was. Lucky to have a dog who loved to duck hunt even more than I did. She turned 4 years earlier this year, and still to this day, she barks and squeals manically anytime she has to swim through deep water to make a retrieve. Particularly if that bird is flapping around or swimming away from her. I hope she never quits doing it. I love it.

Thank you Squealer.

[ March 08, 2002: Message edited by: Wildfowler ]

[Hambone]

Good memory, Wildfowler. That was the day that Crockett (for the rest of you, Crockett was my longtime favorite retriever, one of those rare Goldens that lived to hunt)decided that he could let one of those slick-haired black dogs do the heavy lifting and he would be the specialist on blind retrieves! What I remember in addition to how Squealer got her nickname is the pair of drake Pintails that led that big flock of Mallards straight in over the decoys. That was also the weekend that Crockett swam through a chest-deep field of flooded cockleburrs and came out looking like a cross between a "swamp collie" and a porcupine!

[Wildfowler]

I forgot about the cockleburrs from that day. I haven't forgot about two Pintails, they tried to land about 15 yards right in front of me. I have fond memories about that hunt, isn't this sport great?!!!

[00duck]

world famous honey hound aka luxery hound golden retriever she loves her rubber duck but alas she is moma's little fury girl we have two little ole busy bodies single old sisters that live together for our dear next door nieghbors and they have faslely acussed our precious little darling of dumping in their frount yard there are no less than a dozen pups that come by and leave a load for the sisters we have had many talks about this and honey's caca alley was in the back yard between the house and fence a very private abode well finaly i caught one of the old biddies throwing caca back into our yard we had a small discussion about that !so for the past year i have at the appropiate time ,like when they are taking trash to the street i have ole honey hound go out and do a little biz right on the line that is our property line this is driving the ole girls crazy [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] we love honey dearly even if she not a duck hunting machine she would rather have a her duck right off the grill [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[Hambone]

Wildfowler, if my recollection is accurate, the pintail pair DID land about 15 yards in front of you...

[Unkljohn]

One really really cold day a few years ago, a good friend and I were hunting in a blind. There were very few ducks flying so we brought my chocolate male (Rubin) into the blind with us to warm up. Well he's more pet than hunter so in a few minutes he had worked his way in between us and my buddy started feeding him viennas. A little later I was watching some ducks out to our left and Andy was watching some more ducks of to our right. Runin still inbetween us. When we hear poooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooott, the longest fart you ever heard X 10. Andy and I both turn to rag on the other about it, the fart is still going on at this point, we look at each other and the dog is sitting in the floor of the blind looking at his butt with the funniest look on his
face [img]images/smiles/icon_redface.gif[/img] [img]images/smiles/icon_sad.gif[/img] . Needless to say we laughed and laughed, I swear Rubin was embarrassed!! It had to be the funniest moment I've ever had in a duck blind. Andy & I still laugh whenever someone even says viennas. [img]images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]
JT

[Dutch Dog]

my 1st lab, a black female, was notorious about falling sound asleep on the log she was on or the deer stand platform i had for her when hunting deeper water. I can remember 2 separate times that she fell asleep and fell slap off into the water. she would normally do this in that lull from 8:00 to 10:00.