# The cold



## fowlmouth (Mar 17, 2007)

Here in Sask we are going through quite a cold spell with temps sometimes reaching the -40 *c. My buddies and I were thinking of going out to do some bird hunting before christmas nd I was just wondering what you guys think of taking the dog out in these temps. My lab is climatized to the weather as he stays outside during the days while we are at work, he also has a vest. Our plan is to do quick pushes of sloughs and tree lines, do you guys think that the weather is too cold for the dog?


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## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

Short walks...This weekend in -40 to -60 below wind chills we kept our walks to 10 -15 minutes max and the dogs were fine. Just keep an eye on your dog and pay attention to his reactions out there.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Labs are a pretty good cold weather hunting dog with their hair coat. Mine were kept in the house but had no trouble in cold weather however like Rick said the hunts were kept short with time to warm up in the truck. One thing about cattails is that the dog is down out of the wind and that makes a big differance. My GWP has half the hair or less, than a lab and gets ice balls all over but seems to handle it fine. If you start in the late forenoon and quit in the early afternoon you have all the walking you want, the dog isn't whipped out, and the birds get to feed and rest too. Good for all.


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## nickle ditch (Aug 26, 2002)

Hey Fowlmouth, how'd ya do? I'm trying to get out tommorrow before the family arrive. I love hunting roosters at this time of the year. I had to leave for work in Alberta the day the late season opened, so this will be my first day out.


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## fowlmouth (Mar 17, 2007)

we just got home from the hunt. We were able to snag a couple. The dog worked great, the birds were on lock down. It got to the point where, even if it was a small clump of grass and the dog was birdy, we would just sit back and let him dig at it because more times then not there was a bird in that clump. There was 2 instances where i thought my boy was going to snag the hen before it had a chance to fly away. As for the cold i found that the dog vest filled up with snow under the chest and belly and then turned into a big ice cube. I seemed that the dog looked more comfortable without hte vest. Anyways it was a good hunt and good luck to those getting out for the late season birds.


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## Guest (Dec 24, 2008)

Went on my last of the year yesterday. My partner and I each bagged a late season bird in cattails and my dogs held up better than this old fart! Some of the drifts convinced me to hang it up for the balance of the season. No Picture of the last so here is one of the first pics of the year. Til next year then. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.


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