You guys are exactly right, I could have PM'ed my opinion to Tony.
But I don't apologize for not doing so. The video was here plain as day, so I addressed it as such...
Before posting, I knew full well that I'd prolly catch heck for it. But I also know that there are several others reading along that absolutely WILL NOT post on this topic, yet share the same opinion. I'm just the 'bad guy' for stepping up & airing it out. So be it...
Sure, if you look on youtube, you prolly can find all kinds of wild azzed videos with dogs. But that doesn't make sharing them the RIGHT thing to do. Youtube aside, most dog hunting sites shun those who'd post video of this nature on the public portion of their sites, if not outright pull them. They don't want the attention & I'm not alone in that opinion. Does the saying "flying under the radar" hold any creedence with you guys???
So agree to disagree. If you think it's fine for that to be public, I won't comment any further on that.
Originally Posted By: Tony Tebbe If you think killing a coyote has absolutely nothing to do with decoying, then you better start hunting with poodles.
I'm glad you brought that up, Tony. I had the pleasure of watching over four straight hours of decoy dog action on video this past weekend. These two indivudual dogs worked alone & were like nothing I have EVER seen! And not ONCE did they put a tooth to a coyote, 'cept in self defense when outnumbered 3 or 4 to one.
When that happened, fur FLEW and those dogs had GRIT in spades! But the amazing part of the footage is that they used their brains to get multiple coyotes within spitball distance of the hunter, time & time again. Stand after stand. Multiple coyotes within FEET of the hunter. And when one got popped, there was no wooling, that dog went out & brought the other coyotes back in again. It was absolutely amazing, and if I hadn't seen it with my very own eyes, I'd be calling BS that it were even possible! Too bad that hunter would never share that stuff here, but I sure feel privileged to have seen it. I sure wish my dog will grow to have 1/10th that savvy. I seriously doubt it, but a guy's gotta dream! And I could give a chit less if he can kill a coyote, cuz that's MY job, the guy with the gun
Opinions will differ there, too...
Anyway, given the extremely close range and 'gimme' shot opportunities those two extraordinary decoy dogs allowed the hunter, there was little/no need for the dog to 'finish' anything. Not once in all that footage, actually. No messy cleanup, and that is a testament to the hunter performing his duty on the gun. Easy schmeasy shots!
Since you are guiding hunters day & night who may, or may not be, straight shooters, I can see the need for a 'recovery dog'. But don't mistake that with what I perceive to be what decoying coyotes is all about. If I had consistently poor shooters wounding coyotes left & right, then I'd probably want to put more emphasis on breeding that type of dog too. To each, his own. And again, a sidetrack, but only cuz you brought it up...
I realize I won't sway anyone in their opinion. However, the arguement that my shared opinion is somehow ammo for antis is HOGWASH.
I"ve got NO PROBLEM with the content itself.
Again, the problem I have is that it's being shared on a publicly viewable forum.
That IS NOT doing dogmen any kind of service whatsoever.
Doing what's right is usually always right.
And what IS right for you may not be right for others in a similar position.
So then, why not err on the side of discretion & consideration for other dogmen & leave this stuff out of public view? If you want to get your rocks off watching this kinda stuff, then it's already been pointed out that you can surf youtube for it. Or buy a video. But then again, isn't that partly the reason for sharing the video in the 1st place?