Pups Go to School for Groundhog
07 October 2001 • Sunday
We took the three of the puppies out in the field this weekend. It was the first time we’ve been ‘out’ in the field since mid-August. It just gets too hot here in Tennessee when it doesn't rain and the ground gets too hard to dig. Also, one of the folks we hunt with regularly had surgery a few weeks ago and is still recovering so the rest of us had to pitch in more…but the day was fun, we got dirty, and the pups got to see their first groundhog underground. My hunting muscles hurt in all the right places but it’s a good soreness to have while sitting at work on Monday!
We had three seasoned hunters (Crash, her sister Mattie, and Tucker) and swapped them out throughout the day. The day started out with Crash and the three pups. What a joy it is to see these pups running along and checking settes with their mom! I know I was grinning ear to ear just watching them zip about.
The next farm we had Crash’s littermate with just one of the pups (Sprite). This puppy was needing a lesson in field etiquette on getting in the seasoned dogs face…Crash surprised us all and was soooo patient with the pups that she didn’t even get mouthy with them when they were acting up! But her sister taught this pup well and held her down as if to say, “When you’re in the field you little 6 month old imp, you WILL behave.” We ran the two of them for a few minutes and then moved on to the third farm that has many large open fields and some livestock.
Our main goal was to get out with the pups and make sure that their recall is what it should be. We also wanted to test them on the cows and horses (shock collars were in place but the pups listened perfectly this time). There’s no better way to get the farmers really mad and lose your hunting privileges than to have a dog that won’t listen or chases chickens and livestock.
Bang was quite funny. All of us were laughing because of how much like Crash she is. When Crash was Bang’s age and we started her litter in the field, Crash would hardly leave my side. It was like déjà vu and history was repeating itself when this litter hit the hunting field...Bang’s sister and brother were off and running with the seasoned dogs and Bang stayed with us and sniffed all the tools and our boots. She would run about 50’ ahead then wait for us. We’d catch up to where she was and then she’d run to the other dogs, check in with them and then wait for us again.
We ended the day with a shallow dig (about 18”) of a 2-3 year old groundhog that we snared. Then we opened the hole up that we dug and placed a pitchfork in the tunnel and lowered the hog-in-snare back down. One by one we let the pups go in from the start of the sette. It was only about 6 feet with two turns in the tunnel and then they got to grrr at the groundhog underground through the pitchfork. Lots of fun encouraging them and seeing each pup act differently and their confidence building up!
We then let the hog on its merry way, built back his tunnel, and filled the dirt back. A truckload of tired but happy dogs and people drove home to revel in the glory of the pups on their first real day of school in the field. All they had done before was run along or be in a x-pen on a dig and see the hog in a cage when it was relocated. So it was the first real time that they were actually schooled underground.
(photo by jAnE)
Last modified: November 09, 2001
copyright © 2001 by Mary Beth
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