Kind of a sh*t show of a trip

[RowdyGSP]

Didn't take nearly as many pics as I should have.  Was too busy trying to find spots to hunt away from the deer hunters.  Didn't want to step on their toes as they only have 10 or so days to fill their tags.  Getting away from the army of deer hunters proved to be a bit of a challenge, even 25 miles off pavement, but I did manage to in a few spots.  The trip was a bit of a flustercluck but I still had a great time.  First day I got there, my GSP Rowdy broke two claws and exposed the quicks on the lava rocks.  He found a covey of huns that wild flushed out of range and he was on the wrong side of the wind and bumped a covey of sharptails and stopped to flush, but I was out of range by about 200 yards.  I used dog nail cutters and cut them flush.  Hunted Misty the three legged setter first the next morning first in a draw that looked birdy.  Didn't find any birds in the draw but then moved up to the rim above it and she went on point in an area that could have been chukar, huns or sharptails.  A covey of sharptails got up and I shot the first one on two shots.  I waited for the rest of the covey to flush and while I was reloading, they did.  I fumbled and never got another shot off.  She also broke a couple claws on the rocks and as it was her front leg I decided she was done for the day/trip.  I turned Rowdy loose in a different area and he ended up finding two coveys of huns, but also wore down his already injured claws even more and also blew a pad.  I shot a hun out of the only covey of those two that flushed in range.  A fun little road trip. I have shot many sharptails on the prairie over the years, but this was my first of the Columbian sub-species variety. I did not notice any difference, other than the habitat they live in.  I need to get back in the habit of booting my dogs in that rough country, but I'm a crayon-eater and pretty thick-headed.  Took the long way back home to have different scenery than the drive there, and camped for another night.  

[orhunter]

Dang. Too bad about the toenails. One of my biggest worries when hunting lava. Beautiful birds, thanks for the photos.

Here's how I repair toenails. Got to a fly shop that sells tying tools and pick up a thread bobbin and a spool of tough thread. If they have it, some 5 minute epoxy or some other source. Super Glue will work for a quick fix but is not water resistant like epoxy so don't expect it to last. Try to avoid using it if you can.

Clean toenail with a solution of Epsom Salt in a spray bottle, dry thoroughly. Paint the toenail with epoxy then wrap with thread to pull the cracks together. After tying off the thread, another coat of epoxy might be necessary. This will last a long time but should check the repair occasionally to see how it's doing. Might need some more thread or epoxy to keep the repair intact. You can/should also configure some sort of cap to go over the end of a nail.

Always examine your dog's nails prior to the season and as the season progresses. Don't wait till there's a problem. Some nails are naturally tougher than others and you may find it necessary to epoxy and wrap weak ones before they split. Know your dog's feet.

[RowdyGSP]

That's some darned good repair advice. Thanks Harvey, much appreciated. I'll have to add a spool of that and epoxy to my dog kit

[AverageGuy]

Cool on the new Sharptail Species. Seems the further NW you go the darker they get and the more they live in brush.

My ole Jack dog broke a toenail off a couple of times a season. Usually on a front foot. He just hunted on through it and I did nothing for it. Took him to the vet on the first one and the vet said get ahold of him, he grabbed the hanging shell with forceps and yanked it off. Based on how loud Jack howled, It HURT! But only for a moment apparently. That was it. Always healed up fine. He could hunt with the raw quick exposed.

[RowdyGSP]

I figure Rowdy would hunt with the raw quick exposed, as he usually does but when I would touch it, it's definitely sensitive, so I figured just cut it flush with the nail. That definitely helped, although he just ground it down to a bloody nub. Luckily these dogs are pretty tough.

[Willie T]

Bummer on your dogs tearing their feet up in the lava rock. Still looks like a good trip. I hunt the desert down by the Mexican border some. It is hard on dog feet. They will hunt through tore up nails. A blown pad is tough. Homemade boots out of motorcycle inner tubes will keep a dog with a blown pad hunting. They will look a little gimpy, till they get a nose full of bird. When I go down there we usually just boot the front feet. I have made the mistake of thinking they will be ok without boots more times than I like to admit... Hopefully your dogs feet will mend quickly.
Willie

[orhunter]

I've got a set of Lewis Boots but they're still new. Always used inndertubes and they're fine, no need to buy expensive stuff. Chukar country is volcanic, covered with lava or granite, usually both. I live on the dirt side of the state and dog's feet aren't tough like on the east side. Luckily I've mostly avoided bad pad injuries. CRP is just as bad on the tops of their feet as rocks are to the bottom. Then there's cactus. People don't think Oregon is a cactus state but it's really bad in some spots.

[RowdyGSP]

I've got a set of Lewis Boots but they're still new. Always used inndertubes and they're fine, no need to buy expensive stuff. Chukar country is volcanic, covered with lava or granite, usually both. I live on the dirt side of the state and dog's feet aren't tough like on the east side. Luckily I've mostly avoided bad pad injuries. CRP is just as bad on the tops of their feet as rocks are to the bottom. Then there's cactus. People don't think Oregon is a cactus state but it's really bad in some spots.

I always thought Oregon was bad for cactus... then I moved to Idaho. Rowdy's first chukar trip in Idaho resulted in me spending 2 hours pulling needles out of his feet and legs. Since then on dozens upon dozens of chukar trips in areas THICK with cactus, he has learned to avoid them and not gotten one single needle in him amazingly... except for that one time he took a dump and got a prickly pear right on his arse.