About all you can do in the heat!

This is my Brit, "Ruby", relaxing inside.  It's 95 outside and once a day I go out and grab one of the dogs to come in and have a little "cool time".  As you can see, she is making most of the situation.

On The Border

This picture was taken in 2003.  That fence is south of Tucson.  Mexico is on the other side.  Bo'd been hunting the other side of that fence for twenty minutes or so.  I'm glad he didn't find anything over there, because it is a sturdy fence and I didn't relish climbing over it.  Also, it wasn't until about an hour later we found a sign that read "United States of America". 

Product Tester

I test every product I take into the field. Probably, you do the same thing. You learn about an item, you think it may help you in your hunt and you get one.  You take the thing out in the field and use it.  If it doesn't work, it's the last time you see it- I usually give the thing away, or throw it away, if it's not big or expensive.  But, sometimes, I come upon a gem that really enhances my hunt.

I think I'm going to start making short (1-3 min.) videos of some products I use and putting them out on YouTube.  This new vest I bought is a perfect example.  Or the snake vaccine, or my Akubra hat from Australia or my snake chaps, truck shell, Garmin, Tritronics.......you get the idea. 

Stay tuned for links on the this site.  If you have any suggestions of what you'd like to see, let me know. Email flyboykennels@gmail.com. 

Dog Food Re-visited

This all began about 6 months ago, when I decided to try and find the best way to feed my dogs. I wanted them to get the best nutrition they could for strength, endurance, growth and coat.  Regardless what anyone says, buying "dog food" at the feed store is not the most efficient way to feed old Buck. They are not all the same.  Just because the national testing says it will maintain a dog doesn't mean it's good for your dog.  Here is what I've come to believe:  1.) dogs need meat.  2.) dogs need vegetables.  3.) dogs DO NOT need corn byproducts, corn meal, organic corn hulls, or anything corn.  3.) dogs need meat.  4.) dogs do not need grains, wheat, wheat by-products. 5.) dogs need meat.  

OK.  Turn the bag over and read the ingredient list.  The list is ordered by the amount, in bulk, of the ingredients.  For example, if the list is: Organic corn meal, corn, soybean meal, incredibly tasty pork chop by-products, vitamins, spray on fat, sand.  The largest, by volume, ingredient is corn.  Next is corn.  Then soybeans, then some sort of meat.  This is not a good feed.  It will be sold at large box stores as "Quality Dog Food". 

Here's what to look for in our dog food.  Meat, meat meal, fish, lamb, poultry, chicken or some type of meat should be Number One on the list of ingredients.  (Yes, by-products might be guts.  Dogs love guts.)  In addition, meat/chicken/fish should be the top 3 out of the next 4 ingredients. 

I found a good feed for my dogs.  It costs me $68/30 pounds.  I feed them 2.5 cups per day.  They are thriving. There are many great feeds out there.  Google "dog food rankings" and see what you get.  The premium dog food you thought was expensive may not be on the list!

Good Luck! 

Snakes! Now is the time to get ready...

It's that time of year when it's time to start thinking about getting the dogs and my legs in shape for the hunting and trialing year.  Actually, I've been pretty good this year about working out every day. We are shooting for some Chukar hunting in ID the last week of October and I sure don't want to be the last guy up the hill.  Ace, my main dog, has been getting roaded everyday for 3 months now and is hard as a brick!  Actually, since this is the first year I've done the roading thing for him, I'm interested to see how the trialing year starts off for him.  Being in good shape should really help him early in the year. 

Another aspect of getting ready is snake vaccine.  I started the dogs on that 3 years ago and will keep it up this year too.  Red Rock Biologic snake vaccine is most effective on the Western Diamondback (and Prairie Rattler and others of that ilk). In all the years I've hunted, I've never seen one.  I'm sure I'm the only bird hunter that hasn't, but it's true- not one! I decided a few years ago to get all my dogs started on the vaccine, just in case.  For piece of mind, nothing works better. I found out that it should not be used on puppies less than 4 months- so Cap is out.  But Ruby is ready for her first shot and Ace and Bo ready for their annual booster. For Ruby, she'll get 2 shots a month apart and then she'll be protected a month after that. 

Give this some thought.  Google Red Rock Biologic and read about the product.

Update one year later........not only did I see Prairie Rattlers in Montana this year (2010), but up close and personal.  Ruby was a young pup and we were working around some hay bales.  I heard a strange noise that sounded just like a rattlesnake in the old spaghetti westerns. I looked over Ruby's head, past her, and up against the hay bale was a coiled up rattler making all kinds of noise.  He was about 4 feet from Ruby. I called her to me and killed the snake.  We were lucky in that he had two rats in him already that morning and wasn't real hungry or mad.  Later, my friend Robert was struck at by a snake that ran out of himself just as he got to Robert's leg! He, also, was killed.  So, two encounters after many years of no sightings.  Check out the vaccine.

Randy's Red Hot Rocket

Randy's Red Hot Rocket