Hi fellow waterfowlers, Vert back with you for another survey. If you remember early this year I surveyed you guys and gals about the mighty 10ga and new supermag 12 ga. The research I collected, well I should write an ebook about it. Who knows I might. Well back to the survey. Who hunts with dog. No not your best friend but your real best friend the one who will follow you to that cold dark marsh for that elusive Mallard. To the point to Vest or Not?! I will buy Coal my trusty 3yr Lab a vest,hold on, because We hunt in heavy marsh, sneak boat or marsh standing no blind. Now thats duck hunting. Put on the longjons, cover your bod in neoprene and just hard marsh hunt. I can still do blind but this is the for real stuf. BUT Talk is that vest is not good but we cover for harsh conditions, shouldn"tthey be covered also? IF SO should it be close to the body or a little loose. Maybe to loose then to much water between the body and vest. To Tight my cause dog to run funny and say hell this stinks, but I am sure comfortable from not being covered in ICE all the time and running thru the hard marsh. SOOO your thoughts V or not to V,Thats the question.Again nice talking with you G's again.

I do not believe in vests for a dog while actually hunting. Just as collars that a dog can't slip out of are a no no while hunting so are vests. They can hang up on all sorts of things and a no no especially if you have a dog that will dive after cripples. It's better to have something to throw over you dog after the retrieve. If you believe it's so cold yoor dog needs a vest ,then you're better off retrieving the bird in your boat. Your pal will forgive you, after all he's still there enjoying the day with you.

I havve a lab that will swim beside for over a half an hour in icy water and does not seem to suffer. Also have a Chessie and he loves nothing better than to swim along with me out in the deeper water. Half the time when we get back to shore he does not even shake off. His coat will turn white with ice and his tongue is still out and he is panting. This was the case just the other day when it was 7 degrees on the marsh. He breaks ice like a miniature bulldozer so putting a life jacket on him would be senseless. There are many labs nowadays that do not have decent coats and I guess these are the ones that really need the vest.

I agree with both responders; I'm hunting with my second Lab in the sloughs of southern Alberta where we're lucky to get into November without solid freeze up. I've not vested either dog and never noticed either being cold or uncomfortable. One vest I do use on my current Lab is a skidplate for upland hunting. We have a lot of thorny bushes around here and the skidplate sure saves her belly. BTW since we're frozen up now the waterfowl hunting is restricted to field shoots with the birds coming off the river. There are still lots of geese around but not many ducks. Good hunting!

I have recently bought my dog a vest and am happy I did. I have only hunted a few years with a dog and he would go out in any kind of weather. He has even gone on some ice breaking expeditions and loved every minute of it, but on some extended sits he would get cold, as I believe most dogs would. I feel that if you can make your dog a little more confortable while hunting, why not do so.


Chris
Detroit, MI