The Traveling Hunter

Many of us are fortunate to have an abundance of game to hunt locally, many are not. There are many thing to consider when traveling with your best friends, like first aid, nutrition, sleeping quarters and water. I briefly cover what I do to handle each topic.

First aid is always important to have on hand whether traveling or not. In my dog bag I carry saline to clean wounds, hydrogen peroxide, triple antibiotics, wound salve, bandages and a staple gun. Some honey packs are also a good idea in case of low sugar situation. A pair of panty hose and super glue is a good idea for cut pad. Also its a good idea to have scissors and a pair of pliers. I also keep liquid dish soap, baking soda and a rag just in case of a skunk encounter. The pliers are for porcupine tine removal. Skunk removal recipe is as follows 1 pint of peroxide, 1/3 cup baking soda and the liquid dish soap. Wet the rag with the solution and douse your dog liberally, let stand for 5 minute and rinse with water. Repeat if necessary.

Bring plenty of food for your dog don't count on finding it locally. And you will need to feed for optimum performance. I feed as much as 2.5 times the evening before hunting and add enough water to float the kibble which will aid in hydration. In the morning I feed just a hand full of kibble. Your dog will hunt better on a empty colon, if you have noticed your dog empties his colon soon after he hits the ground hunting. They get their energy from stored fat so energize them the night before, also during hunting season it is a good idea to feed a high fat content food.

Sleeping quarters is a easy, but be sure to have plenty of bedding in the box.

Hydration is very important, try to take as much home water as possible, preferably enough for the whole trip. If that isn't possible switch over to the local water slowly, trying to avoid a dysentery situation that could affect the hunt, especially at the home camp site.

Hope this helps ......

And remember 1 Cor. 10:31 .......... "what ever you do, do all for the Glory of God.