Five Hunting Trip Spoilers You Can Avoid

With the season drawing closer and closer, though it can’t come soon enough, we start to turn our thoughts from summer days to a focus on preparing for the hunting-filled autumn – what we’ll need to purchase or replace, the aspects of our dogs’ training that still need a little perfecting. We think about getting our shotguns out of the closet if it’s been awhile, to feel its weight in our hands and its push against our shoulders from taking some practice shots at a few unlucky clays.

We’ve already finished planning or are in final planning stages of our hunting trips, and that planning should include how to not spoil it if you’re traveling with other hunters. “There are more than a few things that can spoil a week-long hunting trip shared with other people. In any and every human interaction, friction can happen, and a hunting trip isn’t immune,” wrote Steve Smith in “Trip Spoilers” in the March/April 2010 of The Pointing Dog Journal. It never hurts to think ahead, so here are five ways to avoid trip spoilers this season.

1. Figure out the dogs. This is a big one. If you and your hunting partner(s) are bringing dogs along, each one’s level of experience and training somewhat determine how you’re going to hunt. Will they both be in the field at the same time, or one at a time and rotated? Likewise, if you have a young dog and you want to focus on training, do you hold up the party based on the dog’s training needs? On the other hand, if you have a well-experienced pointing dog and have come to hunt but it’s your partner’s dog’s first time out, do you be impatient or frustrated with the young dog’s lack of experience? Friction can build up and cause a trip to turn sour in an instant.

2. Decide how to handle expenses. Determine up front how expenses for gas, motels, food, etc., are going to be handled among the members of your hunting party. If you’re driving, which you most likely are with a dog in tow, whose truck will you take – and does the fellow whose adding miles to his truck need to pay as much for fuel as the guy whose truck is sitting at home? After all, when you add miles to a vehicle, the life of the vehicle shortens, too. Be aware of the financial situation of everyone in your group and plan accordingly. Hunting trips – especially out of state, multiple day hunting trips – can get expensive in a hurry and can be a stretch for some more than others. Financial stress or disagreements can spoil a trip quickly.

3. Plan for the non-hunting times. Oddly enough, people who get along great in the field often have vastly different ideas of how to spend the non-hunting hours. Do you go fishing? Go to the bar? See the sights? Train the dogs a little more? Read a book? If you have a larger hunting party, then it might be easier for groups to branch off depending on their interests. Also, don’t bring extra gear along, say for fishing, if the possibility hasn’t been discussed. That extra stuff takes up valuable packing space. Think about what to do ahead of time so that those activities can be planned accordingly – and everyone is content.

4. Prepare your body. Take the time now to condition your legs and lungs for the trekking days ahead, especially if you’re traveling to higher elevations or to areas with tricky terrain. Just like your dog, you need to be ready physically. Lack of preparation can result in injuries that could restrict or end the hunting trip you’ve spent so long in planning. Talk about a trip spoiler!


5. Bring everything you need – plus some.
You never count on the sole of your boot wearing out or your favorite coat being left to the side of the road while you attend to the dogs and then forgotten. We’re more comfortable and more prepared with the right gear, and sometimes that gear wears out when you need it most. Fortunately, many popular hunting areas have options available to be able to replace certain items, but more rustic destinations may not without taking a side trip. Be prepared and bring everything you need for you and your dog, plus a little more than what you need. This reduces the hassle of making everyone stop to pick something up as well as helps you avoid from having to be on the sideline because you don’t have the necessary gear. And you wouldn’t want to do that to your pointing dog, would you?

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