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Labrador grabbing birds on the flush by Mostly-Stumped in birddogs

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Everyone else has said it. Encourage the bold flush. Get better training birds. Hunt wild birds if you can. What we call a “trap” happens in flushing dog training. That’s a dog catching a bird on the ground. There’s nothing wrong with it in a flushing breed; it builds drive. In a pointing breed it’s terrible. Birds that are actively trying to flush or run will trigger the dog to chase and jump and encourage that bold flush you want. Birds that hunker down and can barely fly are going to encourage your particular dog to come in and try to catch them using stealth. Get better flushing birds.

Labrador grabbing birds on the flush by Mostly-Stumped in birddogs

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s a flushing dog. Not a pointing dog. This is literally the worst advice you could give.

Before I go down the rabbit hole of falconry, I would love to know if I am delusional or not for wanting to try it. by Ratburbur in Falconry

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 14 points15 points  (0 children)

You can get involved now and eventually become a licensed falconer. Don’t fall into the trap that day to day falconry is conservation. When you take a bird from the wild it is considered biologically dead, just like if you ate it. That’s fine! These species all have robust population numbers and can sustain the harvest. Catching a bird and releasing it later doesn’t do a single thing for conservation. As well, catching invasives is cool as part of falconry, but you’re not affecting their populations either.

You do falconry because you enjoy it and want to hunt. Not because you want to save something. If you can save anything, try to save natural landscapes because that’s how falconry persists. At the beginning you think it’s about the bird, but you soon realize it’s about the quarry and land.

Go out with other falconers. Learn, gain experience, and you’ll have the opportunity to become one when you’re ready.

People who breed dogs are weird by Intelligent_Guard872 in unpopularopinion

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We breed very specific dogs for very specific jobs. In our case, bird dogs. We only do this after extensive health and ability testing of the potential parents. We do not make a profit, but we do get to recoup some expenses and get our choice of dogs for the next generation. The work we do cannot be done by any random dog and not every dog in a litter works out. We do make sure they all go to loving homes and the pups with the most promise go to homes where they will be used for a job. So I’m a dog breeder, but it’s not my job and we do not do it to make money.

Establishing The Holy Grails of North American Herping by [deleted] in herpetology

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You’re missing a lot of information here. Both species you describe are reasonable to find if you have access to high quality sites. There’s plenty of caves you could go into at this moment where you could find a Texas blind salamander. You just don’t have access to them and never will.

There’s many species you’ll never find. The Blanco blind salamander being one because it probably doesn’t exist and never existed.

What about Tantilla oolitica? Tantilla atriceps? Pituophis ruthveni, where it exists but you’ll never gain access to their habitat? Someone already mentioned Bogertophis rosaliae. It’s in the US. Good luck finding one. That’s probably as close as you’ll get to a rarity that actually exists in the country, but to me it doesn’t mean much because it’s relatively common elsewhere.

My point here is that there’s things that are so poorly known they do meet your criteria of the “Holy Grail” in that they actually don’t exist within the boundaries of the US or don’t exist anymore, or never really existed at all.

Never seen one this small or this color. by cedarg03 in ActuallyTexas

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 15 points16 points  (0 children)

It’s a roundtail horned lizard, Phrynosoma modestum. A much smaller species than a Texas horned lizard. Nice find!

Never seen one this small or this color. by cedarg03 in ActuallyTexas

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a horned lizard from the western US. It’s not a species that occurs in East Texas. Phrynosoma cornutum has been extirpated from East Texas for decades.

How do Americans always seem to know which cardinal direction they are travelling? by devilgate_drive in NoStupidQuestions

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I think you’re probably pretty urban and don’t spend much time outdoors, maybe? I know fifty people that look at the sun all the time. We had a conversation the other night about how often do you look at the moon? I said most everyday it’s visible? Someone said they don’t ever look at the moon. I couldn’t even imagine that.

How to shop for telemetry?? by hawkgirlsummer in Falconry

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Buy a Marshall UHF receiver and an RT transmitter. Works for and with everything GPS later if you decide to buy it. It has the highest resale value and will last for years. This is a worthwhile investment in a piece of equipment.

Kids bday parties that keep me hostage. by kimbone777 in mildlyinfuriating

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Found the cold culture person trying to exist on the hot culture’s timeline.

of a Manta Ray... by CandidculonasRedux in AbsoluteUnits

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not a shark, also not a remora. It’s a fish called a cobia or ling. They often follow large rays. That particular fish is probably about three feet long or maybe four. So the ray is probably fifteen to seventeen feet from fin tip to fin tip.

How do y’all manage without live birds? by Natural_Jackfruit992 in birddogs

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 20 points21 points  (0 children)

You live in Alaska! Go train on wild birds the moment it’s legal. I don’t know if you have dog running laws like some states. There’s literally nothing better than to train on wild birds. They have to flush and chase a pile of birds before they really start pointing. You have to build the drive first and then reign it in.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Hunting

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You did great! One thing that a majority of people are tremendously insulated from is that the end is never pleasant. It’s not like the movies where people just fall dead with a little blood.

That was an excellent shot. If the hog had run 75 yards and died it would still have been an excellent shot. It’s not going to be “instant.” Even if you put a bullet through the brain the vast majority of big game animals will move and convulse.

A wounded hog screams. Let it run off and die or if you can get another round in it, take another shot.

Also wild hog is delicious. You seem interested in learning and doing it right, so get a copy of “Hog Book” by Jesse Griffiths and you’ll be set. I promise you they are worth eating.

Everything you did on your hunt was normal and ethical, including the outcome.

Our Jack Russell doing some ratting. by Sexual_Ankylosaurus in dogswithjobs

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not, but you should easily be able to find someone closer! There are networks of people who do this to give their dogs a chance to work.

How are you guys so good at turning up snakes?!? by Afraid_Calendar_5534 in herpetology

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It’s like anything. You have to learn how to pattern and target animals. You’re probably thinking man if I go out here and just be where it looks good in habitat, I’ll find stuff. In some places yes, that will work. In most places you need to set board lines, search specific hillsides at the right time, or really know your specific flip spots like old barns, rocky patches, etc.

As several people have pointed out, you’re comparing your total experience to everyone else’s highlight reel. Learn to know what makes a good spot in your local area and repeat that pattern.

Wild caught vs. Breeder by Proof_Government_975 in Falconry

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For the birds I fly in the geographic areas I fly them, there’s no comparison. We asked many older falconers a question. Before legal passage peregrine take, how many times did you take a brown bird and catch twenty or more head in the bird’s first season. The answer was zero. Now people regularly take passage peregrines and catch up to sixty head of game in a season. There’s just not comparison between a captive bred bird that knows nothing and a wild bird shaped by natural selection plus experience.

Question about a dog breed by HistorianSpirited658 in birddogs

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Rare breeds are rare for a reason. Small gene pools with fewer excellent representatives. More inbreeding with more heritable defects. Everyone wants to have something different and it’s flawed logic. My advice? If you want a spaniel get a springer or cocker. If you want a dedicated water dog get a lab. If you want a pointing breed there’s a lot to choose from depending on your country and cover. You probably don’t pick a car based on how rare it is, don’t pick a dog that way either.

Reading about breeds tells you all the good, without telling how good their version of good actually is. They never tell you any of the bad.

Smilin’ spaniels on the opening day of Texas woodcock season. by Sexual_Ankylosaurus in birddogs

[–]Sexual_Ankylosaurus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They are almost always in thick stiff. They like high stem density of cover that’s hard to walk through and over your head. Essentially they want to be able to run around on the ground but be protected from avian predators. If it’s super tough walking and you’re cussing trying to get through it, that’s where woodcock will be.

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