Snow conditions.

[1280]

I am a coyote hunter and I would like any bodys opinion on snow conditions. We have a hard crust on the snow right now and it ruins our hunting. I was wondering if there is anything a guy could do to prevent the dogs feet from getting cut up, or if a guy should just run the dogs anyways. Is the crust that hard on their feet?

[BuckNAze]

Get some boots for their feet. Might slow their performance down but at least they can still run. Ill still run mine on it but thats just me. But we havent had squat for snow this year

[1280]

Thank you for the input. I know a few guys have been running and have noy had any problems. I think I am going to give it a try.

[bad moon]

i prefer to hunt mine til they cant go no more then i figure it is best to stay home and build up brownie points with the boss, cause certain times of the year them dang dogs seem to talk me into going out everyday and them extra brownie points points come in real handy...

[Borderpond]

Biggest mistake I could have made a few years ago.Ran my coyote hounds on crust.There was 5 or 6 inces of powder on top and the crust below that.Ruined my dogs feet for the winter.They never really healed up till after season. I wanted to go so bad that I talked myself into believing they would be OK. Actually, 3 of us ran our dogs together that day, all with the same result.

I have tried the boots before. I didnt have much luck keeping them on the dogs feet.tried alot of different things but nothing seemed to work well. I am sure someone on here can give you some tips on that though.

[pete richardson]

i think rain should be outlawed in the winter

my buddy ran boots on his start dog- we rotated the turn in dogs
run them and then wait for them to heal - --hurt them too much and you will be waiting a loooong time

he had best luck with the nylon boots that you tape on- put some medical tape or vet wrap on the dogs leg then tape the boots to that - be careful they arent too tight - you will loose some but cant be too tight -

the dog never got used to them- slip n slide around- but she got the coyote jumped -
why is it that the dog you need the most always has the poorest feet ?
why did we feed all those dogs that wouldnt cold trail ?

he tried leather and rubber boots , they had vents that let snow in and feet got sore inside the boot - im not too sure that a pair of wool socks taped on wouldnt work just as well and not as slippery

i had a coyote start dog for years that had poor feet - one year we had a bunch of good snow early -- also ran him with bear dogs that summer and fall - that year , i ran him on crust alot , he never had a sore foot -so conditioning can make a difference - go easy with soft dogs
- a few things you can try is dipping feet in tea made from hemlock bark- this is lots of work but helps if you stick to it

tie dogs on crushed stone or gravel before the season- road them -- -i put a rough stone right in front of their dog house--- they have to step on it to get inside -this does great job of toughening the very bottom of foot --doesnt do much for between the toes or just above their nails -

ive tried all of the above and it helps , when you get their feet real hard they will cut their legs up high instead of their feet -

real sharp glassy crust-wait it out

[1280]

Thank you for all the help. I ran a coyote the other day for 3 hours and my dogs feet were fine but the legs were cut up. So I'm going to wait the crust out. Its not worth ruining a dog for.

[Cat track]

don't run on the crust. it takes along time for them to heal.