Parker Gun Collectors Association Forums  

Go Back   Parker Gun Collectors Association Forums Non-Parker Specific & General Discussions Man's Best Friend

Notices

Reply
Thread Tools Display Modes
Taken too soon
Unread 11-27-2021, 12:22 PM   #1
Member
Don Mills
PGCA Lifetime
Member
 
Donald F. Mills's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 170
Thanks: 426
Thanked 542 Times in 112 Posts

Default Taken too soon



I am writing this after leaving the game warden in the field of South Dakota and having driven 24 hours + straight to get our Sadie girl home to be taken care of. Please parden any typos and grammar as the pain, guilt and anger I am feeling is overwhelming and I am Hoping that this will help. Sadie was a great dog and was a eager hunter in the field. She was a true hunting partner and found great joy in working birds. We were on a trip booked through a group that has parties hunt private leased land that the landowner shows you a d indicates where to hunt. We were hunting an area the landowner indicated held birds but nothing else. I was working one corner of the field and was going to block while my father and friend worked to that end. It was there that Sadie encountered an illegally set a 12” (330 or larger) Conibear trap on the edge of the prairie grass. I saw it happen, heard her and ran to her as she struggled. I tried to open the trap with all my might using my leg muscles and arms but was not able to save my dog. It was the most horrible thing. I prayed while trying to save here, screamed for help till my lungs hurt. I worked to exhausted to get her free finally using a metal bar that just barely move the pinkey sized bars and to allow her head to be pushed out. After screaming some more to God, firing off six rounds in the air in quick succession and finally getting enough cell signal to get our friend so they could come quickly. I collapsed, cryed and waited until my father got there. I carried my girl to the truck in tears and but her in her kennel and while my father collected my gun and coat.
After leaving the field we went to the landowner who “said” he didn’t know anyone was trapping there but offered no remorse ( and this is someone that is was said to be a minister) and simply closed the door on my father and friend. Next came a the most difficult phone call I have ever made to my wife, telling her Sadie was gone and that I couldn’t save her. We went back to our lodging packed and decided to drive straight home. As we left something told me to check the regulations book and it was there that a I saw that a trap that size could not be set on land. I called fish and game and we met a game warden within ten minutes as her was in the town we were in. He looked at Sadie and he expressed his condolences and asked that I take him to where it happened and show him the trap. He said he couldn’t make any promises but wanted to look. He followed us to where this senseless tragedy occurred. After looking at the trap and location he told us that it was set illegally as I thought. I asked him if he could show me how to open the trap and he said it takes a very strong man to set thi large a trap and that they use a special tool. He tried positioning it between his legs to open it and was unable to open it. He said that he believed it was one of the “Colony guys” trap and that he would begin his investigation after he took some pictures and dug up the trap. He took my information and and said that we could get started home and that he would contact me and have me send a written statement. I pray that he is successful in his investigation and that whoever is responsible for taking our dog from us is held responsible.
This event was extremely traumatic for me, I won’t go into detail about how gruesome but suffice it to say I can’t imagine a worse way to die. I am having difficulty not seeing the images in my mind and believe I have some type of PTSD going on. I found this link on how to save a dog from a Conibear trap but I can tell I did not have the strength to compress this size trap’s springs.
https://scottlindenoutdoors.com/wing...conibear-trap/
If even sharing this link helps save someone else from having to experience this then I will be happy that some small positive will come from this trauma.
I am left with several decisions now. The most important being how best to honor my Sadie. I pray that she forgives me for not having the strength or skill to save her. My wife, family and friends have told me that it is not my fault but it is hard not feel some guilt. I am angry at the person who by negligence or design set the stage for this tragedy. The worst part is right now I am questioning whether I want to hunt again as the joy of it feels as if it was stolen from me. There aren’t enough birds in the world to make this experience worth it. I do know that God willing I will have another Brittany. I do feel that Sadie would be any me to hunt again but I am sure it may only be on a preserve where I can have some sense of safety for my dog because of the controlled environment. I did not not even remotely intend this to be this long but as I finish this through tears I believe it helped. Please take a moment to hug your dog and tell them the love you have for them as you never know when that last time might be.
__________________
May you be blessed with plentiful game in the fields, the time to hunt, a good bird dog in front of you, a Parker in your hands and friends to share the adventures with.
Donald F. Mills is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 11-27-2021, 12:42 PM   #2
Member
winplumber
PGCA Member

Member Info
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,630
Thanks: 1,756
Thanked 631 Times in 402 Posts

Default

Sorry for your loss
Steve Huffman is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Steve Huffman For Your Post:
Unread 11-27-2021, 12:47 PM   #3
Member
Dean Romig
PGCA Invincible
Life Member
 
Dean Romig's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 31,557
Thanks: 35,430
Thanked 33,039 Times in 12,321 Posts

Default

Don, I just can’t imagine your terrible anguish.
My sincere condolences to you.





.
__________________
"I'm a Setter man.
Not because I think they're better than the other breeds,
but because I'm a romantic - stuck on tradition - and to me, a Setter just "belongs" in the grouse picture."

George King, "That's Ruff", 2010 - a timeless classic.
Dean Romig is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Dean Romig For Your Post:
Unread 11-27-2021, 12:49 PM   #4
Member
Pa SxS
Research Chairman
PGCA Lifetime
Member
 
Chuck Bishop's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,859
Thanks: 1,196
Thanked 4,925 Times in 1,410 Posts

Default

Don, your words expressed your love for Sadie and I'm sure Sadie loved you equally. So sorry for your loss.
Chuck Bishop is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Chuck Bishop For Your Post:
Unread 11-27-2021, 01:21 PM   #5
Member
Joe D.
PGCA Member
 
Joe Dreisch's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 564
Thanks: 3,568
Thanked 860 Times in 282 Posts

Default

Don, I cried the whole time while reading your account. I am terribly sorry for your loss. I sincerely hope that you will find peace in time., Joe
Joe Dreisch is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Joe Dreisch For Your Post:
Unread 11-27-2021, 01:43 PM   #6
Member
Jim DiSpagno
Forum Associate

Member Info
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,840
Thanks: 5
Thanked 2,559 Times in 773 Posts

Default

Don there are no words, just prayers and fsith
Jim DiSpagno is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Jim DiSpagno For Your Post:
Unread 11-27-2021, 03:18 PM   #7
Member
Andy
PGCA Member

Member Info
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 1,824
Thanks: 252
Thanked 2,415 Times in 952 Posts

Default

Don I'm very personally sorry for your loss and can't imagine your anguish, and anger. There's not much that can be said to ease the pain other than that you have others on here who care how you feel and share in your grief.
__________________
Nothing ruins your Friday like finding out it's only Tuesday
Andrew Sacco is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Andrew Sacco For Your Post:
Unread 11-27-2021, 04:05 PM   #8
Member
6pt-Sika
PGCA Lifetime
Member
 
CraigThompson's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 8,502
Thanks: 5,493
Thanked 7,454 Times in 3,381 Posts

Default

Extremely sorry for your loss .
__________________
Parker’s , 6.5mm’s , Mannlicher Schoenauer’s and my family in the Philippines !
CraigThompson is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to CraigThompson For Your Post:
Unread 11-27-2021, 04:28 PM   #9
Member
Timothy Salgado
PGCA Member

Member Info
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 136
Thanks: 3,113
Thanked 285 Times in 87 Posts

Default

Very sorry for your loss.
Tim
Timothy Salgado is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Timothy Salgado For Your Post:
Unread 11-27-2021, 05:51 PM   #10
Member
chris dawe
PGCA Member
 
chris dawe's Avatar

Member Info
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,171
Thanks: 2,576
Thanked 2,783 Times in 601 Posts

Default

Don your experience is my constant worry I'm so sorry you had to go through this...last fall was bad enough as I was quite ill,but I finally got on my feet before the grouse season closed only to have my setter Ben caught in a Gdamn unmarked coyote snare ,thankfully we were close and always carry cable cutters ,without them I wouldn't have gotten the locked snare off and he was about choked out ..I can only imagine what you've gone through .
I abhor trapping ,but agree it has its place and we all have rights to the outdoors,but it takes a special kind person to knowingly put a set where people run dogs and not post it ,I don't know why fish and game can't manage seasons so they don't over lap its infuriating!
chris dawe is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to chris dawe For Your Post:
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:44 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © 1998 - 2023, Parkerguns.org
Copyright © 2004 Design par Megatekno
- 2008 style update 3.7 avec l'autorisation de son auteur par Stradfred.