Does anybody keep track of the numbers?

goldenboy

goldenboy

Well-known member
Some years I keep track of the number of birds shot over my dogs. Does anybody else do that? I know it sounds weird, but a year ago I was a guide at a game farm in the fall and also hunted wild birds. I kept track for one season and I had an actual count of 1048 birds shot over my two dogs in one season! Now granted some were game farm birds, but it was a lifetime of experience for my dogs in one fall.
Any one else keep track of birds, retrieves per dog, etc?
 
I did that once, and posted it here, but then Molermnd and others heckled me with pay loader photos.:mad: So # is need to know basis now.:D I kept track, well kept 1 tail feather from every bird Bandit flushed and we shot. Friends or whatever, as long as she put it up. Hunted ND SD IA and MN that year, and she had lots of fun.;) Still have many of those feathers, but Some were buried with her, and some dear friends.
 
I save a tail feather for each bird too, but I don't keep a record or anything. Mostly I just like to put them in a vase on the mantle, and it reminds me of the good times. Sometimes my wife steals them for her "arts & crafts", so I have to keep hunting to keep my supply up.:D

FCSpringer, that was a good idea burying some with your dog Bandit. I should have done that when Rusty died. I probably wouldn't be hunting today if not for him. The fun times we had in the field together really got the hunting fire burning in me.:thumbsup:

As for your bird count, Goldenboy, that is incredible! I'm not going to tease you in the least. What a great gift to give your dog, and one that will pay you back 10X over his lifetime I'm sure!
 
The first year for each dog I like to keep track of how many birds. But it is mostly so that I can get a feel for how the dogs is doing relative to its level of experience.
 
I keep count but the math isn't exactly hard because I mostly hunt alone or with one other person, so the grand total shot over Ruby in a year has never been more than 25 birds. The number of birds she flushes total is recorded every day in my hunting log, so I guess in that sense I could pretty easily tally up total flushes as well. Over a thousand in a season - that's awesome! Those must have been a pair of very happy and well-seasoned dogs by the end!
-Croc
 
Why depress myself?

I much prefer my hazy and rose-colored memories of seasons past rather than hard data. :D

For really good locations I keep numbers flushed on my maps though and it's interesting to see the changes in up years and down years.

Hobie
 
keeping track

for the past ten years i can tell every bird i shot of all kinds and those that fell within a dogs range that i did not recover. don't separate the kills according to dogs, don't count the shells used though. keeping track, i have no ax to grind as to the numbers, just find them interesting and in some ways, they seem to be declining kinda like me but i am still going

cheers
 
I keep a tailfeather from every rooster shot and retrieved by my pup. I think take a picture of her with the tailfeathers and I keep the photo and record the date and season. IT will be a good way to remember her when she leaves me (which I hope is NEVER)
 
goldenboy
I have question for you!
Did you feel comfortable with clients shooting over your dogs? Did you have any close calls?
The reason I ask is; I was doing some training the other day with some friends that train and guide at an Orvis upland resort. The owner was there watching us train and liked my Pudelpointer and asked if we would like to do some guiding for him next year. I told him I’d think about it and get back with him.
Thanks, conobirds
 
I can't speak for golden boy but when I guide for people I tell them before we even go to the field I tell th people I'm guiding for that birds are not to be shot at unless they are at least at shoulder height.
 
conobirds said:
goldenboy
I have question for you!
Did you feel comfortable with clients shooting over your dogs? Did you have any close calls?
The reason I ask is; I was doing some training the other day with some friends that train and guide at an Orvis upland resort. The owner was there watching us train and liked my Pudelpointer and asked if we would like to do some guiding for him next year. I told him I’d think about it and get back with him.
Thanks, conobirds
Click to expand...

Cono, I was very specific with clients about when and when not to shoot. I always have a safety talk before we start to hunt. I ask everyone to refrain from shooting low flying or running birds, The rule is they must see sky below the bird. I have not had close calls, but I am there to keep reminding them especially when the dog gets birdy I remind them to wait until the bird clears.
 
One other thing that deters shooting at low flying birds. i remind them that I have a standing offer of $10,000 for one of my goldens! That usually puts it into perspective. I tell them if you shoot the dog, my replacement cost is 10K!
 
I have a journal with 20 years worth of hunting and fishing entries/numbers. Each day hunted or fished is an entry. Some entries are short and sweet others are much longer, but all contain weather, location, numbers of shells, number of birds, anything that stands out, etc. The most interesting thing looking back is the difference between what you remember and what the facts are in the journal. I thought I was to young for my mind to be slipping...:mad:
 
I too have started a journal of the last few years. Mostly for me to look back on in 20 years and remember who I hunted with, what dogs, where we were at, and how good it really was. Usually just note anything that stands out, what gun I was using, how we did, if we saw anything out of the ordinary, just stuff to jog my memory. I don't have it down to how many birds my dog pointed, or retrieved, but if there was something notable about a particular bird, I'll write that in as well. Have been logging all my hunts, pheasant, dove, elk, deer, coyote, and even fishing trips.
 
I keep a journal of my hunts. It's fun to go back and time and read initial impressions of the pups and relive old hunts.
 
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