Finding downed birds

S

sloth5202

New member
I was just reading a blog on F and S in which they were discussing recovering downed game. My question to all my fellow pheasant hunters is how long do you typically look for birds that have been shot? I know that some of you that hunt without dogs may have a little more trouble finding these birds but I would like your input as well. Below is a link to the article and the comments that go with it.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/rifles/2010/07/petzal-due-events-beyond-our-control%E2%80%A6
 
I know this may not be the answer you want. My dog is trained to leave at the shot. So he is pretty close the bird when it hits the ground. But I have seen Pheasants getting their legs running while they are still dropping. So my answer really is; As long as it takes the dog to find it and bring it to me. I have a story that fits this. I'll post it here when I find it............Bob
 
As promised, here it is

The bird came running back through the alfalfa; he was heading for the safety of the tall weeds in the CRP. It was the last day of the 2001 season; Tony was completing his first full season as my Bird Dog. He was a year old on September one, so he was old enough to learn the upland bird game. Is what I thought; only he was teaching me a thing or two. All season long we did not lose any birds, but Tony didn’t retrieve any either. He would run to the bird put a paw on its’ head and hold it down until I got there. Dead or cripple made no difference he treated them all the same.
My son Len and I went to a CRP area near Rosalia, Washington to start our last day hunt. We had no more than entered the field. I wanted to go left, but Tony went right and at the edge of the weeds, went on point. I walked over to Tony and the Rooster took flight before I could get in front of Tony. I rushed my shot and only crippled it. The Rooster had his feet running before he even hit the field of mowed down alfalfa.
The bird took off running toward a fertilizer/herbicide spay tank about 100 yards away in the alfalfa field. Tony seeing that, took off in full chase. They got under the tank and went around a few times. Tony got caught up in some of the spray hoses. The Rooster seeing Tony was hung up, took off for the CRP. Tony wasn’t hung up that bad, a few shakes and he was free and giving chase once again. The Rooster got to the CRP. He must felt safe in the CRP and stopped. For when Tony got there the bird started jumping and fighting Tony. It was just a few yards inside the CRP. Finally Tony got it pinned and low and behold he picked it up in his mouth. I gave him his “Here” command and be came to about 3 feet from me.
He then decided it was his bird and started to run away with it. I blew “Whoa” on the whistle and he stopped. But every time I got close to him he would move away just out of reach. I forgot about the “Whoa”. I wanted him to give me the bird. It was still very much alive. He was just riding around in Tony’s mouth with his head held high.
Then it hit me, I remembered reading that when this happens DO NOT chase the dog. Just turn and walk away. I did that, it wasn’t long, a few seconds or so and I felt a brush against me leg. I looked down there was Tony walking a perfect heel right along with me. He was still carrying the bird. I stopped and knelt down on one knee. I held out my hand, but did not say a word. He dropped the bird in my hand. I took care of the bird with Tony watching, I was still knelt down. I said, “Tony you wonderful dog. You made your first retrieve.” I gave him a hug and he put his paws
on my shoulders, he was as happy as he could be. I gave him a drink of water and said, “Let’s go, find the birds” and he went happily bouncing away.
It is heck going through the off-season wondering. If your dog will retrieve for you the next season. For I never got the opportunity to find out that day. Well he does and he has lost very few birds in the nine years I have hunted him. I can only remember 3-4 in those nine years.
 
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We look for downed birds until we find them or we are convinced we can't find them. Then we come back later and try again. I hate losing birds and we owe it to the birds to do all we can to find them after the shot.
I have come back the next day and found birds that we thought were lost. A lost bird is not an option. My dogs are good at hunting dead. We have already waited for 15 minutes for a dog to return with a cripple that he has been chasing. An hour is not too long to look for a downed bird.
When out pheasant hunting you will lose birds if you hunt enough. I put in my best effort to find every bird. I have even gone out of my way to help other hunters to find birds.
If you can't find a hit bird how many of you count it in your bag limit?
I do.
 
I don't lose many birds but will keep looking until I am convinced it is hopeless. Nothing spoils a good hunt like making a good shot on a rooster and end up losing him. Three years ago I lost a rooster at the end of a cut milo field and decided to return first thing the next morning. I found him in about five minutes of searching. He took off running with a broken wing hanging so I popped him about thirty yards out on the adjacent plowed field. That episode made my day!!!
 
for what it is worth, here is a technique i use called the "hat trick".
often times a wing tipped bird will sail a long ways, some fall hard and others don't look hit very hard, but in truth they are and many can be recovered.

the trick is marking their fall or landing as well as you can, walk directly to that location and place your orange hat or a marker where you think the bird when down. this is your anchor or mark and by leaving a marker you can always return to the location where you think the bird has dropped in.

from that spot i command the dog to hunt dead and stand very still so as not to wash or mute the scent by walking around. if after giving the pup a chance to pick up the scent and he has not cut the trail, i begin leading him in an every expanding circle around the hat until hopefully he catches the scent and is off on the track of the bird. it doesn't always work, but it can be an effective, methodical way to increase your chances at recovering the bird, with or without a dog......but i never go without the dog or my hat!
:cheers:
 
I don't stop looking until I consider it hopeless. Nothing irritates me more than lost or wounded birds. Only once I have left a bird without looking - one that glided into a pasture with the largest and meanest looking bull I've seen and he had cows with him too! I got a stare of death when I started to cross the fence and thought better of it.

On the topic of dogs and finding wounded birds, at this point in time I don't want my dog to be steady to shot - I want her on the bird ASAP if it gets wing tipped. I realize that there is a safety factor necessary for low birds, but I make it absolutely clear to anyone I hunt with not to take such a shot at any point.
 
You know it seems I remember the ones I can't find more than the ones that were good shots. Last fall I left a cloud of feathers and knew this quail was on the ground not far away. We spent what seemed like 45 minutes looking, continued our hunt and came back and looked again. We replayed the shot, everything I could think of. I think we fed the coyotes that day.

On the plus side, a month before a bird sailed into some buck brush and there was no way I could go in. I sent Trap in where I thought it was several times and he kept running east of where I thought it should be. I gave in and said "go get it buddy". He came back with it, still alive.

You make an honest effort as a cripple should be easier to find than the next bird.
 
sloth5202, you must be new because no one this forum has to look for downed birds. They shoot all of them dead in the air with 7/8 oz of #7 1/2 shot.
 
birddognut said:
We look for downed birds until we find them or we are convinced we can't find them. Then we come back later and try again. I hate losing birds and we owe it to the birds to do all we can to find them after the shot.
I have come back the next day and found birds that we thought were lost. A lost bird is not an option. My dogs are good at hunting dead. We have already waited for 15 minutes for a dog to return with a cripple that he has been chasing. An hour is not too long to look for a downed bird.
When out pheasant hunting you will lose birds if you hunt enough. I put in my best effort to find every bird. I have even gone out of my way to help other hunters to find birds.
If you can't find a hit bird how many of you count it in your bag limit?
I do.
Click to expand...
i like your dog pic! Heres the problem though with looking for the dead bird for an hour or more if your hunting with 4 or 5 guys they ge antsy and not wanting to wait but if your talking about your best hunting bud out therer then ya i will hunt for it as long as it takes also my pointers are good at finding dead to but they are so wanting to get moving to find more birds
 
I had a dog that was steady to wing and shot once and it was nice but I think I recover more birds in the deep CRP grass that I hunt when the dogs starts out right away. Neither of my shorthairs are great dead bird dogs but I hunt until I'm absolutely sure that I can't find the wounded bird. My hunting partner feels the same way so he doesn't mind if we spend however long it takes. We have returned to the area later in the and even the next day but around here when we do that we usually find a pile of feathers and that's it!!
If I wound a bird and can't find it I count it towards my limit. So does my partner and a couple of the other guys that I hunt with once in awhile.
 
Yep, you can hunt dead for a half hour and not feel right about moving on.
 
I actually like the dog work of hunting down a cripple or dead bird just as much or better than the quarter-&-flush game. It is deeply satisfying to come up with a long sought & hard-earned bird that seemed "gone with the wind"! That is part of why we bring our four-footed buddy's with the noses along, is it not??? I HATE seeing lots of birds lost with dogless hunters!!!

Also would much rather see my dog make one LONG blind-handle or mark out of the duck blind too, than a couple dozen easy money, brainless retrieves. My all-time fav is watching a retriever finally learn all-on-his-own to dive underwater & come up with a wounded snorkeler, after about the 3rd pop-up! :thumbsup:

In fact, even when it comes to bowhunting - I think I actually like the tracking part AFTER the shot best of all!

All of the above scenarios fit well within the epitome of what "HUNTING" is all about!!! :D
 
hen said:
I actually like the dog work of hunting down a cripple or dead bird just as much or better than the quarter-&-flush game. It is deeply satisfying to come up with a long sought & hard-earned bird that seemed "gone with the wind"! That is part of why we bring our four-footed buddy's with the noses along, is it not??? I HATE seeing lots of birds lost with dogless hunters!!!

Also would much rather see my dog make one LONG blind-handle or mark out of the duck blind too, than a couple dozen easy money, brainless retrieves. My all-time fav is watching a retriever finally learn all-on-his-own to dive underwater & come up with a wounded snorkeler, after about the 3rd pop-up! :thumbsup:

In fact, even when it comes to bowhunting - I think I actually like the tracking part AFTER the shot best of all!

All of the above scenarios fit well within the epitome of what "HUNTING" is all about!!! :D
Click to expand...

Then you would love hunting with steel shot for Pheasants. You can have lots of hard to find wounded birds for your dog to try and find. I hate having to hunt with steel for Pheasants.
 
Great input guys! Seems to me we have some very diligent pheasant killers on this site. The "Hat trick" is a great tip for any kind of tracking.

I don't know how many of your have done this with your dog but I like to take their favorite toy at home and hide it somewhere in the house while they sit and stay for me. Once I've hid it I let them go try to find it. I've hidden it in a clothes basket, under the sheets on my bed or even behind an open door. I find it's a good way to get them thinking and use their nose as well as work on the obedience in one simple game. It's nice because I usually remember where I hid it so if they need a little help I can atleast guide them to the right room in the house. I know this doesn't replace getting out there and doing the real thing but my 4.5 year old springer is quite the dead bird finder in the field. He is relentless and very efficient.

92 days till the MN pheasant opener!!!!
 
A trainer once told me to hide little pieces of hotdog in the grass and teach them the hunt dead command. After they are good with that move on to some other treat, always telling them to "hunt dead".
I have never got around to trying it but it sounds like it might work?
 
I realy don't have that problem. I doesnt take long. Springers are some of the best retrievers even when steady. They are great markers as well. The dogs are gifted at trailing out any birds, especialy in the fall cover, and if that happens what the hell go with them. It's neat to see a dog trail one out for a couple hundred yards and come up with the bird. I have had some that took a bit when burrowed under stuff but they useualy never lose them unless there is a hole. Had that happen a few times. They went right down a badger hole. Badger was smilin
 
Tony scares me, FCS, When a Bird goes in hole he goes in after them. Out here the danger is Rattlesnakes. He has never gotten bitten. But boy it still scares heck out of me.
 
Bobeyerite you need to find a snake avoidance class and get him vaccinated. My guy was having a great day a few months ago and his last bird was a snake. Its a terrible situation you don't want to deal with. Also find out where the emergency vet clinic is near you and if they carry the antivenom. Big if.

The vaccine is controversial as to its effectiveness but 3 emergency vets I spoke with say dogs who have been vaccinated do better with treatment. I would call around and form your own opinion. The problem is there are no clinical studies as nobody wants to volunteer their dog for such a thing.
 
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