How do you call your dog in the field?

I run springers, which are close working dogs by nature, so what works for me, may not work for you. I train with a whistle, but I don't use it when hunting. I used to turn a dog with two beeps on the collar, but I've gone away from that whenever possible. Now, if the cover isn't too thick, it's a soft mouth whistle or "whoa" and then a hand signal. In heavy cover I will still use the beeper. I use the vibrate as a warning before a nick, but it's pretty rare I have to do that. (Probably jinxed myself there.) I'm fortunate to have a couple areas within a few minutes of the house where I can run my dogs. One of them doesn't hold any birds, so I can run them there year round, so we get a lot of work in.
 
I use a tone on the sportdog, but have no issue calling for them. I hunt public land and private land in SD, Neb and Michigan and have no problem getting shot opportunities. If verbally call your dog its not like the first sound the bird has heard from you in the field. I can run silent if my hunting partner would like, but i talk to my dogs alot.
 
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Miforester said:
I use a tone on the sportdog, but have no issue calling for them. I hunt land and private land in SD, Neb and Michigan and have no problem getting shot opportunities. If verbally call your dog its not like the first sound the bird has heard from you in the field. I can run silent if my hunting partner would like, but i talk to my dogs alot.
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You are a lucky fellow. You hunt private grounds...
 
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My Brittany is trained to come, or turn, with my whistle. At least most of the time. If she does ignore the whistle then I use vibrate or a light stim. I've never seen in my 65+ years of hunting pheasants that a whistle or some noise in the field really effected my success. I don't like a lot of yelling but I'm not totally silent either.
 
I hunt a military base for Quail. They have so much pressure if you use a beeper collar on your dog, you will not see birds. If you use the collar and have it beep every ten seconds etc. Maybe I am hunting areas that just have more hunting pressure than you guys.
 
Birdman2 said:
You are a lucky fellow. You hunt private grounds...
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Sorry typo i hunt both public and private. Just got private access in 2021. Doesnt change how i hunt or communicate with my dogs
 
I hunted in SD one year. Had access to a couple large fields. The birds had been hunted hard. There were at least 200 Roosters in one field, grass up around 2' high. It didn't matter how you approached the field, wind,etc. As soon as you step into the field out the other end they would go. Anybody else had that experience ?
 
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Birdman2 said:
I hunted in SD one year. Had access to a couple large fields. The birds had been hunted hard. There were at least 200 Roosters in one field, grass up around 2' high. It didn't matter how you approached the field, wind,etc. As soon as you step into the field out the other end they would go. Anybody else had that experience ?
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Have had that happen before, soon as you stepped out of the vehicle they hit the eject button. I just got back in the truck and went to another spot.
 
I use a whistle and the beep tone and vibrate on the collar.

Last season I was talking to 4 guys with 4 dogs and they joked that Me and my one dog were mostly rearranging the birds in the field :) Probably some truth to that.
 
My one setter I was able to run tone on all the time and use whistle to turn and come back. It was nice to know when she was on point in tall grass. My other setter was also trained to the whistle. If I run tone he thinks I’m calling him back and will come stand beside me and not leave till I turn it off. With him I have getto commands that no one would get but me. Teeth whistle means…. turn, not so far, check in, quit jackin around let’s go, move, and come. If I can’t see him and I hit locate he’ll check in with in site or come back. If I wanna be silent he knows that vibrate means that he’s in trouble and to get back on task. I think noise in the field is fluid. If I think it requires being as quite as possible to get birds I will do it. I try to eliminate the loud sudden change in activity,and remind myself I’m hunting the birds in the field not the ones that flew away.
 
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