How do you find your pointing dog?

N

nwaluke

New member
Curious how many of us use what technology, if any, to locate our dog on point. GPS, beeper, orange vest, bell, nothing....... And why?
 
My dog doesn't usually get too far away so if the cover isn't too thick I can see him. Early on in heavy cover and later in the season when we hunt cattails I'll sometimes put a bell on him. It's not ideal, pheasants do seem to run a little ahead of the bell. I'm thinking of getting a beeper and using it on point only mode.

Tim
 
Usually just my eyeballs. :laugh:

But both my dogs have Garmin Astro collars. The collars come in handy when eyes and ears fail to locate the dog.
 
I use a Garmin Astro when she's out of sight. For me it's nice because it's quiet and peaceful, plus my dog will get out over 100 yards in the woods at times, although she's more typically in the 40 to 60 yard range. Usually if she goes out of sight I just stand and admire the trees and survey the cover, waiting for her to hunt the cover thoroughly. When I'm satisfied that there are no birds I start walking.

I can generally tell what she's doing just by looking at my Astro. If she's covering 30 yards in 5 seconds I whistle her back because she's probably chasing something by sight. If she's moving 1 or 2 yards every 5 seconds she's on some scent and I get ready to go in after her.

I initially used a bell but I hated it! Obnoxious.
 
I normally hunt with a group of 3 - 4 and we try to keep noise to a minimum so we all just know to point at the dog as she quarters back and forth from one end of the line to the other that way we always know where she is. If she locks up in front of one of us that person says "heads up" and walks in to kick up the bird and normally gets first shot. If he misses those on either side back him up depending on the fight path. When hunting by my self which doesn't happen all that often I hunt fields that are not as thick and tall and I try to follow her close. I have used a beeper collar in the past but I don't like them because I am afraid it will be hard on her hearing.
 
Astro. Try not to look at it too often unless dog has reached out or it vibrates (point).

Dog will wear a bell if it is windy - so I can keep track of pace and location easier. If relatively calm, I can still manage to hear them moving through the woods or prairie.
 
Gps collar... completely changed the game for me and is my all time best purchase. Keeps the dogs quiet and me as well... RARELY am I on my whistle unless I'm bringing the dogs in. I turn the dogs lose and pretty much just follow now without making a peep. These things make the hunter incredibly stealthy! Clearly making noise is the worst thing you can do when chasing pheasants... I would give up a lot of things (including my favorite gun and so on) before giving up my GPS now. ;)

I used to run my dog with a bell... works as intended but the pheasants will locate your dog as easily as you.

Beeper collars... fantastic too, especially on just point mode. But it still makes noise... If I had no GPS, then no question I would go back to the beeper for the heavy cover I hunt most days.
 
Just a bell. Just follow the sound of the bell and when it stops, go to the spot and there will be your dog on point in complete silence.
 
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I rely on a dogtra 2502 collar, It allows you to either use "on point" mode or you can manually press "locate", the latter is what I choose to do, a bell can be of little use in very windy weather which we see a lot of from my home in Montana all the way down the plains states. I have used these collars for close to 20 years, I actually believe the earlier collars were better, think they were made in U.S. then, but of course, over seas now.....
 
I use a beeper collar that has a couple settings. I use "point only" mode in open ground and in the woods if it's quiet enough. Use the "locate/point" mode in heavy woods. Most of my hunting is in thick, heavy cover, so it's hard to keep track of a dog, even at close range. Can't see or hear the dog 10 yards away and need some way to hear him. A simple bell isn't enough.

I don't think the beeper makes any difference to birds. They know you're there anyhow. Ever stop to hunt a new marsh or field and pheasants start flying out the other end 1/4 mile away before you've even closed a door? Then while you're walking they do the helicopter pop-up to check you out. In windy conditions like you have in the plains, sound gets blown and directional hearing is compromised, too, so you're hard to echo-locate.

A grouse will flush wild at the sound of human voice, though and so no talking, I use hand signals between guys.

The first beeper collar I used had a mercury switch and I think it was the best collar I've ever owned. A bearing would bounce inside and when it made contact it would beep. So it went off like a bouncing bell might. The tweety birds would answer those beeps as if talking back to another bird, I swear. I've heard that with the new one, but not as much or as often.
 
I use the Alpha. I mainly hunt quail in Oklahoma. My male Brittany can range out 200-300 yds sometimes. Sometimes he's still in view, other times he's gone over a hill. Always know where he is and when he goes on point. This has been a game changer for me. I enjoy the quiet hunt while always knowing where he is. He has gone on point in tall grass. The Alpha takes me right to him. When you get real close to him, it says "near by". And I still can't see him. Behind a bush or just in tall grass. But I know he's is near me and can expect a covey to flush at any moment. Makes my time in the field with him more enjoyable and productive. Oklahoma winds can make it difficult to hear beeper and bells. I am spoiled now for sure.
 
Here's a short video showing just how these GPS collars shine. I was running both dogs in some fairly tall and decently thick stuff. My attention was 100% on my pup knowing my older 7 yr old pooch would stay in the neighborhood... the Alpha buzzed me that my 7 yr old was on point... I believe she was around 50 yards from me but I had no clue where. Even when I was walking to her I didn't see here until the rooster jumped. These things are the best! But of course the pooches still need to do their thing and be under control... otherwise a person will just know their pooch is a 1000 yards away and still running hard! :D

clink here for vid
http://vid33.photobucket.com/albums...a/hunt 12 9 15 mia with alpha_zpsxazvm4ie.mp4
 
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Track dog

Garmin Alpha. Wish I would have had one 60 years ago when I had two English pointers. I now have a GSP who does not have the range of the pointers but I feel it is invaluable.
 
Garmin Alpha. One of my setters would be really tough to hunt with his range without it.
 
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