I really like this thought! Calm the dog and then put it back to work....much better chance of the dog tracking the bird now, rather than just wild searching!
How long do you look for a bird?
- Thread starter Madison COunty
- Start date
I really like this thought! Calm the dog and then put it back to work....much better chance of the dog tracking the bird now, rather than just wild searching!
wolfcreeknc
Active member
Something our group always does is everyone carries either some paper towels or orange flagging material. When a bird is shot we all stop and try our best to triangulate where it went down. The shooter walks straight toward it and the other person(s) helps in the proper distance. Once reaching the spot if the bird is not immediately found we mark it with the "flagging". Then start waking circles with the dog etc. If not found we can come back to the exact spot later since it was marked.
Just my 2 bits!
Wolf
Just my 2 bits!
Wolf
BakkenRoosterMan
New member
Seriously...
Everybody looses cripples, but when you pull that crap, either hit the range more in the offseason, or reevaluate your hobby choices.
UplandHntr
Well-known member
the short answer is I'd look as long as it takes to know I wont find it. Hard to just put a time table on it. Thick stuff might be longer than and open cut field or whatever. This is where a dog with a good nose really shines.
UplandHntr
Well-known member
probably should've read the previous responses first as many of them are similar.
1pheas4
Moderator
I had that happen a few years back in SD. After the second day of cripple losses I called off my trip and headed home early. By the following weekend I was back on track with killing my target(s). Don't ask me
Nick
small munsterlander owner
Banned
i had to get a hunting dog i was tired of shoot n birds only to loose the 1s i finely did flush... best tool a pheasant hunter can have is a dog thats a strong retriever of cripples/runners. .
last year in ND i found 3+ cripples from other hunters my cousins dog 1 was the most wounded pheasants i have seen in 1 field same area had skinned roosters on fence posts & guys saying u dont need hunting dogs in ND to kill birds hum i wonder???
last year in ND i found 3+ cripples from other hunters my cousins dog 1 was the most wounded pheasants i have seen in 1 field same area had skinned roosters on fence posts & guys saying u dont need hunting dogs in ND to kill birds hum i wonder???
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1pheas4
Moderator
I agree. When I had to call my trip early my dog was 6 months old. He'd flush them but had he a hard time running birds down. Bad shooting on my part combined with an inexperienced dog wasn't a good combo. Last season he brought back every bird dropped. Two were cripples that hit the ground running. Without the dog I most likely would have lost them.
Nick
pheasanthunt
Member
I do the same thing, but I use my hat.
1pheas4
Moderator
Me too. Staring at the ground and walking in circles looking for a downed bird---everything begins to look the same after awhile. Having a marker is a good way to get back on top of where he hit the ground.
Nick
airmedic1
Active member
I see that others do a lot of the same things that I do.
Probably the best thing that I do is only shoot one at a time. What I mean is when two roosters flush I shoot only one and make sure that I collect it. I mark the exact spot where it fell and get my dogs over there right away to look for it. I've seen too many guys blast away at multiple birds and then they can't accurately tell you where they fell. They will say I think it was over here and they might not even be close. This is especially true with quail.
When it's hot I go to the spot and stand still letting my dogs do the searching. I have found that when I walk around I stir up the dust and make it harder for the dogs. I will let them look for 20-30 minutes or sometimes more. I've also made the mistake of calling them back to where the bird fell, not where it has ran. They can find the bird better than me every time.
I watch the birds as they are going down to see if their head is up or down. When their head is up they will run and try to hide. I watch them when they are flying after they have been hit and I've seen them fly a half mile or more and then just fall out of the sky.
I hate loosing a wounded bird and I made a pact with myself that if I shoot one and can't find it I take that bird off my daily bag limit.
AM
Probably the best thing that I do is only shoot one at a time. What I mean is when two roosters flush I shoot only one and make sure that I collect it. I mark the exact spot where it fell and get my dogs over there right away to look for it. I've seen too many guys blast away at multiple birds and then they can't accurately tell you where they fell. They will say I think it was over here and they might not even be close. This is especially true with quail.
When it's hot I go to the spot and stand still letting my dogs do the searching. I have found that when I walk around I stir up the dust and make it harder for the dogs. I will let them look for 20-30 minutes or sometimes more. I've also made the mistake of calling them back to where the bird fell, not where it has ran. They can find the bird better than me every time.
I watch the birds as they are going down to see if their head is up or down. When their head is up they will run and try to hide. I watch them when they are flying after they have been hit and I've seen them fly a half mile or more and then just fall out of the sky.
I hate loosing a wounded bird and I made a pact with myself that if I shoot one and can't find it I take that bird off my daily bag limit.
AM
mnaj_springer
New member
It's really fun seeing a dog "turn the corner" so to speak. Last season I watched as my 6 month old puppy turned into a 9 month old hunting dog.
I hit a late season bird and was sure I knew where it fell. I began looking and commanded "dead bird." She took off 20 yards to my left while I thought "stupid puppy." She returned less than a minute later with the rooster. I then thought, "stupid human."
A good cripple finder is a thing of beauty. For a pheasant dog it's what differentiates a really good dog from a ham and egger IMHO. A good pheasant dog can find the dead and crippled birds in a field corner or slough where 20-100 birds flushed moments ago. I'm not a dog, but this would be really difficult just using your nose.
This right here. My current dog is very good at hunting dead.
Even in a simple game of fetch I have her do blind retrieves frequently. I'll take her out to a field and make her lie down in tall grass so she can't see, then pitch a tennis ball into some cover with a chuck-it thrower and cut her loose. When I throw it I kind of side arm it so the ball bounces and skims through the grass to create a scent trail before it stops. I used to use a starter pistol at the same time to help get her excited to find the ball, don't need to anymore. It helps that she loves tennis balls almost as much as birds.
Of the 5 dogs in the group I hunt with, mine and one other are great at "dead bird". The others lose interest quickly and want to get back to hunting.
tuna
New member
I don't feel bad now, it usually takes me 10 to 15 minutes, but I'll look for an hour if need be. The thing about dogless hunting, is my flushes are never farther than 25 feet, which helps ensure a solid hit.
I do a variation of the flagging tape deal. I tie the tape to heavy nuts and throw it to where the bird fell. I leave another where I shot from, this gives me two points of reference.
Glad I'm not the only one who has trouble sometimes.
I do a variation of the flagging tape deal. I tie the tape to heavy nuts and throw it to where the bird fell. I leave another where I shot from, this gives me two points of reference.
Glad I'm not the only one who has trouble sometimes.
Thrasher
Member
I will search until I am sure that I will not find it. I spent an hour on a quail last year. The dog ran over it half a dozen times before locking on it. A covey had flushed there and I guess the area was scented pretty well. A few years ago I hit a pheasant and he hit the ground running. I found him 30 minutes later in a hole. About two inches of tail feathers were sticking out. The bird was dead when I got him out. Molly is pretty good. Two years ago I shot a rooster and "knew" right where it landed. Molly took off to the left instead of where I though she should go. I called her, but she refused to come. I walked over to get her and bring her to the area and she had the rooster pinned between her front feet.
For the most part, my springers and I are tuned to hunt the nastiest/thickest cover we can find, ranging from the cattail edges of waterfowl production areas in the plains states to the deep, steep and nasty drainage ditches along the Mexico border, and I would not hunt those areas without a dog.
As some have said, I also use a marker placed at the location where the bird went down and have the dogs search that area before I start into the same cover. Far more often than not, they come up with the bird, but if not, I count it as part of the limit and move on.
As some have said, I also use a marker placed at the location where the bird went down and have the dogs search that area before I start into the same cover. Far more often than not, they come up with the bird, but if not, I count it as part of the limit and move on.
Dakotazeb
Well-known member
I'll look until I'm convinced that myself nor the dog are going to find the bird. We knocked a rooster down Saturday in some CRP that I thought went down hard. My dog was on the spot it hit immediately and I was waiting for the retrieve. After a couple minutes I realized she didn't have the bird. I went to the spot, marked it with my cap, and 3 or 4 of us started searching the area with the dog. No bird. We finally gave up and continued our push through the field. My dog disappears and I figure she might be on point but I can't hear her beeper. Somehow I must have accidentally turned it off. I finally find her on point about 100 yards ahead and she has that wounded rooster pointed. I reached in the grass and pulled him out. For a Brittany my dog generally does an outstanding job of tracking and finding cripples.
birdshooter
Well-known member
It's amazing the tenacity and the will to survive these birds have. That is a scene that I have played out numerous times myself. Helps to have an experienced pheasant dog in those instances as well.
birdshooter
Well-known member
One thing to pay attention to after you see the bird hit is to pay special attention to whether the bird's head dropped or not. Head down, the bird is likely dead where it lays. Head still up, you may have your work cut out for ya.....