I really hate to lose birds. Here are some of the thing I do to prevent it.
1. When I shoot a pheasant I pick out a distinct object where it fell. I focus on an individual piece of grass or something. I don't rush right to the area if the dog saw the fall. I let the dog get there first and don't muddy things up with my scent. If the dog didn't see the fall I go to the spot immediately and call the dog and urge them to hunt dead.
2. Like others mention I mark the fall area with a blaze orange hat. My dogs get enough retrieves a year that if they don't come up with it almost immediately I am sure that it is running.
3. If I don't pick the bird up in the first 20 minutes I leave the spot marked and swing by after hunting the rest of the area. Like others have mentioned many time this gives the bird a chance to put more scent down and help the dog out.
It's a lot easier to not make cripples to begin with than it is to find them once the deed is done. I try to make that happen by sticking with larger shot size that breaks bone (like 4's and 5's in lead), knowing my effective range, and adjusting the shots I take based on the cover I am in. I tend to push the envelope in an instance like dumping a rooster into a cut bean field from a wind row, and get real conservative in the middle of a cattail slough or head high intermediate wheat.
1. When I shoot a pheasant I pick out a distinct object where it fell. I focus on an individual piece of grass or something. I don't rush right to the area if the dog saw the fall. I let the dog get there first and don't muddy things up with my scent. If the dog didn't see the fall I go to the spot immediately and call the dog and urge them to hunt dead.
2. Like others mention I mark the fall area with a blaze orange hat. My dogs get enough retrieves a year that if they don't come up with it almost immediately I am sure that it is running.
3. If I don't pick the bird up in the first 20 minutes I leave the spot marked and swing by after hunting the rest of the area. Like others have mentioned many time this gives the bird a chance to put more scent down and help the dog out.
It's a lot easier to not make cripples to begin with than it is to find them once the deed is done. I try to make that happen by sticking with larger shot size that breaks bone (like 4's and 5's in lead), knowing my effective range, and adjusting the shots I take based on the cover I am in. I tend to push the envelope in an instance like dumping a rooster into a cut bean field from a wind row, and get real conservative in the middle of a cattail slough or head high intermediate wheat.