Hunting silently and way out of gun range

AKSkeeter

AKSkeeter

Well-known member
Hunting silently is so important. No slamming of truck doors, no talking, etc.
I hunt my labs silently and in big country, way out of gun range...up to 200 yards away.
For big country hunts, covey flushes is a function of mileage and letting the lab hunt out as far as I can see her.
Same with rock ptarmigan in Alaska.
If I want the dog to check in, I simply stop. If I want the dog to change directions, I change directions.
One retriever author termed this the "rubber band effect" with silent communication between the hunter and dog.
Easy hunting solo and with a lab that is biddable and a team player.
Once the dog gets birdy, I whistle sit the dog and move in for the covey flush.
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Depends what youre hunting. In Iowa we hunt 95 percent private ground that hardly gets hunted. Even the public is hit rather lightly. We are loud the whole time catching up on life and birds hold fine. Out in SD, where every piece of public ground is hunted 13 times a day 6 days a week, i believe its extremely important to do things different than others and quietly.
 
Labradinger said:
Depends what youre hunting. In Iowa we hunt 95 percent private ground that hardly gets hunted. Even the public is hit rather lightly. We are loud the whole time catching up on life and birds hold fine. Out in SD, where every piece of public ground is hunted 13 times a day 6 days a week, i believe its extremely important to do things different than others and quietly.
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In south Dakota, on public land,you have to be very smart.I walked by a few,that doubled back on me, and I have a really good yellow lab.
 
Labradinger said:
Depends what youre hunting. In Iowa we hunt 95 percent private ground that hardly gets hunted.
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I hunt 100% private, untouched land. No one else hunts it for pheasants. I do not hunt in a group though. I hunt either by myself or with 1 other person. Before we get to the spot we intend to hunt, I tell them no noise.

People yelling at dogs, slamming truck doors, and barking out "hen!" irks me to no end. I wouldn't do that walking into my deer stand or turkey blind, so I don't do it walking into a pheasant field either. Whether it makes a difference on the number of birds put in the bag, its a variable I can control. So I am going to control it.
 
I was taught by some old-time pointer hunters in the 1980s.
They hunted with English Setters.
When a dog went on point, no one said anything!
Just pointed up to the sky to indicate to the other hunter, point!
and silent hand signal to move into flush position.
"Silence is golden"
 
"Private land dummies" do exist. They haven't been hunted in a couple months (if at all) & will let you get away with making more noise. But it doesn't mean they'll tolerate everything, & it doesn't take much hunting for them to wise up. Once wakes them up a lot. 2 or 3 times within a week or 2 makes them veterans. More than that makes them practically public land birds.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
"Private land dummies" do exist. They haven't been hunted in a couple months (if at all) & will let you get away with making more noise. But it doesn't mean they'll tolerate everything, & it doesn't take much hunting for them to wise up. Once wakes them up a lot. 2 or 3 times within a week or 2 makes them veterans. More than that makes them practically public land birds.
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You thinking I should educate the birds at HH to make them a fair challenge for you and Ace?
 
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