If you wing a bird

[Bob Peters]

Or in another situation, lets say your shot is a little off and Rudy takes a few pellets but still has wheels. To make this hypothetical more straightforward, let's assume your hunting CRP grass. Does the bird typically run uphill or downhill? I suppose what I'm asking, is there any rhyme or reason to where he goes? I always let the dog get in there and do their work, but supposing they don't find him I'm wondering what direction to go from there. Yes my buddy did wing one last weekend and he got away. It was during the prairie hurricane.

 

[gimruis]

Sometimes you lose birds. I think we've all experienced it at some point or another. Goose looses them more than the average bear.

Perhaps the super dry conditions are playing a role. If the dog can't find any fresh scent trail, the chances of stumbling exactly upon it are minimal in a field of grass.

 

[Goosemaster]

Sometimes if you circle around, and come from the opposite direction.

 

[PeteRevvv]

I have self retrieved 95% of the birds I have ever shot so speaking as a two-legged birddog, I find them headed on foot in the same direction they were flying off to when flushed. It doesn't seem like birds wait until they get airborne to survey the situation and decide which way to fly. They know where heavier cover is at (when available) and were likely going that direction when they sensed you coming up on them. They keep going in that direction in the air and then on the ground once downed to get to the cover. Once they hit the heavy cover they start getting clever and double-back, head left/right. So I haul fat-ass on the run to where I marked the spot I dropped them and keep going straight until I hit heavier cover and then start circling.

Sound familiar? If AKC would just expand the classes a little, I'm sure I'd be FC by now despite my lack of papers and questionable line.

 

[Wind River]

Birds run uphill and fly downhill. If that helps. Say goodbye in cattails w/o that nose.

 

[Carguy2Banker]

I agree with Pete's comment above, however, when talking about self retrieval success rate, I am no where near 95% if a dog isn't present.
If I see the birds head is still up and makes a "somewhat controlled landing", this is normally bad news.... with or without a dog. Hunting in Kansas doesn't provide the bird much opportunity to run up or down any hills , but they often heads downward towards a draw because of the heavy cover if present.
If the landscape and cover remains the same through the whole field (corn, milo or even thin CRP grass) we have recovered many birds at the end of that field as they continue straight until they run out of concealment. It is always a nice surprise when a dog comes up with the bird when everyone thought had got away, and this seems to always be on the same path as the original flush flight path.

 

[Springer22]

Well not sure the answer to this particular question, but I will say it is amazing what an injured animal can and will do to survive or evade its predator ( us specifically). Pheasants, waterfowl, deer. How deep they can burrow themselves, etc. I have witnessed some big injured bucks escape when it seems impossible . Anyways. Tis frustrating.

 

[carptom1]

I had to re

I agree with Pete's comment above, however, when talking about self retrieval success rate, I am no where near 95% if a dog isn't present.
If I see the birds head is still up and makes a "somewhat controlled landing", this is normally bad news.... with or without a dog. Hunting in Kansas doesn't provide the bird much opportunity to run up or down any hills , but they often heads downward towards a draw because of the heavy cover if present.
If the landscape and cover remains the same through the whole field (corn, milo or even thin CRP grass) we have recovered many birds at the end of that field as they continue straight until they run out of concealment. It is always a nice surprise when a dog comes up with the bird when everyone thought had got away, and this seems to always be on the same path as the original flush flight path.

i had to reread his comment. He didn’t say he retrieved 95% of birds shot but that 95% of the birds he retrieved himself. If hunting without a dog there is no way you do better than 9/10 in any cover much less heavy cover. I have always had good/great retrievers and would say in good conditions I may be 9/10. Some days may be less. It really depends on how the bird is shot and what the level of cover. The lighter the cover the more distance the bird may travel. I have thought a bird was smoked only to never recover it. I had one last year in heavy CRP the dog brought back very much alive only ten feet from where it dropped. If it is thick enough I don’t think they travel as far as we think.

 

[gimruis]

If hunting without a dog there is no way you do better than 9/10 in any cover much less heavy cover.

Generally speaking, if you are hunting without a dog, you aren't hunting heavy cover anyways.

I hunted without a dog for years before I could have one and I had to focus on specific types of habitat - mostly tree lines, thin fencelines, isolated patches, etc that were surrounded by open field. So that when a bird dropped it would land in the open field and I could get it.

Cattails and other thick cover were completely out of the question.

I know some will say hunting without a dog isn't really hunting. To that I say not everyone has the personal means of having a dog. I'll bet I still did better than some hunters with a dog too because I had permission to hunt really productive private land. I had a license and a shotgun and a place to hunt, so I hunted.

Also...I've hunted over some terrible hunting dogs that ruined the hunt. In those situations, we would have been much better without a dog.

 

[Drew]

Two personal observations.

I wing shot a pheasant and I was convinced that it holed up in a tumble weed patch that was fairly extensive. My dog kept wanting to go up hill. After a few minutes, I finally did what I should have done to begin with (trust my dog). She went up this sagebrush hill, over 1/4 mile and out of sight and a few minutes later she brought that bird back.

Another time we were driving down this dirt road and a covey of quail crossed the road in front of us and holed up in a patch of cover within 50 yards of the road. We let out a person and a dog. He jumped the birds and killed one outright and winged another. His dog retrieved the dead bird and then he kept working that spot that the winged quail went down at, meanwhile I watched that quail run at least 2 hundred yards and onto another property. Lesson for me once again.......Trust your dog.....always trust your dog....even if you think you know better, always trust your dog.

 

[Golden Hour]

I honestly don't think there is a good answer. I can think of times when the bird went downhill, just as often they go uphill. Sometimes they'll run in the direction they fell, other times they go 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Sometimes they'll beeline for the heavy cover, other times they'll hoof it into the grass.

Two things I feel confident in saying are that wounded birds will employ any and all evasive tactics to escape. I also believe that the numerous twists and turns they take can be attributed to disorientation more than an educated escape. Imagine being shot from the sky, hitting the ground and tumbling head over heels into vegetation that is way above your head. You'd likely take off in the direction you stood up facing after such a fall. Just my $0.02

EDIT: The only time I've seen a crippled bird do anything consistent is when they are knocked down in the plowing or harvested field and then hoof it back into whatever habitat they flushed from.

 

[A5 Sweet 16]

Just hunt flat land & quit worrying about it.

 

[Glock]

I have to agree with Golden. I think they have no pre plan direction of escape. Once they shake those cobwebs out all they know is to run the opposite direction of the noise (be it dogs or hunters) that is coming after them again. I’ve seen a rooster hide in the smallest clumps of grass, critter holes, culverts and holes in the ground.

 

[Goosemaster]

I have self retrieved 95% of the birds I have ever shot so speaking as a two-legged birddog, I find them headed on foot in the same direction they were flying off to when flushed. It doesn't seem like birds wait until they get airborne to survey the situation and decide which way to fly. They know where heavier cover is at (when available) and were likely going that direction when they sensed you coming up on them. They keep going in that direction in the air and then on the ground once downed to get to the cover. Once they hit the heavy cover they start getting clever and double-back, head left/right. So I haul fat-ass on the run to where I marked the spot I dropped them and keep going straight until I hit heavier cover and then start circling.

Sound familiar? If AKC would just expand the classes a little, I'm sure I'd be FC by now despite my lack of papers and questionable line.

No human is going to find a wounded pheasant, so I'm calling bs.

 

[Goosemaster]

Generally speaking, if you are hunting without a dog, you aren't hunting heavy cover anyways.

I hunted without a dog for years before I could have one and I had to focus on specific types of habitat - mostly tree lines, thin fencelines, isolated patches, etc that were surrounded by open field. So that when a bird dropped it would land in the open field and I could get it.

Cattails and other thick cover were completely out of the question.

I know some will say hunting without a dog isn't really hunting. To that I say not everyone has the personal means of having a dog. I'll bet I still did better than some hunters with a dog too because I had permission to hunt really productive private land. I had a license and a shotgun and a place to hunt, so I hunted.

Also...I've hunted over some terrible hunting dogs that ruined the hunt. In those situations, we would have been much better without a

 

[Goosemaster]

No guy without a dog is going to do well in hunting.

 

[BRITTMAN]

Some run, but just as many burrow into thick grass within feet of where they fell. Early season (plants still green) especially this year (dry) make it especially difficult if they do not move.

 

[Joe Hunter]

Sometimes they go down a hole!

 

[BrdHntr]

Great photo JH! 2 years ago had one go into a critter hole - dogs knew it was in there - was able to reach in & pull it out - phez are resourceful & likely would have never checked the critter hole without the dogs

 

[MNMEAD]

I can think of three specific wounded birds from last year that really stood out to me. I had a fresh puppy with questionable tracking skills, and I was a fresh pheasant hunter having not gone since I was a kid.

1. First pheasant I ever shot as an adult. 25ish yard straight away. Bang, drop, dead dead bird so I thought. Second weekend of season, so very green and wet thick switchgrass. Got the dog in there and she was bumbling around, not really knowing what to do, I kicked around digging for it as well. It was right where it dropped. As I uncovered it, it bolted out scurrying under the grasses. Too quick for me to catch, and the dog didn't see it. I relocated it 20 yards away in thinner cover, it happened again and the dog still didn't catch it. Never found it again.
2. 30 yard flush, shot at about 40 yards I'd guess. Bang, winged. Bang, winged. Bang again at about 60+ (knowing I'd wounded it on the first two) and saw it sail down around the corner of a lake about 150-200 yards away. Worked the edge that direction and got the dog in there. It was sitting right where it landed until I kicked its clump of grass. Dog wasn't next to me and didn't see it. Ran 20 yards or so, and I got the dog there and forced her on the scent since I'd seen exactly where it ran. Dog recovered it where it holed up the second time.
3. Walking the edge of cattails, bird flushes right off the edge and flies over the light grass. 25 yards quartering away. Bang, feathers everywhere, no wing movement, and I believed that the head was down. I hear the bird smack the ground and watch it bounce off the ground. Pick up my empty, look back to the bird and it is gone. Get the dogs over there as they were off 30 yards away with my wife deeper in the cattails. Dog tracks from the light grass straight toward us into the cattails and scares it onto its feet, and it hauls ass down a deer trail through the cattails. Dives off somewhere, and she circles and circles for about 20 minutes and we couldn't find it.

My points with these anecdotes are that I don't believe birds consistently haul ass out of there. If you're in thick stuff, I believe they most often will land, go a couple yards, and hunker down. In thinner grasses that might not be the case, but I don't hunt a lot of real thin stuff. Second, my ears are super important to me when looking for a downed bird. The dog might be getting close but not totally locked on the scent. Many times I hear the bird rustling through the cover off to the side but the dog cant hear over their own sniffing and ears rubbing on the cover. I try to help the dog as much as I can. Third, and one thing I'm really focusing on this year is get on the gun and get settled on the bird. Take the time. It feels like forever when doing it, but the bird is only covering an extra 5-10 yards in that time. I grew up hunting ruffies and woodcock in the thick cover, and the shots were all snap shots and crossing fingers. While I got good at that, grouse die when you look at them. Pheasants don't. Refocusing on good shooting mechanics and ensuring you're putting the bead where it needs to be makes fewer cripples. I was really pleased to shoot all 4 roosters we flushed opening weekend, and even more pleased to have shot the beak off all but the one that flew straight away.