Make sure the bird is dead!

moellermd

moellermd

Super Moderator
Today the dog brought me back a bird that I shot and I rung it's neck and put it in my vest. A couple hundred yards later the bird hops out of my vest and takes off running. Thankfully the dogs were more on the ball than me and caught it again. This time I did the job right. You lose a lot of cool points when that happens.
 
That one's got me laughing out loud :D Too bad nobody got video, that'd get a million hits on youtube. Thanks for sharing:10sign:
 
MM, Don't feel alone that has happened to more hunters than I can name, me included. It will happen again from time time.......Bob
 
I've had them kicking in my vest but never jumped out. They are some tough dudes. Hunted hard today here in WI. Got two roosters up, but nothing in the bag. It was a good day anyway.
 
Yep it has happened, to me three times, The first was a mallard shot layed in the duck boat for a few hrs. was put in the back of the pickup and we drove to town, stoped to get gas in Elbow LK MN and it took off flying down main st. about 6' off the ground gone never saw it again. we watched it for about a 1/2 mile. Then the same thing almost happened to us again my friend had our roosters in his trunk, we used his car hunting, went to town and he opened the trunk and it flushed he snatched it out of the air. I laughed my ass off. Then a rooster came back to life in the topper once too but he did not get anywhere. I think they get knocked in the head and just snap out of it later.
 
Happened to me once when I was just starting hunting. After that I learned to do a proper job of neck breaking. For pure entertainment value nothing much beats the Lazarus giant Canada goose my buddy shot. I arrived at his house shortly after he opened his trunk to find one PO'd goose with a broken wing, a bad headache, and the intention of taking out his pain on the first thing to come into his view. My buddy had a tree between the bird and him when I arrived. There was no safe angle to shoot the bird, but I had a ball bat in my trunk. It was sort of like the old BC cartoon where the cave woman sees the snake.:)
 
Makes me feel better

Good to hear I'm not alone. That happened to me in front of my brother. He has not let me live it down since. I'll be sure to let him know how common it is, although I doubt that will get him let up on me.
 
Correct way to grab a bird

Take some advice from your dog and a hunter that has played the part of retriever for too many years.

Learned this trick myself from some local boys- grab the bird on the back, just behind the wings with the head pointing away from you. Squeeze your thumb and fingers together around the spine and in about 5-10 seconds it will flap a little and then die. You are compressing the lungs and cutting off oxygen for a quick and clean kill.

You have a steady grip on it, the wings aren't flapping in your face and the spurs stay point forward. There isn't blood all over the bumper or hitch from rapping it's head a dozen times. The head of the bird will also be in the best shape if you decide to taxidermy it later.

Watch your dog next time and see if that isn't the way they try and grab it most of the time. Sometimes they miss and get the wing but I think there is an inherited behavior from long ago with biting down on the lungs.
 
That Works!

2LeggedBirddog - My dog had the opportunity to do the retrieving at a European hunt today and so I had several chances to try your little trick. Works great. Seems like it works best if you grab real close to the wing. Thanks, much better than twirling the bird by the head. :10sign:
 
I always felt like a big sissy when I would grab for the neck and then have to drop it because I got a spur in the arm, pecked on the knuckles or a faceful of wings. It's nice to be able to walk up to live birds that someone else is sort of circling while the bird is flopping and jumping and just grab them like it's no big deal.

The first couple times you do it can feel a little barbaric since you can feel the lungs convulse and the heart speed up and stop. But I thinks thats a good thing to remind you shoot straighter the next time and get up close and personal with what you are actually doing out there.
 
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