Pheasant Tactics

HS Strut

HS Strut

Active member
I would like some opinions.

I hunted Iowa this weekend with 6 guys total, 2 Labs, and 2 Setters.
I'm not used to hunting in a group this big including this many dogs.
I'm used to starting INTO THE WIND, and letting my Lab take me to the birds.
If I have to, I'll walk down the side with a crosswind or wind at my back until I can turn my dog into the wind.
This weekend, I was a guest, and got a little frustrated as we continually PUSHED with wind usually at our back. My dog was always looking at me like she was confused...I had to push her forward all weekend and a lot of times she tried to go behind the line we formed and follow scent. When we DID have the wind in our face, we moved very slow. I was constantly calling her back to keep from getting ahead in the line when she was getting birdy. To me, this was a "Fox Drive" with dogs to retrieve what we shot.
I'm always willing to learn, and not afraid to admit when I'm wrong. Am I crazy? Is this the way its done? I feel like the only way those birds are gonna fly is if we don't give them a choice. I want my dog to put pressure on them and make them fly. I feel like if we move too slow, although we will push them to a point that they will in theory be forced to fly...I felt we gave them the option to run out the end of the field and into another field?
We were hunting mostly CRP that bordered standing corn and many fields on the edges had been turned over already.
I'm heading back out in a couple weeks and I'm gonna let my dog take us to the birds. I may have to walk a little brisk occasionally if shes really on the chase, but it will still be easy walking. At least that's what we did last year.
 
Never really liked hunting in a crowd. Much better to let the dog work and set the pace. My springer is very methodical. I’m basically there to steer the show, but once she’s on scent, I just follow along.
 
My style is the same put a good do in good cover , hunt into the wind and let the dog point , track the bird and follow at a pace that will put you in range of the bird . For me I normally hunt with a like minded friend that has good dogs as well , my dog often points a rooster that's trying to double back . " we always follow and watch the dog " if we ever slip up and don't that where the brigs come up at around the dog .
 
With six hunters pushing a field, I assume two were posters at the end to block the birds that were on the run and not willing to fly.

Walking slow and stopping once in a while is a sound tactic vs a fast walk, to keep up with a dog hot on the heels of a running bird. And, it's not always possible to walk into the wind but preferred if you can.

Just my take on your message...
 
We occasionally used blockers. Ironically and no fault of anyone...when we used them it appeared they weren't needed and many times if we'd have had them, they'd have been melting their barrels down. But that's just the way it goes some times.

I don't want to run through the field chasing my dog. But I don't have a problem doing a little quick step for ten yards once in a while to keep close to my Lab as she's working. If I can do that, she will get birds in the air. I have no problem using a collar or whistle to slow her down a little, but I was constantly on her...to a point that I felt like I was "correcting her" for getting birdy. I can tell by her body language when to slow her down and when she's getting close...when she's getting close she becomes frantic and I'm NOT gonna slow her down at that point. Maybe when I'm too old to keep pace (I'm pushing 50 now) I will enjoy the fox drive style of hunt?

We will see. I'm heading back out in a couple weeks with my dog and 2-3 hunters. I hope to get enough birds up that we can get as many or more shots than we did earlier. I'll probably be hunting bigger fields this time. Last week those were fairly narrow patches of CRP. But I felt birds were flying or running out the end onto the next property (where we didn't have permission) or squirting out into standing corn. I agree totally we should've used blockers.
Thanks for the input! Happy Hunting
 
There seems to be a delicate balance between reining in a dog vs letting him hunt.

Too far out - bird is out of range. Too much control and some dogs give up. I have a strong prey-drive dog and he continually wants to hunt on his own. I do not let him loose in a corn or sorghum field, until the last 30 yards and only then if there are blockers.

And good hunting to you...
 
flushing dogs are another matter.....scent and no bird find is frustrating to them, and they pick up the pace, sometimes to a fault. with that many dogs and hunters your dog probably felt more pressure as well.
i never hunt with more than 3 guys, prefer 1 and like the quiet approach, into the wind or a cross wind at least......never with wind at my back, unless i have no choice when covering the property. we always have a strategy before we step out of the truck, always. using the wind is essential.......ask your dog!
 
HS Strut said:
I would like some opinions.

I hunted Iowa this weekend with 6 guys total, 2 Labs, and 2 Setters.
I'm not used to hunting in a group this big including this many dogs.
Click to expand...

I saw this and I just have to ask. Have any of these labs and Setters hunted together before? Do you split them up? Do the Labs steal the setters points? All valid concerns I would have if hunting flushers and pointers together.
 
Birdshooter,
Great questions.
The two Labs have hunted together and get along well. First time the setters were ever together. They all existed rather well I think? The owner of the setters kept them VERY close. Closer than our Labs at times. The setters never really pointed anything. We told the guy that we weren't sure we could get our Labs to honor a point because we've never asked them to and he was ok with that. We all got along fine. We hunted in a line and the dogs were usually 50 yards apart. Sometimes farther or closer depending on the field. I had those same concerns, but they hunted together real well. I thought he should've let his setters run more? I think he was just trying to get along? Just as I was. I"ll tell you this: If we hunt together again and my dog gets birdy, we are going to kill that bird. I will call her off of a point or try and keep her out of another dogs space if it's on a bird. But I'm not going to burn the neck off my dog again when we are about to put some birds up.
 
I have a lab also that is very aggressive on birds.My biggest problem was keeping her close.I use a tone on her collar that works great for her.Every
Once in a while she gets on a running Bird and takes off i let her go and give her the evil look when she gets back from flushing bird.
I have now got another dog that is a pudelpointer which is 8 months old
She also likes to retrieve .That is her reward to holding point.I don't want my lab stealing her point. It might make her jump bird.And I don't believe
That I can stop lab from doing that or want to.That's what labs do.
So for now I am going to hunt them separetly.
I do agree with Hs Strut I will not change the way my lab hunts just because I am hunting with a pointer.I have also heard that some pointers
Don't like to retrieve so that would work out ok
 
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HS Strut said:
Birdshooter,
Great questions.
The two Labs have hunted together and get along well. First time the setters were ever together. They all existed rather well I think? The owner of the setters kept them VERY close. Closer than our Labs at times. The setters never really pointed anything. We told the guy that we weren't sure we could get our Labs to honor a point because we've never asked them to and he was ok with that. We all got along fine. We hunted in a line and the dogs were usually 50 yards apart. Sometimes farther or closer depending on the field. I had those same concerns, but they hunted together real well. I thought he should've let his setters run more? I think he was just trying to get along? Just as I was. I"ll tell you this: If we hunt together again and my dog gets birdy, we are going to kill that bird. I will call her off of a point or try and keep her out of another dogs space if it's on a bird. But I'm not going to burn the neck off my dog again when we are about to put some birds up.
Click to expand...

Myself, If I hunt with anyone it's a buddy with 3 Setters and since I run Shorthairs it's not an issue as they will all honor each other. However, maybe once a year I will also be in a group with another friend who runs a Lab. His dog normally will hunt in front of him and has not interfered with any of mine while on point. So... yes they can co-exist as long as you have some control. I've seen guides use Flushers and Pointers together. Pointing dog locates the bird, then the flusher is sent in for the flush, while the Pointers are staunch from shot thru fall, however these dogs are highly trained and normally the flushers are used for flushing and retrieving the bird only.
 
James O said:
I have a lab also that is very aggressive on birds.My biggest problem was keeping her close.I use a tone on her collar that works great for her.Every
Once in a while she gets on a running Bird and takes off i let her go and give her the evil look when she gets back from flushing bird.
I have now got another dog that is a pudelpointer which is 8 months old
She also likes to retrieve .That is her reward to holding point.I don't want my lab stealing her point. It might make her jump bird.And I don't believe
That I can stop lab from doing that or want to.That's what labs do.
So for now I am going to hunt them separetly.
I do agree with Hs Strut I will not change the way my lab hunts just because I am hunting with a pointer.I have also heard that some pointers
Don't like to retrieve so that would work out ok
Click to expand...

That's fine as long as everyone in the group understands the risks vs rewards. What can potentially happen to a Pointing dog when another dog blows thru their points constantly is that it can then turn into a competition. The pointing dog wants that bird too and if not trained to that degree will break when the other dog comes thru and now you have a flusher instead of a pointer.
 
Yeah, we all understood what we were getting into as far a different style of dogs. We had no problems with that...great group of guys and dogs.

I was just frustrated at the slow pace and lack of what I see as dog work. I felt the hunters flushed as many birds as the dogs did and there really weren’t any points to speak of. I think next time we just need to discuss this a little better amongst ourselves. I don’t think I’m going to anger anyone in my group if I’m on the right side of a line and my dogs tail is flagging so fast it’s about to liftoff like a helicopter and I let her work and flush 4 birds.
 
"as long as everyone in the group understands "

That is true for any group of hunters, but overlooked by so many. There should be complete communication from someone, as to how the group will hunt, what each dog can and can't do, etc. Don't leave it up to chance, hoping that everyone is on the same page. Someone needs to be in charge, even if that just means asking everyone for their input. "Leader" doesn't have to make the decisions, just make sure that everyone is on the same page regarding dogs, method of covering field, etc.

Good luck everyone! About to head out and get camp set up, so we can be fresh tomorrow morning.
 
Logical said:
"as long as everyone in the group understands "

That is true for any group of hunters, but overlooked by so many. There should be complete communication from someone, as to how the group will hunt, what each dog can and can't do, etc. Don't leave it up to chance, hoping that everyone is on the same page. Someone needs to be in charge, even if that just means asking everyone for their input. "Leader" doesn't have to make the decisions, just make sure that everyone is on the same page regarding dogs, method of covering field, etc.

Good luck everyone! About to head out and get camp set up, so we can be fresh tomorrow morning.
Click to expand...

SOMEBODY has to make decisions though, or people won't be on the same page. And group decisions are hard to arrive at. Either every question comes down to a vote or there's a leader making decisions using input others are willing to offer. Speak now....
 
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