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.
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.