Running birds

D

ddeslau

New member
I have a 5 year old female Brittany that is broke to wing and shot. She is my first pointing dog, I bought her trained at 2 and a half years old. I mainly hunt wild pheasant with her 6 to 10 times a season with an occasional ruffed grouse hunt and game farm hunt thrown in. My question/concern is in regards to when it is obvious she is on a running bird. I'm not sure if I should call her back in so she can work more closely or if I should allow her to continue to work the running bird which often results in a wild flush out of gun range?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated,
Doug
 
If she's getting out of range, I would bring her back. If you can keep up with her, downing a bird after a long trail with man and dog working their butts off is very satisfying. Last season I had the most satisfying shot of my years hunting pheasants. My Brit was on a moving bird - move, point, move, point, on and on. Finally after about 150 yards the bird flushed and we bagged it. Took awhile to catch my breath. I shot I will never forget.
 
This is a classic case of a dog hunting by himself...chasing! Not only will the runner get away, there may be several in the "running pack" that get away and fly early.

Rein the dog in, especially in a grain field, where they can disappear so easily.
What is gained by letting the dog go? No bird, no shot and no retrieve.
 
I do it another way.
For me I let the dog work the bird. It doesn't matter if the dog is in gun range or not, because I don't shoot the bird unless it is pointed.

Short term, the dog will make some mistakes and you will have some wild flushes. But if you don't shoot the wild flushes the dog will learn what to do.

But in the long term you will have a pointing dog that will know how to find and point wild pheasants, pinning the runners down at a greater rate than a dog that is kept close.
 
Thanks for all the replies so far guys, the opinions you all have expressed is exactly what I have been struggling with.....let the dog learn from the birds/her experiences versus keep her working close so as to avoid passing up other birds or risking wild flushes out of range.
 
I don't care what "hunting buddies" think. If they have a problem with it, then I don't hunt with them. Easy enough. That's why my inner circle of hunting buddies is pretty small. Good enough for me.

That being said, calling your dog off of a bird like that is a mistake. IMO.

1. You are giving the dog an opportunity to ignore your recall command. And if he does ignore, it what are you going to do? Shock it? If that's the case, then you run the risk of your dog blinking birds. A bigger problem then a couple of birds flushing out ahead.
2. How is your dog ever going to learn how to handle these running birds?
A dog that can do that, learn to circle in front, or whatever is a pretty good one. But that's not something that can easily be taught. I've heard of guys trying to teach that, but...

But that's just my .02
 
I trust my dogs and let them work running birds. I don't mind my dogs hunting at a range that is dictated by the terrain rather than an arbitrary distance regardless of the cover, so having them hunt within gun range in case of a wild flush is not a consideration for me, as I shoot only over points. It is very rewarding to shoot a bird over a solid point and even more so when that point is the result of your dog working a running bird for a long distance. There are some birds that flush out of range, I don't keep track of that percentage but the ones that the dog nails down are worth it.
 
more birds for me!

it's nice to read all of your posts but trying to understand the strategy is another animal in it's self:rolleyes:. only shooting pointed birds is great for the population:thumbsup:. it's the letting the dog chase all the birds away that i don't understand:confused:? just let me know where you are hunting so i can be in the field next to you:thumbsup:. :cheers:
 
I'm not sure shooting a bird that is "pointed" is very sportsmanlike. Kind of like shooting sporting clays and standing at the side of the throwing machine!
 
iowa labs said:
it's nice to read all of your posts but trying to understand the strategy is another animal in it's self:rolleyes:. only shooting pointed birds is great for the population:thumbsup:. it's the letting the dog chase all the birds away that i don't understand:confused:? just let me know where you are hunting so i can be in the field next to you:thumbsup:. :cheers:
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This makes sense coming from a flushing dog guy....
Whole different ball game.
jonnyB said:
I'm not sure shooting a bird that is "pointed" is very sportsmanlike. Kind of like shooting sporting clays and standing at the side of the throwing machine!
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And I don't even know what this is supposed to mean.
 
V-John said:
This makes sense coming from a flushing dog guy....
Whole different ball game.


And I don't even know what this is supposed to mean.
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Agreed. That's a good dog that is able to sneak up and pin a bird and hold it for you. Exceptional. If the rooster is wild, he is a fast flying ....
 
V-John said:
I don't care what "hunting buddies" think. If they have a problem with it, then I don't hunt with them. Easy enough. That's why my inner circle of hunting buddies is pretty small. Good enough for me.

That being said, calling your dog off of a bird like that is a mistake. IMO.

1. You are giving the dog an opportunity to ignore your recall command. And if he does ignore, it what are you going to do? Shock it? If that's the case, then you run the risk of your dog blinking birds. A bigger problem then a couple of birds flushing out ahead.
2. How is your dog ever going to learn how to handle these running birds?
A dog that can do that, learn to circle in front, or whatever is a pretty good one. But that's not something that can easily be taught. I've heard of guys trying to teach that, but...

But that's just my .02
Click to expand...

Good post. I had been wondering if I should handle my dogs differently this year, the cover in many areas being thin, and with us possibly having to hunt more crop fields. But I think you're right. Just give 'em their heads and let 'em figure it out. :10sign: Thanks for weighing in on that.

And I guess if my hunting buddies B#### about the learning curve, then can hunt with somebody else.
 
Running Birds

I have been leaning towards letting the running birds educate my dog, although it can get frustrating seeing birds flush out of gun range. I just keep reminding myself that she's getting an education and eventually, hopefully, will learn to get out in front of these birds and pin them between her and I.

As far as my buddies go I'm the one with the dog so they keep quiet, we find a lot more birds with her leading the way than we ever did with out her!
 
iowa labs said:
it's nice to read all of your posts but trying to understand the strategy is another animal in it's self:rolleyes:. only shooting pointed birds is great for the population:thumbsup:. it's the letting the dog chase all the birds away that i don't understand:confused:? just let me know where you are hunting so i can be in the field next to you:thumbsup:. :cheers:
Click to expand...

That's why God made flushing dogs, no thinking required. All you have to do is release the robot, uh I mean, dog, they zig zag back and forth in front of you. Hopefully they chase some birds into the air and if you are lucky they flush the birds within shooting range and keep your boots polished at the same time. And it is really extra nice because you don't disturb the birds that aren't directly in your path, since the hunter and the dog are going to cover the same ground twice. Wow that really sounds like fun, if I ever have a lobotomy I may give it a try. :rolleyes:
 
Dog Gun Time said:
That's why God made flushing dogs, no thinking required. All you have to do is release the robot, uh I mean, dog, they zig zag back and forth in front of you. Hopefully they chase some birds into the air and if you are lucky they flush the birds within shooting range and keep your boots polished at the same time. And it is really extra nice because you don't disturb the birds that aren't directly in your path, since the hunter and the dog are going to cover the same ground twice. Wow that really sounds like fun, if I ever have a lobotomy I may give it a try. :rolleyes:
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This made me laugh. Seriously laugh.

:)
 
Dog Gun Time said:
That's why God made flushing dogs, no thinking required. All you have to do is release the robot, uh I mean, dog, they zig zag back and forth in front of you. Hopefully they chase some birds into the air and if you are lucky they flush the birds within shooting range and keep your boots polished at the same time. And it is really extra nice because you don't disturb the birds that aren't directly in your path, since the hunter and the dog are going to cover the same ground twice. Wow that really sounds like fun, if I ever have a lobotomy I may give it a try. :rolleyes:
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Yea that's funny stuff. I would far rather hunt with a rum-dumb pointer pushing birds into the next county. Your right it's far more sporting sauntering up to a point, pulling your underwear out of your arse, shooting your bird, then running him down, all the while tripping over your gps crap, whistles, and shock collars because your dog won't pick up the bird you just shot. Hunting with a far ranging pointers is more like a video game anyway. Between the tracking devices, beepers, hawk calls, special whistles, and whatever, kinda ruins my peace and serenity. Why don't you guys just buy Upland Hunter for the x-box, pick up a cornish game hen from the store and stay in the house. Meanwhile us Lab guys will be out in the deep chit while the pointers are pointing sparrows and rabbits in the knee-high grass:D
 
wow what a thread get the gloves off boys let's rumble! lol

cover the field twice? you bet if i want to know whats in the field i'll just follow the dog and go for a nice QUIET walk:rolleyes:. for every bird that holds to a point lord only knows how many get away :). let's see the hunter stands in one spot and watches the dog work a 1/2 mile away wow that's fun?? but as usual in my life fate has stepped in :confused:. my mom called me yesterday to ask if i wanted to give a rescued dog a home? i said sure what is it? well it's of all things a german shorthair pointer:eek:. the main thing is we are all doing what we enjoy the way we want to do it:thumbsup:. :cheers:
 
I tend to let my Brittanys work the running bird. Hopefully the bird will hold for a point. Many will run ahead and flush wild, some within range and some out of range. That's just pheasant hunting. Last week I was in a field of CRP and my dog was going on point frequently and holding. Problem was by the time I got to the dog the bird had run out ahead and flushed out of range. They are smart birds!
 
jsdriggs said:
Birds flushing out of range is no big deal. Heck we can only shoot 3, maybe 4 roosters a day. Nothing wrong with hunting till dark every now and then. I know my dogs love those days!:cheers:

But, three years down the road, (or hundreds of roosters later), a dog that has learned what pheasant do id a pleasure to behold.
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I think so too.:cheers:
Ohhhhhh it's so nice to be hunting with good dogs.:thumbsup:
Star at 3 years old, seems to know just how far to chase a running bird. Yeah I let her go, she seems to always know where I'm at. No shock collar, no bells, no whistles.
 
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