Wounded bird

My experience is a bird that drops a leg has been hit, but you really cannot determine exactly where for certain. Most of these type birds I have witnessed gliding off for quite a distance. There was a TV program(BirdDogsForever) that showed several of these type hits and the author found many by taking his dog and circling the area where it landed. I never knew of this until I saw his show. My problem is they usually glide onto private property where I cannot go after them.
 
I read somewhere in a book that a rooster is almost 3' long when flying and that when we aim we naturally center what we are aiming at. When the shot hits the center (where we aimed) it hits them in the butt and tail and breaks legs but doesn't alway kill. Seemed to make sense to me.
I have been consciously trying to aim for the front of the bird instead of the middle but old habits are hard to break. Yesterday I knocked the legs out of one that we couldn't find and I know that I didn't lead him far enough.
Something to think about anyway.

Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
 
I remember a Gentleman on here saying, " shoot for the eyes " Great statment!:cheers:

Rod​
 
"hung a leg"

A few years ago we were hunting a large ravine in late December in SE SD and we hung a leg on a rooster. :eek: My brother saw exactly where the bird went down in some heavy cover about 200 yards away. We went ahead and hunted up to the spot and got my lab over there and he was very birdy. We kicked and stomped around in the heavy cover at the edge of a small water hole. Dog kept going back to the same spot over and over. Finally after a couple minutes of intense searching I see my lab stick his head completely under the water and come out with a drenched rooster in his mouth. Sure enough...one broken leg! Roosters have amazing survival skills...this bird had submerged himself in the water to hide. "Boomer" my old dog got an extra portion of food that night! A career day for the dog! :):):)
 
After reading all of this I certainly feel better about my Pup. We lost one the other day that seemed to hit the ground real hard. When Elsie went in for the retrieve, she instead locked up on point. When I got there and released her she lunged in several directions as if to trap the bird under the CRP grass. Just as fast as it began it ended as she then went cold. She ran around for maybe 15 minutes, all downwind and showed no sign of being birdy. I called her back to the original spot (I was still standing there watching her work) and she just ran thru as if nothing happened. I let her run for maybe 10 more minutes with no sign from her. We went to a cattail marsh nearby and found nothing so we came back to the spot where the rooster had dropped. About 30 yards from the original spot she locks up on point and again when released she lunges in several directions as if trying to catch the bird...then again went cold. We spent 45 minutes looking for that bird, her scenting, me kicking. But we never found it despite me being convinced we were right on top of it a couple times. Its nice to hear this happens once in awhile (not really, but it does happen). I dont want to blame my dog for not finding it.
 
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