Upland bird hunting tip #1 and my story of a great retrieve
Get a well bred bird dog! That’s my number one tip and absolutely the number one best tip I can give. I hear stories of how folks ‘walk em up’ and ‘jump shoot em’. If you have the bird numbers to do that, consider yourself lucky!
The problem with that is inevitably someone will cripple a bird. Cripples are almost impossible to find without a bird dog. Heck I don’t even dove hunt without a dog! Bird dogs not only make fine companions but they have a job to do so why not gainfully employ one?!
IMHO, hunting without a bird dog is unethical. The person without a bird dog permits and participates with wanton waste of lost cripples. If you can’t own a dog, hunt with someone who does.
This is similar to another pet peeve of mine which is shooting a autoloader / pump / any gun for that matter and choosing not to pick up your empties! (this could be labeled as Upland shooting rule #1). When you choose to not pick ‘em up you are agreeing that it is ok to do something irresponsible. It will take hundreds if not thousands of years for those shells to decompose. It’s just flat out wrong. There are a few things we have complete control over that we must do to project the image of being a responsible upland hunter. IMHO, the first one is to pick up your empties! Personally, I shoot 2 hole guns and my empties go directly into my pocket and if I see empties on the ground, I pick them up! I digress…sorry, off the soap box.
Back to why we need a bird dog…So many times I’ve seen dogs track down birds hundreds of yards away from where they were originally shot! Yes, sometimes the best of bird dogs can’t find that cripple but the odds are that it won’t happen very often. There are unique circumstances where maybe a flushing / retriever breed is better than a pointing breed and vice versa but this blog entry isn’t about that; we’ll save that for later.
I fondly remember my old dog Rocket that found a cripple rooster pheasant for clients of mine on a guided hunt. The birds wing was busted but his legs worked well!
Rocket tracked the bird 50 yards through heavy brush and chest high native grasses to a creek bank and seemingly lost the trail. Back and forth Rocket worked the dry creek bed when suddenly his head disappeared as he dove into a small hole in the high water cut-out of the creek bank. He dug to widen the hole like his life depended on it and within one minute was able to force his upper body down into the hole. Soon all that stuck out was his rear legs.
His athletic well muscled body flexed and contorted while buried in the hole and I just knew he must have found a varmint or something! Seconds later he put his rear legs in reverse and plowed the earth in the opposite direction in an attempt to get out. When the back of his front shoulders reached the opening of the hole he was temporarily stuck like a breach baby thus having to work harder to extricate his upper body and head. With the fury of a animal stuck in an unwanted position he fought his way out!
There in is mouth was was the cripple pheasant, still alive and beating / spuring Rocket’s head. I quickly took care of the bird while Rocket sat back with a look of “Oh my gosh daddy, did you see that? Am I good dog?” Knowingly I looked at him and told him “Rocket, you are a good dog!” I offered him water and before I could say “hunt ‘em up!”, He was off doing his job once more. Meanwhile my clients were high fiving one another and I was proud, proud as the day my boys were born onto this earth! Folks, THAT is a bird dog and I would say THAT retrieve is in the top 3 of my all-time favorites. BTW, the top two were by the same dog but that’s another story too.
Yes owning a dog is a huge responsiblity. Yes it costs money. Yes they are a huge investment in time and effort. So be sure you are ready. Assuming you are ready and that you have a safe place for a dog with a way to ensure it gets plenty of daily exercise, go for it!
Remember this about any breed of bird dog: They don’t get good until they have been properly trained and put on lots of wild birds EVERY season for at least 3 years. At age 4, most dogs that were bred well, trained well and hunted often turn into awesome brag dogs!
Give that future dog a treat for me when you finally get it and tell ‘em “Dave says it’s about time I got a dog!”
Happy hunting season,
Dave
5 comments
Boy Dave, you just hit on one of my pet peeve’s too. That is a great story and one that I am sure many of the forum members can relate to due to their own prior experiences. I have a couple of friends that never hunt with a dog when they go after Gamble Quail in Arizona. They always talk about the birds they shoot, cripple, and lose(maybe finding 1 out of 4 or 5 they shoot-at best). I have hunted with them a couple of times with my Britt’s and they can’t believe the dogs find so many downed birds. Yet they still will not get a dog as they don’t want to put the effort/expense into a hunting companion. I keep telling them that if it weren’t for my dog, I wouldn’t even want to hunt which is the truth. Even though they remain friends, just not bird hunting buddies, it kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth. To me it shows a lack of respect for the quarry they are after.
Agree. And it is just more ammon for anti’s about how irresponsible ‘hunters’ are.
Empty hulls:
One reason I prefer bottom ejecting pumps, when choosing a repeater. This makes retrieval considerably easier. Sometimes, an ejector double will “hide” them too. I try to be careful, but wouldn’t want to see exactly how many I may have missed, in forty years. I figure picking up those left by others helps offset any transgressions I’ve made “in the heat of battle.”
Hunting without a dog:
Tried it, Hate it.
I am basically a Conservative Libertarian (except that drug thing), hate being over governed. We have too many laws. But I would support laws requiring a dog for retrieving downed birds. I actually thought of this in the ‘80s, when the only “bird finder” I had was an Ozark Mountain Cur. Maybe even have dogs certified, like hunter safety. With other dogs allowed in the field also, of course. Maybe open seasons later, and close them earlier, for those hunting without dogs. However, I have seen hunters call dogs off the scent of crippled birds, when birds were plentiful. This makes a good case for the return of “baseball bat” education.
Some states have recently experimented with allowing tracking dogs, for deer hunters (after the shot). Kansas has allowed the use of dogs for the Fall Turkey season for five years, or so.
Dave,
Once again, you have hit many nails on the head. I have told many people it costs the same to keep a good well bred dog as it does any ol dog.
You are going to put time into a dog, why not tilt the odds in your favor big time and get the best bred dog you can afford.
I’ve seen countless people buy any ol dog and the results are usually disappointing for them, although there are very rare exceptions.
I’ve been a student of horse bloodlines all my life. I can tell you with absolute certainity that a great horse always has a great pedigree 100% of the time. This same law of nature applies to any breed of animal.
You are dead on on all points in this post,
Bob
P.S. old spent hulls in the field drive me nuts too……….
Dave,
Love the story on the retrieved pheasant. My Brittany “Jenny” is currently in training for a two week “tune-up” at the preserve before our season begins. After her first two month training she would “pin down” the downed birds until you get close. Then she looks at you as to say, “Ok..you got it!” and gets back in the hunt. I am hoping her natural retrieve developes to avoid considering “force breaking” her later. As long as she finds the downed birds, I can locate her and will not leave any cripples in the field. I am anxiously awaiting word from the trainer this week to hear about her progress. You are absolutely correct on having a bird dog in order to hunt responsibly.
I agree on the empty shells. I took my son to the skeet range and as we went through the course the owners provided a large bucket for empties. We not only picked up ours but others who apparently did not have the ability to “clean up” after themselves. I agree with Peacher. We should all attempt to set an example for others to follow on the range as well as in the field. My son will hopefully pass on my habits.
Keep the stories coming.
Thank you!
Rich,
Warrenton, Virginia
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