Flushing dog advice with pheasants

[Joe T]

This afternoon I had Enzo at Otis Pike and he did a nice flush of a hen in the field in some tall grass… I especially was proud of him since a tone emitting GSP had had worked the area just minutes before and missed it! of course I missed the shot, but that’s a different story.
 

Next, I took him down a fire road and about 40 yards ahead of us saw a rooster run from one side to the other. Enzo saw it too. We went to the area where we saw him going into the woods and Enzo picked up a scent but lost it shortly there after. My question is what is the best strategy when you observe a bird at a distance poking his head out or running across the road? Later on in our hunt, I saw another rooster walking along the shore of a pond about 100 yards away. . Do You just make a note of the sighting  and work the area? Or do you stop and rush right to the area and try to pick up the scent?

As always, this apprentice appreciates any insights from you yoda hunters! 

[Joe T]

Also, you pointer people- what is with the broadcast tone?  Isn’t it better to try to be stealth?

[Breaking Point]

Let Enzo work his way to the spot, he may find other birds along the way. Don't expect the bird that you saw to be milling around  close to where you first spotted it. If you saw the bird, most likely the bird saw you too. They like to run, more than they like to fly. When Enzo gets to where you marked the bird, let him do his thing. Stay on guard and sooner or later Enzo will work his magic and find the bird for you. Try to reward him by shooting it.😃

Make a smooth mount, keep your head on the gun and your eyes on the birds beak. Keep the gun moving as you pull the trigger and enjoy the puff of feathers. 

If it's flying away from you, give it a lead enema.

[crappyice]

My Brittany would need to go investigate immediately. There would be no way I would be able to get him off a bird he saw. I remember that happening once and we both saw a freshly stocked pheasant at a distance and I said to myself we will just work this field and eventually get there. After a short while I noticed his "working the field" was more of a masked beeline for where he saw that bird. Found that one then went back to where we started and kicked another pretty quickly...I feel like he ignored everything else until we got to that one he saw

[BAS]

I have a young pointer and she is definitley more timid than any lab I have had. With just a little encoragement she will get into the thick stuff though. Last week she pointed and then flushed 2 roosters from some tops. Those birds were buried! Of course I missed the first one and got the second one. 

I have seen good dogs work a field one way and miss birds and then work it back the other way and get them. I am sure every dog misses some birds.

As for the tone. I run a collar with tone but it only beeps when she stands still (on point). It is much easier to tell when the dog is on point where the weeds and brush are hiding her. It is less stealthy but it is more effective for me.

Edited November 14, 2024 by BAS

[Dogman]

Joe T

I run pointing dog's but feel for this question I would like to add. Stock birds are tuff for pointing dogs for the question you have asked. They run - problem is being pen raised they sometimes run until they run out of gas before taking to flight or trying to.

That said and to your question-

Same thing- as a flushing dog can run them down also I would think. I usually /always let the birds that act like chickens go.  Head another direction. 

When you try working a bird like that it usually ends up poorly for training and the pheasant. 

Just some of my personal hands on observations 

not in stone just something else to think about...

 

 

[JimC1965]

If it appears the dog has lost the scent of the bird, I call him back, have him sit and then begin to search in a 20 to 30 foot diameter circle around where the bird was last observed. The dog may cut the birds track and begin to work it again.

[Versatile Hunter]

1 hour ago, JimC1965 said:

If it appears the dog has lost the scent of the bird, I call him back, have him sit and then begin to search in a 20 to 30 foot diameter circle around where the bird was last observed. The dog may cut the birds track and begin to work it again.

I don’t like calling the dog back to me. It teaches them to rely on you too much and to come to you when they don’t have scent. When I send my dog out, he “knows” there’s something there and will not stop searching. They have to learn to figure it out and expand their search radius. 

[DKsWorld]

If I see a bird from a distance, I will bring the dog to that area and let her work the scent. If she sees a bird from a distance, there is no way that I would be able to distract her from that. I try to keep her on heel until that area and then let her get on the scent hard and heavy.

[Joe T]

3 hours ago, BAS said:

I have a young pointer and she is definitley more timid than any lab I have had. With just a little encoragement she will get into the thick stuff though. Last week she pointed and then flushed 2 roosters from some tops. Those birds were buried! Of course I missed the first one and got the second one. 

I have seen good dogs work a field one way and miss birds and then work it back the other way and get them. I am sure every dog misses some birds.

As for the tone. I run a collar with tone but it only beeps when she stands still (on point). It is much easier to tell when the dog is on point where the weeds and brush are hiding her. It is less stealthy but it is more effective for me.

Thanks for the tone clarification- that makes sense- this one was a constant tone as the dog was moving about- I can see where one to alert you to a point would be helpful

[JimC1965]

11 hours ago, Versatile Hunter said:

I don’t like calling the dog back to me. It teaches them to rely on you too much and to come to you when they don’t have scent. When I send my dog out, he “knows” there’s something there and will not stop searching. They have to learn to figure it out and expand their search radius. 

If the dog appears to have lost the scent and is not working a bird you know was there, the dog needs to be corrected. If you allow him to continue on without working that bird you are training him to move on to an easier quarry. The dog will not learn to increase its search radius and develop good habits unless it is taught and shown. Dogs learn by training or tial and error and the later may take years for him to figure it out. 

[Joe T]

Interesting- how do you correct him so that he knows it is for losing the hunt?

[ATbuckhunter]

39 minutes ago, Joe T said:

Interesting- how do you correct him so that he knows it is for losing the hunt?

I don't think you have to make any sort of correction and in fact you don't want to do that at all when they're into scent. It could create a negative connotation to the scent of birds. I don't care how good your dog is, they're always going to miss birds. Birds can be really crafty and will evade dogs. Since you have a flusher its much easier than a pointing dog. Like others have said, they love to run and are probably better hunted behind labs than pointing dogs due to that. Get your dog into the scent and have him work it out. He'll eventually start putting the pieces together the more experience he has. All you have to do is get him out there and the birds will teach him the rest (aside from basic obedience and staying with in gun range). He's young, so don't be too hard on him. There are plenty of birds around this year, so you'll have plenty of success. 

As far as the tone, guys use it so they can keep track of their dogs. Some also need it to find their dog when its on point. 

[JimC1965]

In your first post you said Enzo lost the scent. If he lost the scent the correction is not associated with working a bird.

The correction is calling him back and having him sit. 

[ATbuckhunter]

1 minute ago, JimC1965 said:

In your first post you said Enzo lost the scent. If he lost the scent the correction is not associated with working a bird.

The correction is calling him back and having him sit. 

I just don't see the upside to that correction. Keep him in the area and do the circles yourself with him so maybe he catches scent again. That could teach him to make those casts himself as well. We cant guarantee he doesn't catch scent right before the correction too. You'd be better off bringing him back to where he originally caught scent.