Had a great day!

[jetjockey]

Hunted SW NE and NE CO and got into a lot of birds.  The best part was releasing my 8 month old field trail prospect to watch him have a hayday. Once he hit 700 yards and was still going away, it was time to drive to the other side of the section and wait for him. He was “bowling for birds” and having a blast.  About an hour later he showed up exhausted, and happy.  Best part was I knew where he was at all times due to his Garmin GPS, so I never had a single worry, even though I couldn’t see him for 45 minutes.......  Guys, so we don’t have to hear about any more lost dogs lucky to be returned, dogs dead from getting hit, and dogs the got lost never to be heard from again, please go out and buy a Garmin GPS so your hunting buddy can hunt safely, without the worry of never coming home. In the grand scheme of things, it’s ridiculously cheap insurance, not to mention you will kill more birds with it.... Today, my retired trial Brit tracked a runnig rooster behind us only to pin it near the edge of the CRP that we walked through about 3 minutes earlier. My Garmin beeped at me telling me she was standing behind us, which is not normal for her.  We turned around, walked 50 yards behind us, and my buddy bagged his first rooster ever....  Without the Garmin, we wouldn’t had been able to hunt that CRP because it was so tall, and you never saw the dogs.  I bet 50% or more of the birds I kill occur because my Garmin says the dog is standing, and I don’t stand a chance in hell of being able to see it due to thick cover.   Please, do your dog a favor and consider his safety, go buy a tracking collar.....  It is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy.

[merkelman]

What’s the point of a dog that points a bird 500 yards out. Certainly hope you don’t plan on hunting wild chukar any time soon. What did people do before gps collars?  Hmmmm?

[bornhunter]

Hard to find open ground thete?

[jetjockey]

What’s the point of a dog that points a bird 500 yards out. Certainly hope you don’t plan on hunting wild chukar any time soon. What did people do before gps collars?  Hmmmm?

They lost a lot of dogs that died earlier than they needed to.  Who said anything about a dog pointing birds at 500 yards out?

[pianoman9701]

What’s the point of a dog that points a bird 500 yards out. Certainly hope you don’t plan on hunting wild chukar any time soon. What did people do before gps collars?  Hmmmm?

Not a great response to a fellow hunter. You must have a fierce keyboard. This was a young dog in his first hunting season and he took off. I'm sure if you've had any experience with raising and training upland dogs that's happened to you, too.

To the OP: I'm glad you had a good day and your buddy got his first rooster. Those old dogs are a pleasure to hunt with. You'll get that pup under control. 

[tlbradford]

What’s the point of a dog that points a bird 500 yards out. Certainly hope you don’t plan on hunting wild chukar any time soon. What did people do before gps collars?  Hmmmm?

The point is to have a dog that can cover huge country and find the birds in a timely manner without me having to walk a grid pattern.  Good dogs adjust to commands and type of country. 

If you haven't gathered from the post, Jet has a pup he is letting out to have fun in the field.  He doesn't care about a point.  He doesn't care about the dog busting birds.  It is about letting your pup learn to love the outdoors, love finding birds, and to love to find birds at Mach 5.  It is also to allow them to learn terrain that holds birds, work their way out of situations independently (ie, heavy brush, cactus, water, etc) without having them rely upon you.

On the flip side you have dog owners that mute that prey drive and have ultra obedient, close working, and more deliberate dogs.  They are also usually killing birds over these dogs at an earlier age.  There is nothing wrong with that either.  It is going to be effective 90% of the time, especially if you hunt the same places over and over.  I get almost the same amount of enjoyment watching these types of dogs.  But when you have one that can get out and move, it takes the experience to a whole new level.  You just would never realize it until you own one or hunt behind one of these special dogs.

[KFhunter]

looks like some education going on in here  keep it HW friendly, thanks for the PSA jetjokey, I've been enjoying watching your progression over the years here on HW.  Hard to believe that dog is already retired. 

I know I'd love a GPS but I hunt my dog pretty close in the timber/grouse areas.  I use a bell and she doesn't get 100 yards from me. 


If I ever got to bigger country I'd have one 100%, maybe another dog, when I have more time....In fact my next dog is going to have one for sure, recall on a pup isn't a sure thing and a GPS could easliy save its life and save me from being late to work    I've been kicking around getting a new pup but I want to get in a better position to give him the time it needs first.  And I want to build a wolf proof kennel first. 

[AspenBud]

At $350 on Amazon Dogtra’s new Pathfinder collar is cheap and easy to use insurance. I use one with my Pointer both in the woods and in more open country.

500 yards or more is not for everyone but even the closer working dogs get themselves lost once in a while.

[jetjockey]

looks like some education going on in here  keep it HW friendly, thanks for the PSA jetjokey, I've been enjoying watching your progression over the years here on HW.  Hard to believe that dog is already retired. 

I know.  Seems like just yesterday we brought her home.  She ended up basically being the winningest 1hr Brittany in breed history.  She tied a dog from the PNW for total 1hr wins, and a dog in the Midwest for total 1hr AA wins.  Considering  I didn’t run her during several seasons during her prime for various reason, I’m pretty proud of her.  She’s a lot of fun.  The puppy is her grandson, and I think he’s going to be nice. 

[jetjockey]

To the OP: I'm glad you had a good day and your buddy got his first rooster. Those old dogs are a pleasure to hunt with. You'll get that pup under control. 
[/quote]

Haha.  I don’t want him under control too soon. Right now I want to see him RUN and find the front.  He usually handles pretty well, but at this point, the least of my concerns is him being under control.  I want to build his confidence and independence.

[merkelman]

looks like some education going on in here  keep it HW friendly, thanks for the PSA jetjokey, I've been enjoying watching your progression over the years here on HW.  Hard to believe that dog is already retired. 

I know I'd love a GPS but I hunt my dog pretty close in the timber/grouse areas.  I use a bell and she doesn't get 100 yards from me. 


If I ever got to bigger country I'd have one 100%, maybe another dog, when I have more time....In fact my next dog is going to have one for sure, recall on a pup isn't a sure thing and a GPS could easliy save its life and save me from being late to work    I've been kicking around getting a new pup but I want to get in a better position to give him the time it needs first.  And I want to build a wolf proof kennel first.

Not education sir, opinions...

[jetjockey]

looks like some education going on in here  keep it HW friendly, thanks for the PSA jetjokey, I've been enjoying watching your progression over the years here on HW.  Hard to believe that dog is already retired. 

I know I'd love a GPS but I hunt my dog pretty close in the timber/grouse areas.  I use a bell and she doesn't get 100 yards from me. 


If I ever got to bigger country I'd have one 100%, maybe another dog, when I have more time....In fact my next dog is going to have one for sure, recall on a pup isn't a sure thing and a GPS could easliy save its life and save me from being late to work    I've been kicking around getting a new pup but I want to get in a better position to give him the time it needs first.  And I want to build a wolf proof kennel first.

Not education sir, opinions...

No, education as well!  Have you ever hunted bobs in hedgerows?  A dog that will take an edge with a 500-700 yard cast is very useful.  It means I don’t have to walk the 500-700+ yards myself if the dog will hold the edge and rim the field so i don’t have too.  Ever hunted scalies? Its very much the same.  HUGE chunks of open land that I don’t want to cover unless there are birds there.  The key is having a dog with the ability to cover huge chunks of land when needed, yet smart enough to stay within 50-100 yards when hunting pheasants, chukar, and other birds.  You can bring that huge running dog in, but you can’t push the boot lickers out!

[merkelman]

Negative Ghost Rider the pattern is full.  Enjoy your opinion. Ghost Rider out. 

[jetjockey]

It’s not an opinion. When you have a plowed section, and a hedgerow around it, the birds are in the narrow hedgerow. No need to use a 100yard dog when you can send a real dog to hunt the entire row.  I’ve seen it, I’ve done it, and if you’d like to come out to KS or NE, I’ll show you in person!

[pianoman9701]

WTH merkelman? If you don't like the OP's post, find another thread or start your own. This site's purpose is to supporting other hunters.