Methods of bird hunting

[solon]

There certainly has been some lively and contentious discussions about different types of dogs used in pursuit of various game birds. I would be interested in discussion of the methods of hunting folks prefer and how a type of dog fits that method. For example, I mainly hunt grouse and woodcock in the northeast. I go alone or with a buddy and we run 1 to 4 dogs at a time. Pointing dogs that is. This is very different from some types of hunting, e.g. pheasant hunting in the midwest, where groups of a dozen or more hunters push a field, with blockers and various types of dogs assisting. Which is why dogs that perform their most important duty after the shot, like labs or continental dogs, are very popular for this type of hunting. Personally, driven type bird hunts are more like shoots than a hunt for me, but it certainly can produce the game. I have a friend in the mid west that says with his wild bird hunts and preserve hunts that his dog has retrieved over 2000 birds in just one season this year. He says that if the dog points a pheasant, fine, he shoots it. If the pheasants are running and flushing wild and in range, he shoots them. His dog is a UT pz I dog, but he no longer enforces steadiness to shot/fall. I sold a pup to another hunter in the Dakotas that says they get together a group and go out and they all kill their limit, usually in a few hours, even in the late season. These different methods are personal choices and I don't condemn any of them. Sitting in a duck blind is also not my thing, but when the birds are decoying in, I admit that makes for a thrilling hunt.

So the point of discussion is what methods of bird hunting do you prefer and how does that determine the type of dog and level of training that best complements your style of hunting.

Solon

[brad27]

Up until 3 months ago I'd never owned a dog. I have been hunting for the past 22 years without one. Dove hunting farm fields and dry washes all birds were shot and found by walking over to them. Quail hunting involved a lot of walking the foot hills chasing coveys and singles. Some times shooting a limit, but never finding every bird. Chukar hunting was a lot of the same except way more walking with less birds shot. Duck hunting was always jump shooting birds off ponds and washes. I always brouht two things with me while duck hunting, my shotgun and a fishing pole with a top water lure to snag the ducks off the water that had been shot. I didn't get to hunt over my first GSP this season but that's ok, she should be ready to go come sep. I have a feeling the way I hunt will be forever changed with the addition of her.

[Mountaineer]

Basic preference:

One dog down at a time.
No more than two people.
Change dog when changing the covert.
Field setters preferred...but the dog(pointer) would not vary the hunt.
For all upland birds.
Level of training...ongoing, for both the dogs and I.

[Birddogz]

1-2 guys. A dog that hunts to the cover. I hunt phez a lot, and shoot birds over points. I don't shoot birds that my dogs don't point. I hunt Huns and sharpies the same way. Dogs get out much further then. When hunting phez, the ability for a dog to retrieve quickly and hunt dead is crucial. Biggest thing is to have a dog that hunts WITH you. A dog that cares more about you than him/her self. Hunting as a TRUE team is the most important thing. It is his/her job to hunt well where I want to, not them. They know where birds are no doubt, but they don't know where I have permission.

[jayhawkj]

There is nothing better for me than to be hunting Quail with my 15 year old son and my 2 brittany's. If the Quail would come back here in Eastern KS I would probably only hunt pheasants once or twice a year but as it stands now pheasant offer me the chance to pursue a more abundant wild bird hunt. I will say though this was my best year for Quail in a long time, it's just not compariable to the 70's and 80's when I took them for granted as a yongster. The days of walking for a couple of hours along with some highschool buddies without a dog and shooting a limit of quail are long gone, but my dogs and I can still hope for the return of the glory days of the eastern KS Bob White Quail!

[Dirtysailor]

Hunting grouse and woodcock in PA we go 2 hunters one dog and switch every new spot we hit. We tried it with 2 hunters and 2 dogs a couple of times and had better luck with range when the dogs were not competing with each other. If the dog is working closer to one hunter than the other, the guy without a dog nearby can shoot wild flushes.

[Ryman Gun Dog]

Solon,
We hunt mostly Grouse and Woodcock here in our mountains and the technique we use is called the triangle technique. The most effective way to use this technique is to hunt with one or two talented Grouse dogs, and two gunners. The dogs are usually out front in the woods, forming the tip of the triangle, when one of the dogs locks up the other backs, the two gunners approach the dogs from behind, split wide to form the base of the triangle. This sets up max angles for gunning escaping Grouse or Woodcock, as they flush form the approaching gunners. This is an old technique and very effective for Grouse and Woodcock hunting, the key to this technique is having talented dogs and experienced gunners who understand each others movements in the woods.
RGD/Dave

[JKP]

We hunt the plains states and the NY grouse woods..

For ND, I will hunt the young dog first thing in the morning and last hour of the day...I am looking for birds still on the roost trying for points and kills to reinforce the pups behavior. During the rest of the day its usually 2-3 hunters and 2-3 finished dogs in the grass/brush. There is a group of us so we rotate dogs so that dogs are fresh...every third day a dog has off. We put young dogs in the duck blind some mornings...first over decoys, keeping the work simple if possible...just to build desire/confidence...maintain control while shooting is going on (sometimes a ground stake is used)....my trips out west are more about the young and intermediate dogs...its about evaluating if they're gonna make the team...less about killing game.

In the grouse woods, I'm usually alone...with one dog...if I put down 2 they start to push forward and our covers are just too small for multiple dogs.

[nikegundog]

I hunt pheasants in the Midwest mostly 1 or 2 people and 1 or 2 dogs mostly labs. For the opening week in South Dakota I hunt with a group of about 20 people that pushes standing corn fields and take one or two dogs with to clean up (very effective method when people don't have dogs). It is a fun hunt and good people but not the same as watching good dog work. I also enjoy hunting in small groups 5 to 8 with equal number of dogs that hunt well together. I enjoy hunting late in the season when the hunting pressure is off and there is snow on the ground, the pheasants are in the cat tails. We never trade out dogs they hunt the whole day if they are of age to do so.