Tethering live birds

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John S
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Tethering live birds

Post by John S » Fri Aug 23, 2013 5:12 am

I've been tethering quail with a string run through a length of garden hose. It very effective to keep the birds close w=in when they flush. I've seen some birds tethered with surveyors tape and my question is does this limit how far a bird can/will fly?
I'd like to let the quail range a bit further when flushed but do not want to lose the birds. At $10.00 ea. I like to get as much use from them as I can and I can only get fresh birds every 2-3 weeks.
SO, will the surveyors tape work and how much should I use?

smittty
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Re: Tethering live birds

Post by smittty » Fri Aug 23, 2013 5:33 am

all depends on the birds if they are pen raised birds I think the garden hose will be a little much ...if you want the birds to get out a little more go with a ribbon or surveyers tape just play with the size till you get what your looking for.. I have used hose but only with pigeons

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DonF
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Re: Tethering live birds

Post by DonF » Fri Aug 23, 2013 10:50 am

Do yourself a big favor and quit paying $10 each when you need them. First I'd recommend setting up a pigeon loft and getting it going. Great for training dog's and probably won't have trouble getting rid of unwanted one's. Just don't take them 30mi and dump them, they might beat you home. If you insist on quail and you have the room, build yourself a flight pen and put a brooder in it. Buy your quail as day olds and raise them, 100 at a time. Get a recall pen also to catch the birds you use and don't kill. topher40 is in Kansas and will start shipping birds this coming spring. I think he said .80 each, good price. But #1 for training for me is pigeons and then when the dog is ready turn on the quail of take the dog to a preserve and see how it does.

A lot of people think they need game birds to train, nothing could be further from the truth. They are expensive to buy, you lose a lot training unless you either tether them somehow or use a recall pen. Not as hardy as pigeon's don't come back every time and when flushed will land back on the ground, usually to close for comfort. Pigeons keep coming back even if you wish they didn't! When they are flushed they leave the ground and when they land it's usually in a tree, telephone wire or some other high place out of harms way. If you get away from home with them, don't worry about waiting for birds to return to a callback pen, pigeons will beat you home. The only drawback with pigeons is planting. easily overcome with a set of remote traps or if you have help and cc your dog into birds, simple easy to make foot traps.

It is possible you hang a hose off a quail, it won't get off the ground at all and if it does, it's probably won't go very far. Don't get me wrong, I like good quail I just don't train on them. I use them when i think the training is pretty much done and to turn over to game birds.
I pity the man that has never been loved by a dog!

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Del Lolo
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Re: Tethering live birds

Post by Del Lolo » Fri Aug 23, 2013 6:52 pm

For a Quail, I think the hose would be too heavy.
I'd much rather "card" them.

.

big_fish
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Re: Tethering live birds

Post by big_fish » Sat Aug 24, 2013 5:40 am

+ 1 on the pigeons but I do have quail I use for shooting over the dog because I don't want to shoot my homers I don't have enough. I would also suggest getting a launcher have you tried a pigeon pole for the quail? is your dog steady?
I will take the dog and not the gun but never the gun without the dog !

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John S
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Re: Tethering live birds

Post by John S » Thu Aug 29, 2013 12:50 pm

ok, I'l try to answer the above posts,
First DonF... All good information. I have been looking into a pigeon roost but have not been able to get definitive answers on whether I can have one or not and then where to set it up and get the pigeons. For my immediate needs quail seem to be my best option. How far away from home can pigeons be released and still expect to find their way home?

Del Lobo... I've heard the expression to "Card" a bird but have not yet been able to find out what it is. I will google it after I post this

big_fish... I just received two launchers and am in the process of converting them to remote control. They should be operational by mid next week after my remotes come in. Scout is not "steady" at this time. It is my main priority at this point though. I want to have him steady in time for a hunt test and possibly UT in November.

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DonF
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Re: Tethering live birds

Post by DonF » Thu Aug 29, 2013 3:00 pm

My ferals came out of the wild 25+ yrs ago. They have made it home from Bend a couple times. My homer's are from a local racer that regularly fly's in 300 mi races.
I pity the man that has never been loved by a dog!

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Del Lolo
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Re: Tethering live birds

Post by Del Lolo » Thu Aug 29, 2013 6:56 pm

John S wrote: Del Lobo... I've heard the expression to "Card" a bird but have not yet been able to find out what it is. I will google it after I post this

Depending on how well the birds can fly, you tie a short (2') string to one leg and the other end to a piece of cardboard aprox (for quail) 8" X 10" (larger or smaller depending on how well flight conditioned the birds are).

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