Hunting as one

[uplander]

I went out this morning with my 5 year old setter on a short pheasant hunt..Didn't bag a thing and only saw one hen that flushed wild..But let me tell you it was quite possibly the most enjoyable hunt I've been on in a long time. In 1 1/2 hrs. I never said one word to my dog. We were in total stealth mode! Had there been some birds around we would have been in buiseness,. I run a dogtra collar with a locator so about every 2 min. I would hit the locate just to hear where he was and that was it for sound.. I cant wait for later in the year when the corn is down those birds will never hear us coming. It took 5 years to develope this team attack but now that I'm finally at this point I couldn't be more stoked. The cover was thick and when he was younger he would get behind me and lose me, but today about every 5 min he would just show up in front of me checking in. It was spectacular!!!!I;m not trying to brag or toot my own horn it's just nice to be back in the groove with a dog like I was with this dogs grandma when she was alive.....Anyone else there? Isn't it sweet? have a great season...uplander

[Harmonica Bear]

I've been there. What a sweet place to be. That teamwork deal. Had two/three years of that with my previous dog before things ended. Now starting out again. I know exactly what you mean. The two of us could hunt all day and I never really needed to utter a word execpt to appease myself I think by giving the dog a bit verbal encouragement. Its pretty cool when it all comes together. ENJOY!

[pointerspal]

Yes you hit the spot uplander. He is entering his prime. sounds like you dont need to be told to cherish it. Uplander have you been out ruffy hunting much and what are the reports. WE should talk I think we both share some of the same feeling towards hunting and dogs. I would love to get out with that fine animal and I feel my young pups could learn some things. thanks and good luck the rest of the season.

[uplander]

Poiterspal...Going out Monday meeting up with 2thepoint should be a good time he has a real nice dog as well....let me know if you can swing it..uplander

[Pickelfarmer]

oh so sweet!!! My black Lab and I had that same thing going on. Hand motions were our only means of comunication. I loved it. To watch a dog hunt with you and be so insinc with each other is truly awsome. unfortunatly We had to put him to sleep this last spring at the age of 14. I hunted him last when he was 12. sure was a tuff pill to swollow and I know it wont be fair to the next dog I get because of the bench mark set by him but I'm looking forward to that again someday. sit back and enjoy it while you got it. My advise is to maybe go hunting a few more times than you normally would and know you got something good there...

[uplander]

great advice pickelfarmer, I think I'll do just that...Then I, of coarse will blame you for the divorce..lol .Have a great season, uplander

[2 DA GILLS]

I know exactly what you are talking about. Just last night I was telling a friend that I may actually prefer to hunt alone. Me and the dog hunting in silence. Adding more people only makes it more complicated.

I have a 4 day hunting weekend starting tomorrow and I will be hunting with family and friends. I will enjoy their company, but there will be that piece of me that just wants to sneak off and hunt with my "primary" team member.

[JConrad]

Uplander, it's nice hearing that others really appreciate their dog when they reach a point where the communication is silent. I was out yesterday afternoon with my Griff on a WMA. The grass/weeds this year are really tall and thick. I use my pager button on the dogtra collar when I am not sure where she is. She immediately checks in which is really cool. I don't have to page here very often but it's nice having that option. Being silent will really pay off later in the season when the birds are very wary.

She did find one rooster on the edge of a corn field and made a really great long retrieve in some very thick cover. I would not have found the bird w/o a good dog.

Really looking forward to having some of this corn picked. Pheasant hunting in MN will only get better.

[R. Miller]

That's awesome Uplander. Kind of reminds me of my brittany and I in her prime. She passed away in July. I think stealth mode and being quite is key for those dragons!

[uplander]

Hey mill how ya been doing the past couple weekends? I thik you were going out west..

[jparrucci]

Sounds a lot like how my brittany and I hunt too. Now that he is getting to be a veteran (4 years old), we really have the solo hunting thing down. We move fast and quietly. I think by covering the amount of ground we do, and by doing so completely silent, we really get those roosters in range, and they end up holding tight instead of running for cover 5 minutes before you get to where they were. I've worked cover with just my dog and myself on one day and gotten up tons of birds, and worked it with a group of guys the next with nothing. Being one with the dog, and always knowing exactly what the other one is thinking is a great feeling. I can see when he is getting birdy, and he looks back at me for directions as to which route or piece of cover we are headed to. Once in the section of cover, I follow him and don't dictate the direction we head. His nose knows more than I do. He looks back at me when we are at a crossroad or the terrain is changing. I hand signal him as far as which way to go when there is a decision to be made.

Another thing I like about being real quiet is that those close holding pheasants like to get up when things go silent and you aren't moving. You almost suprise them and they decide to sit still rather than move. I'll work cover and move for about 20-40 seconds, then stop for 5-10 seconds. The birds that were running often freeze up then, I can locate and hear the dog when were are working thick cover and can't see him, and gives me a second to catch my breath. I've found that roosters will just run and run and run. I can see my dog in front of me right on a bird sometimes, and the bird won't stop close enough for him to lock up on it. If I can get close to him, and then stop suddenly, the bird often freezes. I think my dog might have learned a trick on the running roosters too. When you get in the thick cattails late season, they never want to stop running and are hard to point or flush. I almost think my dog has figured out to actually run fast and get in front of the bird, and push it towards me. My last few late season hunts last year, I had him locked up on point with the pheasant between him and myself right after he had been way out in front getting a little too far out. Don't know if these were a couple of weird situations, or my dog is a hunting master.

There isn't a much better feeling that working a large tract of public land that gets heavily hunted, and going out with your dog alone and getting solid points on wiley roosters. When the shooting is good, the dog pointing and retrieve perfectly, it all just seems to come together. Does anyone else have a dog that looks back at them when they whiff on a pheasant. I swear, every time I miss my dog turns and looks at me we sad eyes.