cattails

[loosegoose]

What's the best way to keep track of your pooch in cattails? I was out over the weekend with my 1 1/2 year old Brit and he got lost in the cattails.

[gspman]

A beeper or a bell. I'm currently using a bell but would like to get a beeper that I can activate remotely.

Lion Country Supply sells a number of different bells and they have recorded sounds of them that you can listen to.

[jbdragon17]

I use both a beeper and a bell in heavy cover.

[deerhuntr8]

Beeper. Also I watch the tops of the cattails for movement.

[rundrave]

exact reason why I love my dogtra....couple different modes to set the beaper at. I can set it to beep every 6 seconds as long as the dog is moving, when my GSP stops and points it beeps every 2 secs. Can turn off the beeper so it doesnt beep every 6 seconds and only beeps on point or you can just turn it off completely and just use the manual beep.

Also has 2 tones a high pitched beep and a lower pitched beep.

I will never hunt without a beeper collar again. I have not seen the beeper effect the birds either. Even on a solid point with my dog right over a bird. It sure beats yelling out to the dog and spooking the birds.

I also like having the beeper when I cant see the dog and its on a bird. I never want to call him off a bird or shock him him when I cant see him. I know if he is not beeping every 2 secs he is not on point. I manually page him to determine where he is at and then I can heel him over to me.

[lawdog]

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I never want to call him off a bird or shock him him when I cant see him.

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No one should ever shock a dog they can't see. If you can't see him you don't know that he isn't coming back to your whistle or responding to whatever command you've given him. A shock is only for correction of a known mistake or disobeyed command.

As to the beeper collars, I wouldn't use anything but one I can just get a tone from by sending a beep. I can't stand hearing those things beeping all the time. It destroys one of the things I like about getting out, the lack of noises like phones, pagers, beeps, blips, etc...

[jbdragon17]

There is NO WAY I would be able to locate my dog on point without a beeper. Mine can be hunted in silent mode where it only beeps when the dog is on point. That is what I do on a calm day. I also use a Dogtra. Worth every penny.

[Try Too Fish]

There is a company in south central MN that makes a harness that you put on the dog and it has a special bracket built in the harness for a high tensile wire that has a flag on top. Wires come in different lengths. At first i thought what a goofy deal. but bought one anyway. I love it. It don't make a sound. i can generally see where my gsp's are at.Even in really tall and thick cattails you always get a glimps of the flag.it has bright colors. And it has stood the test of lots of hunting with no troubles. I cant remember the name of the thing tho. The Flag or something like that!!

I had no trouble with my dogs accepting it either

[LABS4ME]

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What's the best way to keep track of your pooch in cattails?

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Easy......... it's where the roosters are popping up!

Good Luck!

Ken

[fivebucks]

and the roosters are usually about 100+ yards away.

[BLACKJACK]

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Easy......... it's where the roosters are popping up!

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Good one Labs!! And so true!!

For the guys with pointers, I could see where those beepers would be good.

I'd like to encourage more people to use bells on their labs, it will scare the roosters out the far side of the slough, birds that I can shoot later!! I used to hunt with bells and I came to the conclusion that it created more problems than it was worth, the birds heard you coming and I think it affected the dogs hearing too.

This time of year, I like to run as silent as possible, yelling at your dog, blowing whistles, bells, etc are just going to warn the wary, hunted hard birds that you're coming and you'll see lots of birds at 150-200 yards. That gets very frustrating after awhile.

I think this is where the early season work comes in. Dogs naturally want to hunt in front of you. Early in the season I do lots of zigging and zagging and even heading almost back the way I came. My labs have learned to watch me, 'the boss is headed the other way, I better get out in front of him, thats where the action is'. It also helps with my hardcharging young lab, when she gets out to 50 yards, then I head the other way, she has 90 yards to cover to get in front of me again. After 45 minutes of that, she hanging out at 25 yards in front, keeping an eye on me. Now when we get into cattails, I can see them stopping to listen for me walking, then they head in front of me. You also have to watch them, watch the cattails moving, when they start veering seriously off to the side, they're probably following a bird, you better follow if you want a shot. Had that happen to me just last week, got the first bird after hunting for about two hours.

Come on snow!!!

[loosegoose]

TTF, do you happen to know the name of the company where you got those flags and do they have a web site?

[Mr. B]

I was given one of those flags for Christmas a couple of years ago. I have used it a few times. Mostly just to show the in-laws that I use the gifts they buy me.

In tall grass it seemed to work fine but in the cat-tails it was not tall enough.

It is always interesting to see the looks that people give Maggie when she is seen in the harnass and flag.

[LABS4ME]

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and the roosters are usually about 100+ yards away.

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Sorry fivebucks, you haven't hunted behind my dogs.

I just got back from SoDak a couple weeks ago with my 3 labs, only the one year old had a collar on and I only corrected her twice in 3 days, once the 1st and once the second morning. I'm a stickler for a dog staying under 30 yards and NO TALKING or incessant whistle blowing! If you're going to pheasant hunt with your dog, this is probably the most important thing you can train your dog to do... and not while out hunting. My 2 old dogs while getting slower with age (but still thorough) have rarely needed corrections out in the field and no longer wear an e-collar, and the young one, though still learning the ropes, already has an acceptable 'range' while quartering instilled in her.

I won't ruin my day yelling at and constantly hacking my dog to keep them in range, nor will I ruin my buddie's hunt for an uncontrolled dog popping birds out of range... It's not acceptable for me, nor should it be for my dogs.

Good Luck!

Ken

[Try Too Fish]

loosegoose

Do a search for Dog-flag. It is at Owatonna mn and a ph number comes up on the search. But the web link don't work so i don't know if they are still in business or not!

[fivebucks]

Labs, I did not mean in any way that your dogs are not good. I was just trying to expand on what you said about "where the roosters are getting up" and so often when a dog gets away in the cattails the roosters are usually way off in the distance. I certainly meant no disrespect towards you and I'm sorry if it came off that way. You have got to be one of the more knowledgable dog and lab guys I know and I enjoy reading your responses and comments on here. Being a long time pheasant hunter I certainly know that you need to hit late season birds with no talking etc. and I do the same thing. My collar has a beeper button that my dog knows to come back when he hears it so I can keep him close most of the time also without a nick. It also seems that, on state land anyhow, alot of birds get jumpy just from the noise of a person and dog moving thru the cattails. Anyhow, sorry if my attempt at humor came across wrong - it was not intended that way at all.