What's your hunting philosophy/style???

[gspman]

Some of this depends on what type of dog you have but everyone does things their own way. How do you and your dog like to hunt?

I like to cover alot of ground quickly so I hunt fast. I'm sure we go past birds from time to time but all dogs do. My style is to go, go, go. I've rarely had it where I don't have chances to get my birds for the day. I get to places where fewer people go because of this. Plus I also can hunt more spots in one day. I'm guessing as I get older and slow down I'll have to change my style but this way of hunting has served me well over the years.

So... What's your cup of tea?

[jbdragon17]

Easy walk on the trail casting the dog out a couple hundred yards...Find her when she points. Hope to hit something .

I will also push REALLY nice cover myself.

Ideally I hit spots most people dont know about.

[Eric Wettschreck]

We are totally different in our approach.

I believe in slowing things down, take your time, and don't push the birds. Stop and smell the roses kind of thing. Different strokes for different folks.

[gonefishin11]

I hunt slow and follow the dog. She is the one that knows where the birds are... not me. My brother and I have a running joke that we just follow the "Brown Eye"

[Farmboy1]

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I believe in slowing things down, take your time, and don't push the birds. Stop and smell the roses kind of thing. Different strokes for different folks.

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If I wanted to run, I would throw on the shoes and hit the road. I hunt because I enjoy watching the dog work, seeing nature, and just being outside. It is not all about killing as many birds as I can. I used to run around and chase birds, but I find it much more rewarding to let the dog find all the birds, not just the few he happens to sprint by, and it does not educate birds.

[gspman]

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It is not all about killing as many birds as I can.

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So true. I wish more hunters had this mentality.

[Harmonica Bear]

Grouse hunting - If I am in unfamiliar country I'll walk the trails rather quickly letting the dog work both sides as he seems inclined, or I'll send him one side or the other doing my best to persuade him that I can cover the trail I will keep notice on areas where I see good cover (based on time of year and weather) and then on my way back, hit those spots as best I can.

In areas I am familiar with, I am only on the trails to get to certain destinations/out-of-the-way spots, I will jump right in and go deep as long as the habitat is good. I try to walk the edges of that and let the dog dig in the tough stuff. Right now with the young dog I sometimes have to get in there with him. I've also had to slow things waaaay down. This past weekend, I ran into tons of birds, especially Sunday morning in the rain. The dog was darn near (ok he was) out of control and it took quite some doing to bring back down to earth. It was good don't get me wrong, but I had slow it down much more so than my normal pace. But.... he did get his first legit points (2) on wild birds.

Pheasant hunting - if possible I use every advantage I can to work the fields and cover utilizing the wind. If I can work the field with good wind conditions, I pretty much will follow the dog and lethim use his nose to guide me to the brids. I work in general directions letting the dog/dogs dictate the specific course.

Thats what I do anyway. My bird totals suck at grouse hunting because my shotgunning at birds on the wing is just plain brutal (this after years of trap shooting). Pheasant hunting for the most part I just never seem to hunt the best areas, and if I did, I'd probably miss them, too! But, as we all know, its not always what's in the bag at the end of the day that determines if it was a successful hunt.

Good topic!

[Down2Earth]

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It is not all about killing as many birds as I can.

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So true. I wish more hunters had this mentality.

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If you bring your gun along with then it must be somewhat about killing birds. I know I like to see the dog work and all the other things but when it comes down to it it's about getting a bird or two every time I go out. If it wasn't about geting a bird...why bring the gun? I guess you never do know when a Mountain Lion will jump out at you.....or a Robber hiding in the bush.

[Surface Tension]

I'm talking close flushing dogs here.

I go by the pace of how the dog effectively covers ground. In heavy cover its going to take longer for that dog to work it. I want that dog to quarter and hunt. I'll push or slow the pace or change direction depending on how hes covering ground, at the same time the dog needs to learn at what distance hes allowed out. Between the two and or a hand signal and hye-on command(command to hunt there, not retrieve) the dogs learns that to keep hunting within range he'll have to quarter. Thats what I want. I don't want to go so fast that the dog can't effectively hunt and starts to quarter less just to keep up. So sometimes its a brisk walk and sometimes I stop while the dog is working thick stuff. If I want to travel fast though an area that is dead or we already hunted I'll put the on heal and we go.

Theres lots of variables that come into play besides types of cover. Wind direction, temps, fresh dog, tired dog, moister, and bird type are a few.

Having said that, when the dog gets on bird a few minutes into the morning hunt its off to the races.

[Farmboy1]

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It is not all about killing as many birds as I can.

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So true. I wish more hunters had this mentality.

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If you bring your gun along with then it must be somewhat about killing birds. I know I like to see the dog work and all the other things but when it comes down to it it's about getting a bird or two every time I go out. If it wasn't about geting a bird...why bring the gun? I guess you never do know when a Mountain Lion will jump out at you.....or a Robber hiding in the bush.

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It is no more about killing birds then it is bringing home a bunch of walleye fillets. I love to fish, but problably brought 6 fish home this year. I have said before that if I could hunt and release, I would.

Now that is not saying I don't enjoy watching a rooster fold up and drop from the sky, cause I do, but it does not constitute a good hunt from a bad hunt to me.

[MikeYager - Suzuki]

For me a successful hunt means getting 2 game birds. That is enough for my wife and I to enjoy a fresh meal without freezing. Of course I enjoy hunts with less or more but I would certainly not be happy never getting what I am pursueing. Tonight we are having chicken and grouse because I only got 1 grouse last weekend. To each his own. There is no one right way for everyone as long as you are within the limits of the law. Back to original post. I tend to cover ground quickly unless I feel something is close.

[JDM]

For pheasants, slow is the way to go. Pointer guys seem like they hunt faster because thier dogs get out farther. I know that both ways produce, but nothing is more fun that going into a field with my flushing lab right after it has been worked by guys with ranging pointers and shooting the left overs.

[mamohr686]

I like my dog to have as much fun as I'm having, is my basic philosophy. I first heard the phrase on benelli's american gun dog and I think it suits me well. I used to get a little wound up and frustrated on missed shots or botched dog work that caused some missed opportunites. Now I realize we all have our bad days and focus on the good parts of the hunt. I have a vizsla from field lines that likes to really range out over 200-300yrds in sparse cover but will hunt much closer (50-75 yrds)in dense CRP or cattails. She always checks in and hunts with me as a team. Her run and enthusiasm are my favorite part of the hunt. I think the less you have to yell or discipline a dog the more enjoyable the hunt is for everyone (and I try to avoid people who hack their dog). I also really hate landowner confrontations, because they always a no-win situation even when your the the right. Because of that, I take pride in shooting most of my birds in heavily hunted public land or on private land I've gained permission to hunt without paying fees. I like to burn boot leather and see some good dogwork, shooting well and having some meat in the freezer is a good bonus.

[springerspeed]

I try to hunt slower but, usually the dog dictates how fast I hunt.

I think that we all agree on this board that one of our favorite things is to watch our dogs work the cover. I know that my favorite part of the hunt is watching my dogs just turn it on and watch the determination in them to find that bird and put it in the air and then watch then proudly retrieve that bird to me essentually saying here you go, lets go find another one.

So I guess what I am saying is that it is somewhat about the killing for me. In the hopes of watching my dogs make that retrieve so proudly. Oh ya, and the pheasants taste great as well.

[uplander]

You are all right when you say it's not about the birds in the bag.......That is unless you have a bet with jbdragon and the prize is a bottle of jag(ironicly jagermiester means master hunter)then you have to hunt hard and shoot some birds........or you can just take it easy and lose gracefully..either way you have a great time and watch those dogs do what they were born to do........I usually go pretty hard though if I dont come out with my eyes watering and my face scratched up I'm not having a good time....I also don't think twice about running down those unruly pheasants. Sometimes you just have to flat out run them down...I only do that when it's just me and my dog....Safety first,that's my rule

[BLACKJACK]

My preferred hunting style is to try and figure out where the birds are going to be that day and at that time of day, get my dogs (labs) in a position to do their work, watch them get excited, and follow up and make the shot. I miss enough birds to where when you make a tough shot its rewarding. And just to see how happy the dogs are when they're bringing back that bird in there mouth is great!!! I like to cover a lot of ground, take big sweeps in the open areas, and hit the edges of any likely cover, watch my dogs, and when they start getting hot then the fun starts. I like to hunt new territory, exploring a new piece of ground, trying to figure out where the birds like to hang out. I love a frosty morning, taking that nature hike, and chasing and bagging a few roosters is a bonus. I've had several times where I've bagged my two birds in 20 minutes but I left the field unsatisfied, I didn't get the hike I was looking forward to. Then theres also the couple of cold ones while you're cleaning, knowing that you'll have some good eating when you're done.

[Blaze]

Good post, Blackjack.

I hunt slow.

I hunt fast.

I hunt sparse grass

and I hunt nasty cattails.

I find the best cover I can for that time of season and trust my dog. I let him set the pace for our hunts because...well...he has a slightly better nose than I do.

My philosophy: Quality, not quantity. I'd rather shoot zero birds and have 30 productive points with my dog than zero productive points and a limit of birds, but that's just me.

[gspman]

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I'd rather shoot zero birds and have 30 productive points with my dog than zero productive points and a limit of birds, but that's just me.

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I like the way you think.

[jbdragon17]

Winner is sharing right?

[uplander]

You know it!!!!! It's a lose win deal!!! Good luck this weekend .. knock em down cook em up ..Uplander

[ReelTimes]

So much depends upon your dog, how their trained, hunting style, etc. A dog that works hard and thoroughly covers the cover doesn't necessarily translate into having to move all that fast....unless their trailing a bird. Having said that, I have hunted with a number of guys with pointers and understand they tend to range farther and cover wider areas more quickly, As I get older, I prefer to not have to move as fast and like when the dog flushes the birds up fairly close to me. If only I could shoot better! Well, beautiful day...I'm hitting the woods.

[Try Too Fish]

Blaze Well said!!

For me its about the dog and I cant say it any better than blaze. I could never find any joy in the South Dakota road hunter style even tho its perfectly legal in SD!

[jbdragon17]

MMMMMM...grilled grouse

I will hopefully be posting pic.

[setterguy]

jb- don't let uplander get the leg up on you, did he tell you about his NEW secret weapon? Lets just say he's heading into the woods with one more good nose. Its like picking up Roger Clemens at the trade deadline.

[uplander]

If you're talking about my new pup, you are right! 7 months old and able to point every grouse in the woods...........or, every butterfly in the yard! Looks great doing it too..That counts for something...even if they are just butterflies