Dogs?

[Mrspy]

Hey there, i'm wondering if it is really important to have dogs for bird hunting. I mean will i have just as much luck without one?

[JW]

Yes you will - You will see birds if you wlrk their habitat but not as many as with a well trained dog.

And the dogs for me are the tool to go get that bird after the shot and bring it back to hand.

But I know many who are successful hunting without a dog.

JW

[Mrspy]

Thanks for the info. Do you have to do a lot of training with a dog? We have a border collie and would it be hard or easy to get him to scare the bird? If he does need training then how will i train him?

[Cessna Flyer]

I hunted years without a dog, and yes I got birds, but since I have been using Labradors, I get to atleast see more birds, and they have been a great asset in the hunting field.

It does take a lot of training and commitment to get a dog trained up. I guess you could train your border collie to flush the birds, heck you can train almost any dog/animal to do something. Question? why don't you get a dog/breed that is bred to hunt upland birds?

[Wlfdg]

Mrspy, Check out my http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/upland-bird-hunting/302266-opening-morning.html thread
I've got 16 grouse so far this season 35 last season with my dog and he is as far from a bird dog breed as you are going to get.

[Jimmy S]

Originally Posted by Mrspy

...I mean will i have just as much luck without one?

Probably not. I'm not saying you can't be successful without a dog, but these sporting dogs are bred to find birds. You simply cannot compete with them.

I hunted years for birds here in NH and was fairly successful. Since I have been hunting over my 7 yr old Springer, the number of birds taken has increased significantly. He flushes far more birds than I ever would, especially hunting pheasants which would rather run than flush. Most Springers are relentless, mine included, and they will stay on that bird, under the nastiest conditions, until that bird finally decides to flush. If I was hunitng alone, that bird would hold tight and I would probably never know he was there.

[Sheridan]

Not only will you get MANY MORE opportunities with a good dog, but almost more importantly you will recover 99% of your downed birds, without spending time searching for your kills while you could be hunting.

[Escopeton]

After hunting behind dogs for 10 years, I don't think I would hunt birds without a well trained dog. There is a difference; quite noticeable. Also, there are a good conservation tool - find the birds once they are down but not dead.

[Thelen87]

I brought my wife with to walk a few fields last year. She happened to flush a hen. I don't know which was more affraid, her or the hen.

A dog is not needed however, it will make your life a lot simpler.

[bowhuntn87]

i did it for years without a dog, and sometimes i'd get lucky and get a few. i bought a lab a few years ago, and trained it and now i see probably 10 times as many birds.