Lost downed birds
 

Yesterday a group of us went hunting for pheasants around Wellington, Kansas. The wind was out of the North around 10 mph and it was dry with 7 for the low, 18 was the high. In the seven hours that we spent in the field hunting we saw birds in all but one the 9 fields that we walked. Our group shot around 25-30 birds but only found 17 to take home. Our dogs 3 black labs who have always found our downed birds in the past just could not find them yesterday. Does any one know why this was the case?

There are lots of birds left in our area of Kansas and the cover is thick because of a wet spring and summer.

RE: Lost downed birds
 

I think that cold and dry conditions are hard for dogs to sent birds

RE: Lost downed birds
 

One of the things that happen when a bird hits the ground running is the scent cone is very small. Add that to very dry conditions and you make it smaller yet. So unless the dog makes a good mark on the bird, it won't find the scent cone. Humidity is the biggest deal in holding scent, cold doesn't help. My GSPs have good noses, but I have seen them walk right over a bird because they didn't hit the cone. Bring them back and walk them in until they hit the cone to make the retrieve.
Gselkhunter

RE: Lost downed birds
 

Interesting observations gselkhunter and good advice.

I suspect that many hunters with dogs automatically assume that since they have a dog on the hunt, all they need do is put the bird on the ground and the dog will do the rest. Under these circumstances, it would appear that the hunters themselves need to do a better job of marking where a bird goes down, and perhaps slow down a bit and work the area more thoroughly before moving on to the next one.

All ethical hunters really do regret losing an injured or mortally wounded bird.

JMHO.

Good luck on future hunts crusaderhunter!

El Gringo

RE: Lost downed birds
 

A real big mistake hunters make sometimes, they will see the dog run off from where the bird went down and call the dog back, this is a no no! The dog may have the cripple already! You go to the spot where the bird went down and check it out. Let the dog work, it has the nose. If you find the bird call the dog back and have him fetch the bird. If you don't find the bird, follow the dog. Let me put it this way, I trained my dogs to hunt, then they trained me how to do it right.
Gselkhunter

RE: Lost downed birds
 

That's why I came here...........to learn.;)

El Gringo

RE: Lost downed birds
 

Thanks for the advice. I know that we were walking the fields way to fast because a lot of the birds got up behind us. I felt like we tried hard to find all the downed birds but as you can tell we did not have a lot of success. Is there a shot size or choke we should be using to make a clean kill? Thanks for your input.

RE: Lost downed birds
 

Crusaderhunter, Oddly enough I shoot a 28ga most of the time. Set up IC/IC, first shot #6, second shot #5. And that is a 3/4oz load, but I am shooting over GSPs. I don't shoot at a lot of self flushing birds, I let them fly.
Gselkhunter

RE: Lost downed birds
 

Couple years back a friend and I hunted near Wellington in almost the same conditions and had similar luck. The first two birds we downed were not dead when they hit and we spent about 30 minutes trying to get the lab on the scent. We decided to not shoot anything that was out beyond 25 yards. The lab also made a course correction and we found that in thick cover the birds were actually running back towards us when they went down and the dog was overrunning the trail. gselkhunter was right in that given time the dog got on to and we never lost another downed bird. Congrats on what must have been a fun hunt.

RE: Lost downed birds
 

It has been my experience that birds hit the ground alive more often then they do dead. Now they might be mortally wounded but most of the time they are alive and running. The guys I hunt with hunted for years with no dog and had to run down the live birds on their own. After one of the guys got a lab they started depending on the dog to find downed birds and retrieve them. 3 yrs ago I got a GSP. My buddy's lab is a great reteaver and my GSP holds her own. Last Year we shot two pheasants from one flush. Both landed in corn stubble the dogs went for the retrieve but with high winds and not much cover for the bird sent to rub off on the dogs came up empty handed. After that day the guys in my hunting group started talking and it was decided that at least one of us is going to run toward the area the bird landed and look for the bird or find feathers or tracks to assist the dog in finding the bird. Most of the time the dog beats you to the bird. Also keep in mind that the dog may not be able to mark the bird due to cover blocking it's view, mutable birds being shot at the same time, etc... This can make it difficult for the dog to find a starting point to track the bird. If trackes or feathers are found we call the dog to the area and give the command to fetch.

Since we started this method of finding downed birds we haven't lost one yet.

Take it for what it's worth.

RE: Lost downed birds
 

I was hunting in CRP that was equal to head level. Emily was in front of me on point, I could see the tip of her tail. 6 rooster got up from that point, I hit a bird, not well, so I hit it with the second shot and down it went. First thing that came to mind, I am never going to find this bird. Emily took off at the shot, I know she couldn't mark that bird, but she fetched it up anyway. Scent is the weirdest thing, you never know what your dog will or will not smell. So put your dog in the best possible situation, and be your dogs back up.
Gselkhunter

RE: Lost downed birds
 

Thanks for all the input. I went out this afternoon with my new black lab Dakota (4 reasons to teach; June, July, August & Christmas break) and tried to use the techniques I have been given over the form. They worked I did not lose a bird.

The high today was 62 instead of 18 as it was last Thursday. If you don't like the weather in Kansas just wait it will change.

Hope to see you in the field.

RE: Lost downed birds
 

To Add to my last Post. I have found that when doing dog training in summer the warmer weather seems to make it more difficult for the dog to scent the birds. I think it is due to the dog getting hot and breathing through it's mouth to pant.