Traveling Pointing Dogs

This was the first time I have hunted Oklahoma on opening weekend. I will write a post about that at a later time but I had to write this one on how to make a dog hunt where you want him to. Luke is six years old and he should have learned this lesson a long time ago.

Luke

Luke

Luke

Luke is a big running dog. When he’s hunting it looks like he’s chasing something but he finds birds. Not only does he point coveys at that speed but he also can find singles. Opening day every one of my favorite places had someone on them before I got there so I hunted places I wasn’t familiar with and a lot of the time someone had just left the property that I hunted.

The second morning a guy flagged me down that was out of gas and I wound up taking him back to Cheyenne from Reydon to fill his gas can. I was late but a small place that I usually find some birds on had no one on it. I turned Lucky and Dolly out first and we found some birds. When they got hot I put them up and turned Luke, Tur Bo and Betsy out.

I usually go just inside the property along side the road to the east. Without fail Luke goes to the east but when I turn south he keeps on going east. This day was no exception. If I continue on to the south he usually gets with me when he runs all of the private property across the road. I decided to fix the problem once and for all. I beeped Luke with the e-collar then called him while I watched his yardage on the GPS. He went on to the east.

I beeped him and called a little louder. He still went on to the east. I beeped him, called his name and hit the shock button on the Sport Dog e-collar on a level 2. He started toward me but when he was about 150 yards out he turned and went on to the east. I turned the e-collar to level 3, beeped him, called his name and hit the shock button. It didn’t turn him.

I turned the e-collar to a level 5. I beeped him, called his name and held the e-collar button down for about 5 seconds. He headed straight for me. He got within about 150 yards and went back east.

His level for training is a 2 and sometimes I have to use a 3 when he’s being obstinate. I’ve only used the top level of 8 when he used to chase deer. When I held it down he would yelp and quit chasing the deer. I decided the only way to get his attention was to use level 8 but just hold it down for a second. I beeped him, called his name and when he didn’t respond I held the transmitter down on 8 for just a second. He started right to me. I thought, “all right.” At about 150 yards he turned back east.

I beeped him, called his name and when he didn’t respond I held the button down on level 8 for about 3 seconds. I never heard a yelp but it was pretty windy. He came right toward me. This time he crossed the road and got right in front of me. We hunted that spot for at least another hour and he stayed right in front of me hunting for me all the way. I thought, “all right, I got his attention.” I was really proud of getting him to hunt in front of me.

We got back to the truck and all 3 dogs were really dry. When I watered them and took the e-collars off to put the dogs in their boxes I found out that I forgot to turn the e-collars on. He didn’t come because of the shock collar. He had hunted all of the country to the east that he wanted.

Luke

Luke pointing a pigeon.

Luke

It’s still too warm for a normal quail hunt but since the season is open I thought I should go. The weather forecast was for rain but after watching the weather on television I thought the rain wouldn’t hit until afternoon at Truman Lake. I got to the Corp of Engineers ground just after daylight. When I stepped out of the truck it started raining. None of the crops had been harvested where I was at so I decided to drive around to find some harvested fields.

Tur Bo

Tur Bo again.

Luke

A lot of the crops on private ground had been harvested but I found no Corp of Engineer ground with harvested crops. The rain slowed to just a sprinkle and I had driven about an hour an a half, for this quail hunt, so I turned Lucky and Dolly out at 7:30 am. It was 49 degrees with almost no wind and a light rain.

We made a large circle along side a soy bean field then down a hedge row. On the Corp ground they move the fields around. I found a sun flower field from last year that they had allowed to go to weeds this year. It still had some sun flower heads with seeds in them. It looked good but we found nothing. According to the GPS on my phone I walked a mile and a half by the time I got back to the truck. I loaded Lucky and Dolly into their boxes and drove to another area.

At the next place I turned Luke and Tur Bo out. We went down a mowed strip between two soy bean fields. Both dogs were about 350 yards ahead of me when 2 young turkeys crossed, out of a fallow field, between me and the dogs. It looked like someone had left some sun flowers in strips. Between the sun flower strips was bare ground. It looked like a dove field that the conservation department sometimes sets up. We went down one of the strips next to a hedge row.

We crossed a road and went along another hedge row next to a soy bean field. As we came around the soy bean field we got close to the field that had the strips of sun flowers. As I walked along I saw a single quail fly by. It was close enough that I could tell that it was a male. Tur Bo was in the area that the quail had come from. I went to him and he didn’t act excited like he would have if he had flushed some quail. We hunted all around the area but never found any quail.

It had been 55 degrees when I turned them loose and it was getting warmer. We went on around the field and back to the truck. After loading the dogs the thermometer on my truck said it was 66 degrees. Too hot for the dogs.

On the way home I got to wondering if Tur Bo had intentionally flushed the quail that I had seen. Hunting wild birds you don’t get a chance to see what happens. I was going pretty close to K&L Kennels. They have a hunting preserve so I could buy some birds and see what Tur Bo is doing.

After talking to John, one of the owners and dog trainers, I got 6 quail and drove to the very south side of the preserve. I put two quail to sleep and hid them in the tall grass. I put the e-collars on Tur Bo’s neck and flanks then turned him loose.

There was still very little wind and he went past the first bird. We went on down to the second bird and he whirled into a point when he hit the scent cone. I stood behind him, waiting. After about a minute and a half, when he hadn’t moved I walked in front of him. I woke the quail up and missed with the first barrel but dropped him with the second. Tur Bo found the quail, picked him up but when I called him he dropped it. I called him to me and threw the bird and said, “fetch”. He picked it up and brought it to me. When I said, “give” he dropped it in my hand.

We went back to the first bird and this time he found it right away. Again, I waited for a while to see if he was going to move but he was solid. I walked in and flushed the quail. Tur Bo was right on the bird when it flushed. I didn’t shoot and the bird flew to a hedge row along the end of the field. Tur Bo and I followed. He was farther down the fence row than I thought the bird had flown when he pointed. As I started around him the quail flushed, flying back across the open field. It dropped into some thick cover when I shot. Tur Bo finally located the dead bird, picked it up and dropped it in my hand.

I put him back in the dog box, put two more quail to sleep and hid them in the tall grass. When you shoot at pen reared birds there is not much adrenaline. Those 1 ounce loads in my AYA side by side that weighs under 6 pounds were really kicking. I looked in the truck and found 4 shells that I had loaded for shooting skeet. I load 3/4 ounce number 8 1/2 shot. I loaded my gun and put the other two in my hunting vest.

I turned Tur Bo loose again. He went down the fence row where he had pointed the last bird. I got him back into the tall grass. He pointed the bird but he was too close by the time he got the scent. I set him back a few feet. I kicked the bird up and the 3/4 ounce load worked really well. It hit him really hard so I picked the quail up before Tur Bo could find it. I didn’t want him to get a taste for quail if it was really blown up.

We went on down the field and Tur Bo pointed the other bird. It was on the top of a small hill that fell off into a draw at the bottom of the hill. When I flushed it it never got very high. Tur Bo was right behind it and I never shot. It flew down the hill and into the draw. I called Tur Bo back and put him in the truck.

I had two quail left so I put them to sleep and hid them in the tall grass. I decided to run Luke on the last two. Luke pointed a bird on top of the small hill. When I flushed it it tried to fly to the draw at the bottom of the hill but it was higher than the one before. It too was hit really hard. Luke found the dead bird but he just nosed it around. I picked it up and put it in the hunting vest.

Luke pointed the next bird. When I flushed it I only had a small window to shoot and I missed. The bird flew into the fence row. Luke was right behind him and pointed. The fence row was pretty thick and I went around on the opposite side from Luke. I moved Luke up a couple of times then I saw the bird running down the fence row well ahead of us. I got Luke to move up. He must have pointed 8 or 10 times. He would point then move up.

After a few minutes I went to the truck ready to load Luke. I looked and he was on point on the other side of the fence looking my way. I grabbed my gun and started to him. I got within 5 or 6 yards of him and he was really solid. I kept trying to get him to flush the bird. Finally, he moved through the thick stuff in the fence row. He went east on the fence line and pointed again. As I got close this time the bird flushed flying from my right to my left. That 3/4 ounce load really smacked him. Luke doesn’t retrieve but he will hunt dead. He found the bird and we went back to the truck.

It would have been better to have someone along to shoot but we did alright and I found out what I wanted to know about the dogs. Next week end the Kansas season will open and maybe it will cool off.

Luke

Luke pointing a pigeon.

Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.

I spent about 20 days working on a rental unit and didn’t have time to work dogs. I’m finally through with that. Working young dogs is a way more fun than work working. But almost anything is. The quail season has started and I haven’t ventured out (it’s too hot) but I have two young dogs that need some training.

Sally pointing a pigeon.

Betsy pointing a pigeon.

Close up of Betsy.

This week I’ve been working Betsy and Sally on pigeons in the release traps. I’m also working Betsy on here, whoa, heel and kennel. I turned Betsy loose a couple of weeks ago and didn’t get her back for 5 1/2 hours. It wasn’t her fault, she didn’t know me and hadn’t been taught the here command.

Tuesday morning when I worked Sally on pigeons she pointed the first bird and held just fine but before I could even get off the 4-wheeler on her second bird she moved. When she moved I flushed the pigeon. Yesterday she held her birds just fine. I walk in front of her after taking pictures or while taking pictures. When I get close to the cover the pigeon is in I kick one time and flush the bird.

This morning I hid both pigeons on my side of the training grounds. It’s hard to hide the pigeons in a different place each time, on a small training field, but I try. I got Sally on her house and put an e-collar on her. She’s been bothered by the tag end of the collar because it is real long until this morning. It didn’t seem to bother her. I don’t even turn the e-collar on and she doesn’t drag a check cord. I want her to think that getting an e-collar on is the prelude to something fun happening.

I turned her loose and followed on the 4-wheeler. We went toward the back, crossed the wet weather creek and went past the brush pile. She was rounding a point on a thicket when she hit the scent cone and pointed. The wind was real light and on my place it’s usually swirling around. She lost the scent, slowly took a step, started to take another but caught the scent and with a foot in the air pointed, rigidly. I took a couple of pictures before getting off the 4-wheeler then walked around her taking pictures. When I got in front I just stood there for a little while watching her. I kicked the cover one time and flushed the pigeon. It came up but hit a limb, went back down, rose a second time and flew away. Sally chased for a long way. This was the first time she has chased very far and I was wishing that I had my blank pistol to shoot but I didn’t.

We went on toward the back. I’ve left a few strips of grass grow and had hidden a pigeon in one of these. We came down on the wrong side for her to smell it but after checking the back fence row we started back toward the front. With the wind in her face she slammed into a point as soon as she hit the scent cone and didn’t move. I walked in front of her taking pictures. I kicked the cover one time and flushed the pigeon. She ran to the release trap, smelled it then went back to hunting. She stayed in front of the 4-wheeler back to the kennel.

I reloaded the release traps. I got Betsy on her house and put e-collars on her neck and flanks. I hooked a short check cord to her regular collar and led her out with the piggin’ string. That’s a lot of equipment for one little dog but we are working on a lot of different commands. As I heeled her to the training grounds I whoaed her several times. After a few times of whoa I whoaed her and took the piggin’ string off. I released her to hunt.

She’s not used to the check cord and thinks she must stay pretty close to me. Each time she runs a little bit better but after losing her for 5 hours the other day I’m okay with her staying close until she gets used to me. She circled the brush pile and was headed for the thicket in just the right place to catch the scent of the pigeon at about 15 yards and pointed. I took pictures then walked in front of her. I stood, watching her for a few seconds then kicked the cover and flushed the pigeon. She chased for a little way then came back to check the trap.

After the first pigeon she wasn’t bothered by the check cord anymore. She was ahead me by quite away when she slid to a stop on the second bird. I took pictures of her as I got in front. I stood and watched her for a little while then kicked the cover and flushed the pigeon. She chased for a ways.

As we walked back toward the kennel I called her to me by hitting the tone on the e-collar around her neck and saying, “here”. She came to me. She then noticed the check cord and wouldn’t get over 30 yards away from me. I called her to me another couple of times. When we got to the retrieving bench I called her to me and had her jump on it by saying, “up” and tugging on the check cord. I walked her back and forth petting her every few feet. Mr. Wehle had a loving bench and that’s the way I’m using the retrieving bench.

I put her on the ground and led her to the air line crate I’m using to teach the kennel command with. When we start I have to force her into the kennel but after a few times she goes in on the command. When she’s going into the kennel on the command most of the time I will start introducing her to the e-collar. The first time she feels the electricity will be on this command and she will be going away from me. I, also, will use the lowest setting she can feel.

Both of these young dogs really enjoy getting out and finding birds. Their owner really enjoys getting them out to find birds. This is a lot more fun than painting, cleaning, or plumbing on a rental unit.

Betsy on a pigeon.

Sally pointing a pigeon.

Sally