Scott sorry but that aint hunting in the way I know it or practice it. Some Pheasant hunters do it that way and maybe some Hun hunters but man IMO that is as far from hunting as it gets. Come on down and I'll show ya real hunting where it tests a dogs mettle and desire and seperates the bird dogs from the just dogs. I recently bred my double Guard Rail bitch to our great sire Top Hat not because she was the best trial dog ever, even though she did place in every stake she was entered in. I bred her because she has heart, drive and showed the intelligence that makes a real bird dog.slistoe wrote:So, I select the most likely homestead that contains a covey of huns, get out so the wind is directly in our face and have my dog move stealthily just ahead of me through the 3 acres of the old yard so that she locks up long enough to give me an indication of the covey's location. I shoot one or two then we drive on to the next homestead covey. Since my dogs hours of experience tells it that things do not go well for it if it runs pell mell through the area busting and chasing birds she uses her physical gifts to help me locate the birds that otherwise would not be located in a shootable manner. She does this because of an unquenching desire to find and get the birds which her intelligence has led her to work in unison with myself so that even when she cannot locate them before our presence sends them to wing we still may scratch her a bird. My experience and knowledge leads us to the most likely areas at the most likely times of the day to assure a successful hunt, but sometimes we come up empty and we learn that we will either avoid that old homestead in the future, or visit at a different time of day. Of course in the midday heat there are a few favorite water holes that may deserve our attention and in the dying hour of the day select 1/4 miles of the roadways are worth working over as well - just depends on my experience and knowledge.DGFavor wrote:Pursuing birds planted by the hands and whims of Mother Nature. Using your own experience, skill and knowledge to turn your dog loose at the likely places then allowing your dog to utilize it's generations of honed instincts, miles and hours of experience, physical gifts, and unquenching desire to find birds to find birds - birds that don't want to be found. Shooting a bird or two over the dog to complete the circle, no need to overflow the gamebag but that's a different topic. Accepting that despite applying you and your dog's best skills, you might come home emptyhanded but understanding that with a barren hunt comes knowledge and experience to be applied to future hunts.Please define "real hunting"
Never would bash on great dogs but the way many trials plant birds leaves much to be desired when it comes to selecting a good breeding potential sire or dam. Thats a man made issue but when I see a dog who runs a path that borders the horse path more than where I know wild birds would be it makes me cringe as I know the dog knows the game but possibly does not know GAME. I recently made a deal to breed my double Dateline bred girl to Arapahoe Hotdog after many offers, not because he won the Colorado SD Ch or the Rucker but because he is a heck of a wild bird dog as well that was raised on wild birds. If ya think that wild bird hunting don't prove much or anything I say ya gotta get your butt outta the FT world for a bit and make it back to what FTs started as!
