Pups first real hunting season expectations

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lockedncupped
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Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by lockedncupped » Mon Jun 03, 2013 2:33 pm

My GSP pup is 10 months old. He will beb15 months old when he gets to SD to run some wild birds. At 6 months old I let him run some chukars at the nearest game farm. He found and pointed all 12 birds. He was staunch on point, he retrieved the dead birds although he did have a death grip hold on the birds. I released some pen raised quail in the field behind the house and he found them all, however I had to let them fly away as this is a non shooting area. My question is, due to the fact that I live in an area with no wild birds. What are realistic expectations for my pup this coming October? I have leased a farm and will have quite a bit of money invested in this trip. I have never had a pointing dog b4, will some work this Sept, Oct on pen raised birds help the pup understand what he is doing in SD?

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whatsnext
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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by whatsnext » Tue Jun 04, 2013 5:54 am

There will be a learning curve as wild birds do not like to be crowded and we know how pheasants like to run, but it usually does not take long for the pup to figure out how much pressure he can put on them just be patient and DO NOT SHOOT ANY BIRD unless he points and holds to the flush.I would also make sure his recall is good and sound.

lockedncupped
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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by lockedncupped » Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:23 am

Recall is solid. I have to admit not shooting a rooster that flushes wild inside gun range will be hard.

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millerms06
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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by millerms06 » Tue Jun 04, 2013 8:31 am

Utilize a method that will turn the attention to " distractions" when the dog is on point. If you do not focus on distractions, the things you see that are solid now will diminish very quickly. For example, you say his recall is good right now. He has been trained on pen raised birds, and I am guessing one has flushed in front of him with every point he establishes. What do you think will happen when a few flush at once? Or one from a distance flushes that he never scented but saw get up?

Where I hunt pheasants, the birds are liberated in the afternoon on some of the properties. Last year, I timed a few of my hunts I had with the pup where we were limited out and an hour or so later the truck would come to release the birds. I got the pup under the flight path of the birds being released, collared her, and just kept her calm while the birds were flying all over the place. I can tell you from those experiences that a dog not exposed to many birds flying at once will be hard to control when it does have the situation happen, especially when they are younger.

lockedncupped
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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by lockedncupped » Tue Jun 04, 2013 8:42 am

Another good point, I forgot about a multiple bird flush. If I put out a group of quail wonder would that help.

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whatsnext
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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by whatsnext » Tue Jun 04, 2013 8:55 am

lockedncupped wrote:Recall is solid. I have to admit not shooting a rooster that flushes wild inside gun range will be hard.

This past season was my oldest pups first season he was a year old and after bumping one covey of quail and a few singles he had them figured out but pheasants took him a little longer (lack of wild bird contacts)and i missed a few opportunity's at some roosters but he figured them out and hopefully next season will be better.It is hard watching a rooster fly away as he is laughing at you and not knocking him out of the sky !!

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millerms06
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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by millerms06 » Tue Jun 04, 2013 9:05 am

My thought is using launchers or having someone out of the dog's sight release a bird when he is on point. That way you can control a flushing bird actually flushing after the dog establishes a point, or is running the field. I would not do this many times though, only once in a while. The more wild, or random you make it, the more the dog will be natural and not robotic in his field manners.

And I wouldn't wait until September to do all of this. Try to start now while you have things going in the positive for yourself, both with timespan and dog behavior.

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Elkhunter
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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by Elkhunter » Tue Jun 04, 2013 10:03 am

If you can get him back to the truck that is a win in my eyes!

If you can get a few birds pointed and shot then you had a great trip, people have unreal expectations sometimes of how quickly dogs should progress. Obviously in SD there will be a gazillion birds so contacts should be plentiful.

Out here in the west I usually dont expect much till their second season, first season I just let them figure it out. Then after that I expect them to point some birds.

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DonF
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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by DonF » Tue Jun 04, 2013 10:11 am

lockedncupped wrote:Recall is solid. I have to admit not shooting a rooster that flushes wild inside gun range will be hard.
Might be hard but to many can also be a disaster. You'll teach the dog that all it has to do is flush the bird and you'll shoot it.

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RoostersMom
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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by RoostersMom » Tue Jun 04, 2013 11:43 am

^^ditto^^ And pretty soon, he'll just start flushing them out of range, so then he'll run through the fields flushing and chasing birds. It's hard to have self-control, but if you don't want to be on here next spring asking "how do I fix my dog that won't point - he just flushes and chases....and way out of range so I don't get a shot" then you'll want to do the best you can to have some self control and only shoot those birds he points and holds this season. It's one season of hopefully 13 or more that you'll have with this dog, surely you can exercise some restraint and help him understand his job by rewarding him for good behavior.

lockedncupped
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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by lockedncupped » Tue Jun 04, 2013 1:44 pm

I will also be bringing my 11 year old Chessie out. I guess the meat hunting will have to be done over her. Thanks for the insight guys, its been nearly 20 years since I shot a wild pheasant. My last 10 years have been spent chasing grouse and woodcock in northern Michigan behind the Chessie and my Springer.

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vols fan
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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by vols fan » Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:45 pm

My advice would be try to get off by yourself and stay out of the cornfields. Try to hunt ditches draws and hedgerows, much better chance of birds holding. Don't shoot unpointed birds , This is hard but will pay off later.Always be in training mold and if someone with you is not than get one that will only shoot when you tell them.

lockedncupped
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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by lockedncupped » Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:12 pm

Don't plan on hunting corn fields. Hoping to catch them hanging in the grasses.
Super stoked, and it's barely June.

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SetterNut
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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by SetterNut » Wed Jun 05, 2013 8:58 pm

I am pretty lucky in this area, we have both quail and some pheasants.
The first year I focus on quail, and expect them to let me flush. I don't shoot unless I flush the bird......

Toward the end of the first season, I will mix in some pheasants.

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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by JKP » Thu Jun 06, 2013 7:03 am

IMO...just remember that this season is for the dog...its a training season. The birds will teach the dog. You will reward desired behavior and discourage unwanted behavior. I don't think its anymore complicated than that. Try not to put the dog in the field with 200 pheasant. However, pheasant is a bird that dog have to learn.

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whatsnext
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Re: Pups first real hunting season expectations

Post by whatsnext » Thu Jun 06, 2013 8:03 am

JKP wrote:IMO...just remember that this season is for the dog...its a training season. The birds will teach the dog. You will reward desired behavior and discourage unwanted behavior. I don't think its anymore complicated than that. Try not to put the dog in the field with 200 pheasant. However, pheasant is a bird that dog have to learn.

I agree wild pheasants are a much harder transition from pen raised birds, you just have to let the pup bump them until he figures it out and do not say anything bedsides calling the pup off a chase, no praise and no reprimand.

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