Cool stuff! Sounds exactly like what we do here in the western US. We have lots of open space and quite often a lot of open space between birds...the prototypical few and far between scenario!! Doesn't seem to matter where you put 'em down, the dogs'll do what they gotta do to find birds.Just heard about a field trial for pointers and setters held in the north of Scotland up in what we call "The Floe Country." This is a colossal and mainly flat moor of poor quality heather which means the grouse on it are few and are very widely dispersed. It is just about the only trial ground in Britain where the dogs can really run out to long distances as they need to do in order to find birds there.
Yah, dogs will pick 'em up and point from a huuuge distance sometimes for sure...when and where they decide to lock up on that scent varies dog to dog. About the only way they can do it wrong is to put the bird in the air. Point 'em or knock 'em...that's their options.When a dog dog does point a bird that far away, and I have seen it several times on wild birds, they indeed do hold the birds.
As far as birds not holding for dogs locating and pointing them at long distances from handlers...like Matt says, total BS. I've certainly had dogs point at ridiculous ranges thru the years, taken me as long as 30" to get to points and not uncommonly 5-10". I've had every possible outcome in those deals - birds "perfectly" located, birds that took a relocation or two to find, and some NP's thru the years...interestingly that's pretty much the same outcomes I get when I see the dog go on point. I can give a gazillion examples of some loooong distance (from handler) finds, even have a few on videos that I've posted here and there of me huffin' and puffin' to get to 'em. One of my favorite of all time was 'ol Stitch one time rolled out of a little valley to a nice long ridge above me. I got a point signal on the Tracker and headed after him. I was horseback in biiig CRP country - could see forever when I gained the ridge...just could not see the dog. I tracked...and I tracked...and I tracked to the point I got to an area where I started goin' in circles...swirling in on where the signal was coming from...but no dog. Walking along I just happened to glance down and there was Stitchy all sprawled out - hind legs sticking backward, one front leg out sideways and the other up underneath him, head out straight flat with his lip all curled up...big skid mark thru the grass. Almost stepped on him. Thought he might be injured and just as I stepped off the horse a covey of about a dozen huns got up, I swear, no more than 2 ft. off his nose. Probably 20 minutes they all stared at each other till I got there.
It is very common when a dog goes on point at extreme distances, to "hear" them relocate on the Tracker (or "see" 'em moving on the Garmin)...point signal...moving signal...point signal...moving signal...birds move...dog moves...bird moves...dog moves. Kinda like what I see happen sometimes when the dog goes on point right in front of me. Seems to me birds behave about the same close or far...freakin' birds - not readin' the GDF rulebook!!