Close, med, big, part 2

[greg jacobs]

A definition of close, med, big, seemed hard to nail down. Seems people want to include cover and terrain. Why is that? Is it because people want to see their dog a certain percentage of the time or the amount of time it will take to get to the dog. A combination of things. What percentage of the time are you comfortable having your dog out of sight? At 600 yds my dog would be out of sight 95% of the time. I'm not very comfortable when my dog goes out of sight for very long. Soon after I loose her on the alpha. I feel better if i can watching my dog. If the Covey jumps wild. I like to see where they go. A lot easier to get a point on a nervous bird as a single. On quail hun or chucker. Roosters are a whole different game.

[Mountaineer]

Why cover and terrain?.....because, for me, each can be a factor in holding birds and the dog works where the birds...are.
As change of any factor develops, the dog stretches out or comes in.....from using it's head along with it's nose.
Range, re birddogs, is not like the marked cubic inches of car engine.

Time out of sight?
As a 50 year grouse hunter, out of sight is the norm, for me.
Out of bell range, perhaps?....that depends upon wind and terrain and on and on.
Short grass or alders, the dog hunts as needed.
I do like to see my dog's eyes when they are on point...that kinda sorta being one of the end games.
And, it's nice to see a dog slicing up a cover or a field like an old lady serving sheet cake at a church supper but....one normally gets a mix of dog performance of all levels and descriptions in a day afield....if they think to look and, most importantly, see.
Can't imagine one element of performance necessarily holding trump...for me.

Lot of folks overthink bird hunting......perhaps, because difficulty of some measure is so often seen as important in hunting.

[Sharon]

A definition of close, med, big, seemed hard to nail down. Seems people want to include cover and terrain. Why is that? Is it because people want to see their dog a certain percentage of the time or the amount of time it will take to get to the dog. A combination of things. What percentage of the time are you comfortable having your dog out of sight?[/b] At 600 yds my dog would be out of sight 95% of the time. I'm not very comfortable when my dog goes out of sight for very long. Soon after I loose her on the alpha. I feel better if i can watching my dog. If the Covey jumps wild. I like to see where they go. A lot easier to get a point on a nervous bird as a single. On quail hun or chucker. Roosters are a whole different game.

because you need a dog that can range differently for Kansas than ON.

She wears a beeper so I know where she is, and she knows where I am. If she's out there ..........yards, that means there weren't any birds closer. Smart dog.

http://www.thefieldtrialer.com/forum/vi ... =28&t=5428


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uis4Whl ... haQJCn205A

[gonehuntin']

How can you not include cover? Any good dog hunts to the condition, in other words a dog that hunts at 400 yards on the prairie knows they can't do it in the grouse woods and will shorten to 1-200 yards in the grouse woods. Same with the grouse dog. Get him out on the prairies and he'll double his range.

[kcbullets]

It seems it is just a matter of opinion and how one likes to hunt. Hunting quail and/or pheasant in KS and allowing the dog to get out of range (whatever that means to you) seems pointless to have a dog. Birds are jumpier and wilder than ever. If birds don't hold for a point, the dog just has tendency to keep going/hunting. If I am working a fence line and the dog is 100 yards away and goes on point. As I make my way to the dog the covey flushes on its own, as I am 70 yards away, no shot or bird. Seems the dog was hunting too far in that situation. I know the dog can't control the birds, but all the more to hunt within reasonable distance. I may be doing something wrong in my training, but a dog will go as long and as far as you let it (to a degree). It bothers me when I am wanting dog work, and finally find birds, and the dog is off somewhere else. The type of cover plays a role for me. 'Great forum to hear others thoughts and opinions.

[SetterNut]

A good dog hunts the cover. If it is thin and spread out, like much of what I hunt, the dog is going to be faster and farther away.
If its really thick, the dog is going to be closer and slowed by the cover.

There is nothing wrong with having a dog that is working closer. I love seeing the dogs work.
I really like to have one that is working closer, and one that is out on the edge.