1 Dog for Wild Birds

[oilcan]

So I've read on here where guys are saying they put 2 to 4 dogs on the ground when hunting Wild birds (pheasants).
Being i hunt by myself mostly and would have only one Dog i was wondering how many of you guys hunt this way ?
How successful are you and what are some of the challenges you face with only one Dog on the ground and what tips would you offer ?
Bruce

[Elkhunter]

I hunt one dog at a time, two if I am with someone else. Rarely if ever hunt two of my own dogs at the same time. I hunt chukars though

[gotpointers]

Pheasants can get to scooting in tall cover but one good one will get it done fine. Two or more can turn into a foot race between dog and result in wild flushes but also may block a runner once and a while. If I really wanted two dogs out there it would be a retriever at heel as the second dog.

[whatsnext]

one dog at a time for wild phez is fine that's how i hunt them most of the time,they will bump a few at first but all you have to do is be quiet and let the dog figure it all out.

[Mountaineer]

So I've read on here where guys are saying they put 2 to 4 dogs on the ground when hunting Wild birds (pheasants).
Being i hunt by myself mostly and would have only one Dog i was wondering how many of you guys hunt this way ?
How successful are you and what are some of the challenges you face with only one Dog on the ground and what tips would you offer ?
Bruce

Whether one hunter or two...one dog, regardless of dog or type of dog.
Successful enough.
However, two dogs can lead to a bit more confusion for a pheasant which may or may not work to the hunter's benefit on some days....covert, cover type and weather could play a part in advantages or disadvantages re dog number.
No real challenges, just opportunities yet realized.
Tips would be slow, quiet, tote a camera and walk against the bent grass.

[slistoe]

I usually hunt two dogs because I want them all to get a chance to hunt. The only time I have ever seen an advantage to more than one dog is if you have two dogs on pheasant and they are not broke and do not honor - They will pin down more of the "runners" by teaming up on them- but then when I got faster working, harder hitting dogs they never had any runners anyway. Dogs that don't honor are of more harm than good on any other situation where I have hunted birds and if you aren't going to teach manners then one dog is almost always better (talking pointing dogs here).

[Neil]

I usually hunt two dogs because I want them all to get a chance to hunt. The only time I have ever seen an advantage to more than one dog is if you have two dogs on pheasant and they are not broke and do not honor - They will pin down more of the "runners" by teaming up on them- but then when I got faster working, harder hitting dogs they never had any runners anyway. Dogs that don't honor are of more harm than good on any other situation where I have hunted birds and if you aren't going to teach manners then one dog is almost always better (talking pointing dogs here).

Well said!

[whatsnext]

For someone to say they have never had any runners when hunting wild pheasant's i have to call bs, no matter how hard running a dog is or what distance they point from an old wild rooster will try to escape. They will flush wild, run out from under a dog's point if it does not move with the bird,get nervous and flush from a point before you are close enough for a shot and many other scenario's.When people say things like they never had any runners i wonder if they have ever hunted late season pheasants in numerous weather conditions and cover types.

[slistoe]

Sometimes you have to wonder the depth/breadth of some individuals experience with pointing dogs.

[roaniecowpony]

For someone to say they have never had any runners when hunting wild pheasant's i have to call bs, no matter how hard running a dog is or what distance they point from an old wild rooster will try to escape. They will flush wild, run out from under a dog's point if it does not move with the bird,get nervous and flush from a point before you are close enough for a shot and many other scenario's.When people say things like they never had any runners i wonder if they have ever hunted late season pheasants in numerous weather conditions and cover types.

It doesn't have to be late season for those things to happen.

[whatsnext]

Sometimes you have to wonder the depth/breadth of some individuals experience with pointing dogs.

Then tell me oh great sage how is your knowledge of pointing dogs have any affect on the flight response of a prey animal ? I have been hunting for 20 plus years and i know you have probably been hunting for at least twice that but if you have never seen those situations i described then you have been lying to yourself about what happens in the field. So please explain to me how my lack of depth/breadth has failed me or are you just spouting off at the mouth about something you know nothing of ?

[slistoe]

Oh, to know everything. Who threw out the challenge?

There is an old saying about folks who have 20 years experience and those who have one years experience 20 times.

[whatsnext]

That is what i thought someone with all the answers but nothing to really say except smart "bleep" comments and no real answer. I never said i know everything i just know what i have seen and unlike you i stated specific situations but keep on with the old sayings like no one has ever heard them over and over and over but you are like a crocodile all mouth and no ears :roll:

[Vision]

The only challenge to hunting alone with one dog is nobody is there to see the incredible moments when they happen. I hunt alone a lot with my only dog and we have great times together, sometime so great you can't tell anybody about them because people won't believe it.

[slistoe]

That is what i thought someone with all the answers but nothing to really say except smart "bleep" comments and no real answer. I never said i know everything i just know what i have seen and unlike you i stated specific situations but keep on with the old sayings like no one has ever heard them over and over and over but you are like a crocodile all mouth and no ears :roll:

I am crying now.

I have seen all those things you have said. I have also seen the things I have said. You can puff away all you want, it really matters little to me. I give.

[oilcan]

Thanks guys I can't wait to get out there and give it a go.

[gonehuntin']

Only real disadvantage to running one dog is that you cover less ground. That being said, I only hunt one dog these days.

[cutty72]

I hunted just my lab for a few years. She did well, and so long as I picked a field that held birds, and hit my targets, we always took home birds.

Now sometimes I will also take my wife's GWP/Lab cross with as well, then I get the best of both worlds, a pointer and a flusher/retriever.

[birddog1968]

One two or three or more matters not.....

What matters more is the dogs rapport with one another, and their savvy with the birds...... both of which come with experience.

[deke]

We hunted six dogs last year, all flushers except for a gsp. They all did very well we shot quite a few birds that weekend, but it was a cluster and I will personally never do it again. 2 flushers at once on the ground is about all I can manage, sadly this year we will be down to one due to old age and arthritis.

[campgsp]

I hunt with one dog down most of the time. One,two,three or more doesn't make a difference. I just love seeing dogs honor one another when I have more then one down. That's the only plus side for me.

I train my dogs to go in a straight line infront of me aways and work back in a zig-zag. For me this way I feel I am pinning the birds between us. No doubt some are getting by me, but it works. You win some you loose some...

[SetterNut]

I have two setters and hunt them at the same time pretty much all the time.
With pointing dogs if you are going to hunt more than one at a time, they must back, and back at a distance immediately.

No matter how good your dog or dogs are, some pheasants are going to run or flush on the dog even if they do everything correctly.

In my opinion, a brace of pointing dog is about as good as it gets bird hunting.
(note: pheasant and quail were harmed during the taking of these pictures, and were later eaten)

[Vonzeppelinkennels]

+1 I almost always hunt a brace of dogs,I love to see a dog backing another with the same style as the dog pointing the birds.

[QuillGordon]

My uncle once told me while out bird hunting in my youth and watching a pack of hounds covering a field with one hunter. He said that if you have one dog you have a dog, if you have two dog's you have half a dog and if you have three dogs you no longer have a dog.
Me personally I have always only had one hunting hound at a time.
His word's must of left an impression

[oilcan]

QuillGordon that's great i'll have to remember that.
What part of Utah you in ?

[deke]

I always heard it as " 1 dog 1 brain, 2 dogs half a brain, 3 dogs no brain"

[ACooper]

I rarely run one dog alone, unless its more of a training run than actual hunting or in the case of a young dog I run them alone most of the time. In my experience well trained dogs compliment not degrade one another. I would bet many folks who think more dogs equal more problems have had bad experiences with poorly trained dogs.

[Carolina Gundogs]

Most people, who only hunt, do very little actual training from my experience or at least where I am located. If the dog will point a bird and wait for the gunner to get close enough to shoot, they're considered a winner. If the dog brings back the bird, that's impressive.
The field trials and various hunt test do much good in the area of encouraging people to train their dogs to a higher level.

[Winchey]

I rarely run one dog alone, unless its more of a training run than actual hunting or in the case of a young dog I run them alone most of the time. In my experience well trained dogs compliment not degrade one another. I would bet many folks who think more dogs equal more problems have had bad experiences with poorly trained dogs.

Yes, so long as they are out there hunting independently and not playing grab "bleep" with each other and blowing backs, I would assume they should find more birds.

That said I have a lot of trouble handling 2 dogs at once in the woods on my own, then you get them on point 100 yards in cover one way and the other 100 yards the other way, not a lot of fun. If there are two handlers then it's fine, but other than that I only do it when I am trying to get some backing in and nobody to help.

Also when I hunt I like to run a dog per cover, then give them a break and run the next in the next cover and rotate like so, so you always have a fresh dog on the ground, if I had a pile of dogs then it would make sense to run 2 at a time.

I could see it being a bit easier in the open, or with handy dogs.

[QuillGordon]

What part of Utah you in ?

South of Salt Lake in Sandy City

[MNTonester]

except for when I hunt with my brothers, I hunt with one dog, my black lab. My previous was a springer. There was some slight overlapping when the lab was a pup and I would hunt them both. That never posed a problem. The only problem I can see does not involve the dog; it is the circumstance where the dog puts up a bird on the opposite side of a brush or tree line, but that's life.

[ACooper]

In my experience well trained dogs compliment not degrade one another.

Yes, so long as they are out there hunting independently and not playing grab "bleep" with each other and blowing backs.
.

[SetterNut]

I always heard it as " 1 dog 1 brain, 2 dogs half a brain, 3 dogs no brain"

That would be true in cases where dogs that are not well mannered on birds.

But if you have dogs that are well trained, and will back on their own, multiple dogs is a big plus.
I will say that a lot of dogs do not fall into this category.

[oilcan]

"South of Salt Lake in Sandy City"

I'll be passing right by you this Fall I drew a Late Wasatch Elk tag.

[QuillGordon]

You'll have your work cut out for you with that tag but just in-case of a early tag filled bring the shotgun.

Wasatch

[landonman]

Well I hunt alone and handle 2 dogs right now. MY dogs do not compete, point hard and back very good. I have no trouble, but I only hunt female dogs. ls57216

[Fieldwalker]

In relation to hunting behind pointing dogs... To me it all depends on how the birds are being hunted. Sticking with "field birds" - I would say it all depends on the group compisition. If one or two guys are out hunting the prairie, I don't see the need to exceed 2 dogs. If 5-6 guys are out pushing the prairie, I could easily see running 3-4...

A lot of this also depends on the range of the dogs you're hunting. Two large running dogs are going to sweep/cover a longer spread of hunters than 3-4 boot lickers.

For what it is worth.. we'll be hunting 5 guys on the prairie and will generally run 2-3 dogs at a time. Of the 7 dogs making the trip, I'd only consider 2 dogs large rangers (150+ yards) and the other around medium (less than 150 yards).

The other thing I would take into mind is that I don't like running in more than one of my dogs at once with a group. Keeping track of two becomes "more work" and less enjoyable to me. If we ran 4-5 dogs and all of the dogs were honest and handled... I wouldn't see the harm.

Some folks have a lot more dogs than they need and enjoy getting them as much time on the ground as possible. For some it works... for some it doesn't. Different strokes I guess.

[SetterNut]

On my trip to MT last season (my first), we had 3 hunters and 5 dogs down at one time.
The longest point was 1200 yards, one of the coolest finds of the trip, by my friends setter on a covey of huns.
But we had finds by all the dogs at different ranges 150 yards to 1200. But in that country the bigger running dog do have more bird contacts. And having multiple dog down is a help as well. It was a big open area, where you could see the dogs for ever. Truly AWESOME place for hunting pointing dogs.

I really enjoy having at least 2 dogs down at the same time, you find more birds and seeing a brace of dogs locked up, is pointing dogs at its best.