I have been trying to get my 1 yr. old Lab some live bird work before the season. I have been trapping wild pigeons and dizzying them for her.
The problem is she always catches them. I have used a manual launcher but now she has learned to follow the rope to the launcher so I want to get
away from that. This is my 1st dog so this is my 1st attempt at dizzying birds as well.
What works for you all in terms of technique, amount of time to wait after dizzying, and what is the best cover to plant them in?
Is there any tried and true technique? Thanks
Dizzying birds
Re: Dizzying birds
This is tough without remote launchers. Only thing you might do is keep a CC on her and get her before she gets bird, then have someone flush. This won't happen on wild birds. If you just trying to kill some birds for her before hunting then this might work, just to expose her to a few shot birds....
brenda
Re: Dizzying birds
If you're getting a good supply of wild pigeons, try attaching a piece of cardboard to their legs, approx 10"x10" using yarn. You'll have to experiment a couple of times to make sure the bird can fly well with the size of the cardboard you are using. Then release the bird in an open field with cover no higher than about 12" or so, so that the bird can readily escape when pressured by the dog. If all goes according to plan, the bird will fly away when pressured, going anywhere from 50 -150 yds or so before landing. The cardboard provides just enough wind resistance to tire him out quickly. Also, be sure to have your dog on a checkcord whenever working a planted bird, carded or not. Too many bad things can happen, especially for a pointing breed. Check out this website for more info, this method is used a great deal for pointing labs: http://steadywithstyle.com/ This site explains the use of carded pigeons very well. Good luck.
Re: Dizzying birds
How do you dizzy a bird? Just curious
Re: Dizzying birds
take your pigeon and shake him for a min the tuck his head under is wing and then pull there legs
kick'em up knock'em down
- Kyle Wintersteen
- Rank: Just A Pup
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2009 2:27 pm
- Location: Fairfax, Va
Re: Dizzying birds
A flushing dog will always catch a pigeon or two (even wild pigeons), but she shouldn't be catching all of them. I'd try dizzying the birds less, giving them more time to recover or both. Also, consider the type of cover you're planting them in. If it's too heavy, the pigeon won't be able to burst out of it like a game bird. Finally, how long are you keeping the birds after you trap them? I wouldn't keep them in a crate or small coop for more than a couple days or they'll start to grow weak.