Page 1 of 1

Preferred bell!?

Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 7:03 pm
by dandrus1022
Hey guys! What bell do you guys run on your dogs? I have the north woods long range bell and the Remington large bell from tractor supply. I normally run the north woods on my Britt but I just recently got the Sportdog tek 2.0 so I was wondering if I should put the Remington on since it's not nearly as loud. I like running a bell so I can keep tabs on my girl so I don't have to be looking at the gps all the time. I don't mind a loud bell I just didn't know if there was cons with a loud bell? Like spooking birds etc. let me know

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 7:06 pm
by gonehuntin'
I despise bells but when I used to run them, I liked the ones with a deep tone. Look at Lion Country Supply. They have the best selection aroud.

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 7:15 pm
by dandrus1022
gonehuntin' wrote:I despise bells but when I used to run them, I liked the ones with a deep tone. Look at Lion Country Supply. They have the best selection aroud.
Why do you despise bells?

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 7:27 pm
by gonehuntin'
It's a personal thing. I love the silence and sounds of nature in the woods and prairies. Last thing I want to hear is the clanking of a bell or tone of a beeper. I went to the Astro and found total happiness.

I also believe that the less noise you make bird hunting the more effective you are.

I live in Wi. and we have a crap pot full of wolves here. I think that the tolling of a bell on a dog is akin to ringing the dinner bell for them.

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 8:30 pm
by ruffbritt4
Northwoods long range is a good bell, I will use it on windy days with an Astro but I use a little bell with the Astro most times. Just enough to let me keep tabs on my dog without needing to be constantly checking a screen. Never really found that a bell makes birds more skiddish

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:26 pm
by Neil
They only time I would run a bell is if I were training to run in a grouse trial.

I don't spend much time looking at the screen of the Astro, just wait for the point alert.

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 5:38 am
by dandrus1022
ruffbritt4 wrote:Northwoods long range is a good bell, I will use it on windy days with an Astro but I use a little bell with the Astro most times. Just enough to let me keep tabs on my dog without needing to be constantly checking a screen. Never really found that a bell makes birds more skiddish
How far out does your britt range? mine with stay out right around 70-80 yards. i like the tone of the northwoods bell i just didnt want it spooking grouse

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 8:43 am
by ruffbritt4
dandrus1022 wrote:
ruffbritt4 wrote:Northwoods long range is a good bell, I will use it on windy days with an Astro but I use a little bell with the Astro most times. Just enough to let me keep tabs on my dog without needing to be constantly checking a screen. Never really found that a bell makes birds more skiddish
How far out does your britt range? mine with stay out right around 70-80 yards. i like the tone of the northwoods bell i just didnt want it spooking grouse
In the woods, anywhere from 80 to 150 yards. Do you find that your dog has trouble hearing over the bell?

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 9:16 am
by dandrus1022
With the northwoods bell i definitely think she has a little trouble hearing me. She stops a few times to listen for where i am. But she is also 6 months old too.

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 9:36 am
by Winchey
I like the Lion Country on windy or rainy days or during a trial when my bracemate uses something ridiculously loud on a short dog. Otherwise find a quiter sunkhaze bell or the Canadian handmade bell on Lion Country.

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 10:33 am
by dandrus1022
Have any of you ran the Remington bell from TSC?

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 11:10 am
by Grange
Winchey wrote:I like the Lion Country on windy or rainy days or during a trial when my bracemate uses something ridiculously loud on a short dog. Otherwise find a quiter sunkhaze bell or the Canadian handmade bell on Lion Country.
I'm with you. When I see a bracemate that wears a Northwoods bell I hope they have a big running dog. I lost my favorite bell after a trial when we went hunting. Unfortunately the gentleman that made mine told me he isn't making bells anymore. I have both the Northwoods and Canadian Low Tone from Lion Country and I prefer the Canadian Low Tone. It is smaller than the Northwoods bell and carries to my ears out to about 200 yards. The Northwoods bell does carry farther out, but I prefer the sound of the Canadian Low Tone and like that it is smaller.

I bought my father a Sunkhaze bell made with Copper I believe, but to be honest I'm not a huge fan. It's loud enough, but I don't care too much for the sound. I probably would like a different metal better.

As far as a bell scaring birds I have never found that to be the case. I was out yesterday morning for about an hour and a half and we found 11 grouse and 5 woodcock. I hunt with people that don't use bells and it is rare that they find more birds. I also will forget my bells from time to time and when that happens we don't find more birds, but it does make for a more frustrating hunt for me.

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 9:05 am
by Winchey
Mike Flewelling usually has a bunch on hand at the trials for sale, none of them sound the same, you need to
find one you like.

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 12:18 pm
by skunk
I use a GPS on my dog as well but like you're finding, I also like to hear where he is so I don't have to look down at the GPS all the time.

My favorite bell is the small cowbell from Lion Country Supply:
http://www.lcsupply.com/Hunting-Dog-Col ... tinfo/SCB/

Sometimes it is a bit too quiet so I also have the Handmade Canadian Low Tone bell but this one can be too loud. I worry about it distracting my dog and it can definitely get annoying to hear that clanking. I also wish it had a built in loop to hook on my dog's collar like the small cowbell does:
http://www.lcsupply.com/Handmade-Canadi ... info/HCBL/

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 7:42 pm
by dandrus1022
Has anyone tried the genuine Swiss bells?

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 11:39 pm
by DudeRN
I like to use a bell that is as small as possible. I always suspected that the bell spooks birds, but as my dog has improved with her pointing skills, I have a hard time keeping track of her in heavy cover. I believe the one I use is from Remington, makes just enough noise that I can hear where she is in gun range and to let me know when she's stopped.

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 6:16 am
by dandrus1022
What do you guys think about this bell? http://www.lcsupply.com/Hunting-Dog-Lar ... tinfo/LCB/

I have a sunkhaze bell right now but i find it hard for me to hear around 70 yards out

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 7:58 am
by Urban_Redneck
I have a small cowbell I bought at Tractor Supply for $2.99. I'll call it a 75 yard bell when threaded directly on the collar.

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 5:14 pm
by bonasa
LCS northwoods bell here, and a GPS.

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:21 pm
by oldbeek
small cowbell on a flag ring. Dog is big running Brittany.

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 11:23 pm
by oldbeek
dandrus1022 wrote:Hey guys! What bell do you guys run on your dogs? I have the north woods long range bell and the Remington large bell from tractor supply. I normally run the north woods on my Britt but I just recently got the Sportdog tek 2.0 so I was wondering if I should put the Remington on since it's not nearly as loud. I like running a bell so I can keep tabs on my girl so I don't have to be looking at the gps all the time. I don't mind a loud bell I just didn't know if there was cons with a loud bell? Like spooking birds etc. let me know
i bought a sport tek 1 collar. My dog would not hunt with it on. Too Big ??

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 7:13 am
by dandrus1022
My britt doesnt mind the Tek 2 at all! its really big on her but she still hunts hard.

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2016 7:17 pm
by marc
I use a New England Bell #4 bell. It has a lower tone and carries nicely in the thick stuff. It's not too loud though. They offer larger and smaller ones.
http://www.newenglandbells.com/dog-collar-bells-4-bell/

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 8:15 am
by dandrus1022
marc wrote:I use a New England Bell #4 bell. It has a lower tone and carries nicely in the thick stuff. It's not too loud though. They offer larger and smaller ones.
http://www.newenglandbells.com/dog-collar-bells-4-bell/
How Far does your dog range?

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 3:52 pm
by marc
Not more than 100 yards in the grouse woods. He ranged 300or so in some open-understory, hilly woods we were hunting, and I could barely hear him over the hills at that range.

Re: Preferred bell!?

Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 8:52 pm
by jfwhit
Orvis just released this podcast. Made me look at bells differently. I prefer the silent hunt with a Garmin Alpha and my dog is usually too far out to benefit from a bell. But if I hunted in thick cover and he ranged closer. I'd probably like it.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/orv ... =377620595