First covey ever - Busted

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Andre205th
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First covey ever - Busted

Post by Andre205th » Sat Oct 06, 2018 9:56 pm

My Llewellin is 1 year old. He has yard work(sit, heel, whoa), finds and points pigeons in yard, holds point and allows me walk to the pigeon and release. He points intensely on pigeons, he doesn't get them that often.
Last year, I tried several times to get him on quail but was unsuccessful. He got plenty exposure to woods and cover.
Today was the first time I took him out into the woods this year. He ended up tiring himself out and I had to rest/water him for a while before heading back to the truck. I heeled him on the leash most of the way back but once he started acting like himself again I removed the leash. About 150 yard from the truck he left the trail and checked cover on the left side of the trail then crossed to the right side. As he was sniffing around 15 or so quail flushed all around him. I got a training shot off for effect and poured the praise on him. He hunted all the way back to the truck, then rested again before loading up.

He didn't point the birds. I know the bird scent is what made him leave the trail. I know he was pretty tired at the time.

Has anyone seen anything similar happen?

nevermind
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Re: First covey ever - Busted

Post by nevermind » Sun Oct 07, 2018 9:29 am

scenting conditions? direction of wind? Covey was legging it out of the area and dog bumped them.. good lesson for young dog. You didn't mention that dog's steady to wing. What happened, after the covey flushed? Did dog run in direction the covey flew and then double back for scent? or did the dog start searching area where covey flushed?

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DonF
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Re: First covey ever - Busted

Post by DonF » Sun Oct 07, 2018 11:05 am

OOP'S! Didn't point the covey and you praised him? Should ignored it and gone on. Could be the next covey he find's he might bust also. If he does, simply ignore it and go on. Keep in mind also, one mistake will not ruin a dog. Keep trying to get him into birds and I'd bet he'll be fine.
I pity the man that has never been loved by a dog!

Andre205th
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Re: First covey ever - Busted

Post by Andre205th » Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:03 pm

He chased then went back for scent.

Tried again today, no birds.

nevermind
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Re: First covey ever - Busted

Post by nevermind » Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:50 pm

I'm just guessing, but seems you might have not of had a favorable wind. I gave you hunting perspective and Don gave you good advise from a trainer. My personal preference would have been not to shoot at birds that weren't pointed... that's just me with my pointing dog.

Andre205th
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Re: First covey ever - Busted

Post by Andre205th » Sun Oct 07, 2018 2:10 pm

Yes, thanks for the heads up on the wind, also its hot and dry here right now. I tried to keep it in my favor when we were out this morning.
We didn't find any birds but the dog did point a couple of times. Two points were into dense woods with deer and hog tracks everywhere. I whoaed him so that I could investigate, he held point but nothing was there. Could've been a deer, I don't know.
He showed a lot of interest in another patch of cover but after spending sometime there and not pointing, I called him off thinking it was likely a snake or something else bad.
Should I plant a pigeon around the house once a week until he figures out the wild birds?
Thanks for the advice.

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Re: First covey ever - Busted

Post by Warrior372 » Tue Oct 09, 2018 11:52 am

Yes, that totally happens with a young inexperienced dog. I am fortunate to have access to quail and huns in the foothills behind my house. I started running my dog off-leash in these areas around 5 months and it took him until about 7 months to realize what we were actually doing. In that time either he or I would push coveys or pairs on a daily basis.

Around 7-8 months he obviously realized we were looking for these birds and he would find them - sometimes he would creep and push them and other times he would occasionally hold a point. I never shot at anything he did not point - this took an insane amount of patience on my part considering all of the hiking, time and miles we put in, but longterm proved to be very valuable. I do not think I have ever been as patient in my entire life. Every time you get your dog into wild birds, let it hangout in that area and get all of the fresh wild bird scent. The more exposure the better. With ore and more exposure, it will slowly realize that it cannot catch the birds. Just be patient. Also, like other have said wind, moisture and temp play into the equation too. If there is no wind then there is no scent cone, so the dog does not realize there are birds until it is on top of them.

If I did not have easy access to areas that hold wild birds for exposure, I would have purchased a remote bird launcher and bought more quail, chukar, and pheasant from local bird farms to help expedite the process. Once you notice your dog scent the bird if it does not hold you launch the bird - this reinforces that it cannot catch the birds. There are a lot of detailed training books that focus on training with launchers.

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Re: First covey ever - Busted

Post by ezzy333 » Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:38 pm

I busted my first covey when I was 15 I think. Was a covey of one big beautiful rooster that stepped on and when I picked my self up I watched it fly. First time hunting, borrowed gun, and a wonderful time was had by all, that includes me and the rooster. That was 70 years ago this fall, and God supplied me with a beautiful bird, a gorgeous covert, and the ability to find the see the beauty of what God had supplied right in my own backyard.

Ezzy

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Re: First covey ever - Busted

Post by ddoyle » Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:35 pm

Amen Ezzy!
Doyle

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Re: First covey ever - Busted

Post by isonychia » Wed Oct 10, 2018 8:39 am

2 things have to happen before we get reliable pointing. 1) Exposure 2) Maturity

My young pup rocks pigeons. They are easy. He has busted maybe 15 wild birds/coveys so far this season with a few close points. He is getting it though. I expect my 8 year old dog to do well. I don't really start expecting a whole lot until 2 years old. I expect a steadied dog to do right because he KNOWS what right is, I expect a force fetched dog to fetch! You can not force a young dog to point. That is why we have genetics and why we take our dogs out to find birds and run them. If it were easy, there wouldn't be a whole lot to be proud of. Bottom line is you need to put that dog on as many wild birds as possible and let him figure it out. Keep your mouth shut. Watch the heat, a year old dog doesn't really get tired very easily if in good health IMHO. Heat is a killer. Heat can be 75 degrees and sunny or humid around here. Get out early.

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Re: First covey ever - Busted

Post by averageguy » Wed Oct 10, 2018 9:43 am

ddoyle wrote:Amen Ezzy!
x2!

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Re: First covey ever - Busted

Post by averageguy » Wed Oct 10, 2018 9:53 am

Warrior372 wrote:Yes, that totally happens with a young inexperienced dog. I am fortunate to have access to quail and huns in the foothills behind my house. I started running my dog off-leash in these areas around 5 months and it took him until about 7 months to realize what we were actually doing. In that time either he or I would push coveys or pairs on a daily basis.

Around 7-8 months he obviously realized we were looking for these birds and he would find them - sometimes he would creep and push them and other times he would occasionally hold a point. I never shot at anything he did not point - this took an insane amount of patience on my part considering all of the hiking, time and miles we put in, but longterm proved to be very valuable. I do not think I have ever been as patient in my entire life. Every time you get your dog into wild birds, let it hangout in that area and get all of the fresh wild bird scent. The more exposure the better. With ore and more exposure, it will slowly realize that it cannot catch the birds. Just be patient. Also, like other have said wind, moisture and temp play into the equation too. If there is no wind then there is no scent cone, so the dog does not realize there are birds until it is on top of them.

If I did not have easy access to areas that hold wild birds for exposure, I would have purchased a remote bird launcher and bought more quail, chukar, and pheasant from local bird farms to help expedite the process. Once you notice your dog scent the bird if it does not hold you launch the bird - this reinforces that it cannot catch the birds. There are a lot of detailed training books that focus on training with launchers.
And x2 on this as well.

Where I live it was both. I used pigeons in launchers set in natural cover (which was little bluestem CRP). Those exercises were not only about teaching the point at first scent, but also taught the pup to search cover using the wind to find the birds I set out. We were working in 35 acre or larger fields which only had a couple of birds planted so the pup was being conditioned that searching would payoff.

And we walked daily in natural cover where we found all forms of wild game including bobwhites and pheasants. Many of the pups finds resulted in bumped birds and some fewer resulted in points. That eventually reversed. I observed in silence either way. Holding fire and only shooting the pointed birds is key once hunting begins. The payoff is worth it when your pup becomes a bold go yonder bird finder and stands stylish and proud drinking in the scent until you arrive, flush and shoot the birds ...

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