hunt close

[birddogger2]

Buckeyesteve -

I haven't hunted wild birds in a rather long time and not many grouse to be honest, so I really can't say with any certainty.

I would however, expect to lose some grouse to the actuation of a point only mode type beeper, especially if they have been pressured. Lovett's has a mode called "hawk scream" which is supposed to simulate an overhead hawk with the bird freezing in cover as a response. I never thought it worked all that well when I used it. It doesn't sound, to me, all that close to a real hawk call.

I definitely would expect to have a fair percentage of wild pheasant run out from under a point if the beeper actuates....again increasing incidence with increased pressure on the birds.

Pheasants can be a real SOB sometimes. I have seen birds flush wild at the sound of a car door closing and others beat feet before we could get the dogs and guns out.

Maybe there is someone out there with more experience with grouse and beepers.

RayG

[cjhills]

We have shot 100s of wild birds over pointing dogs wearing beepers. Sometimes 3 or4 dogs at once all wearing beepers pointing and backing. We never seemed to have a problem with birds running once the dogs establish a point. Unfortunately I can't hear them any more. Fortunately there are better ways now. It seems odd because these same bids would spook at the sound of a very quiet car door or a human voice at 300 yards. I did really like hunting late season cattails with beepers on the dogs. It was awesome when the dogs learned to honor the other beepers......Cj

[birddogger2]

We have shot 100s of wild birds over pointing dogs wearing beepers. Sometimes 3 or4 dogs at once all wearing beepers pointing and backing. We never seemed to have a problem with birds running once the dogs establish a point. Unfortunately I can't hear them any more. Fortunately there are better ways now. It seems odd because these same bids would spook at the sound of a very quiet car door or a human voice at 300 yards. I did really like hunting late season cattails with beepers on the dogs. It was awesome when the dogs learned to honor the other beepers......Cj

This post reminds me of two things...

First the hearing thing. My hearing ain't what it used to be either and Lovett's , and I am sure other manufacturers have a low tone beeper that is more audible to those who have lost some of their high frequency hearing(which is what goes first as I understand it). I have both types and I believe I can hear the low tone beeper over a greater distance.

Second, when I was hunting and running two dogs, it was fairly common for one of the dogs to be well out of earshot(mine) but not out of the other dog's hearing range. I know this because I have seen, many times where the "closer running" dog literally lines out in a direction, obviously running and not hunting. As I followed up and closed the gap, I could begin to hear the other dog's beeper going off in point mode. It was obvious that the dog heard the point beeper go off and was going to where the action was going to be. When I got there, both dogs were usually standing tall and waiting for me. It don't get much better than that for a bird hunter.

RayG