Lets see some pic. of dogs going north

[spotterky]

Guys, thanks for the compliments on the dog. She has a long way to go but she is still young. I have a bell on her in the picture, but that isnt really a good way to determine what type of hunting dog she is. I just prefer a bell for most hunting if I can get away with it. This is for several reasons.

1) the batteries never die.
2) with a beeper i spend more time and frustration trying to get it to work right
3) my dog isnt a fan of beepers
4)i like the sound. It makes me think of fall, maple syrup and pipe smoke
5)i have a thing for the old ways and methods

Dont get me wrong. I LOVE fast, big running dogs. While quail hunting here at home she will go out 1000 yards or better. My last dog was even bigger running. I seldom ran him with a beeper either. the pic I posted was taken in Kentucky, but I take the beeper to Wisconsin and may use it, depending on the cover and how she is hunting. But the constant electronic chirping and buzzing detracts from my North Woods experience and that, really, is the only reason I go. I dont go to shoot birds but to participate in a certain experience that I enjoy. My buddies will be taking their dogs and I will get to listen enough to their beepers.

In fact, I might be the only dog man left that doesnt run with a shock collar. I dont train with one either. Yes, it takes a LOT longer but my dog hunts the same all the time, and doesnt just show manners when I "put the collar on her". When I trained my first dog collars werent that common and it seemed the dogs did fine. I just stick with what I know.
Regardless of how big and fast a dog hunts, electronic gizmos cannot replace good training and a stong bond with a dog. I want my dogs to hunt hard and fast. If they dont look like they are hunting for the last bird on the planet I dont want them. But I also expect my dog to come when I call it, look for me when I whistle, take hand directions and check back in with me often. It can be a challenge but it is a personal choice that I make and really has nothing to do with how the dog hunts.

We are lucky bunch to have discovered the enjoyment of following these beautiful dogs through God's magnificent country. Whether you run a bell or a beeper, have a fast or slow or close or big dog doesnt matter. I hope I run into some of you up north this year!

 

[GrouseAssasin]

In fact, I might be the only dog man left that doesnt run with a shock collar. I dont train with one either. Yes, it takes a LOT longer but my dog hunts the same all the time, and doesnt just show manners when I "put the collar on her". When I trained my first dog collars werent that common and it seemed the dogs did fine. I just stick with what I know.
Regardless of how big and fast a dog hunts, electronic gizmos cannot replace good training and a stong bond with a dog. I want my dogs to hunt hard and fast. If they dont look like they are hunting for the last bird on the planet I dont want them. But I also expect my dog to come when I call it, look for me when I whistle, take hand directions and check back in with me often. It can be a challenge but it is a personal choice that I make and really has nothing to do with how the dog

Spotter, you just nailed the dog I hunted behind for 12 years. I got him as a 6 week old pup and he was first and foremost a pet, that just happened to make one hell of a hunting dog. I was still in high school and had all kinds of time to fool with him. The worst punishment he ever got was a smack on the end of the nose. It killed his soul when I yelled at him for doing something wrong. He was as good as they come and Hes also the main reason I gave up grouse hunting. I lost him to old age last year and I just don't have the same time now to devote to training another pup the way I did with him. I honestly believe if you have that "best friend" bond with a pup it makes training go so much easier and you wind up with a dog that WANTS to work for you instead of being scared into it with a e-collar. I hate seeing people try to shock/beat/force train a young dog into a finished hunter in a couple weeks. Rome wasnt built in a day.

 

[brettfrancis1]

Without electronic gizmos, what happens when you have a point just out of sight and leave your best dog in the field for the night. If the dog is good enough it will point and hold birds, especially in thick cover where you won't always see them. How does the best bond with a dog replace a tracker/beeper at that point?

 

[GrouseAssasin]

I did use a beeper, kept it set on the point only mode. My dog would adjust to the cover really well. When he was still a pup I'd let him run big in open country but make him stay close in the woods. On a big open strip job he would get way out there but in Wisconsin or here in the mountains he'd stay in range of a quick sprint to the point. Not everybody would like that but he was perfect for me.

 

[spotterky]

Brett,
When my dog points in thick cover out of range I do the same thing dog men did for the first 400 years of hunting with dogs...go looking. I do use a bell and so I can usually tell the general area that she has the point. I have had some scary moments looking for her and been suprised to find her on point up to an hour later. (Not on grouse, never seen one stay around that long) I understand that is easier to keep up with a dog that has a beeper, and I dont mean any disrespect to most of the guys that use them. I have one too and use it occasionally when it is necessary. I am just saying for me I prefer to hunt without one if I can and that doesnt mean my dog is slow or hunts underfoot.

Lots of times my I cant find the dog and just when I am getting close I hear the bird flush and know that I am too late. I guess that happened to my grandfather a lot too. Most of the time it all works out ok and I am still having fun doing it or I would have stopped by now. Good question btw.

 

[Birdman]

spotterky, I didn't mean any disrespect. When I started grouse hunting I don't think anyone made beeper collars, the only shock collars were for hounds. The only reason I started using beepers was, when the bird count got so low the dogs had to get wider to locate birds. I surely liked hunting when the only thing you heard was your own thrashing and a grouse leaving the ground. Now in the north woods, I use everything I've got (electronics), one because I'm not familiar with the area (don't want to loose a dog) and the other I want to make sure the wolves hear me coming. If we had plenty of birds (like in the past) I wouldn't use anything (electronics) around here.

 

[birdshooter]

I like the beepers that you can turn off and on from the remote. I turn the beeper off and if I need to locate the dog I'll turn it on to find its location.

 

[brettfrancis1]

Brett,
When my dog points in thick cover out of range I do the same thing dog men did for the first 400 years of hunting with dogs...go looking. I do use a bell and so I can usually tell the general area that she has the point. I have had some scary moments looking for her and been suprised to find her on point up to an hour later. (Not on grouse, never seen one stay around that long) I understand that is easier to keep up with a dog that has a beeper, and I dont mean any disrespect to most of the guys that use them. I have one too and use it occasionally when it is necessary. I am just saying for me I prefer to hunt without one if I can and that doesnt mean my dog is slow or hunts underfoot.

Lots of times my I cant find the dog and just when I am getting close I hear the bird flush and know that I am too late. I guess that happened to my grandfather a lot too. Most of the time it all works out ok and I am still having fun doing it or I would have stopped by now. Good question btw.

I didn't mean to sound rude by that. As far as all the beeping in the woods, I can't hardly stand it myself. I meant that even the perfect dog can't just yell out and tell what's happening or where he is. This past year in the north woods I hunted my old setter everyday and didn't use a training collar or run beep the whole time. My old e-collar battery wouldn't hold charge anymore. I would prefer to keep the collar on him all the the time just to keep him safe (stopped him once with the e-collar when he would have ran in front of a truck). You never know what could happen. I feel these dogs are too valuable to turn loose without some protection.

I originally thought I wouldn't buy a Garmin but changed my mind when I felt my dog was worth more than the $600 for a Garmin.

 

[trust me]

.

I originally thought I wouldn't buy a Garmin but changed my mind when I felt my dog was worth more than the $600 for a Garmin.

I bought the Tek 1.0 and it changed my hunting. My ears are old and tired and a bell is useless to me. Beepers are obnoxious but necessary when your deaf.

The GPS has done away with the beeping and wondering. My dog may be out of sight and out of hearing but the GPS tells me she is working and doing just what she should be doing 107 yards thataway. My partner's dog in Wisconsin got confused and took off on a 2 mile run, and we got in the truck and headed her off on the next road over. It saved us lost time looking for a dog, and it just maybe saved the dog as well.

Peace of mind comes at a price.

 

[RT Alison]

I use radio telemetry on my GSP and a used falconry bell on her collar. The bell let's me know where she is within earshot so I can concentrate on the ground in front of me. The bells on my hawk let me keep a good idea where she is above me in the trees without having to walk around looking up all the time. The telemetry lets me track them both down. I use a multi-channel TRACKER brand receiver that covers 216, 217, 218, 219, 220 bands with all available frequencies. That way my bird sends out her own signal independent of my dog's. The unit is small and lightweight. I keep a yagi and an omni antenna in the truck in case I need to track over longer distances than the five to seven mile range I get without one. The combination of radio telemetry and bells has served me very well. They make a GPS for falconers, but it is too heavy for my tastes, not waterproof, and only lets me know where my bird WAS instead of IS. I can leave my radio telemetry transmitter on my bird for a month straight without wearing down the battery and I don;t need a cell tower signal or an Iphone to track it like the avian GPS systems use.

 

[brettfrancis1]

Here's a picture I took today of a Northwoods dog I've been working with. Really nice classic looking dog.

 

[JonDunn]

I don't see no white patches. Maybe my monitor is screwing up?

 

[brettfrancis1]

There's one on the front. Look close. She's just really ticked up all over.

 

[JonDunn]

Yea, alot of black ticking on her. I've always like the looks of those dogs, but I just like a little more white though

 

[brettfrancis1]

Here's another headed to the U.P. .