Let the Dog Hunt

by Bill Mays
Wing and Clay Editor

Waterfowl and upland game hunters have a tendency to over handle their bird dog. Even when you think you have the perfect mark on a downed duck or pheasant and the dog veers off course, give the dog a chance to hunt. Many birds are cripples and are moving from the spot your think you have marked.
Always send your dog downwind of the mark as much a 20 to 30 yards. Never send the dog on the direct line to the mark. This gives the dog a chance to use his god given gift, its nose. The nose is always better than the sight and if the duck or bird is crippled the dog will find much sooner if it’s moving.

One of the down sides and major problem with handling a dog too much, is it will lose self confidence and start giving up to early on a downed bird. It will start relying on your direction to find the bird and quit hunting. I enjoy watching a hard charging dog that hunts hard and when that dog gets a nose full of scent and that head snaps, there is nothing more exciting than a dog following its nose to the bird.
When you send your dog to a trainer, be sure and check on the training your dog will receive. Many of today’s field trail trainer’s line train, meaning the dog will only follow a line to the bird and rely solely on handling. Hunters want a trainer that will teach the dog to take a line and then use its nose to find the bird. So keep that dog fired up and let it hunt!