RuggedYogi
WKR
Looking for some advice from the more experienced bird hunters regarding steadiness to wild flush. Today will be day 12 of hunting dusky grouse in the mountains this season.
Buck, my GWP, is a couple months shy of two. This is his second hunting season, but his first "real" season having gone through whoah training and force fetch over the last year. His drive is high and he can find the birds. My current issue is his lack of steadiness to wild flushing. Training with pigeons, steady to wild flush. I took him to a hunt club to train with pen raised roosters, he pointed and was steady to wing/shot.
I take him out to the grouse woods, unsteady! I know he is finding birds because he has quite the tell, he runs around chasing them and barking like crazy when he finds them. I can get him to stop once I hear him barking, although sometimes it takes quite a bit more stimulation than it would when he isn't excited. If I can see him, I can get him to whoah with a verbal command. I have shot some grouse over him by getting him to whoah and shooting birds that hadn't flushed yet. He holds steady and makes a good retrieve in this case.
I am just wondering what I can do, if anything, to get him steady to wild flush on wild birds. I have heard from others that wild birds will teach him more than any training scenario. Do I just let him keep busting birds until he figures it out and chalk it up to him still being a young pup? Keep him closer so I can make sure that I can stop him when they flush? (hesitant to do this as I like the fact that he is finding them 200+ yards away). Any input is welcome, thanks!
Buck, my GWP, is a couple months shy of two. This is his second hunting season, but his first "real" season having gone through whoah training and force fetch over the last year. His drive is high and he can find the birds. My current issue is his lack of steadiness to wild flushing. Training with pigeons, steady to wild flush. I took him to a hunt club to train with pen raised roosters, he pointed and was steady to wing/shot.
I take him out to the grouse woods, unsteady! I know he is finding birds because he has quite the tell, he runs around chasing them and barking like crazy when he finds them. I can get him to stop once I hear him barking, although sometimes it takes quite a bit more stimulation than it would when he isn't excited. If I can see him, I can get him to whoah with a verbal command. I have shot some grouse over him by getting him to whoah and shooting birds that hadn't flushed yet. He holds steady and makes a good retrieve in this case.
I am just wondering what I can do, if anything, to get him steady to wild flush on wild birds. I have heard from others that wild birds will teach him more than any training scenario. Do I just let him keep busting birds until he figures it out and chalk it up to him still being a young pup? Keep him closer so I can make sure that I can stop him when they flush? (hesitant to do this as I like the fact that he is finding them 200+ yards away). Any input is welcome, thanks!
