It was October 2009 and the last couple of weeks I had been making mental notes about the subtle ways in which the dog's communicate with me in the field and maybe with each other as well. Last weekend we were hunting a waterfowl production area with rolling hills and heavy grass when Beau went on point. I was 50 yards away and made my way towards him and when I got close he turned his head while the rest of his body remained rigid and looked to my left and then at me as he brought his head back forward to the original position. I then walked directly in front and a Hen flushed. Then to my left about 10 yards the Rooster flushed. So I believe possibly that Rooster moved slightly and he knew it but stayed on point just moving his head as the scent trail moved which was my tip that there was a bird to my left!
The previous day we were hunting a full section, which is one square mile, of rolling hills and grass surrounded by wheat stubble and sunflowers. I had nice points on three Sharptail coveys and had three birds in the bag taking one bird from each covey. I then circled out into the wheat stubble as it was approaching 11:30 a.m. and suspected the birds would still be out feeding. The dog's were birdy as we made our loop around the wheat stubble tracking scent. We came upon an area of taller stubble in a valley somewhat and the dog's got actively tracking the scent towards a depression with some weedy cover. This cat and mouse game can go on forever with Pheasants so you've got to be ready for a wild flush at anytime. As we moved towards the weedy patch Mick went on point at the edge of this cover with Molly backing a few yards behind. Now Mick will often point with his tail somewhat at a down angle but when really excited it will be as straight as an arrow! I watched as he took in the scent after coming to point then probably realizing the situation by the amount of scent he straightened his tail as straight as he could get it! I walked in to flush and 8 Pheasants burst out of the cover. I swung to the right on the first Rooster. Bird down. Then came back to the left and missed the second bird. Having seen this straight tail phenomenon with Mick before I believe this is a signal related to the intensity of the scent created by Mick's proximity to multiple birds in an area. Having seen it before it's smart I thought to log these nuances in the Setter's behavior to be sure you're ready to do your part! As we walked back through this cover and into the grass we took one more Rooster thanks to Molly. Then later in the day Molly had a nice point and I walked right in but the bird did a delayed flush sitting tight which caught me off guard and I missed. Twice! We were all beat as we headed for the Jeep with the sun going down ending the day with three Sharptail and two Rooster's as we headed for home just a few miles away.
Spending as much time in the field as I do I still miss signals from the dog's once in a while but try to remain aware at all times. That's why I prefer to hunt alone as it's really difficult for someone not used to these dog's or to hunting with a pointing dog in general to be aware of the nuances in their behavior which can make or break a perfect moment. The main shift you have to make in your thinking is that they're taking you hunting not the other way around! You're not hunting the birds. They are. "So pay attention Boss and don't miss!"
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