Range on a GSP

[406dn]

After the first week or maybe two, sharpies won't hold at all no matter how sneaky the dog is unless you can find a single. Hard to get close enough for a shot at a flock unless the dog is right next to me. Best to let binocs find the birds and use the dog for retreiving only.

I am uncertain when you are starting the clock here, but sharptails will hold well enough, most of the time for the first month of the season. Some number of them will hold well into October.

I have killed a few over a point in December. Right now, when I am running the dogs with a horse and carrying a starting pistol, they are holding for a dog.

 

[2rocky]

I've had friends who have worked with this guy. Might be a good resource for you..

lowellsgundogs.com - Home

 

[OntarioHunter]

I am uncertain when you are starting the clock here, but sharptails will hold well enough, most of the time for the first month of the season. Some number of them will hold well into October.

I have killed a few over a point in December. Right now, when I am running the dogs with a horse and carrying a starting pistol, they are holding for a dog.

Singles and occasionally pairs and triples will hold well on point just about any time. Flocks bust at first sign of man or beast after the first couple of weeks of season (and sharptails are primarily a flocking bird). At least they do on public land that's hunted. Season in Montana opens for them middle of Sept I believe. I'm no longer living/working there and don't get back to hunt uplands till middle of October.

 

[406dn]

The season begins on September 1. They do NOT bust at the first sign of man or beast after the first two weeks of the season. They hold well enough into early October.

Their flocks get larger as the fall goes on and become jumpier at the same time. You can still get into them but it is tougher for certain.

I run my dogs on them before, during, and after the hunting season. They are a great bird for training pointing dogs.

This is from a good day's hunt from while ago in maybe the third week of September, which is as good as it gets for a bird hunter.


View attachment Untitled.jpeg

 

[JLS]

Back to the OP's concern, it sounds like your dog is hunting for you, which is a very good thing. To help instill confidence in her, make it a point to hike in such a way that she is able to work the wind to her advantage on the ridges and such. If she acts birdy, and hesitates to look back at you, follow her. I've seen this with dogs before.

By following her, you are helping instill confidence that it's okay to follow that scent. Soon, she'll be doing that on her own. At that point, it's your obligation to be able to read your dog and discern between a random cast and one that really means business. As you know, in chukar hunting it's hard to dump elevation after you've gained it, so you want to be relatively certain before you do. However, with a young pup, suck it up and follow her.

 

[Russp17]

My GSP was like yours his first season. 20-80 yards. This year in his second season he is starting to range out to up to about 200 tops. That's all I want in a dog range since the mountains I hunt in Alaska 400 yards can take you 30 minutes if there is snow. I'm guessing your dog will start to range out a little. I kind of doubt he will ever be a 400 yard dog, but if they are hunting the 200 yards hard that is a lot of birds!!!

 

[JLS]

I kind of doubt he will ever be a 400 yard dog, but if they are hunting the 200 yards hard that is a lot of birds!!!

I'm often thankful I'm not having to go 400 yards on a point.

 

[Russp17]

I'm often thankful I'm not having to go 400 yards on a point.

Me too my dog last weekend was on point 55 yards away down this steep hill at the end of the day in 3 plus feet of snow. It took all I had to go chase the birds haha....

 

[OntarioHunter]

Even Labs will stick closer when they are young, especially (always?) if worked alone. Working a pup with an older dog can have its advantages but disadvantages too (I am convinced putting my current Lab Ellie behind the other two dogs delayed her almost two years - she was pretty much along for the scenery until one day circumstances dictated that I try working her alone). I think your dog will change a lot by the time season opens next year. Anyway, it's obviously finding birds and that's the important thing. Keep an eye out for other issues. Doesn't sound like chasing deer out of sight will be a problem. Be thankful for that. Often it is for rangey breeds.

 

[SoCalhunt88]

I’d ask the breeder what its expectations for range are for the dogs they breed.

The father was a 400-800yd range and the mother was closer at 150ish

 

[SoCalhunt88]

Back to the OP's concern, it sounds like your dog is hunting for you, which is a very good thing. To help instill confidence in her, make it a point to hike in such a way that she is able to work the wind to her advantage on the ridges and such. If she acts birdy, and hesitates to look back at you, follow her. I've seen this with dogs before.

By following her, you are helping instill confidence that it's okay to follow that scent. Soon, she'll be doing that on her own. At that point, it's your obligation to be able to read your dog and discern between a random cast and one that really means business. As you know, in chukar hunting it's hard to dump elevation after you've gained it, so you want to be relatively certain before you do. However, with a young pup, suck it up and follow her.

Appreciate the insight I like it and I don’t mind some extra hiking

 

[JLS]

Appreciate the insight I like it and I don’t mind some extra hiking

You bet. Just my opinion, but two things you should do this summer:

1) Force Fetch
2) Do a fair number of drags to work on tracking

Finding cripples is pretty important for a chukar dog, and not having to worry about a dog dropping, burying, eating a bird on a long retrieve is nice as well. There will be times you'll shoot a double and your dog won't get a mark on the second bird. If it's a runner, that can be a challenge without having a dog that is both force fetched and well versed in tracking.

 

[Irrelevant]

The father was a 400-800yd range and the mother was closer at 150ish

Father must have came from the same line as mine. I let her out the first time we were in eastern MT and I found her later in ND (slight exaggeration... very slight).

 

[SoCalhunt88]

You bet. Just my opinion, but two things you should do this summer:

1) Force Fetch
2) Do a fair number of drags to work on tracking

Finding cripples is pretty important for a chukar dog, and not having to worry about a dog dropping, burying, eating a bird on a long retrieve is nice as well. There will be times you'll shoot a double and your dog won't get a mark on the second bird. If it's a runner, that can be a challenge without having a dog that is both force fetched and well versed in tracking.

She’s pretty good at finding but her retrieve is D+ work, I plan to send her back to do some training and force fetch is up there along working on applying too much pressure. Finding crippled birds has been a bright spot for her season and offered a couple proud moments.

 

[SoCalhunt88]

Father must have came from the same line as mine. I let her out the first time we were in eastern MT and I found her later in ND (slight exaggeration... very slight).

Haha. Like a rocket

 

[JLS]

She’s pretty good at finding but her retrieve is D+ work, I plan to send her back to do some training and force fetch is up there along working on applying too much pressure. Finding crippled birds has been a bright spot for her season and offered a couple proud moments.

Is she finding them by tracking, air search, or both? There's a time and place for each. I've had more than one cripple that fluttered, tumbled, and ran it's way down a hill for a couple hundred yards. A dog that doesn't track well will struggle to find these.

 

[SoCalhunt88]

Is she finding them by tracking, air search, or both? There's a time and place for each. I've had more than one cripple that fluttered, tumbled, and ran it's way down a hill for a couple hundred yards. A dog that doesn't track well will struggle to find these.

I’d say she’s much more in the tracking category she has not picked one up a couple hundred yards away or anything close. Just tracked cripples through thick cover while I was over searching where I thought it went down.

 

[JLS]

I’d say she’s much more in the tracking category she has not picked one up a couple hundred yards away or anything close. Just tracked cripples through thick cover while I was over searching where I thought it went down.

As long as her nose is to the ground, she's got the idea. It sure doesn't hurt to do training drags out to 2-300 yards with a few bends in there.

 

[SoCalhunt88]

Appreciate the input everyone, always good to get gut checks and new ideas from others.

 

[SoCalhunt88]

Update, something has clicked these last two hunts and she’s ranging and hunting better than ever. Today we chased Chukar out in NV and in a low bird number area she found 2 coveys and a few others and pointed and held them without too much pressure. That plus she was ranging much further than normal and spending more time out to sight. She went over 200 yds more than a few times, one of those proud dad hunts.
cheers folks