I'v got a question for some one with experience.(Bird hunting) FIrst question how do you keep the dog from grabbing the business end of an arrow. and the second is could any one suggest some reading on the subject. my mum just got a new pup and i think it would be pretty funny to teach it some stuff.
dont use bhs,birds will go down easy with steel blunt or a judo,at least that has been my experience.i do tend to stay away from the judos more since i had one bounce off a pheasent
I would not reccomend at all having a dog retrieve birds with arrows in them especially broadheads there is just far too much that can go wrong and the dog end up with a nasty cut or worse. Yes i have bird hunting experience and yes i have bird dog experience. I have trained several State and National champion GSP's in field trialling and am also a qualified field trial judge.
Use ace hex heads when hunting over dogs. For me judo heads are made for stumping. I have experienced them just push pheasants, and even a partridge along. If no dogs, let the broadheads fly.
(http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab28/miklvines/001_2.jpg)
There is a line of pheasants on the roof of the trailblazer, and the trip in the snow was with my gun buddies, so I will not show the pictures of that day due to rules of pictures with animals taken with other means than trad gear, but I will say it was a totally awesome day even though it only reached 4 degrees that day.
(http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab28/miklvines/img073.jpg)
ya blunts don't usually do the trick for me I have had far more success with old broad heads that i don't intend to use on big game. What is an axe head ? and any one out their with some suggested reading on training would help
Even with broadheads, we have had birds go hundreds of yards with the arrow handing out. Because I never the dogs at home, I have become a fan of the magnus bullhead. Unfortunately they are expensive and it is not very effective if you smack a pheasant square on the tail. This is because it has such large blades, the upside is that the dog never has to deal with an arrow protruding from the bird.
Broadheads are easily the best head for bringing birds home but I would never recommend using them with dogs even though I have done it at time successfully. The dog had to be super steady or tethered and not perform any normal retrieves which is generally too much for most dogs.
It's not a axe head-it's a Ace hex head-a blunt w/ a concave head w/sharp shoulders. Hap
I have had the same experience hunting squriels with my red heelers. USE blunts or something similar. A good dog is hard to come by, and you don't want him/her hurt.
I did have one that could retrieve with broadheads, but she was special, and got cut a couple times at first. Just stopped using BH, for that reason. ( I didn't train her to do that, she was just that smart and careful)
The last thing anyone needs (including the dog) is a pup running around with a razors flopping. Sooner or later someone or pup is going to be hurt bad. Use a different head.
I would never ever consider using a sharp broadhead with dogs. They should be totally dull with no risk of actually cutting if you were going to attempt to use them.
My cocker spaniel is too old to hunt now, but in his prime he was great. the biggest problem I had with him is that he would rip all of the feathers off my arrows, then he would grab the arrow and bring it back to me. With pheasants he would drag them to a clear spot and then bark until I picked it up. I used steel blunts for pheasants with him. I use cheap, as in free, really bad three blade Hi Precisions that were made locally many years ago, now. I solid hit with a steel blunt with 50 Hill longbow brings pheasants down as good as anything. I have had them take off on a dead run with broadhead pass throughs, so mine have a notch cut in them like the old copperhead magnums had. That seems to be a bit more effective.