Tying down Birds

I AM IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO TRAIN MY GSP ON LIVE BIRDS UNTIL I FOUND OUT THAT F & G PROHIBITS THE RELEASING OF BIRDS AND RUNNING YOUR DOG USING THE WILD BIRDS UNTIL AFTER JULY. SO I THOUGHT THAT MAYBE I COULD AT THE LEAST GET HIM TO FIND BIRDS BY SCENTING INSTEAD OF SIGHT. ONE MORE QUESTION THAT IS ON MY MIND, I'VE READ IN SOME TRAINING BOOKS OF BIRDS BEING CARDED, WHAT DOES MEAN? CAN I SECURE FISHING LINE OF ABOUT 20 TO 30 FEET TO ONE OR BOTH OF THE BIRDS FEET WITH SAY A 2 OR OUNCE FISHING SINKER SO THAT I COULD RETRIEVE THE BIRD AFTER HE'S FLUSHED OR IS THIS STUPID TO DO?

ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU.

Martin,

I'm not sure what "carded" meant in the books you've read, but there are several methods to limit birds flight using cardboard or other weights. You can tie a couple lines to a birds foot and on the other end, attach it to a square of cardboard (in the corners). This will provide more resistance when the bird flies and he won't be able to go as far. Then he can be worked again, after he's had some time to rest. My personal favorite is to use a 8 or 10 inch piece of metal pipe. Tie one end of your string to the bird and the other to the pipe. When you flush the bird, he will fly like normal, until he hits the end of the string, then he'll stop and come down like he was shot (works great for steadiness training). When you're done, you can just roll the string around the pipe and it stores conveniently.

Keep in mind your birds must be good flyers to use these methods. I often find pen raised quail too weak to use. I prefer pigeons for most of this work. Working with pigeons will also never put you at risk of making your dogs stale on game birds.

Good luck,

Jack

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