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Spaniels hunting technique


captainhastings
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I have a lurcher at the moment but as I get into shooting more my next dog is likely to be a gundog. Watching spaniels working on youtube espeacially rough shooting they constantly cast back and forward. Why don't the just use there noses more and save energy ? My lurcher has a terrific nose and I can walk him into the wind up a hedge row or through a wood and he finds stuff no problem. From woodcock to rabbit's and any thing else I want him too. So why do spaniels feel the need to go like a bat out of hell back and forward. Just curious is all 

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thats what spaniels do until the day they die..............there are going to be a lot of days when scenting is not good...wind aint right...and towards the end of a season ...birds get wise....they dont spring until you damn near step on them....

look at the history of spaniels....they were trained bred to "spring" birds for the hawk ...in portugal/spain....(es-spaniol....=spaniel)

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7 minutes ago, captainhastings said:

I have a lurcher at the moment but as I get into shooting more my next dog is likely to be a gundog. Watching spaniels working on youtube espeacially rough shooting they constantly cast back and forward. Why don't the just use there noses more and save energy ? My lurcher has a terrific nose and I can walk him into the wind up a hedge row or through a wood and he finds stuff no problem. From woodcock to rabbit's and any thing else I want him too. So why do spaniels feel the need to go like a bat out of hell back and forward. Just curious is all 

Spaniels are mainly ground scenting, while there is the ambient scent of game, they will have their face down casting around for the stronger smell. The quartering has more or less been bred in to them to cover the most amount of ground while staying close so they don't flush out of range.

Your lurcher probably picks up air scent better and that would explain how has good walking him into the wind 

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This picture I have added is for a HPR on open ground, hence the picture stating the beat could be up to 200 yards either side.
 

Just imagine it’s 10-20 yards either side for a spaniel. 
 

The dog covers a much larger area efficiently when quartering ground properly, greatly increasing the ability of the dog to find scent and flush game. 
 

Giving you opportunity to shoot and add game to the bag. 
 

A dog that just runs about and doesn’t hunt a pattern will find less game. 
 

In real life not many dogs will hunt a text book pattern, some argue a perfect pattern only exists in a text book... but most good dogs will hunt some sort of pattern. 
 

 

Lots of dogs on shoots that have received bare minimal training will be let off the lead and just run forward in a straight line, charging through the woods 50-100 yards away from the handler flushing whatever happens to get up.
 

Some can keep their dogs close and they move along putting their dogs into various bits of cover or areas where they think there might be game. 
 

All depends what you want to train your dog for and how much work you want to put in. 

89091884-41AB-4F62-BE5A-09CF1E6437B8.jpeg

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if you work regular with a spaniel....some of them become very atuned to what you like.........

i had one spaniel (sprocker)........that when i cast her off in a small wood or spinney.....she would go 40 yds straight as an arrow in frount of me...then quater the ground allthe way back to me drivingb the birds as she went.............and i never taught her to do that...she figured that out for herself....in the early days with her i would have her work close in and back which often resulted in birds getting up and going forward that i couldnt shoot as they got lost in the trees...........

she figured out the rest.....clever little girl

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11 minutes ago, ditchman said:

if you work regular with a spaniel....some of them become very atuned to what you like.........

i had one spaniel (sprocker)........that when i cast her off in a small wood or spinney.....she would go 40 yds straight as an arrow in frount of me...then quater the ground allthe way back to me drivingb the birds as she went.............and i never taught her to do that...she figured that out for herself....in the early days with her i would have her work close in and back which often resulted in birds getting up and going forward that i couldnt shoot as they got lost in the trees...........

she figured out the rest.....clever little girl

 

Exactly how a spaniel should work a back wind :) and makes for lovely shooting long as they're not too close lol. 

1 minute ago, captainhastings said:

Yes I can see it being a cocker/springer. I like to do a bit of ferreting so hoping it will lend its self to marking. We had a cocker as a pet before the lurcher a right character and to be honest I am looking forward to training a new dog when the time comes

 

A good spaniel hitting cover can also be used to flush for lurchers :) 

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