My GSP is breaking point too early on pheasants - any tips?
Been hunting with my 2-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer for two seasons now. He's solid on quail and holds point well, but on wild pheasants he tends to creep in and flush them at about 15-20 yards instead of holding steady. I'm shooting a Beretta A400 Xcel with an IC choke using Federal Prairie Storm #5s. We're hunting public land in Kansas.
1 Answer
That's a super common issue with young pointers on wild birds - pheasants just have that nervous energy that makes dogs antsy. What worked for my Vizsla was using a check cord and planted birds to reinforce the 'whoa' command at that critical distance. Start with dead birds planted at 30 yards, work him upwind, and make him hold for a solid minute before release. Also consider switching to a Modified choke for those longer pheasant shots - gives you a little more reach when they do flush wild. How's his recall when you call him off point?
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