|
|||||||||
It felt a little like Christmas when I received the long awaited e-collar from my good friend Jayson Toerck. Jayson, who joins the guys on KSL's Utah Outdoors Radio, provides listeners with fishing and hunting reports in the Salt Lake area, and often has an opportunity to field test equipment offered by radio sponsors. As luck would have it, my German Short Hair Katie, was the recipient of the new prize.
I planned to go hunting over the week-end so getting the collar a couple of days earlier gave me ample time to put the required 24 hour first time charge on the receiver. After a few minutes of reading the Operating Guide I was ready to go test the new collar.
The most intriguing sound for me was the hawk screech. Since I hunt the Idaho desert for chukkar partridge, I thought the familiar sound of a menacing hawk might just do the trick. I generally keep my shorthair within about 75 yards and seldom let her go over a ridge where she is not visible. As many hunters know chukkars live in steep terrain running up and flying down the mountain. If your dog is out of sight and locked on point you might never get a glimpse let alone a shot, at nervous chukkars. Since the collar was very loud I thought it might be prudent to get Katie accustomed to it before she was hunting. When I pressed the button that activates the screech I was rather disturbed with what I saw. My poor dog spun around trying to figure out what that terrible sound was and how she could get away from it. I thought, how in the world could this possibly work? Since it was apparent that considerable engineering went into this device I figured I would need to give it a try.
Later that afternoon, we found more birds and ended the day with one bird shy of our limit. Each time the collar was impressive. It didn’t take long to start trusting that incredible sound. The next outing was a short pheasant hunt. It was the late season and I was hunting in eastern Washington. The roosters were very wild and the wheat fields had been cut to stubble months before. Ground cover in the area was sparse and the holding areas for birds were limited to ditch banks, ravines, and fence lines. I wasn’t 20 minutes from my Expedition when I lost sight of Katie. She had been working some stubble wheat that was cut roughly 10 inches tall. After I lost sight of her I blew my whistle with no response. I was just getting ready to tick her with the e-collar when I heard the faint sound of the hawk screech. It sounded hundreds of yards away as I began to move quickly toward the sound. To my surprise I topped a little knoll and the sound was considerably closer that I had anticipated. I could see my shorthair locked up at the farthest edge of the wheat field some 80 yards away. Beyond the wheat field was a plowed field that extended to the next hillside 300 hundred yards away. To my amazement, Katie had probably been on point for over five minutes. As I approached her the collar was again screeching that obnoxious sound. When I was approximately 20 yards from my dog I began to doubt that my pooch was really on point. Although she never false points for more than a second or two, I could not see anything in front of her. I walked up beside her and strained to see what she was locked on all the while this collar was screaming in both of our ears. Then I saw it, barely visible above the furrow I saw the top of a rooster pheasants head as he stayed motionless not 5 yards from my dog. I walked to the bird so I could flush it and was overwhelmed to see what happened. Rather than jump into the air and present the typical rooster pheasant shot, this old boy didn’t want anything to do with mixing it up with a hawk in flight. The crazy bird jumped up and started running across the plowed field. I was so off balance at the sight of it I didn’t shoot. The bird covered 50 plus yards before it finally took flight. Katie of course, was very excited when the bird broke to run. After I calmed her down we turned around and walked not 10 yards from where she had pointed the last bird. In an instant Katie was again on point. Since we were only feet from where I walked into the last set up I was sure that this was a false point. Just when I was about to call her off the second rooster flushed into the air. Luckily, one quick shot from my 20 gauge finally rewarded Katie for a job well done. We were fortunate to harvest two more roosters in the same manner. The collar worked its magic and Katie and I were successful. All in all, Katie pointed 4 roosters and 11 hens in approximately 5 hours of hunting. Each time my little shorthair locked up I was at least 75 yards away. Each time the collar went off I was able to close the distance comfortably and get in a position to make an easy shot. I didn’t try the other sounds the collar produces because the hawk screech was so effective. I’m sure each sound works as it was intended.
The transmitter’s compact size makes it a joy to carry. The attached lanyard also prevents loss which was a big concern when I carried the bulky transmitter supplied with my old collar. The power settings of the e-collar range from 1 to 8. I’ve not had to use a setting higher than 2 to get my dogs attention. The audible device is attached to the same collar as the e-collar receiver. I’m not sure if it matters but I could not seem to keep the audible device centered over my dog’s neck. When the device shifts to the side it rotates the receiver to the side was well. Other than aesthetics I’m not sure if it affects overall performance. I give the folks at sportdog an A+. The collar worked far better than I had expected. The confidence that the collar will give you after just a brief exposure will allow you to push you dog to its limits. I very confident that I was able to harvest several birds last fall that I would normally have not even seen, let alone shoot at. Steve Minnis Visit SportDOG for more information or to purchase yours today!
|
SportDog - Upland Hunter SD-1850
The new 
Although I was familiar with e-collars I had no experience with an upland beeper. The 9 individual settings on the SD-1850 beeper give users the choice of a hawk squall, bobwhite call, and a number of other beeps that vary in tone and volume features. Transitioning from one sound to the other is very user friendly.
I decided to test the collar by letting Katie range a little farther than normal including allowing her to disappear over a ridge some 100 Yards away. After only 30 minutes of hunting I was amazed to hear the screech of a hawk coming from the direction of my dog. At first I didn’t trust the sound. Having never used an audible collar I thought there must be some technical malfunction. The sound kept repeating itself and sounded as if it was coming from a stationary position. I was over 100 yards from the sound when I realized that my dog must be on point. I quickly closed the uphill distance and crested the ridge. I could see my shorthair locked up tighter than a drum as this collar was screaming in her ears. I was stunned to see her motionless while the collar kept cycling through the sound. I couldn’t decide if I should take pictures or get ready to shoot as the birds flushed in front of me. Needless to say if you’ve just climbed a monster hill in search of the illusive chukkar, picture taking generally takes second place. Although I consider myself an above average shot on chukkars, the excitement of knowing that this collar was going to increase my success was all it took to make me miss both shots with my favorite side by side. Although I was embarrassed to miss such a perfect set up I knew this collar was going to give me years of enjoyment. Needless to say Katie wasn’t impressed either.
Home - Fishing - National Parks - ATV - Photography - Other Topics - Recreational Property
Place your ad here and reach the great outdoors! Listen to the Utah Outdoors
radio show, Saturdays from 6-8 a.m. on KSL.
|
