Training yourself and your Pointer

Discuss everything and anything related to dogs in theHunter.
Post Reply
User avatar
Sudge
Newbie
Posts: 43
Joined: April 27th, 2020, 12:28 am
Contact:

Training yourself and your Pointer

Post by Sudge »

Hi, I’m Andy and have trained two (2) pointers to lvl 50 and think I have trained myself to work them to about Lvl 25. I play under two aliases Sudge and AndyG. Many of the issues I see posted on forums relating to the pointer stem from players lack of skill in working the pointer!
I love the pointer and believe its development to be a masterpiece provided to us by the developers. As a kid I used to train gun dogs and I think in the case of the pointer and retriever the developers have got it pretty right.
So here I thought I would provide you with some of my findings.
To really get the best out of your pointer you must work as hard at teaching yourself to use it as you do to build its skill levels.
“Come” and “Stay” are the only two direct dog commands you need use. Those along with detect RABBITS/BIRDS – FOXES/GEESE/COYOTE and DEER/FELINES.
Understanding each of the dogs skill levels is very important in the initial stages because at each of these levels animal and the dogs behavior change and therefore so too must yours.
Your pointer can DETECT the following:
• Level 1: Pheasant, Ptarmigan, Duck, Turkey and Rabbit of all types.
• Level 4: Fox, Goose, and Coyote
• Level 34: Felines and Deer (except Moose and Elk)
Its detection RANGE will be:
• Level 1: 120m from the player
• Level 19: 160m from the player
• Level 44: 200m from the player
It will warn you of the targets CRITICAL ALERT STATE
• Level 1: 30% success rate upon closest animal entering alert state
• Level 24: 60% success rate upon closest animal entering alert state
• Level 41: 90% success rate upon closest animal entering alert state
The pointer will start pointing at the target:
• Level 1: 20 meters away from animal before pointing.
• Level 6: 30 meters away from animal before pointing.
• Level 49: 40 meters away from animal before pointing
To quickly build the dogs skills you should take on as many of the species its capable of detecting. Until level 6 your dog is limited to Pheasant, Ptarmigan, Duck, Turkey and Rabbit of all types. And up to that level it will only start pointing at them from 20mtrs away! However; let me assure you that for most of the birds and rabbits that’s enough for you to have extremely successful hunts and to take your dog to level 25+!!!! Very quickly!
The Pheasant in Hirschfelden are the best to start with because they are clearly visible and therefore you can better study the dog’s behavior when at work and you should have a shotgun.
Don’t just blindly hunt with the pointer. Keep experimenting about things like distance you travel behind the dog. Check if animals spook when you give the dog commands when its nearby. Study and learn how each species reacts to your dog in its various working state. On every hunt experiment. Once your dog picks up a scent, follow as close behind as you can and note if the target spooks. If it spooks drop back a little for the next and keep trying. Remember your green dog will be pointing at just 20mtrs away so if the animal is spooking that maybe the issue. However; with Pheasants this will not be an issue.
Once your dog picks up a scent and your close behind, crouch and you’ll travel at the same speed as the dog. Once the dog starts pointing simply bypass it and walk towards the pheasant. If you can’t see it, simply walk directly in the direction the dogs pointing … spooking the bird into the air and shoot .. easy.
Try giving your dog the STAY command while its pointing (close by the target). Watch the reaction of the target. Do this for EVERY species as it is a critical part of your skill learning process. Most species will not spook when you whistle this command to your dog however, some will at certain ranges. Learn these ranges. Most animals will not spook when sighting your dog in the LAY position but do when its pointing or stalking. You must learn these patterns for each species.
Harvest 25-30 Pheasant’s before moving on to Ptarmigans. Head for Hemendal, Drangstorp Lodge and head west. The pointer will tell you when they around. Hunting is much the same as the Pheasant however keep experimenting with command distances etc on many occasions you’ll not even sight the Ptarmigan just bypass the dog and follow its point line waiting for the bird to take flight. 25-30 of these and watch you dogs skill levels skyrocketing not to mention yours!
If you can hunt all three species of Ptarmigan; however, that will require at least one tent and some climbing gear. You’ll love the hunts and if you complete 25-30 harvests of each your dog will be well past level 25! Once your in Ptarmigan territory you will be harvesting your 25-30 within a 2 hour hunt session comfortably!
I leave the European Rabbit hunt till the dog reaches at least level 19. Why? Because at level 19 his detection range increases from 120m to 160m and that makes a big difference when searching for warrens. The Euro rabbit is easy for sure ….. simply sprint till your dog detects then follow till it shows you the warren location. However, contrary to many posting on this subject it is a slightly slower skill upgrading process. It takes more time to harvest rabbits than Ptarmigan! The best map to start is Australia north of the railway line. Remember your dog will be scenting a path 320mtrs wide so plan your search of the region by moving 320mtrs from your past travels.
The Cottontail Rabbit is also fun and southern Settlers Creek is in my view the best place to start as the grass is often shorter and they can be easier to see than on loggers. If you can’t see the target remember your pointer is pointing approx. 30mtrs out so you’ll have a pretty good idea of its location.
Then head for the snow and hunt the snow hare. The pointer makes this so easy and by working the southern regions you’ll quickly reach you 25-30 target. With Snow Hare you may have to travel up to 10mtrs behind the dog so as not to spook it. Hey keep experimenting and learn different animal behavior to your dog and yourself.
Your pointer will be now in its very high 30 level however, for you, things become a little more difficult. Once you start hunting foxes, felines and deer, its the players skills that become paramount rather than the dogs. Learn these skills and the pointer will add a new fulfilling dimension to your hunting experience.
As your dog will still be trying to point at the target just 30mtrs away you will experience spook issues. That’s especially so if you still trying to travel at his ass.
There are a few different techniques to try and use when hunting foxes/coyote and deer.
1. Allow your dog to detect the target and show direction. Command it to STAY and go on yourself to harvest it.
2. Allow your dog to detect the target and show direction. Command it to STAY, then call the target to you with a caller. Most animals will simply step over your dog when its in the lay position on its path to you. However, this is often not so if the dogs standing or moving.
3. Allow your dog to detect, follow and point at the target
Experimentation for each species will tell you the best course of action. That course can also vary slightly for differing terrain. For me the fun is in the discovery and reward is boundless.
Your pointer is brilliant at finding reindeer or Sitka Deer but even on lvl 50 he will spook them at 40mtrs. Best to allow him to get to within 100mtrs, give the stay command and then call them in. They will walk over the dog to get to you!
The pointer does have its uses when stand hunting. However, don’t have your dog under the stand with most species. When in the stand, to move your dog away simply command it to look for a species not in the region. Face the direction you want your dog to be and it will run out about 30-40mtrs searching. Once out there give it the STAY command. Animals will now not be spooked by your dog even if they come from its direction.
If there’s no activity around command the dog to search. It will immediately tell you if there’s an animal within 200mtrs! If there is command it to stay and call the animal in. If it detects none, don’t waste time …. move on.
Coyotes are great to hunt with a pointer. You can move quickly over terrain as the lvl 50 dog is scenting 200mtrs out. Once detected the dog tells you when to crouch with its “animal alert state warning” (true for every species). At that point you can determine if you wish the dog to continue or command it to STAY. The target is close and if you call it in with the dog in STAY position they are unlikely to spook.
Occasionally you will hunt regions where the dog will detect two differing species, which can be annoying if you are only wishing for the one. Reindeer hunting in Hemmeldal (it will detect Roe deer). Loggers Point rabbits and turkeys. They are the only two areas I’m aware of. When this happens, you have to walk away for around 150mtrs to encourage the dog to take on a new scent or if you find track to set him off that works.
Why use your dog instead of just following the tracks? The dog takes a direct line so is quicker. The dog gives you a “critical state warning” very accurately and warns you when stealth is required.
Don’t waste money feeding your dog! The developers were too prudish to give it an ass, so all it’ll get is constipation!
The pointer won’t necessarily find you higher scoring animals. However, for the ‘starter’ and ‘intermediate’ players it will find you more animals and it can help you better stalk them.
As I stated earlier, the developers have done a remarkable job on this dog and I hope that this post might encourage others to discover the enjoyment and fun that I’ve discovered in using and training it.
User avatar
Dmitri
EW Staff
EW Staff
Posts: 1043
Joined: September 12th, 2019, 1:09 pm
Contact:

Re: Training yourself and your Pointer

Post by Dmitri »

excellent topic, thanks!
Post Reply

Return to “Kennel”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest