The only thing harder than hitting doves, ducks, snipe, quail and woodcock may be finding them. Of course, retrieving dogs don’t seem to have much of a problem. But then again their olfactory senses (sniffing capability) are estimated to be 10,000 times better than that of even the biggest-nosed humans.

And hunting with a trained, well-behaved dog that loves to sniff downed birds out of stiff cover can be as much, if not more fun, as shooting. Then there’s the conservation part of it. No one will argue that fewer cripples and outright killed birds are lost and bag limits filled quicker when dogs are part of the hunt. But let’s face it the time, expense and responsibility that goes along with keeping a hunting companion/pet is a commitment not every hunter is willing to make.

Dog or no dog, every ethical hunter has the responsibility to make every effort to recover fallen birds. In fact, federal law says “All migratory birds shall be retrieved, if possible, and retained in the custody of the hunter in the field?” To do otherwise would constitute a violation known as “Wanton Waste.” Besides breaking the law, losing birds means less meat on the table.
It’s pretty amazing how easily birds can be lost. I’m sure all dove hunters have witnessed how a bare, but plowed-up field can make a stone dead dove disappear when you go to pick it up. Not to mention how hard it is to locate a downed dove or quail in tall cover. Going directly to the spot of fall without taking your eyes off and still not finding it can be frustrating. And any birds that still have enough life left in them to wander off are nearly impossible to find.

Snipe and woodcock may be the worst. These birds’ lives depend on the camo that they wear. Remaining motionless in cover that their feathers mimic is their front line of defense. Number two is their quick, erratic getaway flight patterns. That same camo that conceals them in the grass makes it tough to locate them when they’re dead. If you happen to be lucky, more birds than not will land breast up. At least the lighter breast and white underneath their wings will make them easier to spot. Whether it’s biological or otherwise, I find it’s about a 70/30 split in favor of dead birds landing with their breast downward.

Teal season in Louisiana presents some especially difficult retrieves. In September, the summer growth of green vegetation is at its fullest. Thick stands of lilies, bulrushes, canes and a wide variety of waist-high grasses make finding teal like looking for that proverbial needle in a marsh. Knock a teal down on the water - no problem; if it falls over a broken marsh - big problem. To make it worse, alligators are still very active and anyone with the least bit of consideration would never subject their dog to making retrieves in gator habitat. So, many teal hunters have no choice but to be dog less.

Finding birds on your own because you’re one of the many dog less shooters or because Duke was under the weather can be a tricky task. It can even become a fun challenge and over those years when for whatever reasons me and my buddies were dog less I’ve made a study of it. Here are some of those tips to help you find more birds.

The single most important rule in locating a fallen bird is to watch the fall, pinpoint the location by mentally marking it and then go straight to it without taking your eyes off the spot. Yeah, right. Easier said than done, you say. I know when you’re trying for that double on doves or lining up a second duck with your bead, there are a lot of distractions that follow a successful shot. You could be looking at another incoming flock, reloading your gun or watching the next guy down the row make a nice shot. In other words, the “one in the hand worth two in the bush” isn’t easy to follow.

Another mistake retrieving hunters often make is approaching a downed bird with an unloaded gun. Always think out the approach to a fallen bird. Assume they are still alive. Make sure your gun is loaded, ready to click the safety off and be sure the field of fire behind the expected escape route is clear. It’s always better, if possible, to approach the bird quietly - into the wind. That way a fleeing bird will be forced to fly against the breeze making for an easier follow up shot.

If you get distracted or you miscalculated the bird’s location or if it sneaks away, mark the original spot where you thought it fell with your cap, piece of paper of other marker. Then start making ever-widening circles around it until you find it. That way you won’t wander off the trail or waste time retracing your steps. Find scattered feathers and your bird usually won’t be far away.

While it may be unsporting to shoot ducks on the water, there’s no shame in raking cripples as soon as they fall into the pond. It’s surprising how tough ducks can be. Most hunters have seen those birds whose wings fold and hit the water hard only to get up and set sail for the nearest, thickest clump of grass, then disappear. Shooting at the time before a wounded bird makes it to shore or gets out of gun range is critical in recovering it. Injured ducks will dive under grass mats and drown themselves to avoid capture. A good way to stop cripples is to use smaller shot sizes like 6s or even 7s that throw denser patterns on the water. Since most of the body will be protected under the water it’s more important to make a head shot than to hit harder. The thicker the BBs are, the better the chances for placing a lethal shot.

It’s also important to retrieve birds as quickly as possible even if you’re certain of its location. During the heat of the first split it sometimes doesn’t take as long for fire ants to find doves as for the hunter. If you allow ducks with web feet skyward to drift in the wind across a pond you’ll run the risk of losing them even if they are in full sight. It’s not just us hunters who enjoy duck dinners. Alligators, garfish, crabs, hawks, otters, minks and other predators are just waiting for you to do the hard work.

I used to hunt an average sized, perfectly round pond that was home to a marsh hawk. It seemed like every time the hawk heard us shoot it would take up its position in a scrub tree on the far bank. Whenever there was a west or northwest wind we would hunt that side with the wind at our backs. The bird would light on its perch on the east side then wait for us to knock down those fat gadwalls and let them drift right to him. If we didn’t retrieve each bird the hawk would stand on it and eat pick all the breast meat - and only the breast meat. The hawk associated shotgun blasts with a duck dinner. If only we could have trained him to share.