Upland Hunting Tips
Hunt into the Wind
When possible, but when you are hunting downwind let the dog range a little further. It will hunt back toward you, and any birds pointed will be pinned down between you and the dog.
Walk Past the Point
Flush the birds by stepping past the point. Allowing the dog to flush the birds encourages poor manners, and a dog that chases a low flying bird could be shot by mistake.
Tramp around the cover near the point if necessary, but just walking close enough to the bird should do the trick.
All of the Perdiz are wild birds.
Always be Ready
Even with the dog far ahead, keep you gun in a safe position while walking, but always be able to mount, swing and shoot.
Especially on high wind days, Perdiz will often flush beside you without the help of your pointer locating them. It always means the difference of three or four more birds in the bag per shoot if the hunters stay vigilant and ready throughout the walking.
Do Not Rush the Shot
Many Perdiz flush just inches from the hunter's feet. On close flushes, take a deep breath and count about a "two Mississippi" before pulling the trigger so that your shot string will have plenty of room to expand.
Practice
Don't spoil the trip by not practicing up on your sporting clays and trap before coming down. It may have been a few months since your hunting season ended (let's face it, turkey hunting does not count for serious shooting practice), and you might be surprised how far off your timing can become by July.
Review
On the van ride out to the field, take a few minutes to review some basic gun safety with your shooting partner, especially if you do not know one another, and/or hunt together regularly.
Make sure he or she is familiar with the operation of your shotgun, and you with his or hers.
Never become complacent, and never assume anything. Your upland hunting guides may have limited English speaking ability, so rely only on your shooting partner as the final additional layer of safety.
Situational Awareness
One need only look at what happened to a well known politician that caused a hunting accident by busting a second covey without knowing the exact position of every member of his hunting party.
The facts are simple, but powerful: No matter what activity we are engaged in, if there is a chance of physical injury or death, the following statements hold true:
In the conduct of our daily lives, when we follow our standard routines and habit patterns, the likelihood of our having an accident is very slim.
That is why there are hunter safety courses, and endless books and magazine articles about the subject. Because of the availability of this information, and the fact that all serious outdoorsmen heed this advice, bird hunting is not considered an inherently dangerous activity.
