The Great Debate: Beepers vs.
Bells
By Rhett Kermicle
Pointing dog
owners have long debated the merits of the various ways of keeping
track of their dogs in the field. There are really only two
choices: beeper or bell. The bell tends to be favored by hunters
who raised dogs in the era when there was no other choice. Upland
hunting writers of decades past waxed poetic about the familiar
tinkling of their favorite, melodious bell and how they followed
it as they traveled the autumn grouse covers behind their setter
or pointer.
My pointing
dogs have worn various bells in every type of cover there is, and
I enjoy the sound as much as anyone as my dog casts back and
forth, the bell reassuring me of my dog’s whereabouts. Its
simplicity leaves little to be desired. In fact, when the first
electronic beeper collars came on the market years ago, I couldn’t
believe I would ever allow this battery-operated piece of modern
gear to replace my simple bell.
But after
trying a beeper, I had to admit that from a practical point of
view, it had a lot going for it. Perhaps most notably, a beeper
keeps on beeping when your dog is on point, whereas a bell goes
silent. That fact alone can make a difference in your success
because in heavy cover such as a grouse woods you’ll find your dog
more quickly. I’ve even seen retriever owners put beepers on their
dogs when hunting head-high Midwestern CRP fields.
One of the
biggest complaints I hear from hunters who don’t like beepers is
that the sound is irritating. Thankfully, most manufacturers
listened to those complaints and now offer beepers with
pleasant-sounding tones. Another knock against beepers was that it
meant you had to add another collar. For a few years, the joke in
the pointing dog world was that we would have to start breeding
dogs with longer necks to accommodate their regular collar,
e-collar and beeper collar. But today we have self-contained
beepers that can be slid onto one of the dog’s other collar straps
and then be removed when not needed, so they are very convenient.
After
experimenting with many types of beepers over the past several
years, here are some of the most valuable features I suggest you
should look for. First, look for a model that lets you choose from
different sounds. Some types of beeps are more pleasant to the ear
than others. A “hawk scream” beep is popular with many hunters
because it is a natural sound. There’s also the theory that it
makes game birds stop running because they are fooled into
thinking a hawk is nearby, so they hunker down and try to hide,
which provides a better opportunity for your dog to make a solid
point. I can’t prove or disprove this theory, but I’m certain this
feature doesn’t hurt, so that’s the sound I use most often.
Adjustable
volume is also important. You need a lot more volume during a
windy day of pheasant hunting on the prairie or in the
early-season grouse woods. But on a still day, you’ll often wish
you could turn down the volume.
Another
important feature is the choice of beep intervals. For example, if
you’re hunting in the open where your dog is often in sight, a
beep every 10 seconds is probably all you need to keep tabs on
him. But in the woods where a dog can quickly run out of sight,
it’s easier to keep track of him if the beep sounds off more
often, perhaps every 5 seconds. And maybe you only need to hear
the beep when your dog points; a “silent” mode provides it.
My favorite
model is the SportDog beeper. It ties together these features,
plus it operates on a lithium battery that rarely needs changing,
so it’s about the most trouble-free way I’ve found to keep tabs on
my dogs.
If you want
to review other equipment and training considerations, I’ve been
archiving such information at the SportDog Web site:
www.sportdog.net .
Refer to this site for training tips or to review other articles
in this training series.
Rhett
Kermicle has 20 years’ experience training hunting dogs. He is a
co-owner, guide and dog handler at Wild Wing Kennel in Sturgis,
Kentucky. For more information, go to
www.wildwingkennel.com
.
