Bells or Beepers? (Cast your vote)

[RangeViewKennels]

Just wondering what you use in different parts of the country. I have both and use them in different cover.

If the cover is lower or more open I will use the bells. I also used bells this fall when hunting Hells Canyon in Idaho. The terrain was steep and the cover low for the most part. We did stumble into a couple of meadows though.

Out here on the Colorado prairie I will use beepers when the grass is tall or in the early season before the corn is cut.
Some years there is not much rain and you can see for miles.

I would like to get out to somewhere like Maine and try Woodcock. Can’t imagine what hunting through the thick wooded forest would be like.

[wolvmarine]

We use both beeper collars and bells on our pointers in Michigan and Wisconsin for Grouse and Woodcock. The bell is pretty much used as a gauge of how fast the dog might be moving - in other words "hunting" or "stalking" The thick cover makes the beeper collar critical for locating the dog on point as you often loose site of them when the more than 30 yards out or so. For those of you who are not familiar with collars - the tone changes when the dog goes on point. Come to think of it though - my flusher friends only use bells.

LB

[RangeViewKennels]

I was hunting my pointers with some flushers one time and it took about 15 min for the flushers to learn the difference in that tone. When my dogs went on point they would come running from across the field when they heard the hawk scream.

[TCJACK]

I was hunting my pointers with some flushers one time and it took about 15 min for the flushers to learn the difference in that tone. When my dogs went on point they would come running from across the field when they heard the hawk scream.

WOW THAT'S PRETTY COOL THE FLUSHER'S PICKED THAT UP SO QUICK!

[AnnabellaKennels]

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. Guiding pheasant hunts we sometimes lose site of the dogs in thick cover. After a few minutes of silence we go searching for them. A client used bells on his dogs this past weekend (different tone for each dog) and I thought it worked well. I have hunted behind the hawk scream beepers and was kind of bugged by the digital/tech sound of it. Seemed like it ruined the natural sounds of being outdoors. Both beepers and bells are effective but I currently don't use either.

If I was pushed I would choose the bells. A well made bell can be heard at quite a long distance.

[RangeViewKennels]

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. Guiding pheasant hunts we sometimes lose site of the dogs in thick cover. After a few minutes of silence we go searching for them. A client used bells on his dogs this past weekend (different tone for each dog) and I thought it worked well. I have hunted behind the hawk scream beepers and was kind of bugged by the digital/tech sound of it. Seemed like it ruined the natural sounds of being outdoors. Both beepers and bells are effective but I currently don't use either.

If I was pushed I would choose the bells. A well made bell can be heard at quite a long distance.

I will also use the beepers sometimes as a locator. With some of the Tri-tronics transmitters you can turn the beeper on remotely. I believe the transmitter you just got back is capable is doing this.
I lost site of a dog that got disoriented in some tall CRP in Kansas and was able to turn it on and find her.

[britguy]

I like using a bell. I guess because when I was growing up my dad used bells on all of the dogs. I find the beeper annoying, but thats just me.