How long to look for a wounded bird?

[Gus]

How long should a hunter look for a wounded bird? I've been with hunting parties who would look for 5 minutes or less, and others who would look for 30 minutes or longer, even stopping all dogs (as best they could, and other hunters) until that bird was found. I know this depends on dogs, hunting conditions, but your opinion?

[BritChaser]

On average I'd say we'll spend up to 20 minutes. We have dogs and if the dogs can't find it we will likely not find it by sight hunting, especially in non-crop cover.

[Dakotazeb]

I'll look until I'm certain that either myself or the dogs are not going to find it. Placing an exact time on it is impossible as conditions, etc. may effect it a lot.

[OldDublin]

It would seem that any time limit set would represent more wrong than right.
One looks untill one is satisfied that one has looked enough.
That's one idea anyway....from one person.

[UplandHntr]

Ive looked for 30 mins or so. I feel that an honest attempt

[Gus]

Great commentary and advice. I would be proud to hunt with any of you.

[Ranger Rick]

No time limit here, but until I'm satisfied that there's nothing to find. Sometimes you missed when you thought you'd hit. I've had bird dive underneath something and buried, never to be found. Other times they've run off. On one grouse hunt I dropped a grouse on the edge of the aspen where it met a cedar swamp. My brother also marked the drop, so we had it triangulated and well marked. I get the dog over, tell him "dead bird", he goes round and round in increasingly large circles, I bring him back and repeat a couple times with him stopping and looking at me as if to say "WTF. There's nothing here". We decide to cut through the swamp to some more aspen on the other side and in the middle of it my setter goes backwards. I call him and he comes back with the grouse in his mouth. The bird had run off about 50 yards into the swamp and died. Somehow he caught scent of it and found it.

[david0311]

Originally Posted by Gus

How long should a hunter look for a wounded bird? I've been with hunting parties who would look for 5 minutes or less, and others who would look for 30 minutes or longer, even stopping all dogs (as best they could, and other hunters) until that bird was found. I know this depends on dogs, hunting conditions, but your opinion?

Have had very good results on returning later to a spot where a bird could not be found on first attempt--up to several hours later-- just myself and the dogs--not a bunch of people and dogs stomping around--have found some right in original area-- others quite some distance away--has worked many times

[SetterNut]

I don't really go by time, I make a good solid effort and make sure the dog is doing the same.

[calamari]

Originally Posted by david0311

Have had very good results on returning later to a spot where a bird could not be found on first attempt--up to several hours later-- just myself and the dogs--not a bunch of people and dogs stomping around--have found some right in original area-- others quite some distance away--has worked many times

This is a great topic that hunters should take time thinking about. The above comment is so true. I thought I'd lost a rooster last year after the dog and I couldn't find it at the pile of feathers and doing spiral circles away from the spot for 20 minutes. I called her back and started all over at the feather pile and she started digging in the grass and pulled the rooster out of this low Bermuda grass mat where it had burrowed right where it hit. I think I stepped on it the first time we were there and that was probably what killed it.
Before birds fly they lose skin cells and scent. There's a theory that when they fly that scent gets air washed off and it makes the birds hard to find again if there isn't a lot of blood or gut scent. Wait awhile and as noted keep other scent sources to a minimum when you go back.
I've looked for over an hour lots of times. This last dove opener my friend lost a dove in gyp corn within 50 of him. We didn't have a dog but he and I looked for 15 minutes and went back to hunting. When a guy left with his lab later in the day, we asked him if he wouldn't mind having his dog look for the bird. They looked for about the same amount of time and that dog tore that corn up. No luck. We went for a walk and when we came by the place on our way out we systematically walked in a grid and looked at every possible square inch where it could be. We found it outside of the area my friend said it would be in but where the dog had looked. You can never take too much time.