Thoughts On Range / How Close Is Too Close?

Ryman-Type Range

Range is an important aspect of a dog’s performance for hunters to consider. Ryman-type setters’ range is often described as “close”, “close working”, or “foot hunting”. These are, at best, highly subjective terms that have VERY different meanings to different people.

Most of us who are attracted to the Ryman-type want a dog that is comfortable to hunt with – we don’t want to spend our time chasing after our dogs or trying to reign them in. There is variation in range among Ryman-types and individual dogs will adapt their range not only to suit the cover but also to match the speed of the hunter. They’re not independent so they’re always looking back to keep track of you and regularly coming back to check in.

Personal preference plays a role in deciding what’s best for each of us but there are some important considerations that are often overlooked. Can close working dogs be too close? Unequivocally, yes they can.

So What Is Too Close?

In a nutshell if the dog isn’t getting far enough from the hunter to locate and point birds before they’re flushed by the hunter, it’s too close.

Birds most often flush because of the approaching hunter, not because of the presence of the dog. Once the dog establishes a point, birds are perfectly safe right where they are so they’re unlikely to flush if the dog remains stationary. At the approach of the hunter birds either flush or begin to run away but they’ll usually sit tight until they see you coming along behind the dog. (I’m applying all of this to hunting wild birds – planted birds don’t require any of these considerations)

In late season or when birds have been pressured they often flush before you’re close enough to get a shot, or even see them in heavy cover. The dog has to move out further than the range the birds will allow you to approach or it will have very little chance of ever establishing a point. Birds will let the dog get closer if they aren’t already focused on you and they’ll sit tighter for your approach if they’re distracted by the dog standing there pointing.

If you’re an experienced hunter you’re probably wondering why I’m bothering to explain this. Believe it or not there are people who want a dog that “stays within gun range” or, even worse, “is always in sight”. In grouse cover a dog can be out of sight at 20 yards. Even in wide open country on Huns and Chukars I often can’t see the dog at 40 yards, which is pretty much “gun range”. At this range most of these birds are going to flush long before the dog has a chance to point them.

Breeding Considerations

So far I’ve been talking about range from the hunter’s perspective but let’s switch to the breeder’s perspective. Range is a critical consideration for any breeder. On the most basic level you have to select for enough range to give your dogs a chance to handle birds. Only the least wary, easiest to handle (dumbest?) birds will let both hunter and dog approach to within gun range without flushing. You can’t identify and breed for better bird handling if the only birds available for the dog to point are the dumbest ones in the cover. Many of those more challenging birds can be pointed but the dog has to move out a little further to even have a chance.

For example our closest dogs range about 50-60 yards and our widest 80-100 yards – this is on typical back and forth casts in wide open country, when quartering and not working birds. However, and this is crucial, they need the confidence and desire to take the initiative and move much further out to locate birds they become aware of, or to check places they think could hold birds. When they’re done they come back and check in. When they find birds they point and wait for you to get there. It’s still a cooperative effort between hunter and dog.

Here’s a video clip of our closest working dog, Autumn, on a point she made at 250 yards. She went from right in front of us, at maybe 30 yards, out to the side and straight to these birds where she pointed them. Watch closely at 1:29 and you’ll see her look over her shoulder to make sure we’re coming before she relocates. She does it again at 2:04 and her head turns slowly as she watches Lisa walk in to flush the covey. We’re a team. They’re our birds, not her birds.

This is Dusty, one of our fastest and widest ranging dogs, hunting at her typical range. Note how often she checks in. She occasionally comes all the way up to me for a quick head pat, which she does in this video but you can’t see it, and she does the same thing whatever speed I choose to walk. Again, we’re a team.

Bottom line – yes, there’s a minimum range at which a pointing dog can be effective.

Cliff