Good Deal?

[Redhorse]

A guy has a mechanical bird launcher, whoa pole, and some bottles of bird scent (quail, pheasant, grouse) and he will sell it all to me for $50. Haven't gotten out and checked prices...is this as good a deal as I think it is?

[drwink]

mechanical I assume you mean "manual" & I think you mean bird releaser & not launcher.
I think a manual releaser goes for about $60 new from Lion Country Supply
Check them out at www.lscountry.com
So you may be getting a deal but I don't know what the whoa pole is worth, the scent goes for 6-7 bucks a bottle(about)
I have had it with manual releasers & just got a remote model with just one cage so far to build up to 3 by the time spring trining really gets underway.

Wally

[Redhorse]

Yes, I should have said manual...as apposed to a remote. I guess until the thing is in my hands, I won't know exactly what it is. The way he describes it, you place the bird in this spring loaded contraption. Then once the dog has pointed the bird, you step on an a trigger which launches the bird into the air. I saw something similar to what he is describing once, some buddies of mine used it to train setters. I think the whoa pole is a rod with a leash attached to one end, used for obedience training. I'll find out soon enough and let you know how it comes out. I've always been pretty low tech in my training. I think it's time to get a little more serious. 8)

[Redhorse]

Hope this pic comes through. I hate posting pics on this site, it's such a pain. Anyway, here is that whoa pole and bird launcher.



http://www.msnusers.com/SecondAmendmentfriendswithguns-/msgattachments/19[/img]


Well, I couldn't get the picture to come up.  :shock: I guess I'm just not computer literate enough. I posted the pic easily on this site that I help manage, you can look at it there. Why isn't it easy to put pics on this site?

[Redhorse]

Not sure on the proper name for this piece of equipment, but it sure is designed to launch the bird into the air and not just release it. Tried to go into that web site you posted drwink, but the page wouldn't come up for some reason. I wanted to compare this thing to the releaser you were talking about. The way it was described to me is to put some bird scent on the pad of the launcher, fold a bird into it and latch the top. Hide the whole thing in some grass, and work the dog till it starts to point your launcher. Hook the dogs training lead around the whoa pole, then shove it into the ground as you give the whoa command. This keeps the dog from creeping, or breaking point on the flush. Now go in for the flush by pulling the string on the launcher which will throw the bird about 8' straight up into the air. It is supposed to make training with poor flying birds much easier if nothing else. The guy says he did the whole process by himself, but certainly sounds like it should be a two man operation to me! 8)

[drwink]

http://www.lcsupply.com/store/flashcart.cfm?section+138

This is a supplier that most serious trainers & field trialers use.
You are correct about the launcher, you can attach a string & make it a one person operation, but does help to have two if the dog is not steady yet.
I just got a remote releaser for christmas and if the weather breaks here I can hardly wait to use it. I have been using kick cages so far and if the birds don't fly right away it sort of sucks.

Wally

[Redhorse]

Thanks drwink that site looks pretty handy, I put it in my favorites. I guess that launcher is either an Innotek, or a Dogtra. Didn't notice any name on it, but then again, I didn't really look. It would be interesting to see if I could put a remote on it later.