/default.aspx

We’re rolling through day three of our Rooster Road Trip, and as varied as the terrain has been throughout central Montana, the types of bird dogs we’ve been following might be even more diverse. From the all-American lab, to the English cocker spaniel, we’ve seen nine bird dogs comprised of five different breeds kick up everything from sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge to big, gaudy roosters.
 
When you see a pair of griffons coursing through the grass and then look down a draw to see a 20-pound cocker sniffing through thick kochia, it’s hard to imagine the differing styles and training techniques being utilized could all have something in common. Well, it’s true, and it happens to be the handlers’ reliance on their e-collars to not only keep the pups working effectively, but more importantly, to keep them safe.
 
When it comes to training collars, Garmin has you covered – whether you’re a pro-level trainer with setters who run a mile out, or a weekend warrior with a tight-working lab. To prove my point here’s the bird-dog jewelry being worn by some of the dogs on our trip and the specs that made their selection of a Garmin collar a no-brainer.
 
Andrew Vavra – Pheasants Forever Marketing Manager

Dog: Yellow Labrador Retriever
Training Collar: Garmin Pro 70
Tech-Specs: 

• Train up to 6 dogs at a time
• 6 levels of continuous stimulation and tone setting
• Up to 1 mile range
• Built-in BarkLimiter™

• Remote operation of beacon lights on dog device
• Easy to operate one-handed
• Receiver is water-rated to 10 meters

Comments: The beeper function is a must-have for me, and the fact I can activate it without looking down or fumbling with the transmitter made this collar love-at-first-use. An added bonus for those early morning duck hunts or late-night walks is the remotely activated beacon lights on the receiver – I never would have imagined how often this comes in handy.
 
Logan Hinners – Pheasants Forever Senior Graphic Designer

Dog: Yellow Labrador Retriever
Training Collar: Delta Sport XC
Tech-Specs:

• Intuitive 3-button hand held controller with easy to read LCD and built-in BarkLimiter™
• 36 levels of momentary and continuous stimulation plus tone and vibration
• 5 correction configurations for different behavioral issues

• Train 1, 2 or 3 dogs, settable on the handheld
• ¾ mile range

Comments: I like how the receiver and transmitter offer a compact and easy-to-use design while not sacrificing the ability to operate while wearing thick winter gloves. The real “wow” moment for me with this setup was the ease of which my brother (who also runs the Delta Sport XC) and I were able to sync our dogs’ collars so we can both control whichever pup happens to be running on our side of the field.
 
Dan Bailey – Pheasants Forever Montana Regional Representative
 
Dogs: 2 Wirehaired Pointing Griffons
Training Collar: Garmin Alpha
Tech-Specs:

• Combines proven Garmin GPS dog tracking with Tri-Tronics® electronic dog training technology
• Tracks up to 20 dogs or handlers from up to 9 miles away
• 18 training levels of continuous and momentary stimulation
• Tone and vibration alerts
• Preloaded TOPO U.S. 100k maps

• Measures dogs’ speed and distance traveled
• Easy to access training buttons allow you to communicate separately to each dog

Comments: My dogs cover some major acreage and the he Alpha is perfectly suited for me easily control both of them while instantly notifying me if one finds a bird somewhere over the horizon. Also, the ability to load the Garmin HuntView Montana map to the GPS transmitter makes this more than an e-collar, it’s a tool for success in the Big Sky state.

-Andrew Vavra is Pheasants Forever’s marketing manager, contact him at AVavra@pheasantsforever.org.