Post by tasha on May 16, 2007 19:15:44 GMT 1
This article is taken from an early editions of the WCGB 'Weimaraner News' magasines:
Conditions of Scent - Mr L J Brown
After experiments and observations over many years working with Labradors, Springer Spaniels, Golden Retrievers and Flat-coated Retrievers in the shooting field, I have put together a considerable amount of details which maybe useful to others.
Gamebird Scent
Scent can be divided into the following groups:
1) Body Scent (includes blood)
2) Breathing
3) Contact (feet, may also include blood)
4) Cold carcase scent
Scent at its best consists of 1 and 2 combined, but it can be affected by atmospheric temperatures, air movements, heat radiation, moisture, frost, snow, humidity and decaying vegetation. Bad scent is mainly due to lack of air movement, but dryness, hard frost and deep snow do affect contact scent.
During experiments with scent movements it was found to be ideal with a wind about 5-10 m.p.h., high humidity, low radiation of heat from the ground. These conditions usually exist with barometric pressures between 1010/1024 millibars. Lower pressures will produce correspondingly higher wind speeds.
With an air movement of 5-10 m.p.h. it represents 7ft. - 14ft. per second, and any gamebird required to be retrieved after being shot, the body scent will be carried down wind many yards in a few seconds, until dispersed by ground undulations and air eddies, and to some lesser degree by heat radiation. During tests live birds scent has been picked up by gundogs with level surface conditions up to 150 yards away, but this is the exception rather than the rule, and generally with the optimum wind speed of about 5-10 m.p.h the maximum distance is about 40 yards.
No Air Movements
Body and contact scent of a gamebird killed can only be picked up about 3 yards away when there is no air movement. The scent will also radiate that distance downwards if the bird is lodged in a fence or a tree, however the dog can be assisted in this instance by blood falling to the ground.
Many tests were carried out with a bird placed at between 4ft and 6ft from the ground, resulting with no successful retrieves at 6ft but with a few at 4ft with the larger type of gundog, but no retrieves with the spaniels at 4ft or above.
Observations of the habits of foxes and badgers in still air scenting conditions followed the same pattern when taking gamebirds brooding on the nest. They followed the foot scent on the track the birds used when going off to feed and when returning, where as when air movement existed they made straight upwind to get their quarry. These observations were made over a period of many years and the results indicate that the body and breath scent does not radiate more than 3ft.
When still air exists in winter time frost is usually associated with it and this may cause some people to say that bad scent prevails, but this is not so, the indications are that scent has not been moved by the wind and if gundogs are put nearer to the mark (3ft) they will find the strength of the scent in the same way as in ideal situations.
Contact Scent - feet and / or blood
This is probably the weakest scent and is at its best when slightly moist ground surface prevails, but is at its worst when hard frost, frozen snow or excess water, such as bogs etc. exist.
Conditions of Body and Breath Scent in High Winds
High winds (20 m.p.h. and upwards) cause the scent to be dispersed rapidly, mainly by surface undulations, obstructions, air eddies, ditches and thick vegetation. In ditches deeper than 3ft with a wind of 30 m.p.h. blowing across them, tests proved that gundogs did not pick up the scent when passing the quarry downwind, but were immediately successful when they were put in the ditch and came within 3ft of the live bird. To some extent these conditions are the same in the Kale or in thickly planted woods and coverts.
Conditions of Cold Carcus Scent
There is very little radiation of scent until decomposition takes place, and dogs will not indicate they have picked up the scent at a distance of over 10ft. Observing many thousands of cold carcase retrieves, a large proportion were sighted beyond 10ft when on open ground, and when in thick cover under ideal conditions, the distance between the carcase and the first indications that gundogs had picked up the scent, was mainly about 10ft or less.
It is hoped that the foregoing remarks may be useful, if local terrain and conditions are taken into consideration when picking up.
Conditions of Scent - Mr L J Brown
After experiments and observations over many years working with Labradors, Springer Spaniels, Golden Retrievers and Flat-coated Retrievers in the shooting field, I have put together a considerable amount of details which maybe useful to others.
Gamebird Scent
Scent can be divided into the following groups:
1) Body Scent (includes blood)
2) Breathing
3) Contact (feet, may also include blood)
4) Cold carcase scent
Scent at its best consists of 1 and 2 combined, but it can be affected by atmospheric temperatures, air movements, heat radiation, moisture, frost, snow, humidity and decaying vegetation. Bad scent is mainly due to lack of air movement, but dryness, hard frost and deep snow do affect contact scent.
During experiments with scent movements it was found to be ideal with a wind about 5-10 m.p.h., high humidity, low radiation of heat from the ground. These conditions usually exist with barometric pressures between 1010/1024 millibars. Lower pressures will produce correspondingly higher wind speeds.
With an air movement of 5-10 m.p.h. it represents 7ft. - 14ft. per second, and any gamebird required to be retrieved after being shot, the body scent will be carried down wind many yards in a few seconds, until dispersed by ground undulations and air eddies, and to some lesser degree by heat radiation. During tests live birds scent has been picked up by gundogs with level surface conditions up to 150 yards away, but this is the exception rather than the rule, and generally with the optimum wind speed of about 5-10 m.p.h the maximum distance is about 40 yards.
No Air Movements
Body and contact scent of a gamebird killed can only be picked up about 3 yards away when there is no air movement. The scent will also radiate that distance downwards if the bird is lodged in a fence or a tree, however the dog can be assisted in this instance by blood falling to the ground.
Many tests were carried out with a bird placed at between 4ft and 6ft from the ground, resulting with no successful retrieves at 6ft but with a few at 4ft with the larger type of gundog, but no retrieves with the spaniels at 4ft or above.
Observations of the habits of foxes and badgers in still air scenting conditions followed the same pattern when taking gamebirds brooding on the nest. They followed the foot scent on the track the birds used when going off to feed and when returning, where as when air movement existed they made straight upwind to get their quarry. These observations were made over a period of many years and the results indicate that the body and breath scent does not radiate more than 3ft.
When still air exists in winter time frost is usually associated with it and this may cause some people to say that bad scent prevails, but this is not so, the indications are that scent has not been moved by the wind and if gundogs are put nearer to the mark (3ft) they will find the strength of the scent in the same way as in ideal situations.
Contact Scent - feet and / or blood
This is probably the weakest scent and is at its best when slightly moist ground surface prevails, but is at its worst when hard frost, frozen snow or excess water, such as bogs etc. exist.
Conditions of Body and Breath Scent in High Winds
High winds (20 m.p.h. and upwards) cause the scent to be dispersed rapidly, mainly by surface undulations, obstructions, air eddies, ditches and thick vegetation. In ditches deeper than 3ft with a wind of 30 m.p.h. blowing across them, tests proved that gundogs did not pick up the scent when passing the quarry downwind, but were immediately successful when they were put in the ditch and came within 3ft of the live bird. To some extent these conditions are the same in the Kale or in thickly planted woods and coverts.
Conditions of Cold Carcus Scent
There is very little radiation of scent until decomposition takes place, and dogs will not indicate they have picked up the scent at a distance of over 10ft. Observing many thousands of cold carcase retrieves, a large proportion were sighted beyond 10ft when on open ground, and when in thick cover under ideal conditions, the distance between the carcase and the first indications that gundogs had picked up the scent, was mainly about 10ft or less.
It is hoped that the foregoing remarks may be useful, if local terrain and conditions are taken into consideration when picking up.
I do hope your sense of direction improves before you start trying foreign roads 
