OnX and Garmin Rung My Bell
Your time afield is incomplete without a pointing dog. And that time afield turns down right scary when your favorite buddy cannot be located. Life was easier 25 years ago when I started hunting with a Swiss cowbell on my big ranging Brit. Until it got not so easy, with a big ranging 2 year old who was slightly out of control running more than a mile out at times in big country. But, even the biggest bell couldn't be heard at that range and if the dog was out sight and out of sound, what to do next other than holler, whistle and wait. Or maybe fire off a shot and see if he returned for the retrieved (which I did in a number of moments of desperation with seemingly great success). Looking back on it, I ordered some really great sounding bells, some of which were very pricey and difficult to find in catalogs. I lost or gave away many of them over the years, but the real challenge was getting the dog accustomed to it, and for that task I had to start with clip on fishing bells or cat bells, so that the dog wouldn't freeze up in my training sessions of leaving the bell on for hours around the house each day. I've purchased and experimented with all of these over the years, but I pretty much narrowed my preference to these three below... The big 8/0 Swiss made bell for mountains, the smaller Swiss made one for ruffed grouse woods, and the clip on brass fishing bell for training around the house. All three had the most pleasing sounds and carried well for each intended purpose. Then the day