I’ve been meaning to get around to this post for quite some time. Once or twice a year I go on a family quail hunt in South Texas. Last year I posted a quail hunt video on YouTube that has been getting a reasonable amount of views/comments:

The main reason for posting the video was to share with family and friends the different elements of quail hunting. I’ve come to learn that every hunting guide does things differently depending on how much land is being hunted, area of the country, who their guiding, etc. Every year we’ve been fortunate enough to hunt with Mitch Hurt’s Wild Bird Hunting service. Mitch is an incredible guy and knows everything about every bird that ever existed. At any rate, Mitch uses a wireless technology that helps him determine where his dogs are at all times (he normally puts two down at a time). The bird dogs have collars that transmit a signal back to Mitch’s receiver and it tells the general direction of where the dog is (by beeping) and whether or not the dog is on point (by beeping faster). It’s a rather crude technology at best and by no means extremely accurate. With that being said, the technology (shown in the video above) has stirred up some interesting comments on YouTube. I’ve included a few below for your reading pleasure:

If that doesn’t sum up people’s reactions to technology in an old fashioned industry then I don’t know what does. The comments are rather amusing, nonetheless. The tracking technology is used to provide a more pleasurable hunting experience and not make hunting easier. Sure, it may help us flush more coveys but that doesn’t necessarily equate to killing more birds. If you’ve ever had a covey flush under your feet then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about (it ain’t easy).

It appears that Garmin sees an opportunity in the bird dog tracking space. This past year Mitch mentioned to me that he’s interested in evaluating the Garmin Astro system. I just pulled it up this morning and was very impressed with the capabilities.

It’s not a cheap system and like all technology the price will come down over time. What’s interesting about this product is that the use of features specific to the quail hunting industry. For example, it’s very common in GPS navigation units to mark a “waypoint” or “point of interest”. Gamin sells this feature as a way to mark a covey and locate your lodge.

I believe there is a common theme that I’m seeing over and over again in this space. Many people are resistant to GPS tracking technology because it either invades someone’s privacy, causes security concerns, or just makes us more efficient. In the case of tracking bird dogs I do believe the technology is beneficial and it still doesn’t make me a better shot. I could go on and on defending my stance (can you tell I’m a bit defensive with the slight beating I’ve taken on YouTube?), but the reality is that GPS tracking may be coming to an industry near you.