"It ain't over 'til it's over" ... so said baseball player-philosopher Yogi Berra. It's true in bird hunting, too. Once your dog stands a bird, there are a lot of things you can do right - or wrong - to conclude the transaction successfully with a bird on the ground. It's what you want, but just as important, it's what your dog wants, isn't it?

I'll cover five places in the hunt (okay, one is before the hunt) when doing something differently - better - ups your odds. From hardware, to human software, handling to shooting, these lessons I learned the hard way may help you.

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