I’m with Dean on this one. I have always used a brass bell since I had my first bird dog at age 14. I even use it on huns and sharptails in Saskatchewan. I tried a beeper collar years ago but hated the beeping sound. It’s unnatural and it does sound like a big truck backing up. I imagine that they are annoying to dogs.

I have had many bird dogs over the years and never had one go deaf. I also like the tinkle of the brass bell. It is a pleasant sound and not loud like those that sound like cow bells. To each his own, but I’ll always use the brass bell.

You can always run a strip or two of electrical tape around the bell to adjust the tone to your liking

Yes, that would work but I never liked the cow bell sound. The tinkle of the brass bell is nice. I always liked that best.

My setter,Sophie, tinkles in the field.

I am in northern lower michigan, my wife and I rescued a brittany nov. 2017, so this was his first season. Its so thick where we hunt that I use the bell for distance control. When bell is almost out of hearing, I tone him then a "hep" at the same time. Now when I say hep, he will quarter back the other way or towards me. I only use a beeper early in the season when I can't see him. I have a garmin with toner, and shocker and gps, I lost him once, I went and got the garmin the next day. We lost him for about 45 minutes, and that was heartwrenching.

Where in the state are you? I'm centrally located. I lost Ike as a year old pup in the U.P. for a couple of hours last fall. I experienced the trifecta of errors as my hearing aid batteries dies, the collar batteries died as well and the wind was blowing about 25 MPH with horizontal snow! I'd have given anything right then for a GPS collar.

I'm just returning from three days in Georgia hunting quail and I didn't use a bell but thats a whole different game compared to grouse hunting. We will have a new collar for this fall.

I know of few things more sickening than losing one's dog. In over thirty years it's happened to me only once, and that was enough. Thankfully, I found my dog waiting for me back near the truck after stumbling around the bluffs of SE Minnesota until well after dark. GPS collars all 'round now.

The thoughts that go through your head is amazing and unsettling. My mother in law was literately dying and I was in the U.P. on a day by day basis and I could just picture the conversation. "Rich Mom passed away today so come home". "I can't Ike is lost in the wilderness and I have to look for him". or "I lost Ike and have searched for days, he probably got eaten by a wolf".

Fortunately it all worked out.....this time.

This is all very interesting as we were looking to buy a bell for Sherwood today. Maybe GPS instead

I've always used a bell but will add the GPS. IF the batteries fail or the collar fails for some reason the bell will always work. It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.