Bird planting

In training and in Hunt Test events, you may be called upon to plant a bird for the spaniel to find.

In planting, you will want to find the balance between having the bird immediately fly away upon being placed on the ground and planting a bird so firmly that it never finds its way into the air and is then trapped by the dog.  A bird that gets up in the air quickly and firmly when found by the dog gives the gunners the best chance to shoot the bird safely away from the dog, thereby minimizing fly-aways. 

I'll talk about pheasant in a separate post. My method for quail and chukar is as follows:

1. Grab the bird from the bird bag anyway you can without letting the other birds out.
2. After closing the bag, manipulate the bird-in-hand until you have him upside down and held by his legs.
3. Hold him behind your back and let him flap while you walk to a good spot.  You may sway the bird a little, but not too much.  An overly dizzied bird will not fly.
4. Find a nice spot for the plant.  On a very sunny day, find a spot in the shade, even if the shade is simply some taller grass.  Make sure that the spot is not too dense with growth, or else the bird will burrow in and will not fly.  A flatter spot, in the open, is better than a dense patch, although now you risk a flyaway.
5. When the bird is no longer flapping, bring him from behind your back and aim him nose-down into the spot that you've chosen.  As his nose touches the grass, you can sway him back and forth just a touch - - once or twice - - so he is nestled in and nice and comfy.  If the spot is not too dense, this will not result in a burrowed-in bird.
6. Let go and immediately and quietly back away - - tiptoe away - - without looking back at the bird.  If you make eye contact that bird will fly.   

Don't traipse through the hunting field as you plant birds.  Stick to the outskirts of the field, to the left or right of the gunners, dodge in for the plant, and then dodge back out to the edge to resume walking up for the next plant.  This will minimize your scent in the field and make the dog hunt the bird instead of simply following your scent. 

You can also refer to Kenneth Roebuck's approach to bird planting, which this method is based on, although he appears to emphasize the swirling and dizzying. 

I don't recommend the throw-the-bird on the ground approach because it is too variable.  If the bird hits a firm spot, you can conk it out or even kill it and if it hits a very soft spot, it may not stay at all.  I think the approach I've outlined gives you the most control over the situation.  The bird tells you when it is done trying to escape, and you control the ground where you put the bird.