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Hunting dogs

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Category: Hunting, Fishing & General Outdoors
Forum Name: General Hunting
Forum Description: Techniques, tips, stories, general discussion, etc.
URL: http://www.opticstalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=19690
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Topic: Hunting dogs
Posted By: Preston
Subject: Hunting dogs
Date Posted: October/08/2009 at 23:12
Whats the best gun dog?
  1. Retrievers
  2. Setters
  3. Pointers
  4. Spaniels

 



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Thomas Payne, Revolutionist



Replies:
Posted By: Trays 7940
Date Posted: October/09/2009 at 00:40
What are we hunting?  Otherwise your just asking whats your favorite dog. Bandito

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Posted By: pyro6999
Date Posted: October/09/2009 at 05:28
id pick german shorthair (pointer) just because they will hunt everything from grouse to geese and not miss a beat.

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Posted By: Preston
Date Posted: October/09/2009 at 05:55

Your hunting upland birds.



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"I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace."
Thomas Payne, Revolutionist


Posted By: silver
Date Posted: October/09/2009 at 05:58
Red Bone or Walker are my favs Whistling  Curr seems to work best.

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Posted By: John Barsness
Date Posted: October/09/2009 at 09:59
The question is too general, and even "upland birds" is too general. I have hunted at least 10 species of upland game with Labrador retrievers, and shot probably as many species over various other breeds, including German shorthairs, Viszlas, springer spaniels, Brittanys, drathhaars, golden retrievers, English setters, pointers, and even a blue heeler that acted as a flusher-reriever and a pointing bluetick hound.
 
I suspect that a lot more depends on the hunter than the dog, including your temperament. Also the weather affects the choice. Some breeds are better in colder weather, and some better in warmer.


Posted By: tahqua
Date Posted: October/09/2009 at 10:15

That is a very broad question

I hunt waterfowl and upland for grouse and woodcock. I have found my GWP to be perfect for pointing and retrieving, both on the ground and water.

I have also hunted over many breeds; flushing, pointing and retrievers. I do like the versatile breeds the best for my needs.


Posted By: cheaptrick
Date Posted: October/09/2009 at 14:57
I always liked Weimeraners as a kid hunting pheasant in Iowa, but a friend of Dad's pair of Brittany's we used to hunt with were superb!  


Posted By: SD Dog
Date Posted: October/09/2009 at 17:09
German Shorthair.  One that is short and stocky with a block head on him.

Picking a dog is kind of like a Chevy/Ford/Dodge debate (kind of fun sometimes).

CT, hunted with Brittanys once that thought hunting was racing next to the grass to the end and then back to the truck.  Of course, I'm sure everyone has had a bad experience will any breed, but those Brittanys stick in my mind.


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Posted By: Trays 7940
Date Posted: October/09/2009 at 17:10
Dog types are like gun calibers, it just depends on what you are doing. 
I also agree with the comment that hunter temperment has a lot to do with it. 
I have had 2 Labs (choc,black), Golden Retriever, German shorthair and a Deutsch-Drahthaar... All of the dogs were great but each one had their own specialty... 
All around great dog was the Drahtaar.  Easy to train, easy to bond with and great temperment.  She could find birds any where but she couldnt retrieve...  JMO! Bandito


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I don't shoot innocent animals, just the one's who look guilty.


Posted By: John Barsness
Date Posted: October/10/2009 at 09:52

While there are indeed some "versatile" dogs that will do it all, my experience has been that if you really, truly want your birds retrieved, then you should buy a retriever of some sort! I have known several shorthairs that were great retrievers, and even one English pointer, but in general the further you get from pure retriever into pure pointing dogs then the iffier the potential for being a good retriever becomes. Or at least that has been my experience. I have some friends who brag about how well their English setters retrieve, but in my experience even the best of them is mediocre when compared to a good Lab. 

A lot of dogs have also been changed by breeding over the past few decades. When I was a kid one of hunting mentors had Brittanies. They worked reasonably close and were pretty good retrievers too, exactly the thing they were bred for in France.
 
 But when field-trialing became more popular a lot of Brittanies were bred to run "big," and I haven't hunted with one in years that didn't take off like a running rabbit as soon as they were let loose. Some just disappeared for half an hour until they decided they might come back and visit. Of course training has a lot to do with it, but so does breeding.
 
Same thing with golden retrievers. It used to be pretty easy to buy a real hunting golden, but so many are now bred for house pets that just buying a golden doesn't guarantee anything except a curly blond coat.


Posted By: tahqua
Date Posted: October/10/2009 at 10:15
I have done most of my waterfowl hunting with labs and chessies and they are indeed fine dogs.
But, if someone wants to see how really fine a versatile dog is for all hunting, I would go and visit a NAVHDA test in your area. http://navhda.org/ - http://navhda.org/
My particular German Wirehaired will swim in freezing weather to retrieve in the waves Lake Superior.
Unfortunately her season is done. She broke her foot last Sunday on a grouse and woodcock hunt. She did manage to point up a dozen different birds that came in on flight from Canada. It was outstanding.




Posted By: Preston
Date Posted: October/20/2009 at 19:03
I like English Pointers

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"I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace."
Thomas Payne, Revolutionist


Posted By: lucytuma
Date Posted: October/20/2009 at 19:14
I have two springers, but my child and wife have spoiled them so bad that they'll never be hunters.  One wants to chase tennis balls all day and the other is obsessed with shadows.

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"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." - Thomas Jefferson


Posted By: Preston
Date Posted: October/23/2009 at 01:13
Thats too bad

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"I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace."
Thomas Payne, Revolutionist


Posted By: mike650
Date Posted: October/23/2009 at 07:10
Originally posted by tahqua tahqua wrote:

I have done most of my waterfowl hunting with labs and chessies and they are indeed fine dogs.
But, if someone wants to see how really fine a versatile dog is for all hunting, I would go and visit a NAVHDA test in your area. http://navhda.org/ - http://navhda.org/
My particular German Wirehaired will swim in freezing weather to retrieve in the waves Lake Superior.
Unfortunately her season is done. She broke her foot last Sunday on a grouse and woodcock hunt. She did manage to point up a dozen different birds that came in on flight from Canada. It was outstanding.




Excellent


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