bird dogs

[the skrat]

i bought my first bird dog today an english setter cant wait to try her out on grouse this fall. i mostly use a berretta sxs but also use a bp sxs. anyway just wondering what kind of dog every body else hunts behind? and why they chose that breed?

curly maple

 

[riarcher]

I'm behind a Lab, which is in front of my Bess, which are all behind the geese and ducks that are in front of the pheasanst and squirrels that I scared off when I missed that danged buck that was behind the bush!
Hows that for a sentence? :youcrazy: :haha:

 

[spitfire]

A Beagle named Ivan,he's good for Quail,Rabbit and Squirrel.A outside dog, he is my early warning system.Ivan has different Bay sounds for Bear,Bobcat,Coon,Deer,Human,Possums,Snakes and Strays,etc. intruders!Ivan has survived 2 copperhead snake bites,he now bays at a safe distance until I remove(11 last count).Best of all he is salvaged from a witnessed roadside dumping from a moving truck.He has a good home now .

 

[shmrck1]

curley maple,
I had an English setter maybe 30/35
years ago, Gus by name, and he was a birdmans
dream dog. After he passed I just could not
bring myself to get another. Ever since then I
have had a continuous string of basset hounds,
the most stubburn dog ever created by God. As near as I can tell you don't train a basset, they
train you. But they are a great companion and you
just have to love them. I did have two(father&
son) that were outstanding rabbit dogs but they
were the exception and definately not the rule.
In my 60years I don't believe I have ever been
without a dog. My mom&dad raised boxers way back
in the 1960's. They were a load to handle as pups but very easy to train. OK I've rambled long
enough, but I could talk dogs forever.
snake-eyes :thumbsup:

 

[doverdog]

I also have an English setter, probably the greatest single bird dog a man ever owned. I may be a little biased, but that's the way I feel. Are you buying a finished dog, or will you be training him yourself. If you are getting a pup, don't expect to have a bird dog just because it is an English setter. Buying a bird dog pup is kind of like buying a pile of lumber, electrical wire, and plumbing fixtures. There is a house in there somewhere, but you have to make it. Ruffed grouse are perhaps the most difficult bird for a dog to become proficient on. If you have no experience on training bird dogs, get some help. Don't ruin him before he gets a chance to know what he is doing. If you have the good fortune to live near huntable populations of woodcock, and your dog turns out good, consider yourself blessed. Here are a couple of pictures of my best friend, Dover. He is grinning because of a good day in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. His teammate is a 28 gs. Arietta SxS. The bag was 2 grouse and 3 woodcock.

 

I used to hunt behind English pointers, my last one was Dixie:

 

[tamara]

Oh, you have a fun time ahead for you!

I got my first bird dog recently (if November is recent). She is a Clumber Spaniel. I picked that breed because I didn't want a super-hyper, big-running dog. I had to be honest with myself and admit that I am not in shape, nor do I particularly want to be, to run miles up and down steep mountains looking for my dog pointing chukar. I'm short and slow, and I hate running.

I'm more into walking the hills after quail and rabbits, and grouse when I am feeling froggy. The biggest trouble with the quail and grouse is finding them after they are down. Clumbers have a reputation for having a good nose to track and locate down or crippled game.

They also have a reputation for being perfectly happy to lay around and sleep all day. That's fine with me, because some days that's all I want to do too.

She's 7 months old now, and she's hunted rabbits a few times. Quail season is over, but she's starting to get good at finding and flushing them. She quarters naturally, though it could use some refining, and she stays within gun range.

She's sweet and mellow, and makes me laugh every day.

Here she is after a romp in the rain:

Here is a more normal picture:

 

I forgot to add why an English Pointer: (1) they are classy, (2) they are classic, (3) they are smart, (4) they have great noses, (5) great instincts, (6)tireless, and I could go on. I have hunted over many breeds over the years, Pointers (German and English), setters (Irish and English), Britainies, Vizlas, Labs, spaniels, and a few others....I love the English Setters, but their long hair is a disadvantage down hyeah in the deep south. Pointers are better here (IMHO). The breed is hard to find here now with the decline of local quail hunting. The Clumber looks neat!

 

[biliff]

I've hunted over Brittainies for 25+ years, but now that my current Brittainy is 13, I'm switching over to a griffon (currently 11 months) as I'm doing about 50/50 uplands/duck hunting now and the griff is better in the water. That and I'm getting older and just can't keep up with a hyper Britt. The picture is somewhat out of date, the grif weighs in at about 60 lbs now.

 

[the skrat]

thanks for all the replys and pics thats what i was looking for. i have never trained a dog before and being my first bird dog i dont expect to have the best dog in the woods but my brother inlaw runs brits and he said he would help me train my dog.btw super flint that dog of yours has quite a smile cant blame him with a game bag like that and a fine looking sxs id be smiling too. the next best thing to a long rifle is a fine english style sxs imo.keep the replies coming im enjoying this.

curly maple

 

[the skrat]

do you have pedigree papers on that thing :rotf: :rotf

curly maple

 

[kentuckyflint]

dont get any better than flintlocks and english setters. actually i refuse to be without them. they are real companions at home and the woods. are your dogs papered if so what is the bloodline, mine have grouse ridge, tomoka, teko mtn. sunrise, bozan mosely,cashmaster, ghost train, jet train, i can't think of all but the male i think has 21 field ch. in 5 gen. and the female has 12 you made a real choice of breeds in my opinion. good luck :thumbsup:

 

[doverdog]

My dog has better blood lines than I do. :haha: some of the big names in his background are Tamoka, Old Hemlock Briar, I'm Oscar, Pinnacle, Grouse Ridge John, Cash Master, and a number of Bondhu dogs. We are woodcock hunters, first and foremost, and also hunt grouse and ringnecks. I have taken 420 plus woodcock over his points, both in the UP of Michigan, and my home state of Penna. A great bird dog is a gift from God. He jsu turned 11 years old and the only thing I would change with him would be to roll back the clock about 9 years.

 

[kentuckyflint]

thats pretty good numbers. i live in the daniel boone nat. forest, there's no place i would rather be but regretibly our bird numbers are way down, mostly from the lack of habitat due to no clearcutting any more in the forest. how was the grouse population in your area last year.

 

[the skrat]

bird were down last year but i did get a few. part of my problem was i did a lot of camping with my young family and couldnt spend as much time hunting.
superflint sounds like you really enjoy your dog wow lots of flushes. one day 2 years ago my brotherinlaw and his britt and i flushed 28 grouse in 6 hours thers a day i will remember. well i have a lot of work ahead of me but looking forward to this fall.

curly maple

 

[doverdog]

Grouse numbers in our area of Penna were off the chart, on the low end. I think I had 5 flushes, and did not fire a shot at a grouse. Dover and I did manage to take 20 woodcock however.

 

[KyFlintlock]

Aint nothin' like a good hunting dog! I do a few pencil sketches and recently did a few:

The top dog is in West Va and he grouse hunts all-the-time..

The 2nd one recently passed away in NY.

I have only had the opportunity to grouse hunt behind a pair of german shorthairs once, what a HOOT! Southern Ohio along the river bluffs of the ohio river ...

Good luck and take some pics this fall if you can.
wess

 

[spitfire]

Luv the sketches :applause: !What breed is the second dog?

 

[KyFlintlock]

The 2nd one is a beagle..

 

[strongarm]

Ehelew Pointer named Nickolas. Nick has one purpose in life, well, maybe two. He also keeps my feet warm.