The Best All Round Breed

[mastercaster]

Good points for sure. My suggestion is to focus on what a person hunts the most. If it's waterfowl first and other game is only hunted occasionally, a Lab would be hard to beat. I primarily hunt pheasants. Springers are considered the best choice for pheasants, and rightly so. I've never hunted over an English Cocker, but from what I've been told they are right there with a Springer when it comes to pheasants.

I had brittany spaniels in the eighties and into the nineties,,,first the mother and then the mother and daughter together, and finally just the daughter. I can't imagine having a better dog to work the wild pheasants of the Okanagan back then. My job at the time allowed me to hunt almost every day of the season and if memory serves, there was hardly a day when I didn't get my limit. Either one of those brits could hold the birds after being scented. The pheasants were rarely, if ever, out of shooting range. There was never a rush to have to get to them to flush 'em up.

It was especially fun when I had another person or two with me. When the dog would go on point I'd tell them where to go stand and then walk past the dog to flush the bird. It was virtually impossible for the bird, if it was a rooster, to fly away unscathed. My friend would say, "This is so easy it's just like cheating!" Haha

I ended up getting a griff much to everyone's surprise this go around but I sure gave brits a good hard look,,,,as well as a chocolate lab. I really like them a lot, too! I think what swayed me the most was that both labs and brits shed quite a lot where as my wire-haired dog does not.

[835]

Montana,
As per my great uncle.... lol....

my great uncle only,,, and I mean only hunted Grouse and other Upland.... Ducks and Geese were "Dirty birds" and lord help you if you shot a deer on a bird trip. You were looked down on if you shot a 12ga as they were far too over powered for a proper bird.. you needed a 20 or 28ga. Birds do not get up till 8:30 and the only dog you should hunt behind is a Well Bred Springer... One of his partners had a pointer, it would lock on point and not come off. they would throw down a coat and come back the next day for the Dog.. Pointers are NOT a Bush dog! Labs, they are only there to retrieve and will never hunt as well as a Well bred Springer.... And here kid take this pail os shells and my Ithica and that pop and go over there while we have lunch!

Love him or hate him Rob was my peer. Many might disagree with him but he was bloody good.

[Foxton Gundogs]

I've been breeding Springers since '84 and I will assure you Tim(Montana) has forgotten more than I know. Dru is quite correct pointers are covey hunters and do their best work on quail and true partridges. I have seen old roosers totally frustrate the hell out of well trained steady pointing Dogs(Including the Versatiles) with their run hide run tactics. a flushing dog will hit them hard and get them up, a pointer MAY spend all afternoon trying to pin down a wiley old rooster. With today's limits a Springer will retrieve all the ducks you can legally shoot in the day. and even handle geese though not pretty they get the job done.
For a small flushing retriever A Springer will give you more hunt than you can handle. That being said I train Labs and Goldens etc the same way as Springers and they do a good job in the bush and on runners as well. But everyone has their own preference/hunting style and like Lab Guy said for every gundog there is a hunter they will make happy.

[Dutch]

Chuckle :Old ,Ford Chevy ,Dodge again ,have had labs since 1971, hunted them hard thought they were THE only dog for dedicated waterfowl hunter / pheasant chaser.My old hunting club had 80 members which encompassed all different breeds springers,Gordon setters Chesapeakes 2x4 dogs and of course Goldens and Labs.All had there goods and bads as was mentioned Labs are retrievers and as we hunted deep water they were put to the test with 80% of all retrieves in swimming mode. Watched all the other breeds pretty well break down at the end of a long day or two but the labs and one crazy Toller that I think was bread with a sea mammal soldiered on.Would never have thought of a pointer until my wife(astonished) bought me a GSP for my birthday 4 years ago.Hunting over a pointer was a revelation and yes it does at times seem unfair.But I missed the Lab on my raining blustery days and when I lost my chocolate which the GSP adored didn't take me long to get another Lab.Thought about Puddle pointer or another "breed" but when I found the 3 year old black lab that was it back to my roots.Living out my fantasy now GSP for Pheasants and my black for those "dirty birds " Great to hear all your stories reminds me of many characters in my (our ?) youth..

[Spy]

So, has someone ever done a poll on here about the best all round breed of hunting dog? I'm thinking birds not cougar. Ducks to pheasants, quail, grouse,.......Is there a breed that does it all well? And is there a breed that's really specific?

I’ve had a couple great dogs, the Golden Doodle I have now performs all of the above, and has a nice warm coat for cold weather. Great family dog super intelligent easy to train.

[Foxton Gundogs]

Problem with a Poodle X Lab/Golden cross(or any other cross bred) is that when you put a bunch of genes in a blender and mix them up you never know what traits they will have until they mature, You may be lucky and end up with a great, non allergenic non shedding dog that hunts like a Lab or Golden or a couch potato that won't swim, retrieve, hunt and sheds allergy causing hair and dander all over the house. It's not an opinion it's a matter of genetics and there is noway to control what may come out without years of selective breeding and ruthless culling. That is why all major registries have rules and standards for "Developing breeds".

[835]

Dutch,

My Uncle, when I lived in Ucluelet.. and hunted Ducks... I bought Chase, my first lab.....
Sure I painted Rob to be a Stubbourn old hunter, that was his opinion... But he was very good at "Hiding" it.... I had great fun with him Talking about Chase and Ducks, watching him Squirm and politely "Retract" all of the old conversations we had during our September Blue hunts... Rob honestly just loved hunting.... But..... only Sophisticated people hunt Upland!

[Dutch]

Touche'

[pnbrock]

Drahthaar for the win. ��

[Montana]

I've been breeding Springers since '84 and I will assure you Tim(Montana) has forgotten more than I know. Dru is quite correct pointers are covey hunters and do their best work on quail and true partridges. I have seen old roosers totally frustrate the hell out of well trained steady pointing Dogs(Including the Versatiles) with their run hide run tactics. a flushing dog will hit them hard and get them up, a pointer MAY spend all afternoon trying to pin down a wiley old rooster. With today's limits a Springer will retrieve all the ducks you can legally shoot in the day. and even handle geese though not pretty they get the job done.
For a small flushing retriever A Springer will give you more hunt than you can handle. That being said I train Labs and Goldens etc the same way as Springers and they do a good job in the bush and on runners as well. But everyone has their own preference/hunting style and like Lab Guy said for every gundog there is a hunter they will make happy.

I'm sure I've forgotten a lot, Jim, but doubt very much if I've forgotten more than you know!!!