Originally Posted by
Phil from Maine
Without a doubt, they are much faster and uses the wind and ground to find the birds. Also on rainy days they can still carry threw rather quickly. For as far as antler hunting most bird hunters do not care alot for hunting antlers with thier dogs. Perhaps that is why? I am not saying Labs do not have good noses though as some are also used as drug dogs. The same holds true for some setters as well though. Overall again the best dog is the one you own and enjoy the most.
Phil most bird hunters also deer hunt. But why would the lab be the #1 choice by hunters who do care about antler hunting if their nose is inferior to other sporting breeds? After all most hunters dont care what breed of dog to buy when they decide to invest so much time and money into a dog to train to hunt antlers, they just want the best breed to increase their odds as much as possibe from the start. (after all it is more difficult to train any breed of dog to hunt and locate antlers than it is to train any breed to hunt and locate any game species)