Phil - I think Springer Spaniels are terrific upland dogs...I have owned and hunted over them for 35 years. They work well for me on pheasants and on desert quail that would rather run than hold for a pointing dog.

Also, I' ve actually hunted grouse in Michigan, New Hampshire and here in the Northwest with my " big running" setters, and they have done just fine. They cut their range back very nicely and do a good job of pinning birds for the flush. They are awesome natural retrievers, too. In fact, I have sold a few pups to dedicated grouse hunters (some who hunt regularly in Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and several New England states), and they have loved them. Some of these folks have even put down deposits on a few more pups. So I' m not convinced these dogs would be " less than useless" to you. To say so runs the risk of being close-minded, wouldn' t you agree?