RE: Help requested selecting a breed for my new hunting partner!
I would advise you to stay away from a lab in this case. Both dogs will work no matter what age you are. But labs, and retrievers in general, have a tendency to hard mouth smaller birds such as your doves and quail. Depending on where you live in S. America, if you hunt many days where the temp breaks 70-75 degrees fahrenheit, the lab won't work as well as a shorter haired breed. Just my 2 cents.
And go female. Even though you have to put up the heat cycle, the fact they aren't as aggressive and more trainable than males will be worth it.