dizzyizzy

Looking into buying a pup here soon. English setters, Visla's and Britneys are the dog's i'm looking at. I will be hunting pheasants, blue, and sharptail grouse in Colorado. Any Reccomendations?
Thanks in advance for the Info.

seattlesetters

Now here is something I can sink my teeth into!

The three breeds you mention are all capable of doing what you are asking. The question you really need to ask, however, is what will you do most? The types of hunting are very different.

Pheasants and blues are usually solitary birds, while sharpies are normally found in small coveys. Blues live in the woods and are pretty forgiving of sloppy dogwork: They'll let a dog get pretty close before flushing. Pheasants live in the brush and run like thieves from the scene of a crime at the first sign of a dog. Sharpies live in open country and depend on eyesight (and lots of eyes) to spot predators, and they can see a LONG way. Dogs won't be able to get too close to them.

What I'm trying to say is that you should get the best possible dog for what you plan on doing most, and hopefully let experience teach it how to handle the other birds.

Strictly speaking, the most difficult thing for the dog in question will be sharptails in open country. Not because they are any harder to hunt than pheasants (they aren't), but because the dog will have to be rock-steady on point (he may be a ways out from you when he makes game) and have a good enough nose to point the birds from a safe distance. This presents a dilemma when hunting roosters. If your dog points from a safe distance and holds rock-steady, the cock will be in the next county by the time you get there for the flush. Conversely, if the dog usually hunts pheasants and he gets used to picking up his point in order to follow and pin down running roosters, he is going to take out every covey of sharptails he encounters if he works them the same way.

Obviously English Setters are the classic grouse woods dog and the classic Northern prairie dog. There are also some Britts that are unbelievable in these rolls. Viszlas will tend to do their best work in-close on blues and pheasants. There are some that can get out and scratch it, though, so if you have your heart set on one, look around.

I breed, raise, hunt and field trial English Setters and have lots of experience on all the birds you mention (and several others). The one thing I would leave you with as the best piece of advice I can give is that you better get a medium-range dog that can reach out a bit (200+ yards) in open country to give you the best chance of finding far-flung coveys of sharptails. A good dog will adjust to cover and cut way back in the thick stuff, and you can always rein them in when necessary. But you absolutely, positively can not make a boot polisher reach out when you need it. You just won't find many prairie birds (sharpies, huns and such) with a 40 yard dog.

Good Dogwork and Good Hunting

nulle

Other considerations may be is the dog going to be in the home or in a kennel? In the home I would suggest the Britt. I have had both the Britts and the English and for a house dog the Britt was the best and less trouble.

February 2003 = tired and Re-tired cop

seattlesetters

Frankly, all three of the breeds you are considering will do better if they spend at least some of the time in the house with the family.

Good Dogwork and Good Hunting

ShortHair

Get a German Shorthair Pointer you'll be glad you did. Seriously look into the GSP. It's a very versatile dog that can hunt close. The germans bred this dog to do it all.


Edited by - Shorthair on 12/29/2002 00:10:46

Vapodog

Buying a quality dog is one thing.......training it is another.....the GSP is a very fine breed as is a whole lot of others breeds.

Don't forget to look at pointing Labs as an alternative.....they're awesome!!!

isshe

well here is my 2 cents, i have english pointers. i have a 7 month female that i am training now that is great. in dec. i took her pheasant and quail hunting and she did a good job pointing and retrieving. it's great to see any pup, no matter what the breed is, do this good a 7 months. whatever you chose to go with, look at both of the parents and see them work on birds. buy from a good bloodline.

Hothuntndogs

Look up Mohoney kennels. They have some really nice Setters

OhioDuckHunter

I have 2 Labs and they are great for waterfowl! I am picking up my first English Springer Spaniel in the morning as I am very impressed in thier upland abilities. It depends on what you want. Do you want a pointer or a flusher? What do you hunt most? What are your training skills?

A dog is only what YOU can make of it, so think about all breeds and thier pros and cons.

Good Luck with the Duck!

seattlesetters

If you want a setter pup, let me know. I guarantee it will be the finest birddog you will ever own.

Good Dogwork and Good Hunting