sproulman

i saw GSP working today,boy, did that dog cover territory,he covered more territory in 3 minutes than me and my lab cover in 30 minutes...

the problem i saw is 2 things, hunts way out too far forme,and owner could not stop him,he hunted..
so, i can see why they put those collars on GSP,POINTERS..
i would be scared to death here in big woods of pa. with ANY dog that hunts way out like i saw that GSP today do..

my lab hunts 30 yards max,hey, maybe a GSP can be made to hunt close, i dont know,maybe its all training BUT thats the 3rd GSP i saw and ALL hunted way to far out in front and would not come back close to owner..

again, not trying to change your mind ,only some info to think about..

all programs on tv, i never see a GSP in any of programs hunting..

its always,LAB, SETTER, POINTER,BEAGLE,SPRINGER..

i have a friend that likes BRITTANY but you dont see those on tv also,but he swears by brittanys...

mustad

When you say way too far, how far is that? Why would you be scared to death about this? The further the dog is from you, the less ground you will have to cover. Just walk on the path and wait for the beeper to start beeping. I don't like the dog to range much further than 200 yards, but that's just because further than that in deep woods, it becomes tough to hear the beeper.

sproulman

i dont use beeper,i guess if you could hear your beeper,thats different story..
grouse here in no.pa dont sit and flush,they run then flush..
if your dog is over 30 yds,kiss grouse goodbye...

scared because of other hunters ,coyotes when they get dog alone is bad...

in fields hunting pheasants, i would not be scared at all...

i watched springers hunting pheasants last year,they ranged out about 50 yds,up went birds, boom, boom..

no bird...

just about every dog i see is too far out in front of hunter to get a decent shot at bird,other than LAB, they seem to hunt real close to you...

i assume that beeper tells you where your dog is,how do you know he is onto a bird if you cant see dog.....

mustad

Thanks for the clarification Sproulman. I hear your concern re yotes and other hunters.

Different beepers aren't always exactly the same, but fundamentally when they are on they will beep every 10 seconds or so. Then when the dog goes on point (or sometimes when they take a dump), they will beep every 2 seconds.

I've been successful with runners by resending the dog after searching the area he went on point. Early season, I'll lose some birds for sure; but once the dog figures out the game, we do pretty well. For upland game, we hunt ruffed grouse, woodcock and showshoe hare. It's fun because it forces me to read the dogs signals and how his behavior differs for each game. It also requires the dog to take a different approach depending on what he smells. It amazes me he's able to do it. It's an absolute blast.

snipergrunge

Thank you

asttbe

I've always had GSPs, My Stepdad is 100% setter, and my Grandpa was the same with pointers. I've hunted over all three extensively. My stepdads last setter was one of the finest birdogs I've ever hunted over, but I still love the GSP. My current one is vicious, she sleeps under the covers cuddling with my wife. I have to fight to keep her out of the hot tub, and she loves my kids unconditionally. I've found that I have better luck getting GSPs to listen to what I tell them to do and doing it. My experience is also that there isn't a better birddog in the water. The long coat on the Setters drive me crazy with all the cockleburrs we have around where I hunt.

To each his own. I hunted over great dogs of all varieties, and they all have their good points and bad points. I've also hunted over junk of all varieties. Mean dogs are usually a product of their raising not a product of their breeding. None of my GSPs has ever offered to bite anyone. Whichever one you choose, go to a reputable breeder and you will probably be happy.

sproulman

can you get beeper that only beeps say every 30 seconds..
that would be nice for my lab in heavy brush and me and might keep another hunter from shooting at my dog for coyote...

sproulman

i saw GSP on tv last night hunting with LAB..
that dog did find and was good hunter..
the only thing i noticed is GSP would not retrieve bird, he sniffed it..

the LAB went over, found bird and brought it to owner..

myonly complaint with my LAB is he gets tired after 2 hrs..
those GSP,SETTERS,POINTERS seem to hunt a lot longer..

people say my dog is not in condition, that could be but i train him year round..
LABS in my opinion were not made for long days in field in heat..
their coats are just to thick..

thats where the GSP. SETTERS, POINTERS have edge..

thats why i hunt early in mornings with my lab, he cant take afternoon heat in oct....

but lab hunts real close and i like that and he loks for me, not me for him..

GSP i see seem to only be interested in HUNTING..hey, thats great but a little worry for us in WOODS..

my beagles years ago were same, they HUNTED, they did not care where i was at,they hunted..
LAB does not do this, lab will hunt but every few minutes, he is looking for you..
other breeds DONT look for you, they hunt..i feel a GSP is one that does that..
beeper thing could be your answer, i have no experience in beepers but i may look into one for my lab so it helps him not get shot at in woods....
you

Mite

My dog does that. She'll run out to about 100-150 yards then look where I'm at. Every once in awhile, she disappears and when I call her, she pops right in front of me. The grass is usually shoulder height to her or sometimes alittle higher so she's usually close by hopping over the grass. In open field where the grass is low, she'll run out a ways.

sproulman

i see you have LEWELLIN SETTER..
i almost had puppy from LYNNHILL setters but i felt that 1 dog is all i can handle now..
my lab stays with me in woods but is not great grouse dog like your setter but he does it all.
too expensive to have 2 dogs now, vet bills are awful and dog food etc..
not cheap anymore...