Pheasant hunting dog
 

most of you know i like LAB best for hunting just about everything,i do still feel a lab does good job all around.
but this week pheasant hunting i have come to conclusion that best dog i have seen on pheasants is SPRINGER SPANIEL.

16 yr old springer smoked over 12 dogs other than springer.we had some of best setters,pointers,labs,gsp.
i have seen this for many years too.
covering ground and way they pick up scent has to be reason.
those dogs seem to go and go .

we went thru areas and pheasants were running.big run today.only dogs that perform well was springers.

For running pheasant, I would want an experienced pointing dog. Sometimes these pheasants will want to run, so after sniffing around a bit, my dog will take off at full speed trying to pin it down. But more often she will disappear in the high grass (1/2 of the field is thigh high the other half is chest high. The birds usually are chased into the chest high grass) After calling and calling her, a bird will pop up way too far ahead. Its a pain. Area is too small and expensive to get a beeper/gps but the dog gets lost in 20-30 yards out.

Spaniels are wonderful dogs. They will get into some of the roughest stuff most dogs wouldn't consider entering. But they are flushers. When on scent of a running bird, I'm too old and rickity too try to keep up.

you are right.springer i hunted with stayed close to us.others i saw were out too far.toby could not get into those briars.he knew the birds were inside.
that springer got at them.

springer that hunts close is just unreal on pheasants.

While I can not speak of wild pheasants I did use my Irish on a bird farm and he did great. The owner had a 2 springers which he enjoyed until one of them got into some rasins. ( That one had died from the rasins.) He know uses a GSP on his birds when some hunters show up with out any dogs. Keep in mind most of the pheasant hunting here was in the woods with a lot of cuttings to keep the area fairly clear. So while there was some tall grass most of it was thick brush and the like.

Got to agree with Mite here, on the dog to use on hard running wild birds. A good pointing breed is definitly the way I would go.
The finest dog work I have ever seen on farm raised birds - was an older Brittany Spaniel. It was on a bird farm in Ohio and the cover was knee high weed fields and brushy ditch banks. The birds did not run very much but they all flew strong - like wild birds. That was - hands down - the most bird savvy dog I have ever hunted over and I have hunted over a lot of different breeds. He hunted hard and he hunted close and needed very little correction or direction.

I believe the high grass is causing my dog to develop bad habits. She disappears in the stuff and I don't know if she pointing or just running thru the grass. If she's gone for some amount of time, I'll beep her collar or yell for her since she can't see over the high grass herself. There has been times when she's been on point and I've called her then a pheasant will pop up. Grrr..

Springers
 

I've found no other breed works as hard or with more fervor that a Springer.

Cold blooded killers, never complain except maybe when you miss.

I swear my Cleo would turn and glare at me if I missed a bird she put up.

While I have hunted with springers and other breeds, they have all certainly been good dogs. But when it comes to hunting wild birds in tough cover, I wouldn't trade my lab for any other breed. Just a truly awesome hunting machine. :)

Hey KT29---Where exactly do you live and hunt in sw ND? I was out between Regent and Hettinger again a couple weeks ago and the birds were numerous, but as wild as I've ever seen them as far as it was into the season before we got there.

Hey Topgun, I live West of Dickinson at South Heart. Our bird populations are considerably less than those in the Regent area. With the cold weather and the snow, the roosters are now starting to flock up which makes them considerably harder to hunt as you might expect. When one flushes, the rest aren't far behind. They are getting pretty spooky for sure. Still, with a good dog, and some hard hunting, one is still able to do Ok. Nothing like it was 3 or 4 years ago though. Was able to get out just before dark this afternoon and find a couple. Hope you had a good time hunting down at Regent.:)

We have a great time and usually see a ton of birds, even though a lot are on private properties that I won't hunt because they charge from $150 a person per day on up to shoot three lousy roosters! We had a harder time this year because we got there so late compared to normal years. Usually we go the second or third week before others have pounded the area, which they really did this year as word gets around about the area being so good. This year I couldn't get there until the end of my 11 week trip because of big game hunts in WY, AZ, and NM that came first. I attached a picture of my DD, a two day limit of birds two of us got last year (it was so cold I waited to clean them all the second night and to get a good picture of a bunch of birds). This year we didn't kill many more than that in five days of hunting because of the late hunt. Next year I hope to get out there the second week like we usually do, but I'll get out there again no matter what dates we have to pick.

Any dog with heart will always be your best dog. After running for three - four hours, I have to stop hunting and pull my dog away (she's only six years old). Later in the season, where I hunt, everything is under water. Its like hunting in cattails. Bird hunters have to compete with duck hunters as there are several duck blinds in the area. One big marsh. The dogs have to hop above the tall grass & water. The water can come up to waist high in some places to mid calf in others.

My dog will pull up lame if hunting about four hours - favoring her hind leg. Everyone usually quits after two hours. Anything more is hard on their dogs. Even with aspirin and glucosamine, it still takes the rest of day to recover. She'll will run herself to the ground if I let her.

Topgun, that's a good looking dog & bunch of birds.

Thanks Mite! Most people that see Hercules (Herc for short) really like his markings and great temperment. He's my best buddy!

KT29: really beautifull picture (and dog)

I've seen some "what the heck is that dogs" do excellent in the field. However most, inevitably, have some type of gun dog in them. I've never really seen any springers in the field though.

what you need is to invite me out to hunt with you.:s4:toby is 9 now and black lab too.
i just got a SMALL MUSTERLANDER pup hopefully in july from out your way,well close to your state,mn.

Strictly pheasant I would say Spinger or Lab. A good field type in either would do the job wonderfully.

Breeding and training will determine which is better, not the breed itself.

i agrre on lab/springer.SPRINGERS are pheasant hunting machines