Schemy

I have read all the posts on this thread and for the most part all have been fairly good. I have to say that I believe that any dog used for the purpose of hunting any type of fowl, whether upland or waterfowl, is a bird dog. You could redefine this thread by asking what the best gun dog is.

I have no favorite, because I have not hunted over every type of dog. I am experienced with labs and goldens. I enjoyed both, and used both for waterfowl and upland. Now I was not naive enough to believe that my dog was the best suited for every game bird out there, nor did I believe that there wasn' t a bird he couldn' t hunt.

That all being said, I believe yellowlabman and MAJay to be some of the more mature adults in this site. There was no need for all the bad mouthing and misquoting. And as for Chuckarbuster, I don' t believe we all need to meet out west so you can see whose gun is the longest. Enough with the my dog is best discussion. Give your story of your experiences hunting behind your favorite breed, because if I have learned one thing about hunters, no matter the details, just hearing about hunting is good enough.

bobeyerite

MAJay, You must really take pitty on SeattleSetters. For SS has an extremely acute case of " Kennel Blindness Disease." SS has demonstrated this fully in the many posts submitted on dog subjects. For more details on this terrible disease see the July/August 2002 issue of " The Pointing Dog Journal." ( Page 28} On Page 30 is a picture of SS he is the one on the right.

seattlesetters

Common, guys! [:' (] This was a question about the best bird dog posted on the UPLAND BIRDS forum, not the waterfowl forum. If a similar post was made on the waterfowl hunting forum about the best retriever, I highly doubt that any Setter or Pointer owner would make a claim that their dogs were the best. In fact, I' d lay odds that none would even post, even though many of these dogs will indeed go into water to retrieve downed birds.

The bottom line here with all the " pointing" Labs, Chessies and the like is that for them to qualify for the title of " Best Bird Dog" on an upland bird forum, they must go out into the bird field with Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, Tomoka and Elhew Snakefoot at the line, get turned loose, and beat these dogs soundly so that not one of them places. It ain' t gonna happen.

Won' t happen, either, if you include shorthairs, brittanies, viszlas, wirehairs or any other continental breed. In fact, if that trial were to ever go down, I think a betting man would have the best odds ever of hitting the trifecta.

ed3592

FINIALLY--SS got something correct--the first paragraph of his latest post is right on the mark.............

snowdog2

SS--I' d put 30 time NSTRA champion Nolan' s Last Bullet, a Brittany male, up against Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, Tomoka or Elhew Snakefoot any day as the best birddog. Unlike those horseback trial dogs that DO NOT RETRIEVE during their trials, Buddy is a foot handled, bird finding AND bird retrieving fool, who has consistently, over the last six+ years, in ALL the major NSTRA trials, bested the best NSTRA pointers and setters from Tekoa, Tomoka and Elhew Snakefoot lines, time and time again. At the end of the day, Buddy' s pile of found birds would exceed any of the three long-tailed dogs you claim are superior, and Buddy is a Brittany. While all three longtails have performed outstandingly in the horseback trials, few hunters hunt upland birds from horseback, and I doubt greatly that an average Joe Hunter would find it appealing to walk to the horizon in pursuit of a big running, horseback-styled longtail. What' s more, those dogs were not necessarily the best bird producers in the trials they won. In American Field trials, as you no doubt know, many subjective qualities are also evaluated, such as style on point and consistently running to the front. That' s why the best birdfinders don' t always win the big American Field trials. A dog that makes one find in its run, but is staunch and stylish on point, has as much chance to win, if not more, than the dog that produces covey after covey or bird after bird. I think the best birddog is the one that wins the most NSTRA trials, and right now that' s a Brittany, not a longtail. Just my 2 cents worth.

seattlesetters

snowdog - I couldn' t agree with you more about most hunters being much better served by getting their next pup out of NSTRA stock. These dogs have to handle, retrieve, honor and find birds if they are to be successful, and they have to do it in very small (50-80 acre) fields. This is what most hunters are looking for, no doubt. And since Sadie had her puppies, Buddy is about as good as it gets in that game, too. In fact, my own line of setters have a fairly generous dose of top NSTRA talent in their bloodlines.

And while Buddy would probably clean up if placed with the great American Field champions you mentioned in a 60 acre field, I don' t think he would do as well running against Tomoka in a Shooting Dog Stake, or against Sunrise or Snakefoot in an All-Age Stake. That' s the beauty of bird dogs...there is something that appeals to everyone. As far as best goes, however, Tomoka has sired 138 progeny that have racked up 1,085 field trial placements in all venues, retrieveing stakes and NSTRA included, and Tekoa Mountain Sunrise has sired 260 offspring that have amassed an amazing 1,723 placements, again in all formats, retrieving stakes and NSTRA included. The list for Elhew Snakefoot is equally impressive. The problem with the NSTRA dogs being placed in the same category with the above...and one of the main reasons there are no NSTRA dogs in the American Field Hall of Fame, even though it is an American Field sanctioned event...is that even the best NSTRA dogs don' t seem to be able to produce offspring that can compete at all levels.

I definitely agree with you, though, that hunters should look to NSTRA stock for most of their needs, and if you dig Britts, get yourself a Buddy pup!

jackassflats

Snow dog, don' t forget Buddy' s son Brave. They went qu dogs of the year. first and second.

And just to answer the question, the best bird dogs are my brits for me. They fit my lifestyle are family members and like to hunt whats around here. It' s all a personal preference and what type of bird you are hunting.

See the brits and watch the hunting clip of the boys

http://www.highdesertbrittanies.com/

ChasinTom

Hi guys ! I am new here and I have to chime in. Man you guys must not know a good bird dog when you may have had it staring you right in the face. Then again many of you may have not even seen one ?? Yes I am talking about the Vizsla AKA Hungarian Pointer. Yes I am being a smart A$$. I Know that the Pointers, Setters, and Labs are also good/ great dogs. Heck I also own a Yellow Lab. I jsut cant believe not a ONE of you have mentioned a Vizsla.

Ok let me have it.......LOL.
Cameron

ed3592

Maybe there is a good reason why the ' Vizla' hasn' t been mentioned!!

ChasinTom

HEEHEHEHEE Ed made a funny.. LOL. Wanna come hunting with me?

I dont know about the eastern part of the US, Cant stand it.. But out here in the west I have seen a very large increase in the numbers of Vizsla' s used in the field. One area ( Scatter Creek) just east of Monroe, I have seen the numbers Quadruple in the past 2 years. That Is a very large increase no matter how you look at it. First there were 2, last year there were 8.
My Vizsla' s stamina blows me away. Last year I had to kennel him because he was bleeding from the paws. Rugged shale rock for Huns, but he didnt want to stop.