New to Waterfowl, have a question
 

I lease upwards of 14000acres in Kansas for whitetail hunting, I guide archery hunts only. However Im covered in Waterfowl. I sit between 2 state lakes, which makes for a lot of passing birds...Im getting into the sport as a first timer, im 29 and no stranger to the woods. question is can I find a descent dog aroung with out spending an arm and a leg? ive researched and seeing them for upwards of 8500$...hell id even take an older dog. or should I bite the bullet and shell out the cash. I will guide hunters here in Kansas, so id imagine I could justify it. Thanks a lot.

The price if training has been done like Force Fetch,Collar Conditioning, obedience, marks at some level and blinds will cost you $2,500 on up. My last puppy I bought cost me $1,200 and that was before any training.

Don't spend $8500 on a dog, for the love of god. Lol.

In Wisconsin you can get a good pure bred lab for 350-500.00. another 500-1000 to have him trained. Depending on how and what you want him trained on.

Bought one today. 3yr old female. shes force fetched, retrieves blinds singles and doubles, obedience trained. Gotta see her work. If there is one thing I noticed (that doesn't bother me) just being picky, is not everytime does she place the dead in hand, occasionally drops it close to you. but im fine with that....$900 seemed like a deal to me, papered and all.

There are less expensive dogs for hunting waterfowl. Prices ranges around 900-100$.

What???
8500$ ???
Just get a mixed breed that its bread into, and from a good stock, ie; Mom and dad both retrieve.
Our dogs are all deer/duck dogs. They love doing both, and they were FREE. I think if you pay big bucks for a hunting dog you are just supporting the puppy mill industry which is not a good thing.

you may go for low priced dogs just in the range of $750-$800

You could get one and train it yourself. Better connection with the dog and there are tons of ways to do it. I don't think you're in a rush for a business opening. DIY is better

Where can I get them?

Check your Humane Society. Just picked up a Lab/Shorthair. Looking good so far.

1000.00 duck dog
 

You show me a good finished 1000.00 duck dog and i will show you a dog that has more problems and holes in its training then swiss cheese. I live in west tn and a good reliable ready to hunt dog of what is called finished quality will bring 4000. all day long.

I got a Lab/Shorthair from Humane Society,3 years old. FINALLY have a dog that will point and retrieve both upland and waterfowl. Cost: $85.

I normally just browse and read the forums but I have to chime in on this one. I know you already bought yours but for anyone else reading this know that you can save a lot of money by buying a pup and training it yourself. I have done it multiple times and all you need is the patience and know how to get it done. You will also develop a better connection with the dog and it will be far more obedient and you can often get the dog to excel across more areas.

My current dog is just about out of gas being 12 years old so I'll be getting ready to train another up shortly. This was by far the best dog I've ever had, hell he could even get his own birds without me ever having to pull the trigger!

I train my own pups. Just bought a Boykin pup that I'll be picking up the first of December. Go to ebay or Amazon and get a book or video or just google search retriever training. To me it is much more enjoyable to raise and train a pup and then see them work. Caution though, you need to spend a lot of time with them.