Hunting Dogs

When choosing a gundog, factor in what kind of birds you'll be hunting and where, as well as what your aesthetic leanings are. Some people like chocolate ice cream, and some prefer vanilla. Some like both. When it comes to the flushing/retrieving breeds versus the pointing breeds, I fall into the category of those who like both. Watching a trained Lab or springer flush a cackling rooster is a thrilling adrenaline rush. And a well-mannered pointing dog standing proudly with a bird pinned has always moved me.

As they say, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." But I'm a lucky man; I don't have to choose between pointers and flushing retrievers. I have both. Sometimes I hunt my English setters and pointers; other days my Labs bring home the bacon. It's like being able to select a different-gauge gun and hoping it's better suited to the task than the alternatives would be. On other occasions I may walk a Lab at heel, let the pointer do the locating, and then send the Lab to flush. This strategy is particularly effective on pheasants, as often hunting roosters with pointing breeds becomes a point-and-run game. The dog points, the pheasant runs; the dog relocates, the pheasant runs; the dog relocates, the pheasant runs... and on we go toward the horizon. The flushing dog puts the bird into the air, giving the pheasant less opportunity to pull a vanishing act. This is not a case of a Lab being more talented than a pointer or vice versa. Choosing which breed group is better for a particular situation depends on where and what birds you'll be hunting and also your aesthetic temperament. Through the years my clients have shot a lot of pheasants over pointing dogs. That said, if I were in pheasant country and hadn't eaten for a week, I would choose a trained flusher/retriever to put meat on the table. The optimum word here is "trained." Neither a flushing retriever nor a pointing dog will help bring birds to hand if it isn't trained. If a cocker, golden, Lab or springer is running out of control and busting birds far out of gun range, the hunter may as well have stayed home and mowed the grass. Equally adept at raising one's blood pressure is a Brittany, shorthair, wirehair or setter that doesn't hold point and flushes the quarry before the shooter arrives. When we talk about which breed is better for a certain type of bird hunting, let's compare trained dogs. Is a trained pointing dog better than a trained flushing dog? First, let's define trained. A truly finished pointing dog hunts in control, responds to directional handling, holds point, is steady to wing & shot, backs, and retrieves on command. A bragging-rights flushing dog patterns in gun range, sits on the whistle, sits on the flush, is steady to shot, can be handled to the fall, and retrieves reliably to hand. In either case, the trained dog is a sheer pleasure to gun over. Now certainly all dogs that provide their owners with glorious days afield are not trained to this advanced level. Nor do they have to be to have a good day's hunt and produce dinner. That said, I believe we should have minimum expectations of performance. At the very least, pointing breeds need to handle and hunt in control and hold point. Pointing dogs that run out of control and flush birds are as useless as big-running Labs or springers. The same goes for flushing dogs as far as minimum standards. Regardless of your favorite flavor of flusher-whether it's a Lab, Chessie, Boykin or whatever-the dog should quest in gun range, be able to be called off of missed birds, and retrieve downed game. You can have a great day if the dog at least finds 'em, flushes 'em and retrieves 'em. All ground birds run. One reason to gravitate toward flushing breeds is that these dogs put birds to flight. A running grouse or hotfooting pheasant is a master of playing the run-and-hide game. The longer it takes to get the bird into the air within range, the more opportunity the bird has of pulling a disappearing act. Just because a pointing dog has stopped does not guarantee that the bird it is scenting has stopped. The sooner the bird is pressured to flight, the better the chances are that the hunter will enjoy success. A flushing dog that has been taught to sit on the whistle dramatically increases the odds that game will be brought to bag. Odds are that the retriever tracking a pheasant blistering down a fencerow will put the quarry to flight... eventually. However, the dog may flush the pheasant far out of gun range. A dog that reliably sits to a whistle command gives the hunter a huge advantage. When the dog approaches the edge of gun range, the whistle command is given and the dog sits, allowing the hunter to move up. A dog that does not sit to the whistle may force a hunter to run downfield in pursuit-something that is simply not safe to do with a loaded shotgun. In addition, an out-of-breath gunner is not as likely to hit what he is shooting at. As with pointing dogs, just because a flusher stops-in this case to the whistle-it does not mean the bird necessarily stops. Once the hunter reaches the dog, the dog is released to continue its pursuit. The dog may have to be sat down several times before the bird is finally flushed, but when the cackling rooster eventually does erupt, the hunter will have a better chance of being ready. Certainly a fair number of birds win these contests with dogs. After all, they have survived by eluding foxes, coyotes and bobcats. But it's all about the experience and the memories. A long-tailed rooster enjoyed on the table or mounted on the den wall will pay dividends in stellar memories. When pheasants are in thick cover or cruising light cover, they are difficult adversaries for pointing dogs. But on a cold morning after a snowfall it's a different story. Birds hunker down in the swale grass, hiding in "igloos." Those are glorious hunts for pointing-dog enthusiasts, as under these conditions birds often hold tight. A riled-up rooster exploding from the snow in front of a staunch dog-well it just doesn't get any better than that. Pointing breeds have two distinct advantages over flushers/retrievers. One is that as long as the dog holds point, the hunter can allow it to cover more ground. And the more ground the dog covers, the more birds it will find. The other advantage is that a staunch dog allows the gunner to better position himself for a higher-percentage shot-assuming the bird is pinned. The hunter can move around a tree that's in the way instead of having to watch the bird disappear with no chance of a makeable shot. Flushing/retrieving breeds have stronger instincts to retrieve than do pointing breeds. This is a definite plus for the flushers. But understand that by training the conditioned retrieve, any breed can be developed into a reliable retriever with a soft mouth. The pointing breeds as a whole have better olfactory sensors for taking air scent, and in my opinion pointing breeds have a better ability to smell birds from farther away-an advantage when hunting wild birds. The flushing/retrieving breeds are stronger water dogs than the pointing breeds. For example, a shorthair may love retrieving early season puddle ducks in a pond or river, but it would not fare as well bringing back late-season sea ducks off of the coast of Maine. For hardcore water work, it's better to go with dogs that have been purpose-bred for the job. For the hunter who enjoys both upland and waterfowling pursuits, a strong argument can be made for the wirehair or griffon. If a dog that points and works well in water fits your needs, consider the Continental breeds. Or maybe a pointing Lab would suit your purposes. Here's the reality: A good dog is a good dog, and a good dog is a trained dog. After all, you'll have to make some compromises if you want to hunt a smorgasbord of birds. The specialists are the best at what they do but may not be as good at other tasks. Pick your flavor and have fun. George Hickox's DVD "Training Pointing Dogs" covers developing a gundog from puppy to polished performer. It can be ordered by visiting www.georgehickox.com.