Best Gundog for rough shooting (all rounder)

cavan shooter

The content of this thread could start a fairly good debate..

What type of dog do you think makes the best all rounder

Springers
Labs
pointers
GWP
setters

When I say an all rounder I am on about rough shooting
pheasant/ducks/pigeons etc not necessarily driven shoots

foxhunter

I voted pointer but i also use a springer

cavan shooter

Interesting I use a springer but thinking of getting a german wire haired pointer. You cant beat the springer for beating cover (forensically) but when it comes to ducks, I don't know hence the thread

E. Fudd

German shorthaired pointers all the way lads!:D

cavan shooter

excuse my ignorance of the bread but will a GSP retrieve from water

johnfaul

does anyone know of a gsp breeder near cavan?

mallards

Brittanys and G.S.P's all the way Yahoo!

Mallards.

E. Fudd

cavan shooter wrote:

excuse my ignorance of the bread but will a GSP retrieve from water

They will indeed, some of 'em can be a bit awkward about it though!

Our man in Havana

I has a Lab/newfoundland cross for water retrival.

sounder

only shot over springer the best alrounder cheers sounder

ShowAndGo

What wrong with the poor old Labrador???

It’s the best retriever, a powerful swimmer that surely gives it an edge on the other dogs when it comes to wildfowling. Not as good as a Springer when it comes to hunting in rough cover, but it is not too shabby either!!

pm.

ShowAndGo wrote:

What wrong with the poor old Labrador???

It’s the best retriever, a powerful swimmer that surely gives it an edge on the other dogs when it comes to wildfowling. Not as good as a Springer when it comes to hunting in rough cover, but it is not too shabby either!!

i voted springer to the because the question on the poll was the best dog for rough cove, if its the best all round dog i would vote for the lab ive got 2 and when it comes to retrieving duck they cant bet and are also good at putting up the pheasant and arnt as headstrong as the springer.

cavan shooter

My father only ever shot over black labs, couldn't believe it when I got my first springer at 16, (Thinks there too wild).

Most of the lads I shoot with here in Cavan have GSP/GWP and Labs. Yet if I go shooting back home (North County Dublin) it's springers all the way....

sounder

my springer came from the north used as picking up only till i got him.there the best alrounder and will last all day what more do u want.

Double Barrel

Irish Setter & German Wirehair, the more they are taught, the happier they are.
They will do everything that is required of a gundog.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1086/1451390116_2296343d0d_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1191/1454664564_38f7c9f195_o.jpg

tikkamark

For the best ALL ROUND dog you cant beat a decent springer,a good springer will do it all my english springer bitch hunts the thickest cover imaginable all day long retrieves to hand loves nothing better than retrieving from water and is a great dog to drive a fox out of cover.I had an excellent lewellen setter bitch(dont know the right spelling:rolleyes: )when i say excellent i mean EXCELLENT she was rock steady on a pheasant but the thing i didnt like was it made things way to easy i dont like waiting for a cock to get up for five minutes you may as well be shooting a crow or something so i sold her and bought a trained springer,i prefer the way a springer works its a lot more exciting shooting

17REM

here is my gsp pup in the water loves it

meathstevie

I have a lab now ( pedigree yoke I got from a lad because it was an unwanted present for his GF ). I've taken him out a few times and he's retrieving nicely but if I had my choice I'd buy a wirehair... . The old man has a 3 year old now and that chap is unreal ( the dog that is ). He had nothing but wirehairs over the years and bar one exeption they were all great. I'm a bit curious to see what a wirehair-lab cross would do though.

Double Barrel

I'm a bit curious to see what a wirehair-lab cross would do though.

Lab's are not yet in the GW's gene pool.
German Wirehair is an amalgam of several breeds: Griffon, Pudelpointer (German Pudel and the Spanish / English Pointer), Shorthair and Stichelhaar (which in turn is a combination of the Pudelpointer, Pointer, Foxhound and Polish Water Dog). Now that is a mix.

Double Barrel

Tikkamark,

"i dont like waiting for a cock to get up for five minutes"

Not a criticism.
I try to train my gungods to acomplish the following but try as I may success is a relative exercise.
When the dog secures a point, the gun handler can walk to the point for the shot. The gun-handler goes up beside the dog, at this time GH and dog, walk steadily forward to put the birds up and to shoot. The dog moves forward with the gun-handler to locate and flush the birds.

Pheasant's and Grouse can run as fast as a man can walk or run for that matter and a good dog may easily scent a bird or covey, and point, from a hundred yards and more! The dog is trained to hold when the birds flush or it hears a shot.
Granted, not quite as exciting as an ESS working but old farts need to watch the adrelinen rush.

gsmbooster - Authorised Merchant

Irish Red-Setter all the way.. I am hunting a 2yr old red setter dog and i have never seen anything like him he is rock steady on pheasant and retrieving to hand from land/water.. The hunting really is back in these dogs i wouldn't change for anything.. I had one of the best ess in the area for pheasant bought him fully trained for trials but i only wanted him for rough shooting he was a serious dog and would pull any ditch apart but the just do not cover enough open ground the setter will comb a whole field also the setter has twice the nose of a ess..
Anyway my no.1 is the red setter!

EPointer=Birdss

For best all rounder springer hands down. But this type of question is like whos the best foot ball player of all time. Can't compare backs & forwards etc
A springer has it all but a pointing dog has style & almost attitude that sets them apart.

As regards 5 mins to shoot. Why? Can your dog not flush? Plus I shoot less birds of those I meet with pointers as I find a bird has longer to think & evade the dog or gun & often runahead of the point etc If hunting rough country this can be a pain. If hunting beet or heather then a shot at a pointed bird is straight forward.
Springers make a fantastically frantic confusion of things & I've had birds fly at me. Great Craic & very effective dogs.
A springer either side of a ditch & won't leave a bird in the place.

OnTheGame

Where would a weimaraner fit in here..? pointer..?

jap gt

thread is a bit out of date lads, 2007 was the last post

gsmbooster - Authorised Merchant

It's a type of thread that never gets old!:p

oh yeah.. the weimaraner? don't know much about them think the work more or less the same as the gsp beautiful dog tho.. only thing is as far as i know the hunting has nearly been bred out of them as the have become a very popular show dog, i would love to see one working i would actually buy a hunting one if there is such a thing anymore!

Regarding the ess been the best all rounder i don't agree, like you said a springer each side of a ditch wont leave a bird but what about the birds lying out in the long grass/stubble or whatever, i worked all breeds over the years best dog i ever had was a gsp 20 years ago no dog has matched her yet, worked ess for last 10 years before i got my red setter and its only now i am realising how many birds i was missing with the springer, most springer's will only hunt in/out of the ditch, setters/pointers will hunt field and ditch with a better nose and if there retrieving no springer would match them...
I vote the red setter No.1

EPointer=Birdss

Just to clarify, the thread is for best all rounder of a breed & not a particular dog. A springer is a all rounder as regards pheasants, woodcock, duck, pigeon, foxes etc etc
As regards bird hunting my pointer makes my life v easy & I would have a preference for them hence I have one. he does it all as regards finding, pointing, flushing, retrieving land or water. He is the best retriever I've worked with of all breeds, the more dogs around the better he is & god help the dog that tries to get there before him. The prey drive is unreal. You walk into a few acre field & he runs the perimeter, checks all the small ditches in between, the rushes, scrub etc & I can walk into the next field & the same again. His head his up he using the wind, often starts working a bird from 100'yards with the wind in his face. No comparison IMO in this regards but if I bring him duck hunting his coat is too short, he's too restless, same for pigeons- there a kinda did that are built to run & be on the move. If I go for foxes again not his forte.
A ESS will do all the above effectively so this is why I think they are the best all rounder...

welsummer

i think a family pet should be taken into account as well. when my dog comes in from a hard days hunting she goes in front of the rad with the blow heater tutn on to her.

had 2 britanys.. great dog to hunt, but can be extremialy head strong.

had a black and white spring and he would die for you and felt no pain when it came to cover, but sitting in beside a duck pond on a cold winters night and maby having to break a skin of ice everytime he went in for a retrive use to knock the b***ocks out of him.

have a lab bitch now and can feel no cold when it comes to duck flighting and is looking at you in discust when i tell her the flight is over and we have to go home.good dog to trail a deer , but when it comes to heavy cover and there might be a cock in there she is a princess and she knows it.
No thorns for her.

So what you have to ask your self, is what type of hunting to do mainly do, and the get the dog that suits your ground and type of hunting.



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cavan shooter

OnTheGame wrote: »

Where would a weimaraner fit in here..? pointer..?

If I'm not mistaken they fall under the HPR (Hunt Point Retrieve)

I see its closed a while, if the mods see any value maybe theyll open the pole again a

Cass

cavan shooter wrote: »

............, if the mods see any value maybe theyll open the pole again a

Ask and you shall receive.

I've re-opened the poll. Thread seems to have come to life again.

---

For comparisons sake here is the poll results up to 22/10/2010. Rather than zero the values you can compare votes after this date by subtracting the numbers below, and it will also give an overview of all results.

Springer - 21
Lab - 6
Pointer - 4
HPR breed (GWP, etc) - 3
Setters - 3

Double Barrel

cavan shooter

Double Barrel wrote: »

Thats cool:)

Birdnuts

The best dog I ever had was out of a pure bred gold lab bitch and sired by a pure bred golden retriever. The type of dog that only comes around once or twice in a life-time. An outstanding gun dog, hunter, guard dog and amazingly obedient and sensible in every-day situations around the house and farm. Sadly he was cut down in this prime in a freak accident which haunts to this day:(

landkeeper

well i'd have to say the one that suits you best , there is as much difference between dogs of each breed as there are differences between breeds :cool:
i have had one outstanding springer and several outstanding labs and count myself lucky to have had them but by god i wish i still did
rip lads your sadly missed at times

tfox

I have springer, lab, and springer/lab cross. All have there different uses.

If snipe, duck or driven pheasant shooting I bring Golly



If beating out hedges and rough ground I bring Bruno



If I'm beating somewhere or bashing through the heaviest sitka after woodcock where I need a dog that'll knock down trees if needed I bring Clint

welsummer

two dogs in love..
i love those wire haired german pointers and would love to have one , but my missus hates the site of them so it would not be fair on the dog

T223

hi all, new to boards
have a springer myself find him good for everything,only my first dog so can't really say anything about others but always shot over them with my cousin.find him fairly head strong

Cass

T223 wrote: »

hi all, new to boards

Welcome aboard.

welsummer

T223 wrote: »

hi all, new to boards
have a springer myself find him good for everything,only my first dog so can't really say anything about others but always shot over them with my cousin.find him fairly head strong

any photos of you pride and joy

T223

ezridax wrote: »

Welcome aboard.

Thanks

T223

welsummer wrote: »

any photos of you pride and joy

Only new to all this me missus has pics of him on computer but i would'nt have a clue were to start at putting them up

welsummer

just click reply and then attachments and the computer will look for the picture

jwoods

T223 wrote: »

hi all, new to boards
have a springer myself find him good for everything,only my first dog so can't really say anything about others but always shot over them with my cousin.find him fairly head strong

Welcome T223 I know all about that dog been head strong.

T223

jwoods wrote: »

Welcome T223 I know all about that dog been head strong.

Bit headstrong alright but gettin better the oul collar works wonders got two snipe with him 2day

deerhunter1

cavan shooter wrote: »

The content of this thread could start a fairly good debate..

What type of dog do you think makes the best all rounder

Springers
Labs
pointers
GWP
setters

When I say an all rounder I am on about rough shooting
pheasant/ducks/pigeons etc not necessarily driven shoots

Springer#next labrador

caavan shooter

I was out a whle back and we shot snipe,woodcock,pheasant and duck all in the one sunday,,and the dog retrieved all. Golden labrador crossed with an hungarian weaselhound. Absolute ledgend! too late to get a pup of her very annoyed as shes neutered!

Bamanlou

hi just started reading here now and have to say its good reading ,
i use springers and the odd cocker . the springer ive got now is an excelent woodcock dog havent lost a bird over him yet in 6 years, but it really is horses for courses one mans dog may not suit another , ban lifted at midnight tonight so happy hunting to all

JackSnipe

For me any HPR breed is most suitable, which should include setters as they retrieve if allowed.
Springer have their place in very heavy glens, but there is noting like shooting over a HPR.

terminator2

have to disagree with you there JS ......a good springer will hunt as well as any hpr and in most cases better,there are not many places a springer wont go ,and a few years ago in scotland i was surprised to see mostly springers flushing and retrieving grouse ,no pointers and only 1 lab,so from the highlands to the deepest bogs you cant beat a good springer in my opinion anyway........ps dont mean to ruffle any feathers;)

kermitpwee

terminator2 wrote: »

have to disagree with you there JS ......a good springer will hunt as well as any hpr and in most cases better,there are not many places a springer wont go ,and a few years ago in scotland i was surprised to see mostly springers flushing and retrieving grouse ,no pointers and only 1 lab,so from the highlands to the deepest bogs you cant beat a good springer in my opinion anyway........ps dont mean to ruffle any feathers;)

I couldn't agree more, I think the problem with springers is peoples perception of them. A bad springer with no drive is terrible to hunt over, also a springer that is going out of range would drive ya to drink. Most local lads that hate springers have encountered the aforementioned spaniels.
A good springer that is working nice and tight and working a pattern is a beautiful sight. I personally prefer spaniels that are mad hunters who keep me on my toes, these spaniels need more attention to keep them working close but have a huge drive for hunting. I like the dog to challenge me and take me on, I use such spaniels and have great shooting. These dogs are not for everybody as you need time on your hands to keep them in check.

I am a fan of all hunting dogs and by accident came across a pointer on youtube belonged to a poster on boards.ie I do believe and was VERY impressed.

kermitpwee

One other point is that a good springer[cocker] will hit cover better than any other breed. Anybody that tells you any different is either lying or has never seen a good springer. I prefer to shoot over a springer as there is less time to get ready for the shot, this will not suit everyone and each to their own.

Dupont

my uncle has a springer and a german wirehaired pointer. i would personally rather the pointer. the springer will leave no ditch or briars untouched. he put up a cock out of briars day that was shot at but misssed and we went on to try another bunch of briars but the dog stayed and hunted away and put up another cock out of the same spot. had the pointer out yesterday and before the ban he got a shock on the nose from a fence and another on the body up the field :mad:and he wouldnt hunt the ditches at all so took him home.had him in the same spot yesterday and he wouldnt hunt ditches stayed out 20 yrd had to take him home. any way to cure this??? the pointer does not like heavy cover or getting wet but if he gets a scent of a bird he will go through the heaviest cover and through streams