Hotspotoutdoors

Running with a loaded gun in cover is a recipe for disaster.


A flusher will do the same thing. In either case you need to be able to stop the dog. And then catch up to it and then release it again.


The opposite also happens. The flusher misses a bird and the pointer finds it.


A beeper or bell can help with this. If the grass is chest high how can you see the flusher? Are you hunting with a Great Dane? Any dog can work in heavy cover. I run a pointer and tend to stay in cover where I can see my dog work. I will go into heavy cover if need be. It's less fun but no less effective with a pointer.

Folks, there are alot of variables and preferences as well as dogs with varying levels of ability and training.
There are several ways to solve the problem of running birds.

you say any dog can work heavy cover. I doubt that. Smaller dogs have trouble. By the way I said my dog was a lab. If there staying close its easy to see them. If a pointer is out there a ways its difficult if there pointing and theres no movement.

My brittany is right around 40 pounds, and he works great in heavy cover. I actually think it is an advantage working late season cattails, he is small enough that he doesn't get hung up in the thick cover. There is the issue of not being able to see him in the thick and tall cover. He always wears and orange vest while hunting pheasants which helps with the problem. Unless it is really windy, I actually just listen for him. When it is really windy, he wears a small bell. He worked great yesterday, got one bird on public land. Perfect point.

My shorthair weighs 38 pounds in hunting condition and works heavy cover as well as any dog I've ever seen. The big dog for heavy cover line of thought is a myth.

I'll agree to disagree. I'll take my pointer/flusher. You take your pointer. End of debate.

Ill see your pointer around late December in icy snow covered fields???

I have nothing against any dog period. Ive seen great pointer and great flushers. I just prefer my labs... They are tough and can take a beating. I just got back from 5 days in south dakota and hes barely got a scratch. I am impressed seeing how hes 9... Only down fault of big dogs is over heating faster. He got hot in the 80 degree hunting days we had. But all dogs will..

Thats why they made those expensive collars that beep at you when the dog stops moving. Pretty soon they will install a GPS chip... You watch

Oh and my lab had two beautiful points yesterday. And he is not even a pointer. I will say its fun watching a pointer lock up on a point!

I do plenty of hunting in December. I even go into the cattails even though it's not my preference. Congrats on the birds. It's always fun to see a dog produce a bird for you.

Yeah it is amazing how tough the labs are. They will walk right behind a guy getting kicked in the jaw from the back of a guys boot all day long

That's what you call lack of training... or NO training at all. Sounds like you hunt with the wrong crowd if their labs are just walking behind them...

Id love for you to come along and see a good lab at work. Specially when it comes to finding a wounded bird I've used my lab on downed birds when the pointers cannot find them.. But each and every dog cannot find every bird.

I ran across a lot of birds running around me in south dakota. The best way i found to stop them was shoot them on the run! lol... However dangerous in large groups it was just my father and I in a corn field and they kept running down the row i was walking in.

My lab actually will follow behind me when he cant find any fresh scent. Its a dead give away to move locations. Any dog has tremendous natural abilities. Getting those traits out of the dog and into the field is the difference between fair dogs, good dogs and great dogs. Pointers, flushers who cares. Ive hunted over awesome specimens of both and poor specimens of both. Anyone would rather hunt over an awesome anything than a poor anything. Anyone sane. My dog was born Apr 03. He hunted SD 3 days a week 2003-06. I dont care what kind of dog you have, when they see as many birds as that dog saw his first 5 years, that dog is gonna know sumpin bout birdin. My lab point often, its pretty funny because his nose points at the bird and his eyes look at me. My next dog is gonna be a small pointer so I can hunt warm Montana weather early in the season.

They've got one - its called the Garmin Astro...nifty little device way out of my price range...my Chessie wouldnt EVER need it and my GSP isnt a huge runner, so he probably wouldnt need it either - I could see the benefit with big running EP's or setters.

To the point of the debate, both types of dogs will miss birds and another type may pick it up behind them. This has no bearing on the ability of either dog. If they can both consistently put limits of birds in my bag, they're good dogs in my book.

Its a matter of style after that - each type of dog has their own. Pointers shouldnt run down birds, but neither should a flusher - both breeds should be paying attention and doing what they do best.

Anything else than that comes down to training.

I didn't meen to spark the great pointer vs flusher debate. But it is kind of amusing to watch you guys go back and fourth like this!lol. A pointer ,that has good manners on birds, is they way to go if you don't want to chase after a flushing dog was all i was saying. I love both breeds and actually own both pointers and flushers and both have their place. i have hunted days when the pheasants wont hold for a point...then out comes the springer. Guys should be more open minded about dogs and own a couple of each breed before they pass judgement on another breed. I have owned labs, springers E- setterrs and E-pointers and have enjoyed them all because I trained them to hunt for me, the way i like to hunt. it's hard to pass judgement on a breed untill you own one...otherwise you are passing judgement on a whole breed by observing a dog that was trained by someone else. And who knows how they train! Dogs rule!...it's their owners that we sometimes have to worry about! And that's no joke!!!

Good post uplander. My last dog was a lab my next is a brittany. It used to be ford vs. chevy now of course that debate has been decided and now it Chevy vs Toyota.

And what are these fantastic labs doing while you're busy shooting birds on the ground? Ive got a Chessie so Im not saying anything against labs or flushers, but the thought of swatting a running rooster with my dog on the ground, who would most likely be HOT if the birds were in shotgun range, makes my left eyelid twitch...