Mite

I would like to post my $.02 for what it's worth.

Everyone's best pheasant hunting dog is the dogthey already own.

You can recommend any breedor bloodline,either male or female, but you can't say, "This is the best breed!"Unless your lifestyle is exactly the same as the original poster, ie. show up in the field at the same time, hunt the same way, same age, build, drive the same vehicle, etc. you can't say that a certain breed will suit him. It's like picking ashotgun. You can recommend a well-made beautiful gunfrom a highly respected manufacturer,but if the gun doesn'tfit him properly, the gun is next to useless for him. Worse, he'll lose money in shell's andloose alot of birds and his expectations will turn to frustration. To him it'sa hunk of metal and a money drain. How much more willit beif he gets a dog especially if he gets attached?

My suggestion would be to do alot of research, hunt behind as many different breeds as you can, talk toas many professional trainers as you can. Then when you get a feel for the idiosyncrases of each breed, choose one that will fit you.

porknbeans

Mite, very well said. Take your time. This is a choice that you will live with for (hopefully) at least the next 12 years. Hunt with as many as possible. Talk to as many owners, trainers and breeders as possible. Then make your decision. Good luck.

camelcluch

Can I change my answer to, ANY DOG THAT HUNTS!!

tatonka

I think you can talk in generalties based on what and where you hunt when it comes to choosing a particular breed. Yes, any dog within any breed can make a great pheasant dog (or even a mutt as far as that goes), but whata person needs to look at is the percentages. Every pup or dog is somewhat of a crapshoot....you can get a pup from the best bred litter in the world and it can still be a dud. When looking at a breed to do a particular job, you are going with the percentages as well as what you personally like. If a pointing dog is what a person really wants, they will never be happy with a Springer (or any other flushing dog) regardless of how well a flushing dog might work, and vice versa.

Percentagewise, the best bet for a flushing dog is a good Field-Bred Springer. I really can't comment on the pointing breeds as I haven't seen very many that are really good at holding a true wild pheasant, but the guides I know here in Montana use German Shorthairs.

doc george

My first hunting dog was a lab. I worked hard to get her to stay in range and sit after the flush. Everyone I hunted with (they had no experience with dogs) thought I should take some time and train her because she wouldn't point. Most people want a pointing dog (look how many gundogs point vs flush). We watch a well bred springer flush a pheasant or a grouse and they are just not as good as a GSP (for pheasants) or a Setter (for grouse). I don't have to walk into the nasty cover to flush a bird but the pointing dogis seen assuperior.
The answer: Find the breed you like. I like Jagdterriers. Are they the best pheasant dogs? For me. Are there better? Foryou, maybe, for the others on this board, most definitly. My Holy Grail gundog was an Irish Water Spaniel. I love the way they look. Most are Show bred and difficult to find hunting bred parents (a JH doesn't do much for me when I'm spending a week's wage for a dog). Every time I see a pic of an IWS with a pheasant in it's mouth I think I want to try another one. I take a deep breath, and lookout the window and see the fuzzy little jerk and realize I have the right dog for me.

Doc George

tatonka

I would guess the preferred breed for hunting pheasants varies with geographic location.I have a kennel here in the Milk River Valley of Montana. We get bombarded by pheasant hunters from all over the U.S. every fall, so I see a lot of hunters and the dogs they use (many know me or know of me and stop by to visit). I see more flushing breeds than pointing breeds here.I see a few German Shorthairs, a few Brittneys, and a few English Setters. Other than that I'll see an occassional German Wirehair, a Viszla once in a while, etc. The most popular breed is the Lab...hands down. I see a lot of Springers also. A few people hunt Goldens. I'm seeing a few more Chessies each year...as a matter of fact, one of the outfitters here has used nothing but Chessies for at least the last 20 years.


I also participate in a couple of fundraiser hunts (for scholarship programs) where we divide up into teams and hunt. It's usually 4 to 6 people to a team with a pair of dogs per team. The most popular breed is the Lab by far followed by Springers. The only pointing dog that was used last year was a Brittney....did a real nice job too.

I've had two English Setters and a Gordon Setter in the past....from solid field lines. Maybe I'm just a lousy trainer or had duds, but they never could really handle wild pheasants. We got our birds opening weekend, of course (who doesn't?), but after that it was almost impossible. The birds just run too much. A good flushing dog will zero in and put the bird into the air before it gets a chance to run very far.

The other thing with pheasants is the retrieving end.... You have to have a dog that is an outstanding retriever as pheasants are a tough bird and if you dont kill them in the air they'll hit the ground running.. You just have to have a dog that will trail a cripple and won't give up. Some of the pointing breeds are outstanding retrievers, but generally speaking your flushing breeds tend to be quite a bit better.

Phil from Maine

Have you ever had any Irish pass your way? I enjoy hunting with mine,
they are very quick, and love to retrieve. But, here we have only the
bird farm variety of Pheasants to hunt. I have had mine go into brush
pile after a wounded bird so deep you have to remove some of the
brush just to see it. The bird would be just out of reach and not capable
of going anyplace else. I hunt Ruffed Grouse with them and the grouse
will run early in the year but not as fast as a Pheasant will. So I am just
curious to know if you had seen any there.

tatonka

Phil,
I have not personally seen an Irish in the field. The few that are around this area are the Show/Pet variety that people have for pets. A guy from Idaho who bought a Chessie pup from me earlier this summer said he has a pair of Red Setters and he loves them. He hunts primarily Chukar with them. From what I've read the Red Setters are a little different from the Irish that most of us are familiar with. They sure are a beautiful dog. I think I've watched "Big Red" 50 times (that and "Old Yeller" .

I've never hunted farm released birds before.....all I know about them is what I've seen on the tv shows and what I've read. From what I've seen on TV, they hold pretty tight......it's very rare to get a wild pheasant around here to hold like those I've seen on tv. It happens, but not often. Most of the Pointing Breeds I've seen used on Pheasant here are what I would call "Semi-Flushers". They'll flash point when they scent a bird and then creep along as the bird moves stopping momentarily from time to time.

The best pointing dog I've ever seen was a neighbors Brittney. They didn't hunt at all.....he was just a pet. Theyare farmers and he had the run of the place. When I would go hunting there, he would follow me. He was incredible.. He'd point and then if the birds moved he'd take off like a streak and circle around them and pin them between him and me. He wasnt' much of a retriever, but he knew how to handle birds. As far as I know no one ever trained him at all. Unfortunately he was hit by a car. I would have bought him if they'd wanted to sell him, but he wasn't for sale.

Pokey

Do you want a pointer or flusher? Setters,GSPs or Pointers all make good Phesant dogs.

marty IL

Another point to consider is the eight or so months of the year that you are not hunting pheasants. Will you keep it in a kennel outside or will it be in the house with the family? How good of a house dog does your choice make?Do you have little kids around - toddlers love big dogs, but they can get knocked around quite easily. People with nice size GSP's attest totheir little ones getting knocked aroundallthe time - young dogs are unmeaningly rambunctious (sp?). Do you have the room for a bigger dog? A Lab is an awesome upland dog, but nobody considers that otter tail of theirs in the house. (those of you with labs know what I'm talking about - don't set a drink down on the coffee table!). What kind of cover do you hunt? Is it wide open CRP that a pointing breed would be good at covering a lot of unproductive cover or is it pockets of bramble/bushes that a flushing dog would be perfect getting under it and rousting those roosters out? Is it tree lines, creek bedsor is it cattail sloughs where apointing dog wouldn't be that visible? Is it corn, sorghum or milo (food plots)? Do you want to flush the bird while the dog stands pretty outside the messy cover or would you rather have the dog do the flushing up under that crap? Do you hunt alone (with maybe one other friend/family member) or do you hunt with a party of people?

When you consider all of that - small enough to fit in the house, great with the kids, the type cover hunted, awesome pheasant dog, does pretty good on ducks, even games to play in the off season- sounds like a field bred Springer or Cocker fits the bill to me.