1dahunter

IMO Brittany is the only way to go!

AJ Nav

Duck,

I have an incredible GSP that is from the Stradivarious (Quebec)/Hege Haus lineage. His great grandfather (or maybe great great grandfather, I can't remember) is Hilldale Hustler. My best friend trains pointers and watching my pup's old man run is worth more than a bag limit of ringnecks! Let me know if you want any details on getting one these great dogs.

AJ

TeeJay

I have a GSP from a litter that came right down the road no blood lines. no master hunter, and paid 75$ for her as a pup. Iwill put her up against just about any other dog in the field,woods or on a pond. The best damn dog i and alot of poeple have ever hunted over. Oh plus she sleeps on the couch.

GSPsnFORDs

Obviously I'm a GSP person as my name suggests so I'm going to suggest a GSP. However, if you're looking for a close hunter I would suggest suggest looking into the "old fashioned" lines of GSP's. The "old fashioned" style tends to have the more German-ish, bloodhound look with the bigger ears and liver/ticked being the dominant color rather than white & liver ticked. I have two; the older one (9years old) has a lot of Mosegard (sp?) which to my understanding has more english pointer in the line and my other GSP (4 years old) is a black one whose grandpa is straight from Germany. When the older dog was younger he would range fairly far IMO to about 150 yds max. and the younger one has always been a close foot hunter with a range of about 75 yds max (usually he stays within 50 yds though). So if I was you and considering getting a GSP I would get the "old fashioned" style b/c it has always been my understanding that this line tends to have a closer range. I am by no means an expert (and to be honest each dog has its own tendancies) but this is what I've come to conclude through some research and whatnot. Hope this helps.

h2oknine

You might look at a Visla hunted over a few of those and really enjoyed them over the GSP. Personally I use Labs can handle the cold better and I use on everything form upland, goose and ducks.

BLUEGRASSGSPS

i think shorthairs are your best bet. they hunt close and can be trained to hunt closer. my dogs hunt between 25 to 100 yards, but depends on the cover. also a plus, if you have never trained a pointing dog, there real easy to train. i've owned pointers,setters, and brits. shorthairs have been the easiest to train. they have high natural instincts, and majority are natural retrievers. i have 8 shorthairs and i've hunted quail, grouse, woodcock, and pheasants with real success. also if your interested i just had a litter of puppies, with the stud dog out of shooting starr kennels. shooting star son of a gun, and the dam which is out of snips ticked off. 425 wild quail last year and 284 wild birds so far this year. call or email if your interested in the pups 1-270-753-1861

ruger2245

Duck Killer, I agree with one of the previous posts. Go to a field trial and watch the dogs work. Bottom Line (as you can probably agree with) - the spirit of bird hunting of any species is watching the dogs work. I have hunted behind Labs, Goldens, Chessies, Beagles, Setters, and Britneys. I have been through tough terrain with each. Style, endurance, and grace is what I look for in a dog, . The Irish Setter has everyone beat hands down in that category. BROPHY'S IRISH SETTERS in IL has a line of dogs that I believe you should take a look at. Please speak with 'Field Dog Enthusiast' and they will acknowledge Ken's line and should give credit where credit is due. Ken's filed setters are of a much smaller/low profile line that what you see on the shows - more of the 'true' setter not the over bred show dog. The grace of that dog running in the field will make you melt. NO OTHER DOG has the style of an Irish Red - flat out they run ... run ... run... My main concern would be is DO YOU have an adequate amount of space and time for training? You will find that a bird dog such as the Setter, GSP, Britney, and Viszla get kinda goofy if they don't have a regular (recommend twice a day) running schedule. I'm concerned because you mentioned you have a Chessie and should by all means be sufficient cause a Chessie is one bad motha ... Final note - any one of the dogs mentioned in this post or previous posts are excellent choices - you really can not go wrong .. As previously stated - do your homework, ensure that you have an adequate amount of space and time for trianing and love your hobby.

duck killer

Ruger,
I do have plenty of room. We have 40 acres with a 6 acre pond. I run my chessie every day with 4-wheeler. I went to the pheasant fest in Omaha and I think I'm sold on the GSP. Krystal Creek Kennels was there and I'm really considering that kennel or Shootin Starr. Any information or references from owners of dogs from these kennels would be great. Thanks everyone for the help.

DUCKSTAMPEDE

Duck Killer,

A friend of mine in Nebraska, lives up by Kennard got a GSP a year ago from Shootin Star-he was a dyed in the wool lab man but wanted something similar to what you are talking about-he hunted the dog this year and he is a changed man-his is the 'foot' type and stays in close to him when she hunts-he can't stop talking about her-sounds good to me so good luck.

Maskellrascal

Good news Duck Killer. I was just down by Tecumseh a few days ago and hunted with my GSP down there. First time for quail for her and she did great, locked onto the birds and worked them perfectly. I would like to ask you a question. One of my friends wants a GSP that will work close to him, I was wondering where Shooting Starr kennel is and if they have a website? I was also wondering about Krystal Creek Kennels as well. Any input would be great, Thanks.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting