Lab for grouse?

B

Blacksheep

New member
Does anyone hunt grouse with a lab? I've heard its a much more difficult hunt and I can just picture my lab running ahead of me and flushing birds that are to far for me to get a shot off. I can control him and keep him by me 99% of the time buy once he gets on a bird, I follow him. I hunt mainly pheasants right now and ducks, which isn't an issue. Thanks.
 
My experience is as you describe - you HEAR many grouse flushes, but get few shots. It's fun though! If I wanted meat for supper, I'd leave my lab at home and poke around on my own. But I still have fun when I take her. What I do is I try to stay on trails and old roadbeds and have her go in loops into the cover on either side. When I see her get red-hot I try to keep along side her, especially trying to find places where the tree cover is lower or thinner. I also have some grouse hotspots that are very concentrated - lone old apples trees, or thick patches of hawthorn. Approaching those I slip a leash on her and then release her when we get there. But yeah, if I'm following her through the woods, especially here in Nova Scotia where the woods tend to be generally quite thick, I don't get shots at many.
-Dave
 
A good close working lab, golden, springer or cocker is dynamite for grouse.

My golden does a great job. The thing to remember is that you want them to work close. Grouse and woodcock have less tendency to run than pheasants do so when the dog gets birdy get ready because a flush is coming and you have a lot less time for a shot than you do when hunting pheasants.

There are some guys in Michigan that hunt grouse with Labs and breed them for grouse hunting and they are extremely successful. Check out Grouse Commander on Facebook or Youtube and you will see there results.

I would take him and have a lot fun with him.
 
I've used labs for grouse and woodcock. They do fine. Worked behind pointers on grouse too. Both produced birds.

Nick
 
I hunt my lab every year for grouse. When we are in the thick woods he hunts close. It took awhile for him to get it but now that he does it is a blast. I still have to remind him when he gets real birdy but I wouldn't hunt them without him. I love watching him charge through the woods. He has always been a better upland dog than waterfowl so that is what we hunt.
 
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