English Pointers on Pheasants - what's been your experience?

Abbeyroad

Member
I'd love to hear about EPs and pheasants - always wondering about tracking and after-the-shot capabilities of EPs - I know they'll find birds - do the runners drive them crazy? Which lines have you found to be the most natural retrievers? Thanks!
 
You seldom see them "up north"...So Dak or No. Dak. Not sure they can take the cold, although the GSP seem to do OK. They are a very classy dog with lots of style.
 
I've hunted in montano with pointers. They are small, light dogs, they don't really like thick cover.They did ok, they lost a few birds.
 
I have an English Pointer. We only hunt him on Sharptails. No way we would want to wreck him on Ditch Parrots. Not a wise move for them. They are not meant to relocate on running birds. Just a good way to wreck a bird dog. It is not their hunting style. They also do not take the cold weather. They are very THIN skinned. It is crazy just how thin it is. But on a side not, they do take the warm weather a little better than other dogs out in the field.
 
Yeah- they were great on sharp tails , hunted them around Roy, Montana in the foothills, above grain, and water. They did great on the sharp tails, and Huns.We lost a few big roosters on the crick, because the thick cover was too much for them.Another time, I hunted chuckers in Nevada, with pointers.They were awesome, on those chuckers.Very strenuous, cliffs, high altitude hunting.I will never do that again, but those pointers really worked that rough terrain , and everybody limited out.So thumbs up to pointers, for smaller birds, grouse, partridge .
 
I have to make one more comment on the pointing breeds.Most of the ones I've hunted with, don't like the thick brush. They are better, in the open field.
 
They do tend to hunt different than other breeds. They like making those hug sweeping patterns and love wide open country. I have hunted with both, but more with Setters. I also think Setters are a lot smarter to.
 
My EP has done alright on running birds. She needs more experience, but she shows good instincts so far. I think it takes a lot to get any pointing breed to track and relocate on running birds really well. But she retrieves really well! She made a 100 yard retrieve on a woodcock this year, and she made a 40 yard water retrieve on a chukar during a training day in August.

I will say she hates the cold. If it's less than 25 she's a little cold. It's even worse if she's wet and cold. Definitely not my duck dog.
 
The only really bad thing is they are crate pissers. Both are bad, but the pointer is really bad. Its like they couldn't care less than laying in a wet crate. Even the breeder says this can be kind of common with them.
 
I don't believe in crates, thumbs down on that. I would never put my dog in a crate, but on the setter thing. I have hunted with English setters, they hunted well, in open country, they didn't hit the thick cover real well, but the crp was gravy for them.They pick up a lot of burrs!! German wire hairs, are good brush dogs, and they are good waterfowl dogs.
 
I had one, and I must admit, it was a joy to watch it work a field. It never really adapted to pheasant hunting for me, but, like I said, it was absolutely beautiful to watch work a field, or a half section, or a section, or a township, for all that matters.

Eps dont really need to work the heavy stuff.. they can run the edges, and tell you theres birds in there. Ill just stand here and point, you go get em.

lol.

Love EPs, but have been running shorthairs for 15 years..
 
I don't believe in crates, thumbs down on that. I would never put my dog in a crate, but on the setter thing. I have hunted with English setters, they hunted well, in open country, they didn't hit the thick cover real well, but the crp was gravy for them.They pick up a lot of burrs!! German wire hairs, are good brush dogs, and they are good waterfowl dogs.

What's wrong with crates?
 
My dog, rides in the front seat, or the back seat. Never in a crate, or on a trailor. Thumbs down on those things.
 
I had one, and I must admit, it was a joy to watch it work a field. It never really adapted to pheasant hunting for me, but, like I said, it was absolutely beautiful to watch work a field, or a half section, or a section, or a township, for all that matters.

Eps dont really need to work the heavy stuff.. they can run the edges, and tell you theres birds in there. Ill just stand here and point, you go get em.

lol.

Love EPs, but have been running shorthairs for 15 years..

Yeah- they can really work a field. A joy to watch.
 
My dog, rides in the front seat, or the back seat. Never in a crate, or on a trailor. Thumbs down on those things.

I couldn't imagine having a loose dog in a vehicle. Last loose dog in my truck was a lab the rest of us brought hunting dogs...

Anyways I was assured said pet would stay on the floor mat that was a lie! Lab prints all over never again.
 
My dog, rides in the front seat, or the back seat. Never in a crate, or on a trailor. Thumbs down on those things.

I used to think that way until I was resting a dog while walking a field and came back to a truck with explosive diarrhea all over the inside of the cab. Went to crates and eventually a dog box after I got more dogs. No way I will have loose dogs on a trip anymore.
 
I couldn't imagine having a loose dog in a vehicle. Last loose dog in my truck was a lab the rest of us brought hunting dogs...

Anyways I was assured said pet would stay on the floor mat that was a lie! Lab prints all over never again.

You don't need a nice truck to bird hunt. Get an old bronco, with a front bench.Dogs love bench seat Broncos .
 
Some strong generalizations in this thread. A good bird dog is just that.

Telling my age, but best pheasant dog I've seen was a Miller ex fiddler dam dog that was pheasant death. He was a 50 to 100 yard dog in SD, and as far as it took on TX/OK/KS quail. Contrary to popular opinion, if encouraged, many pointers are reliable retrievers.

Cold tolerance is a justifiable concern. I've had them shut down in -10 and snow in SD.
 
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