I am new to this site. First site that I joined because it seems to have an excellent collection of hunters, my favaorite being pheasant hunting. We have had great danes, boxers, weiner dogs ( mini dachshunds), and enjoy them very much. Our next dog will actually be a pure hunting dog. My brother has had black labs and they have been relentless hunters and excellent family dogs. A black lab took the national field trials. My grandfather had a springer called Ike that was pure hunter- except it took weeks to get burrs out of his coat. I am leaning toward the lab, a chocolate lab that has been bred for upland bird-primarily pheasant. We are in NW Illinois and may be looking to bring home a chocolate lab this spring. What shoud I look for when researching for a proven bird hunter and what characteristics would I look for in a pup? Does the color have any influence on the ability to hunt? Any input would be appreciated including any breeder suggestions for chocolate labs.