GSP, Lab, I Don't Know

T

TheMorningRise

New member
I love Labs, always have. I love everything about Labs.

Then, when I started into upland, I kind of learned to love GSP's.

I have hunted behind both, enjoy both equally.

Now, we are looking for a pup and I am torn. I do do some waterfowl hunting as well, so I was thinking of the Lab. Then, I come to learn of a great price on a good GSP locally, who will be ready to go home in 3 weeks.

I am torn.

Most of my Pheasant hunting is on released birds, but I would like to change that. My main concern is that these birds will run more, leaving me with a GSP pointing at what was. Whereas the Lab, it will continue the chase.

What are your thoughts.
 
Good pointing dogs will learn how to handle pheasants with enough exposure to them. They want the birds even worse than you do, so they'll develop tricks to trap them between you or will relocate to stay on pheasants if you give them a chance.

It's tough to predict what you will want to do for the next 10 years. I went all in on pointy dogs, so I don't waterfowl as much as I used to when I had a golden. But I still hunt waterfowl enough, and it's the kind of sport you don't have to do it alone. Plenty of guys with labs to hook up with if you need one... I have one buddy that we waterfowl hunt with his dogs in the morning and then upland hunt with mine in the afternoon and it's been working well.

That's not to say I couldn't slap a vest on my Daisy. She has retrieved plenty of waterfowl in her day, but she would much rather run than sit and watch the sky, and I would rather walk than sit. :laugh:
 
Toad said:
Good pointing dogs will learn how to handle pheasants with enough exposure to them. They want the birds even worse than you do, so they'll develop tricks to trap them between you or will relocate to stay on pheasants if you give them a chance.

It's tough to predict what you will want to do for the next 10 years. I went all in on pointy dogs, so I don't waterfowl as much as I used to when I had a golden. But I still hunt waterfowl enough, and it's the kind of sport you don't have to do it alone. Plenty of guys with labs to hook up with if you need one... I have one buddy that we waterfowl hunt with his dogs in the morning and then upland hunt with mine in the afternoon and it's been working well.

That's not to say I couldn't slap a vest on my Daisy. She has retrieved plenty of waterfowl in her day, but she would much rather run than sit and watch the sky, and I would rather walk than sit. :laugh:
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Good reply, spot on thoughts too.

It is weird that if you told me I had more access to Waterfowl when we lived in Arizona, than I do in Wisconsin, I would have thought you were nuts. Fact is, it is true. Everything in Wisco is locked up, no one wants to invite you out, its crazy, but a sad fact.

I am very fortunate in that I was invited out with someone who hunts Pheasants here last fall. We had a blast. I actually see myself Pheasant hunting more than waterfowl, but oh how I do love waterfowl.

Neither is inexpensive, but I do like how with upland in general, when you want to go, you grab the dog, the gun a bag and go. Waterfowl requires so much additional effort with decoys, blinds, etc. And 7 times out of 10, I am solo or it is just my fiance and I.

I have seen some really good GSP's as well and they are phenomenal dogs!
 
Don't discount the GSP for a waterfowl dog either. They are classified as a versatile dog for a reason and there are plenty that are spectacular in the duck blind as well. I realize some people may have budget constraints, but finding a dog at a good price should never be the motivation for buying one. Do your research and find a dog that is bred to fit your style and needs. Make sure you understand the traits of the dogs in the pedigree and what venues the excelled in. Make sure at least some health tests were performed on the parents, hips checked at a minimum. And "my vet said they were good" isn't good enough.
 
Im painting with a really braod brush here but- is it more important to fill your vest with birds or watch uour dog hunt?

I see posts all the time about guys looking at their astros and their dogmis on point 856 yards to the north. I always wonder about that...

I know not all pointers work out that far so dont get your close working shorts in a knot :D
 
UplandHntr said:
Im painting with a really braod brush here but- is it more important to fill your vest with birds or watch uour dog hunt?

I see posts all the time about guys looking at their astros and their dogmis on point 856 yards to the north. I always wonder about that...

I know not all pointers work out that far so dont get your close working shorts in a knot :D
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That :) :) :)
 
My dog is actually a slick Wirehair but he is a lot like some of the closer working true german GSP lines.
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Like what was mentioned by someone else he would rather be moving looking for birds but he will retrieve ducks and loves geese. If you notice in the photo he pointed a rooster while we were heading around the bay looking for a teal that sailed on us.

Also like said before a good price is only good if the dog is good. Cheap dogs can often end up being costly in the long run. You can spend more on food and vet the first year then the cost of a good dog.

There are labs out there that make fine pheasant dogs. Nothing wrong with having one of them...but if you want a dog that points upland birds then get the dog you want. I have no clue about people needing GPS to track their pheasant pointing dogs. My GWP is seldom beyond 50 to 75 yards away unless it is open cover then he will open up to around 100 yards. I see him work almost all the time. He saves me a lot of zigzagging. It is a completely different type of hunting then hunting with a flusher. They both work fine and don't believe it that you are ever giving up birds to a flusher if you hunt with a pointer.

A good pointing dog that has plenty of exposure to pheasants will learn to handle them. It may not seem right but they need to learn to push them a bit and point close. It takes some time and some messed up chances but they will learn. And even flushers have runners outsmart them. Runners run and are not easy for any dog. Anyone who says their dog handles every bird well is telling a little fib. All dogs are a bit of a compromise.

Since over generalizations are fun... :D
Having to chase a dog back and forth is not that fun to me personally but some guys love yelling "Watch him he's birdy" and taking off at a jog to get in position for a shot. I prefer to say "Point" and walk over to flush the bird myself...and these german dogs are just fine at retrieving them.

Tim
 
Here are some pics of the little cuttie that we may end up with. She will be ready to come home in 2 weeks if we take her.

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TheMorningRise said:
Good reply, spot on thoughts too.

It is weird that if you told me I had more access to Waterfowl when we lived in Arizona, than I do in Wisconsin, I would have thought you were nuts. Fact is, it is true. Everything in Wisco is locked up, no one wants to invite you out, its crazy, but a sad fact.

I am very fortunate in that I was invited out with someone who hunts Pheasants here last fall. We had a blast. I actually see myself Pheasant hunting more than waterfowl, but oh how I do love waterfowl.

Neither is inexpensive, but I do like how with upland in general, when you want to go, you grab the dog, the gun a bag and go. Waterfowl requires so much additional effort with decoys, blinds, etc. And 7 times out of 10, I am solo or it is just my fiance and I.

I have seen some really good GSP's as well and they are phenomenal dogs!
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When I started waterfowling, I was pretty much the only one asking for permission on some nice places. I had access to lots of places, and there was only one really good spot I wanted but couldn't get on because it was leased. Most farmers said, "You want to hunt ducks??? Really??? Knock yourself out..."
They didn't seem to mind as long as we kept the place clean and didn't make ruts in fields.

Fast forward to today, there is a lot more competition. The owners who are willing to lease hunting rights have found their tenants, and there is more competition at the places who won't lease. And other places are harder to get access because boneheads have left a bad taste in the owner's mouth.

This season was the first one that I felt like the waterfowl hunter numbers eased up a bit. Maybe the duck dynasty phase has peaked and is on the downslide. Or maybe that is just the case in my small world. :laugh:
 
Those will be bird dogs for sure. Probably will have plenty of fire and run in them, just judging based off the pedigrees. If that's what you are looking for, I wouldn't hesitate on a pup like that.
 
Crossing shot said:
How about a hybrid?

http://www.hybridretrievers.com
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I hope you aren't serious. Genetics do not work in the way that they are promoting it. They are making money off of marketing something that may look good in theory, but the reality is that when you mix breeds like that, you don't know what traits are being passed from each parent. That is way too much money to spend on a lot of unknown.
 
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My brother always wanted a lab/gsp mix. I told him no one would want the extra pups from that litter. I am now proven wrong.
 
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