Lab guys sorry but....

Weimdogman said:
My friend has 2 labs and after hunting with my buddies vdds and my weims informed us that he told his better half "when the old dog can't hunt anymore we are getting a versatile". He says it's just too simple not to.
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I agree. Grew up around labs and never hunted over anything but labs until I was 30. Don't know what I was thinking! Great waterfowl dogs but for upland - no way. I have to see that beautiful point.

About 15 yrs ago one of the hunting guys got a "pointing lab" but it just wasn't the same.
 
KEOutdoors said:
Thats the bad part about an upland lab. You get 3 years of running for 10 miles, 2-3 years of getting tired after a couple miles, then for the rest of their life they turn and look at you like they want to go home after 200yds. They age and slow down way too quick. My new pup runs 8-10 miles in the field, naps on the way home, and then wants to go for a walk or play. Its like having an 80lb GSP but it only lasts a couple years unfortunately.
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Control the weight..and make sure your not getting any show DNA in the pedigree
 
AtTheMurph said:
I agree. Grew up around labs and never hunted over anything but labs until I was 30. Don't know what I was thinking! Great waterfowl dogs but for upland - no way. I have to see that beautiful point.

About 15 yrs ago one of the hunting guys got a "pointing lab" but it just wasn't the same.
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Most of my December hunts are in a sea of cattails, so I don't have much use for a pointing lab.
I like a flusher that tracks in dense cattails while I silently move into position and the late season rooster flushes towards me.
 
There are a lot of people that love hunting with labs that work 10 - 15 yards in front of them and some must work to get their dog from being underfoot. Labs can be somewhat hardheaded to train, but through repetition and ecollars most labs become dogs that hunt under a very high level of control. For many hunters that is exactly what they want.

Pointing dog owners have to trust their dogs more and their dog's range that can stretch out a bit. Pointing dogs must have to have freedom to search and find birds.

I have stories, but I will refrain for now as not to stir the pot any further ...

Each person has to find the situation that works best for them and the properties they most often hunt.
 
6 pages of bashing a labrador's hunting ability. Didn't think a thread like this would continue on this long at a hunting forum.

I think someone should start a thread bashing pointers just out of spite.
 
I have friends with labs that have hunt test titles and dogs they are training to get titles. I can be friends with lab owners ;)
 
gimruis said:
6 pages of bashing a labrador's hunting ability. Didn't think a thread like this would continue on this long at a hunting forum.

I think someone should start a thread bashing pointers just out of spite.
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I think it's mostly all in good fun. But it can be a heated topic. Flushing vs pointing is very different hunt styles and everyone is going to think their method is best, because if they didn't, they really should switch. I would be curious on how many people have owned both types and which way they land on in the end.

At the end of the day, bird numbers don't matter despite how much it gets mentioned. What matters is how much you enjoy the hunt. If you prefer flushing dog work, go with that; if you prefer points, go with that.
 
gimruis said:
6 pages of bashing a labrador's hunting ability. Didn't think a thread like this would continue on this long at a hunting forum.

I think someone should start a thread bashing pointers just out of spite.
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I remember playing dodgeball in high school and I'd bean the unathletic kids in the head, laugh about it, but eventually ended up feeling bad that I'd done that. That's kind of where I'm at with pointer owners. Such an easy target and hurting their feelings might be funny initially but isn't going to help me out in the long run. But it would be kind of nice to have less birds in the freezer, which would be the only reason for me to get a pointer. :)
 
Golden Hour said:
I remember playing dodgeball in high school and I'd bean the unathletic kids in the head, laugh about it, but eventually ended up feeling bad that I'd done that.
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LOL I remember those days too. Dodgeball was awesome. I didn't care if the opponent was a boy, girl, slow, fast, or handicapped. It was a war and I was trying to win.

Now I know why they don't play dodgeball anymore in gym at school. We probably head hunted one too many kids when we played.

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gimruis said:
LOL I remember those days too. Dodgeball was awesome. I didn't care if the opponent was a boy, girl, slow, fast, or handicapped. It was a war and I was trying to win.

Now I know why they don't play dodgeball anymore in gym at school. We probably head hunted one too many kids when we played.
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My son plays dodgeball at his elementary school, but the balls they use are like a nerf material with a light coating that prohibits getting much speed and doesn't hurt, even if it gets you square on the nose. Nothing like the old solid rubber ball that you could get moving about 60mph.
 
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Not sure about less birds in the freezer. Pretty sure Gimruis accused me of having too many in the freezer late last fall.

I am still in polite mode ...
 
Pointers are exciting, you get to enjoy a couple seconds of adrenaline knowing there is a bird literally right there. Fun stuff

Pointers are like watching a deer come in to your stand, flushers are like hearing a huge crash and a deer comes running by. Or something like that maybe
 
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gimruis said:
6 pages of bashing a labrador's hunting ability. Didn't think a thread like this would continue on this long at a hunting forum.

I think someone should start a thread bashing pointers just out of spite.
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I started the thread and have not bashed labs. I have seen many posts here bashing pointers.
 
I don’t think I’ve hunted with a really good pointer on wild birds, only a “ pointing lab” that sometimes did it but the owner would shoot at anything. Hunted with a couple gsps on planted birds and it was lots of fun.

Do you guys get lots of awesome solid points where a big ass rooster actually holds?
Serious question. Wondering how it works with educated/jumpy birds.
 
Springer22 said:
I don’t think I’ve hunted with a really good pointer on wild birds, only a “ pointing lab” that sometimes did it but the owner would shoot at anything. Hunted with a couple gsps on planted birds and it was lots of fun.

Do you guys get lots of awesome solid points where a big ass rooster actually holds?
Serious question. Wondering how it works with educated/jumpy birds.
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Answers might be all over the board but I'll answer for me and my dogs. I actually hunt pheasants the least now and only had my pointers about 3 years before moving away. Grew up hunting behind a lab for 15 years.

Most birds are flushed 50 yards in front of the dog. You could say these are bumped birds, but I think it's the same as birds flushing 70+ yards in front of a hunter without any shot opportunities. It's the reality of hunting public land birds, they get out of there quickly.

I would say 65% of my birds shot are when the dogs do quick points and then relocate again and again. It's clear that the bird is running and we are pushing it to a spot for it to flush. Honestly the same as when a flushing dog gets birdied and moves 100+ yards before putting the bird up. These feel just as successful as when I hunt with a lab.

Another 25% of my birds killed are when I flushed the bird as the dog was off checking other things.

It is rare for my dogs to truly pin a wild rooster down and have the classic walk up and shoot, but they are extremely magical when they happen. Of course I could have a limit of hens every day because they do hold for the dogs.
 
LittleBigHorn22 said:
Answers might be all over the board but I'll answer for me and my dogs. I actually hunt pheasants the least now and only had my pointers about 3 years before moving away. Grew up hunting behind a lab for 15 years.

Most birds are flushed 50 yards in front of the dog. You could say these are bumped birds, but I think it's the same as birds flushing 70+ yards in front of a hunter without any shot opportunities. It's the reality of hunting public land birds, they get out of there quickly.

I would say 65% of my birds shot are when the dogs do quick points and then relocate again and again. It's clear that the bird is running and we are pushing it to a spot for it to flush. Honestly the same as when a flushing dog gets birdied and moves 100+ yards before putting the bird up. These feel just as successful as when I hunt with a lab.

Another 25% of my birds killed are when I flushed the bird as the dog was off checking other things.

It is rare for my dogs to truly pin a wild rooster down and have the classic walk up and shoot, but they are extremely magical when they happen. Of course I could have a limit of hens every day because they do hold for the dogs.
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Thanks, that sounds exactly like hunting with my springer
 
In October,November December and January I hunt cattail sloughs and my pointers/versatiles/Weims do fine.😊😃😄😁

My dogs do fine in crp,river bottoms,corn,and or milo fields, shelterbelts,pastures,walk-in areas,GPAs ,WPAs, CREPs,National Grasslands,and your mom's house.
 
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Springer22 said:
I don’t think I’ve hunted with a really good pointer on wild birds, only a “ pointing lab” that sometimes did it but the owner would shoot at anything. Hunted with a couple gsps on planted birds and it was lots of fun.

Do you guys get lots of awesome solid points where a big ass rooster actually holds?
Serious question. Wondering how it works with educated/jumpy birds.
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I've seen three truly outstanding non flushing pheasant dogs. I was lucky enough to own 2 of those. One was a big female Wire that was very close. She hunted ground sent and was about 50/50 point or flush. One was a shorthair male that had a great nose. He would lock up on the slightest sent and wait for you to get there then would slowly point and creep until he was close enough, then would not break until the bird was up. The 3rd was a male setter owned by my buddy. He would track for a while then pull out and make a big loop to cut them off. It didn't work every time but when it did it was glorious!!
 
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