Lab points hen!

nrhpilot

nrhpilot

New member
I have a 5 year old black lab that has never pointed before, only a flusher. He got to hunt with a pair of GSP's on opening weekend here in Kansas where we got into alot of birds and he got to watch how the gsp's were hunting. The following Wednesday myself and a buddy headed to Pawnee co with just my lab. At the end of the field he pointed! My buddy and I kind of looked at each other funny and said hey that kindof looks like a point. 2 seconds later a hen jumps out three feet from his nose and he proceeds to flush another 5 birds out in front of the hen. I guess my question is: has anyone ever had an experience like this with their lab or other flushing breed?
 
I had a lab that usually flushed birds but would point if one sat tight enough. There is plenty of pointing labs hunting now so it's not all that uncommon for it to happen. Sure is cool when you don't expect it though.

Scott
 
Great Dog

nrhpilot said:
I have a 5 year old black lab that has never pointed before, only a flusher. He got to hunt with a pair of GSP's on opening weekend here in Kansas where we got into alot of birds and he got to watch how the gsp's were hunting. The following Wednesday myself and a buddy headed to Pawnee co with just my lab. At the end of the field he pointed! My buddy and I kind of looked at each other funny and said hey that kindof looks like a point. 2 seconds later a hen jumps out three feet from his nose and he proceeds to flush another 5 birds out in front of the hen. I guess my question is: has anyone ever had an experience like this with their lab or other flushing breed?
Click to expand...

There is no other animal for mankind as fabulous as a dog.
 
I would love to see pics... I have heard of pointing labs but I have never seen one point in a hunting setting... Yes I have seen them in the yard but never in the field
 
I have one that

flash points he will point birds if they are sitting but if they start to move he busts them:thumbsup:
 
My old Lab (13 years old) started pointing at about 5 years old, but at the time I had a GSP. She just caught on to it and pointed everytime since. Now I own a "pointing lab", a dog that is bred to point.


Larry K.
 
Labs I sometimes hunt behind will do quick flash points like that if they great right on top of a bird usually a hen. Doesn't make them a pointing dog.
 
Here is Jake on point last week in Colorado, 3rd point on this bird, finally pinned him down

IMG_0759.jpg


Here is Blaze on point almost 7 months old, yesterday in Colorado. The birds ar teaching him...


IMG_0886.jpg


Here is Star on point, and these aren"t flash points


056.jpg
 
Last edited:
I have four Labs that work as flushers but if the bird holds they will point. As far as I know they don't come from pointing Lab backgrounds.
 
Golden

I hunted with a group that had a Golden Retriever who was never formally trained to hunt pheasants. The dog lived in South Dakota so I guess he was just a common sense hunter. Not only would he point pheasants but he had the natural instinct to honor another dogs point . Every time it happened I just kept uttering...unbelievable, freaking unbelievable.
 
I have a golden that will stop and hold on a tight sitting bird. She will hold until I tell her to get it up.
 
I really think any lab will start to point if exposed to enough birds. My 2.5 year old black female is pointing frequently and intensely without any training, she just goes pheasant hunting all the time. I specifically choose to avoid pointing lab stock, because what I want most in a pup is that innate ability to "mark". The most important variable in the equation is not genetics,age,or training but rather the total number of pheasants.
 
niceshot said:
I really think any lab will start to point if exposed to enough birds. My 2.5 year old black female is pointing frequently and intensely without any training, she just goes pheasant hunting all the time. I specifically choose to avoid pointing lab stock, because what I want most in a pup is that innate ability to "mark". The most important variable in the equation is not genetics,age,or training but rather the total number of pheasants.
Click to expand...

I disagree, my dogs have been pointing at 7 weeks.
marking? Rosco has his HRCH and SH, Jake 1pass HRCH, Jedi 1 pass on his HRCH, they will all have there HRCH this next spring, Jakes dad is out of FC AFC Ebenstars Teddy James who is out of lean Mac, one of the if not the best marking dogs that ever lived...

As far as total number of birds? With any bird dog the more the dogs are on birds, the more they learn from them, as far as distance pointing as to not bump the bird etc, but as far as pointing because of more birds doenst hold any weight.

There are actually quite a few FC AFC labs that point. and they mark pretty well too.
 
Last edited:
My lab, Ruby, was not advertised as a pointing lab, but she was a pointer from day 1 of hunting. The points are rock solid and she will not flush until I tell her to. On top of that, she will follow a moving bird. If the bird stops, then she'll point. The best part, when I tell her to flush, that bird is going to be right there at the end of her nose and not 20 yards away.

Either way, pointer or flusher, hunting behind your own dog is something all hunters need to experience.
 
Nice Dewey, your bottom line says it all, I have flushers to and they are a blast to hunt with. Its just hunting with a dog, thats the fun part....
 
keskam said:
As far as total number of birds? With any bird dog the more the dogs are on birds, the more they learn from them, as far as distance pointing as to not bump the bird etc, but as far as pointing because of more birds doenst hold any weight.
Click to expand...
Give me any lab, or any dog for that matter, with or without all those initials and I will take it pheasant hunting 35+ days a season with several hunters in both Iowa and South Dakota and in few seasons it will freeze, flash, point or whatever you want to call it.
 
niceshot said:
Give me any lab, or any dog for that matter, with or without all those initials and I will take it pheasant hunting 35+ days a season with several hunters in both Iowa and South Dakota and in few seasons it will freeze, flash, point or whatever you want to call it.
Click to expand...

I hate to agree with NICESHOT but I am on board with him on this one. My year and a half lab did not point one bird last year. This year he has started to do the freeze thing more and more as the season progresses.
 
I have 3 that flush and they dont even think about pointing, and they get hunted at the least 40 to 50 days a year, Wild and farm birds..


Rosco001.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top