Most popular breeds for pheasant

What breed do you run?

  • Lab

    Votes: 41 27.5%

  • GSP

    Votes: 29 19.5%

  • Brittany

    Votes: 23 15.4%

  • Golden

    Votes: 11 7.4%

  • Springer

    Votes: 23 15.4%

  • Setter

    Votes: 14 9.4%

  • Pointer

    Votes: 6 4.0%

  • GWP

    Votes: 11 7.4%

  • Other (specify in post)

    Votes: 10 6.7%
  • Total voters
    149
B

BO BOLT & JEWELL

New member
First, not wanting to start a feud nor do I want to know which breed of dog you think is best for pheasants. I run GSPs and will be doing some wild pheasant hunting in a couple states this year. I have not decided who to invite, but have a friend with a new dog to him that is now broke but not sure if he thinks his dog is anything other than a grouse dog.

So what breeds do you think do most of the pheasant hunting? Just curious more than anything.
 
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My guess is the most popular breeds for pheasants are as follows in no particular order:

GSP
Labs
Springers
Brittany
Goldens

many more but those would be toward the top.
 
I would say that's a pretty accurate top five from my experience. Someone could set up a poll and see what everyone has for a pheasant dog and get a pretty accurate picture with all the people on this forum.
 
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Dakotazeb said:
My guess is the most popular breeds for pheasants are as follows in no particular order:

GSP
Labs
Springers
Brittany
Goldens

many more but those would be toward the top.
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I'd add Weimaraner and of course GWP/DDs as being fairly common. Throw in a few Setters.
A couple of those breeds I've seen very few actually good dogs but a lot of them in the field.

The only thing a a grouse dog might have trouble with is how far they point birds from. Seems like the closer pointing dogs hold pheasants better.

Tim
 
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I'd say labs, GSPs, Springers, and Brittanys, in that order (although I'm not 100% sure about the order of the last two). The first two are easy to guess, especially based on overall popularity.
 
Lets make it scientific. Whichever wins is most popular since we all hunt pheasants right?:cheers:

BTW, you can vote for more than one breed if that's what you run.

 
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From my experience labs are by far the most popular, followed by GSP's, and the rest are pretty even from there on.
 
Don't worry Tom I'm bringing my new camera (and three springers), we'll get some good pics of that muttt for you.:D:cheers:
 
You guys and your miniture pheasants! ha!:D

20131220_140038.jpg
 
Easily #1 labs take the cake then I'd say #2 springers #3 GSP or GWP #4 setters... Go to any hotel on opener of pheasant & u will find all these dogs ...

I had to vote other cuz I run a not so common breed & man I have a few good pics still can't post em to show off my girl lol
 
Thanks guys, someone has been at work with the poll addition. I also appreciate Tom's thoughts on what a grouse dog may do. I would like to invite my buddy who has a two year old Brittney, but I don't think he has been hunting a lot, don't think he has been around many bird dogs (I have only owned bird dogs for about 7 years, but been around various types my entire life) and am concerned he might think his Britt is not all that. Right now he is a new Hunter that loves his dog, he has sent it to a great trainer. I just don't want to turn him off. A Britt is a great dog, just different than what he would see out of my dogs. I could probably explain it to him up front, but don't want to send a new Hunter in the wrong direction. We need all the new blood we can get.
 
BO said:
Thanks guys, someone has been at work with the poll addition. I also appreciate Tom's thoughts on what a grouse dog may do. I would like to invite my buddy who has a two year old Brittney, but I don't think he has been hunting a lot, don't think he has been around many bird dogs (I have only owned bird dogs for about 7 years, but been around various types my entire life) and am concerned he might think his Britt is not all that. Right now he is a new Hunter that loves his dog, he has sent it to a great trainer. I just don't want to turn him off. A Britt is a great dog, just different than what he would see out of my dogs. I could probably explain it to him up front, but don't want to send a new Hunter in the wrong direction. We need all the new blood we can get.
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I could show you 50 yard Brittany's or 500 yard Brittany's, ones that retrieve or ones that don't ,ones that that love water or ones that don't. It sounds like you are the one that thinks his dogs are all that.
 
BO said:
Thanks guys, someone has been at work with the poll addition. I also appreciate Tom's thoughts on what a grouse dog may do. I would like to invite my buddy who has a two year old Brittney, but I don't think he has been hunting a lot, don't think he has been around many bird dogs (I have only owned bird dogs for about 7 years, but been around various types my entire life) and am concerned he might think his Britt is not all that. Right now he is a new Hunter that loves his dog, he has sent it to a great trainer. I just don't want to turn him off. A Britt is a great dog, just different than what he would see out of my dogs. I could probably explain it to him up front, but don't want to send a new Hunter in the wrong direction. We need all the new blood we can get.
Click to expand...

Bring the new guy and his Brittany along. The only way he is going to make a pheasant dog out of him is to get the dog on some pheasants. I've hunted my Brittany with just about every other hunting breed out there. No problem! Hunt a lot with a friend that has GSP's and they are not that much different in their hunting. If nothing else keep the new guy out to one side where he is kind of by himself so he can let his Brittany run. As long as the guy can control his Brit in the field there should be no problems.
 
I hunt with a 50 yard britt, a 300 yard britt and a GSP. Keep the far ranging britt to the side. For example, first pass far britt in the middle of the field. Me, close britt, and GSP keep to the edge for birds running to the edge. Works good. Far britt finds more quail than the other two combined. I try to get the far britt into areas where the rest of us are not going to walk anyway. On the way back we hunt birds pushed to the other side of the britt.

Managing your pack is as important as what breed you choose.
 
whatsnext said:
I could show you 50 yard Brittany's or 500 yard Brittany's, ones that retrieve or ones that don't ,ones that that love water or ones that don't. It sounds like you are the one that thinks his dogs are all that.
Click to expand...

I don't think anything about his dog. I have never seen it. I also don't care if it is the best one to ever live, or bumps every pheasant in the state. I just dont want to do anything to discourage my friends interest because the only brittneys I have been around were great short running grouse dogs and I think based on what he has said that is what he is trying to make her into.
 
Dakotazeb said:
Bring the new guy and his Brittany along. The only way he is going to make a pheasant dog out of him is to get the dog on some pheasants. I've hunted my Brittany with just about every other hunting breed out there. No problem! Hunt a lot with a friend that has GSP's and they are not that much different in their hunting. If nothing else keep the new guy out to one side where he is kind of by himself so he can let his Brittany run. As long as the guy can control his Brit in the field there should be no problems.
Click to expand...

Good advise.
 
Crossing shot said:
I hunt with a 50 yard britt, a 300 yard britt and a GSP. Keep the far ranging britt to the side. For example, first pass far britt in the middle of the field. Me, close britt, and GSP keep to the edge for birds running to the edge. Works good. Far britt finds more quail than the other two combined. I try to get the far britt into areas where the rest of us are not going to walk anyway. On the way back we hunt birds pushed to the other side of the britt.

Managing your pack is as important as what breed you choose.
Click to expand...

If he goes that that is close to what I thought we would try. I have two big running shooting dogs and a pretty big running gun dog. I figured I would keep my gun dog as short as possible hunt it with his Britt.
 
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