Last Saturday was the opening day of pheasant season in Connecticut. I was sharing a series of fields with three other guys. I went to one end with my little Toller; they started from the other end with four Springers. The cover was native grasses, shoulder high in a lot of places and thick. My little bitch weighs just 35 lbs. and she could only get through the grass by leaping from one spot to another. Still, by the time those other, bigger dogs had found their first bird, she had found three and we had our limit. Those other dogs were quartering back and forth across the fields; my little Toller has learned the kinds of cover the pheasants prefer and she went straight to those spots, stuck her nose up to catch a scent and then went right to the birds. I was so proud of her.
So proud
- Thread starter TAC in CT
- Start date
quail hound
Moderator
Good for her! I'm a springer guy but I like my dogs to use the wind and hunt likely cover not just cover ground like a windshield wiper. I know that feeling of pride, my brothers e collar went dead yesterday so I let him use mine. My dog hunted great all day with no need for his collar. He's finally settled in and hit his stride. I couldn't be happier with the hunter he has become.:cheers:
My wife and I got a Toller because we like the combination of retriever personality with small dog size -- we thought the dog would be just a pet. But then the dog really wanted to hunt -- on a whim I took her to a hunt test training class and she went crazy. She hated waiting for her turn but loved the retrieving, and got excited every time she heard a gunshot. I would have liked to hunt ducks with her, but it's hard to find a spot to do so in Connecticut. But she loves the pheasant hunting.
And by the way, I didn't mean to disparage Springers. They are wonderful dogs. That's why I was so pleased when my little Toller was able to hold her own with those Springers. Mind you, if their owners had let their dogs hunt as they wanted, it might have been a different story. As an experienced hunter told me when I started to hunt pheasants, if your dog wants to go one way and you think you know better, 98% of the time you are going to find that the dog was right. That has been my experience, anyway.
And by the way, I didn't mean to disparage Springers. They are wonderful dogs. That's why I was so pleased when my little Toller was able to hold her own with those Springers. Mind you, if their owners had let their dogs hunt as they wanted, it might have been a different story. As an experienced hunter told me when I started to hunt pheasants, if your dog wants to go one way and you think you know better, 98% of the time you are going to find that the dog was right. That has been my experience, anyway.