birdshooter
Well-known member
A pointing Lab at Ames....that would be a hoot!
That would be a real fly in the ointment !!
A pointing Lab at Ames....that would be a hoot!
A pointing Lab at Ames....that would be a hoot!
upland theres no comparison these four will get it done no particular order gsh,ep, setter,brittany duck hunting just cant beat a lab and ive seen some awesome labs for parrot hunting
But Jeff, could the reason also be that Grand Junction is predominately a Pointer trial and far outnumber all other breeds (Setters being really the only other competition) by a very large margin?
All breeds have their place or they wouldn't be in existence. Everyone on here is going to have a different opinion and generally push their own breed. There are a million different reasons to favor certain breeds: size, heat/cold tolerance, retrieving abilities, versatility, breed temperament, range, flusher/pointer, etc.
For upland birds, there is a reason that only Pointers have won at Grand Junction since 1970. They just plain outrun the other breeds. Does that make them the best? Not necessarily. Will you bag more birds with one? Not necessarily, although since they run bigger they should statistically have more finds.
What really matters is that you have fun in the field and that you enjoy the animal that is curled up at your feet in the evening. Just about any breed can be good for that.
My point is that people who need to compete at that level choose to go with English Pointers (some setters, but they are the minority). As far as I know, it is open to all breeds and you don't see people showing up with brits, GSPs, or even red setters for that matter.
To me this shows that, in a competition format, the EPs are the best upland dog out there. I don't particularly love EPs myself, just my observation.
It would be nice though to see some of thsoe AA GSP's and Brit's run against those pointers.
Just hard to get it done on a level playing field.
Okay you Lab guys. I've owned only one Lab in my life and he was a lean, fit 65 lb. male. But it seems that the vast majority of Labs I see lately are all quite a bit overweight. What's with these Lab owners?
I have no doubt that some of the top NGSPA GSP AA dogs as well as some Britts who compete at the very highest level in horseback trials, could compete at Ames. However, I doubt any would receive a fair shake in a trial which has traditionally over many, many years been a Pointer trial.
If you talk to GSP horseback trialers you will get an ear full as to why they choose not to compete against Pointers at Ames...
JMHO
Okay you Lab guys. I've owned only one Lab in my life and he was a lean, fit 65 lb. male. But it seems that the vast majority of Labs I see lately are all quite a bit overweight. What's with these Lab owners?
Someday before I die I want to see the situation where it is an advantage to have a dog "run big". I used to have a chocolate lab that ran big and since he was my first hunting dog I had no clue what I was doing. He would point a bird 150 yds from me and hold it, but he scared up 50 more birds on the way to that one. My hunting buddies were hard to convince that he was a good deal. This was in 1980 and I had no clue about E collars. Still I would really like to see that so I can say I understand.
Haymaker,
I think you hit upon the principle difference between hunting in SD and hunting in the Kansas grass. In SD you might see 50-100 birds in a field. In Kansas you are lucky to see that in a season most years. A big running dog has it's advantages when you are hunting a big field with a couple guys and there are only a few birds in it. In SD cattails or deep cover a good Lab will produce.
Way to pick a side OP, you would make a good politician