good points and yep comes down to one's own style and taste
probably came across too preachy in my last post
Sounds like BKin SD uses flushers and ribka runs pointers which would be consistent with their philosophies on how a dog should work. It is always amusing to listen to one group run down the other about which is "better" when both dog types are great for what they do when put on the correct ground type. A coworker had nothing good to say regarding pointing dogs over his labs as he hunted mainly preserves with strips of milo and corn for cover. Birds run in there as there is nothing to stop them. When I took him into the woods for grouse and woodcock, he had an eye opener on how a pointing dog worked. He had comparatively easy shooting as he could somewhat approach the dog from more open cover which gave him a chance to swing the gun. A single instance of right cover for the dog.
Pointers do not do well on pheasants in row crop fields, picked or not, as that is the absolute worst possible cover in which to get a bird to hold for a point. Much the same can be said for strip cover like fence rows, ditches, and shelter belts that are not overly wide and lack undercover. Cattails can be good or bad depending on the amount of canary grass, reeds, and what other lower story cover is available. Pointers also are not the best for groups of hunters conducting drives as that is not conducive to their hunting style. For these areas and conditions a flusher works best if one insists on taking birds as meant by the dog's breed type.
Pointers excel in larger areas of more open cover such as grassy CRP. as pheasants hold in these areas and often tend to be scattered about. A dog that can range a fair distance and hold point can save a lot of time and foot steps in covering ground to find the birds.Pointers are also beneficial on other bird types as many of them hold well in more open cover than pheasants and may be even more spread out. Huns, and prairie grouse come to mind first as I have often walked for miles before contacting them. Their cover requirements and population size are such that a dog that works only a couple dozen yards will leave you covering much of the property yourself which is time consuming and tiring.
I run both types of dogs depending on the cover type/size, the condition of the dog, the experience level of the dog, and personal whim. Just as I would pick the gun, ammo, clothing, or footwear for a given hunt, so do I for the dog. The proper tool for the job to be done generally makes things go better. There is no "best" dog type, just the "best" for the individual. The better one understands the various types of dogs, the better one can appreciate their differences and capabilities.
