They equal out.
Males are big and strong and can buck heavier cover. They are a bit strong-headed, however.
Females tend to be a bit easier to train, IMO, and they are usually natural retrievers. They seem to time going into heat with the upland season opener and often can't smell their front feet, accordingly.
That's exactly my experience, except my last bitch would go into heat in July and January, which I appreciated. Your experience with retrieving also mirrors mine, the females tend to be more persistent in the retrieve. The females, being smaller, also overheat less on early, warm hunts.
That said, when you get "that" male, he'll steal your heart and never let it go.
