Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs Most low key versatile gun dog?

Hunting with a dog like "Lunatic Kenny" makes for a great day........love that video!

The best thing going is a friend that has dogs. You drive over to his house, load dogs and go.

I was that friend. I fed, cleaned kennels while my friend paid a little gas money and groceries. He had a deal.

My grif will hunt close when chasingcquail and grouse and range out to around 70 to 80 yds for Huns sharpies and chukar

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That cocker vid is AWESOME!

English Cockers are a hooooot!!!!

Let them carry the gun and I'd bet that could handle 30's. And easily.

Model 12 a 16? If so what choke?

16 and Mod. Been looking for an IC barrel, but it in the long run it doesn't make all that much difference.

The Model 51 is Modified also.

Toby the Cocker, he wasn't great but good enough.


28Ga and Modified....



Model 51 again:



Model 12:





Training day: Merlot the Cocker, Model 12 20Ga and IC.

I will give you my experience and I started to test out Dogs in NAVHDA, as far back as the early 80's. I trained a lot of pointers, No matter what dog you have I have always believed in one thing....."You own what you condone"............ Your talking low key,,,,,,, that would rule out a lot of breeds, because for instance, I can always shorten up a dog, but I like to get them, with a lot of drive. Of course it goes without saying, its all training time. Pointers are a lot of work, and besides some table and yard work, it takes birds birds and more birds for training.................................... I have had GSP, setters, and wire hairs, all can do the job, but again, its what your looking for. Setters can make some of the best woodcock dogs in the world, and than there pretty much done, compared to a GSP for a all around dog, and I love setters. There are no bad dogs, just bad handlers......

If you do not have a lot of room, the cocker can be tough to beat, they are not cheap, due to the breeding that has been brought back to better the breed. Also do you need a dog to do water work? Presently at 68 I need a low key dog, so I have a lab,,,,,,,, he is not big, 60lbs, he does point well, but its not so much pointing in his blood, its just a lot of caution he uses, due to the fact, that here in the UP, he is hunted heavy on grouse, and has learned that. great water dog, quiet, sits well, good shed dog, and low key, till he hits the field..............

I also like the Drathar, if your looking for an all around dog, that you can take out for any birds, upland or water, and will follow you quietly along your trap line............. Find a trainer / breeder you like, work with them, look at the dogs in the field, spend some time, and you will find what you are looking for......

In my experience, the guys with the most money, have the worst dogs. Seen it all of my life, regardless if I was guiding or training. Guys have 70,000.00 trucks 3000.00 shotguns, and on and on, and just a poor handling, noisy dog.

I would rather have a 3000 dollar dog, and a 50.00 used shotgun............... good luck

groundhunter,

AGREED 100%. = "Dallas Sports" are notorious among "local folks" in our part of TX. = LOUD, bossy, believe that they are "PCs" & ARROGANT. - I also found that most of them cannot control their dogs or shoot well.

yours, tex

It’s an old play; country boy vs city boy and one that will never end. I’ve crossed paths with the good and bad and pretty much equal parts from both locations.

I guess back to the main topic or point of this thread

What did the op mean by “versatile breed?”

To me that means the dog will hunt quail out in hot sage, grouse in thickets, Huns and sharpies out in the grasslands, hunt pressured wild pheasant that sprint and run over a hundred yards before taking off or back track behind you like a rabbit hunched low, bust cattails too for pheasant, Chase after and find chukars up grueling rocky ridges, break ice for ducks, retrieve a large wounded goose, sit in your blind for doves and if asked do small game

Think that tends to really narrow down breed choices

As the OP, I will explain what I meant. I guess I don't even need what most folks define as "versatile". I'm looking for a dog to "walk the woods with". One that will point a quail or woodcock on occasion, maybe trail a rabbit, tree a squirrel, and be able to sit quietly in a platform deer stand with me and track a wounded deer on occasion.
This dog aleo needs to be small and manageable enough for me to pick up and put at my ATV to ride along with me.

Perhaps I just need a mixed breed mutt from the pound.

Except for the pointing you are describing a FBES or FBEC.

Come on shooooot!!!!

A what? Interpret please.

Is that a Brittany, battue?

That would be an English Cocker. FBEC (Field Breed English Cocker) And like Springers they are flushers. I.E. they don’t point, they take scent and push the game out.

You said you want a Dog to point Quail and Woodcock, while treeing Squirrels and trailing Rabbits. Well, Pointers point and asking them to trail Rabbits and Squirrels goes completely against the grain of a Pointer. Nor so with a Flusher

Down your way there are Boykin Spaniels. Cool Dogs and something else to consider.

That makes sense. I guess a flusher would suit me better then.

I have a Boykin, and highly recommend and love the breed. I primarily duck hunt with mine. They will do everything you are asking for very well, except point. However, they are not what I define as "low key".