Not all new shooters become hunters, but many do find their way into the fascinating and satisfying sport. Hunting opportunities of many kinds abound throughout the nation, making hunting a pastime that appeals to young and old, male and female.
On aspect of hunting that is very popular is hunting game birds—whether upland game birds, migratory game birds or waterfowl. And one thing that makes hunting more fun is doing so with a good, purpose-bred hunting dog by your side, adding more satisfaction to an already exhilarating experience.
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Today, let’s look at three different kinds of bird dogs and how they are used to hunt a variety of game birds.
Pointers
I’m partial to pointing dogs, and hunt upland game birds with my field-bred Irish Setters. In fact, the pointing breeds are bred to hunt upland game birds, and they’re never happier than when in the field applying themselves to their “job.”
Pointing dogs range forward of the hunter in pursuit of game. When they catch scent of a game bird, they freeze in place, usually with head and tail high and “pointing” toward the birds. They are trained to stand until the hunter arrives, flushes the birds and shoots one or more birds. Many pointing breeds also love to retrieve, so will find the downed bird and bring it back to the hunter.
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There are few things more satisfying in life, in my mind, than watching a good pointing dog perform in the field. That satisfaction is an added bonus to the delicious, high-protein meat game birds provide to successful hunters. Some common pointing breeds include English Pointers, English Setters, Irish Setters, Gordon Setters, Brittanys, German Shorthaired Pointers, German Wirehaired Pointers and Vizslas.
Flushers
Well-trained flushers are just as impressive as pointing dogs, although their way of going about their “business” is quite differently. Flushing dogs—often small to medium-sized spaniels—also hunt out front of their handlers, but typically at a much closer range than pointing dogs. That’s because their job, once they smell game birds, is to flush the bird near enough for the hunter to have a good shot.
A good flushing dog is fascinating to watch in the field. It seems incredible to me that dogs of such small stature can cover so much ground so quickly. Many have noses as good as pointing breeds, so their ability to locate game birds is also quite incredible.
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Most flushing dogs double as retrievers and gladly bring game back to the hunter after the shot. Many are used in the dove field and duck blinds for retriever duty, and some rival a good retriever in their abilities. Common flushing breeds include the English Springer Spaniel, English Cocker Spaniel, Boykin Spaniel and American Water Spaniel.
Retrievers
Retrievers are also very popular hunting dogs. In fact, the Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular dogs in the country, whether for hunting or just companionship.
The retriever’s main job, of course, is to locate and retrieve downed game to the hunter. And with the high intelligence of these breeds, they can be taught to retrieve birds they didn’t even see downed with the use of a whistle and hand signals. Watch a good retriever in the goose field or the duck blind, and you can’t help but be impressed. For making sure you don’t shoot game birds that you aren’t able to recover, a good retriever is at the top of the list.
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Incidentally, many hunt upland birds with Labradors and other retrievers quite successfully. In doing so, the retriever behaves like a flushing dog, staying within gun range and putting birds to wing when found. Of course, they’re also quick to retrieve the game after it has been shot. Common retrieving breeds include the Labrado Retriever, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and even Golden Retrievers from hunting lines.
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