How bout some close in hunting Labs ???

[Jake Levi]

I'm getting a Lab pup this winter, his Dad is a Master Hunter and other titles, he has a number of siblings from past breedings with titles, all are mostly close in gundogs but can also range out. I dont do Plantation style hunting, thick Grouse cover or small broken fields for Pheasants, Quail died out here so am hoping to start a few coveys .

Anyhow, would like to hear from those with Labs doing upland hunting with them. I might try this guy on some Geese next year but this year learning how to fetch and retrieve downed  Quail and Pheasant will be a full plate for him and fun for both of us.

[labmancan]

J.L.
I breed labs. I have a Choc. male out of the States and a Silver/Yellow British @$$$@.
My male circles within 25-30's. Both dogs turned 2 this past Dec., and yes I used a collar to train him. His line is of the Pointing labs, with Dual Chs. on both sides.

Mark Davis
Cassanmar Labs and Exotic Gamebirds
Home of Cassanmar Teak and Cassanmar "kaela

[Jake Levi]

Thats what I am wanting, I doubt if he'll ever get any duck time, mostly Grouse and Pheasant, maybe geese next year, an injured one could beat hell out of a pup. We'll see, I expected to see more interest in this thread. I like the temperament of Labs.

[labmancan]

Teak trees Grouse and then sits at the base and whines until I get there to shoot.
He loves the water, but I have given up on Duck and Goose, TOO many Regulations.

[Jake Levi]

Mark

Trees Grouse ?? You arnt talking about Ruffed ae you?  I saw some Spruce and Ptarmigan up north of Whitehorse but never treed a Ruffed.  A few times I thought one was dropping on me when they exploded out.  We get a lot of geese in fields down here in the fall, good chance on moving up on some, for duck hunting got to drive past too many good pheasant areas.

[labmancan]

 We work old siesmic lines and overgrown forestry access roads. A Ruffed will tree from a dog  , just like a Spruce hen (Franklin, Fool hen) will, Blue Grouse, which are quite a bit larger and more skitish will fly and glide for quite a ways.

 We are just on the edge of the Central Flyway for Migratory birds, We usually use lay down blinds and 12doz. or more decoys, duck and geese mixed,  in farmers fields, preferably peas, Dogs are not really needed for that.
 
There are only 3 Pheasant release areas for the whole province, all 3 are about 2 - 2.5hrs. south of me.The total area of all 3 sites only equals about 6 sections of land (3800-4000 acres).  There are some areas at the S.E. corner of Alberta where the R.N. are established, but  not very many birds survive our harsh winters and over abundant populations of Red Fox, Coyote, Owls and Hawks.

[Jake Levi]

We have a few Spruce Grouse here, have never seen a Blue Grouse here. Spruce Grouse are considered to be the hardest Grouse to raise but in the woods seem one of the tamest. I have stood eyeball to eyeball with them, no more then ten feet away and they just sit there.

Here Pheasants could be released on every farm or rural track. Its -2 this morn with a heavy wind banging the flag. Thats rough on the birds but it'll be colder once Lake Michigan freezes over. We also have considerable populations of fox, coyote, hawks, goshawks and owls. The Bald Eagles are looking for road kill and bigger stuff usually.

[labmancan]

Some of the Fish & Game clubs, release Pheasants also. The 3 areas I mentioned are the ones Fish & wildlife (DNR) pay the Provincial Hatchery to realease at. You have to buy a special $10.00 Pheasant tag to hunt them, and there is only a limited # of birds released each day. Season runs 1 month Oct. 15 - Nov. 15, the first few weekends are pretty scary, there have been Huters shot. One guy I talk to down there caught a load of 6s in the face 3 years ago, almost lost his vision!

[Jake Levi]

Thats just why I dont like those places, as a rule. There are some good managed ones down here but I far prefer hunting wild birds.

On another topic, how many birds do you believe that you need to start a dog in  its first year? I am told the more the better but that seems to translate differently with different people.  I am looking at having both Quail and Pheasant to work with and maybe some pigeons.

[birddog]

spruce grouse seem tame! isn't that the truth here in Maine they cannot be hunted you have to be careful while hunting ruffed grouse. I have followed  spruce grouse along a stone wall for a couple hundred yards they just walk along. the ruffed grouse here are are so skittish that they will launch a hundred yards in front of you. the funny thing is the ruffed grouse in N.H seem to be like the spruce here. I have watched ruffed grouse drumming in N.H not more than 15 or 20 yards away and have almost stepped on them in the snow while rabbit hunting. that gets the heart going when a grouse launches from under your feet.

[labmancan]

J.L.
I start my dogs at 4 weeks, with a pair of socks stuffed together, in the hall of my house, play time-couple retrieves-playtime. Then i use a capgun will they are nursing to get used to the noise. They assc. the noise with their favorite pastime. At about 6-7 weeks I use a small capock dummy on a 10' rope , again in the house. By about 12 weeks I have interduced them to the Launcher. Then dead Birds. I get by with about a dozen birds per dog. I release SOME live, but most I get dead from Dirt Willy. Just put them back in the freezer when your done for the day. The important part is getting them used to the feathers in their mouths.

[Jake Levi]

Thats about how I start, this year am going crazy on birds, dead and fresh killed both, I'll be releasing quite a few live ones for different  education, shooting over him will be old hat by the time it happens.

[galaxie428]

I have a male PL that will turn two in a couple of days. Though I did take him the first year I got him, this past season was really his first "hunting" season. We did a lot of work after his first season and I got him to hold birds and back another dog on point. He will range out maybe 100 to 150 yards most of the time. I would like for him to go a little further but I am used to hunting with pointers. We still have some work to do but I was very satisfied with his hunting. He has a very good nose and gets really excited about any kind of bird hunting whether it is quail or dove or even shooting black birds in the yard.

The guy that my dad and I hunt with made fun of me when I told him I was getting a PL but after last season when my dog was the one pointing most of the birds he changed it story. While I know it was tough for him to admit, he did tell me that he thought I had a heck of a dog.

For multipurpose hunting, I think a PL is the way to go.

Here is a pic of him pointing one day in a training session.

[wildergamebirds]

Now that's a good looking Lab.

  If you have a lot of cover like what he's in, in the picture, ranging much farther out would probably cause him to start missing some birds.  I have a whole herd of Brittanys.  Their typical ranges vary, from 75 to 500 yards plus (in open prairie, not heavy timber).  The big running dog is 5 and my favorite.  However, we have a male (Blaze) that will turn 2 Saturday.  He has a range about like your Lab's.  He has learned the field sweeping pattern well, and consistently finds 30% to 75% more Quail than my "Pointer imitator".  Blaze wins or places in field trials at our little club, while the other one runs pretty, but comes in around 6th-8th.  My big dog has the edge on Pheasant in large fields, and especially Prairie Chickens.

  I would also think your Lab hunts for you better than most pointers.  That, a natural desire to retrieve, and their loving nature is why I've always preferred Brittanys.  What little I know about labs tells me they are pretty similar.  Some are a bit big as a lap dog, huh?

[galaxie428]

Thanks.

That picture is actually taken right behind my house. I had a recall pen there and really had limited space for the birds. It was maybe two acres at most. It worked ok for my training purposes to get him to hold the birds and work the field. I need to find a better place to locate my pen this year to simulate more "real" hunting situations. We mostly hunt brushy fence rows or woods, there is not much prairie hunting in IL and IN.

He is definetly a little big for a lap dog but he is a house dog. He just loves everyone and loves attention. I think I made the right choice when I bought him.

I have never hunted with a Brittany but I hear they are good dogs. I grew up hunting with pointers and setters. Some of those dogs had a close range and some so far, you almost never see them. I don't really care for that too much but they did get out and find the birds. The problem was actually getting there before the birds either ran off or flushed.