# List top five grouse dogs



## Worm Dunker (Sep 11, 2000)

List the top five grouse dogs you've hunted with
1 has to be English Setters
2 pointers
3 Brittany
4 a mix Britt/beagle
5 shorthair
I only listed 5 because other than a Gordon setter these are the only dogs I have grouse hunted over


----------



## TheHighLIfe (Sep 5, 2017)

1. black lab, spookie
2. black lab, peaches
3. yellow lab, benelli
4. black lab, charlie
5. black lab, charlie 2
haha
i have hunted over a number of pointers - some from a world renowned kennel
i have yet to ever flush one single bird off of any of their points
after the majority of these false points resulting in no flush, another hunter holding back my black lab let her loose, and she flushed the bird/s 20-50 yards from the false point
all labs also flushed and retrieved woodcock with no issues
peaches pointed a few pheasants


----------



## wirehair (Oct 16, 2007)

Top 7
Spinone 
Pointer 
Setter
GWP 
GSP
PL
PP
These are the only breeds I have hunted with. 
I am leaving out the names so I don't piss of any friends. 


Leaving the Italian Pointer (Bracco) out for now because he has spent too much time chasing deer, lost and other shenanigans. LOL


----------



## dbortola (Oct 25, 2017)

I have hunted over two awesome woodcock dogs (not many grouse here in OH):
English Setter - Tess Not a good retriever, but a great nose. VG pheasant dog
German Shorthair - Fergie, Took to woodcock with great ease, retrieves and Excellent on Pheasant


----------



## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

My late Shrike (1991-2003) was by far the best bird dog I've ever hunted over for grouse, woodcock or waterfowl too. Smartest dog I've ever seen too. He could actually understand the spelling of dozens of words. I've hunted with dozens of other good bird dogs, and even been to some hunt tests and trials, but besides him, none of them really stand out.


----------



## Worm Dunker (Sep 11, 2000)

What breed


----------



## mattcurt (Mar 3, 2019)

wirehair said:


> Top 7
> Spinone
> Pointer
> Setter
> ...


I second the Spinone!


----------



## Canvsbk (Jan 13, 2013)

Gus is #1
Tied for 2nd is Drake and Tank
Joe would be #4
***** comes in at #5
The very best friends I’ve ever had.
All labs and all yellow. 60+ years worth and it goes by way too fast.


----------



## slammer (Feb 21, 2006)

wirehair said:


> Top 7
> Spinone
> Pointer
> Setter
> ...


In that order?


----------



## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

Worm Dunker said:


> What breed


----------



## birdhntr (Jan 25, 2014)

Gsp and Black labradors.lol.There's others?I would have never have thunk it.


----------



## Lamarsh (Aug 19, 2014)

I think it's next to impossible for anybody to provide an objective answer to this! 

My pointing lab is an excellent bird dog, but only a good _(getting better)_ grouse dog. I have also grouse hunted with many other breeds (pointers, setters, wirehairs, etc) and I must say that the best grouse dogs TO ME are the ones that find grouse AND retrieve them.


----------



## Mike da Carpenter (Nov 26, 2017)

I’ve only hunted behind my chocolate lab (now gone) and now our GSP. The GSP blows away the lab, as that is what he was bred for. Looking forward to every season going forward...both for him, and me.


----------



## birdhntr (Jan 25, 2014)

To be honest if I strictly hunted grouse I would run a field bred setter or brittany and look no farther in the pointer world.I however have shorthairs for one reason and that is pheasants and then grouse and woodcock.In my experience they have always turned out more (wild) pheasants when they run with other pointing breeds.That is just my experience.They handle running,circling,and birds that turn back opposing the wind very well.

On woodcock the GSP'S are great but require a lot of work to be a trusted dog on grouse requiring a ton of contacts and restacking to be trustworthy to allow them to find grouse at greater distances.
Most GSP owners get broke by the dog and surrender.The dog is constantly hacked in to keep close and when it makes point they rush in with gun up from what I have seen over many years.

I have owed two labradors.First one was in 1998 and was from a breeding of Rusty Wismers and the second was a breeding by Doug Campeau.If I could only have one dog,a meat hunter for all winged species i would look no farther than a flushing labrador especially for wounded game there is no equal.
The energy,strength,and endurance is remarkable from the two I owned.Dakota at a 11.5 yrs old put 10.7 miles down in a little more than 3. 5 hours in cover that I could barely get through myself.It was raining that day and it seemed it favored him and he was in heaven.All hens that day for him and was his last real hunt.

It was however a great performance for sure.I benched him the season before after a hard pheasant hunt but he gets upset and I gave him one more this season.I will however give him short strolls on grouse and woodcock until the time comes to satisfy his needs.He is quite comfortable bumping a string of them up and calling it a day.


----------



## Worm Dunker (Sep 11, 2000)

I have said if I was just a pheasant hunter I probably would have a Britt. But I'm a grouse Hunter and to old to chase a flusher. I know many have hunted behind setters bit how many have truely hunted over a fully broke to shot setter. Your Garmin goes off you walk 80 yards find your dog shoot the bird that been pinned by a very well breed setter


----------



## setterpoint (Feb 20, 2015)

any breed can be great dogs if you have a well bred dog, it's manly bird exposure 
the best all around grouse dog I hunted with was a Brittney, 
I personally like english setters I have three right now I like them because there coats are suited for the thick stuff, and that's where grouse stay 
they do well in the cold again because of there coats,
but I also had a elhew pointer that was just as good as the setters, and did better in hot weather than the setters,
I hunted with another brit that was a national champion but had a hard time pointing grouse, to many pin raised quail but seem to start to get better as the day went on that's why I say a well bred dog of any breed can make a good grouse dog with enough exposure to wild birds


----------



## birdhntr (Jan 25, 2014)

setterpoint said:


> any breed can be great dogs if you have a well bred dog, it's manly bird exposure
> the best all around grouse dog I hunted with was a Brittney,
> I personally like english setters I have three right now I like them because there coats are suited for the thick stuff, and that's where grouse stay
> they do well in the cold again because of there coats,
> ...


When they know the job is to get a bird pointed and hold it is then the task of getting enough contacts to learn what pressure and space the game will allow.The brittany was learning this and contacts were the lessons.


----------



## Worm Dunker (Sep 11, 2000)

You want to get a dog right on birds find urself a good woodcock layover place. And only work them every other day and don't allow reflushes .I would only run Hunter one hour a day. Best day 44 birds average 16 mph. He won his first open shooting trial with a severelly handicaped handler deaf in one year


----------



## birdhntr (Jan 25, 2014)

The best way for a good bird dog is 75% of the time spent running on wilds and 25% hunting.The more you put in the more you get out.Not to mention you will know where to find birds when the season comes along with knowledge of bird locations to train present and future.I actually found my spot for woodcock searching for pheasants.It has provided training for over 20 years now spring and fall.I never hunt it.I still find the occasional pheasant also.once I gained the knowledge I could then literally walk any dog unknowingly into a bird.Then they catch on fast.


----------



## Sharkey (Oct 29, 2010)

For me it comes down to the best grouse hunter I know. He prefers Brittany’s. French and American. We live in grouse and woodcock country and Ed allowed me to learn from him what is possible if you get good bred dogs in the presence of wild birds. Multiple contacts on woodcock and location of grouse coveys in late summer produce great dogs and fantastic hunting results year after year. Ed could take any breed and produce a fabulous grouse dog that would please most of us. That being said I have grouse hunted with the following pointing and flushing breeds and rank them as follows:

French Brittany...of course 

American Brittany 

GSP

Visla, Lab, and Springer Spaniel tie for 4th

Setter...Only because I haven’t hunted with the right owner yet. I know they are great proven grouse dogs in the right hands.


----------

