Do-all hunting dog

Over the course of my hunting life I have been fortunate to hunt deer with hounds as well as upland game with pointing dogs. To date, none of these dogs have been mine, but I am very interested in getting a dog or dog(s) of my own.

We have had some interesting discussions on whether or not a dog exists that will run deer, retrieve waterfowl, and point upland game. A friend has a German shorthaired pointer that does all of the above, but he's 14 years old now and is retired.

Does a breed exist that will do all of these things, or am I looking at a hound for deer and a pointer for birds? I have heard that German shorthaired pointers and German wirehaired pointers are essentially do-all dogs but don't know of anyone using them to run deer.

Any input is appreciated.
 
well if you canot find one dog to do it all a little beagle will add years of joy and happiness to your home and hunting .I have one left as one we just lost .but I could not be without one .I hunt deer with her in the north and cotton tails at home .it is so much fun running the little dogs .for bunnys I just love it .well hunting at home I just keep her out of bushes tht hold deer mid winter .not to hard to do as are deer yard up .thy are easy to keep and care for and just so much fun ..as far as bird dogs go we always had springers well growing up and thy are a great small dog as well .D
 
I can see the duck hunter out looking for his dog who is off on a deer run 6 miles down the swamp as the mallards are piling in to the decoys .would make for a very intresting ride home .two dogs seems to be what you wil need if you wish to do both Dutch
 
While there may be the odd dog out there that will fulfill your wish my guess is it would be a fluke. No experience running deer but I have had a few bird dogs. They are pretty much hard wired for birds. Do not want him chasing rabbits/squirrels while bird hunting for eg. The german pointers are beautiful dogs, watching them run in the bush is a treat. Incredible athletes, you would certainly enjoy the experience of having a companion like this type of dog. I think you will not find a dog hard wired for birds that is good with deer.
 
I agree that it is hard to have a waterfowl AND deer dog.

We have hounds, So I'm sort of biased lol We keep the ones that like to run coyotes, Sell the ones that only run deer. Some don't like coyotes, Some like them so much you can't break them off the track unless you kill the coyote.

You have to decide what you want the dog for more?

Waterfowl - Get a lab
Deer - Beagle The reason I like beagles the best is because they are small and don't run the deer as hard. They will keep on a track, But just have the deer moving, Looking back listening. Big hounds run the deer right out of the county before you see them.
Upland -GSP or Brittney

A lab will be probably the best "Do all" dog. They show interest in pretty much everything and built for it, Maybe not put on the same miles as other dogs though.
 
I went through a similar decision. My first love is Pheasants. So I wanted a dog the could point or flush. However I was also interested to do some Goose/Duck hunting. Add in these 2 factors, plus a young child, it needed to be a good family pet. I love the GSP, absolutely love them. In the end, I choose a Black Labrador retriever. They are great in the field for waterfowl and they are great at flushing, some will even point. My puppy's father will point and then jump in the bushes to flush them out. So for me it was a good compromise.
 
Over the course of my hunting life I have been fortunate to hunt deer with hounds as well as upland game with pointing dogs. To date, none of these dogs have been mine, but I am very interested in getting a dog or dog(s) of my own.

We have had some interesting discussions on whether or not a dog exists that will run deer, retrieve waterfowl, and point upland game. A friend has a German shorthaired pointer that does all of the above, but he's 14 years old now and is retired.

Does a breed exist that will do all of these things, or am I looking at a hound for deer and a pointer for birds? I have heard that German shorthaired pointers and German wirehaired pointers are essentially do-all dogs but don't know of anyone using them to run deer.

Any input is appreciated.

Your buddy has the right dog for you, just get a newer one.
Drathars are fun to hunt and make a great family pet, just keep them away from porcupines ;)
Rob

Lest we Forget....
 
You're looking for a Drahthaar... Check out vdd-canada.ca and have a look around. You won't be disappointed with breed, just be ready for a FULL ON HUNTING DOG!!! Lots of time required, but oh so worth it!!!

Cheers
Jay

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...92-Hunting-Dogs!!!-Post-your-pics-amp-stories!!!

Here are some pics of my pup Nos doing what he does best... I hope you enjoy!

Retrieving
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First AND successful blood trail.
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Geese
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Ducks
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Grouse
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Rabbit
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Squirrel
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Porcupine.. And yes, this was expensive...
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Nos & blood trailing, the story!!!

Yesterday I was invited to hunt with a friend & his son on their farm. The rifle season closes this sunday, so we were now hunting for does to fill tags...

My friend posted his son on the edge of a field & me in the hardwoods. Then he used his hound to push the swamp on their property & his son was lucky enough to catch a button buck rocketing across the field & fired two shots at it. I heard a 'slap' from the first shot hitting home...

Once my friend had come round & collected me, we went back to his son & located some blood. It was bright red, but not frothy. So, we were unsure where the deer was hit, no fat or bone, just that it was leaving a blood trail. We tried for some time to follow up the trail to no avail... So... TIME FOR NOS, who was 'patiently' waiting in the truck for me...

Now, I must say that Nos is developing into ONE HELL OF A HUNTING COMPANION, but, I had never asked him to blood trail. So, the farmer & his son were skeptical that Nos could find the deer, despite them being hound men. They said that most hounds will track & trail deer, but not follow a blood trail...

Anyhow, I put Nos on leash & showed him the first spot of blood & commanded "TRACK". Nos literally put his nose to the ground & began snuffling like a pig trying to find truffles!!!

It was AMAZING to watch the natural abilities of a dog that is so well bred! What was also amazing was to see just what kind of HELL the deer was going to lead me & Nos through! From the edge of the field, it lead us through the small slice of hardwoods that bordered the field, then into the long chest high grass boardering the stream that crosses the property and across the stream & back into the long grass...

All the while, Nos had his nose to the ground & was almost crawling on his tummy. We thought about it afterwards & it was almost like Nos was using his body to collect & funnel scent!!! Back to the track...

Once we were across the stream, & through the long grass, the blood trail lead us into a really tangled mess of regenerating hardwoods. This is where I lost my grunt tube during the trail & had to go back after to find it!

At several points, I was crawling behind the dog being poked & cut by the nasty stuff that grows in these thick 'safe zones' loved by deer... Nos even cut his forehead on something... Another 'war wound'...

And then...

All of a sudden, I could tell Nos 'knew' something was close, he slowed WAY DOWN, dragging himself forward with his chest & belly ON the ground. And he stopped!!! I looked ahead & could see the deer laying about 20 meters ahead of us with the wind blowing gently our way. Nos had found the deer!!!

At this point, I could see the deer still had it's head up & I commanded Nos to sit. I stepped forward so that the blast from my RFB would not be behind or over Nos's head & put the deer down with a shot to the back of the head.

The pride I felt in my dog at that moment is sureal! Nos had successfully blood tracked & found a wounded deer! A task that may have taken us hours without him & potentially ended without recovering the deer, had taken less than 30 minutes with him! Both the farmer & his son were EXTREMELY IMPRESSED with my dog & his ability to track! I must admit that I am humbled by the hunting skill Nos displays, he IS the best hunting dog I have owned so far!
 
I want to train our lab to hunt. She is just over 4 months and I feel like it is too late - though it is most definitely not. Any tips on how to get started? She loves going for hikes and exploring with me already.
 
I suggest a good Airedale Terrier. They are a jack of all trades. I wouldn't, and didn't, buy one from a breeder. Sign up on the Traditional Working Airedale Terrier forum and buy a true working line puppy. It will probably only cost you $500 for a solid puppy.

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Heck, they are even good on peaches!
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where oh where can dogs go deer hunting? Please say it is so, in MB! I have two dogs that would love to accompany me on a deer hunt, but as far as I know, it is totally illegal in MB. Am I wrong? Rifle season starts on this coming Monday morning, I need to get them blaze orange jackets tomorrow! I just told them, maybe guys, just maybe, did I get their hopes up sky high for nothing?
 
It is totally forbidden in Alberta to even be accompanied by a dog while hunting big game (except cougar in the winter). That is a shame.

I don't have any experience nor a strong opinion about running deer with dogs, but it would certainly be useful to be able to track a shot animal with a dog like in Jay's story.

Without weight to the question of deer hunting, I think the Labrador Retriever is the best choice for almost everyone, IMO.
 
Yulisius you still have plenty of time. Mand Jay, great re count and some wonderful pics. That porcupine sure did a number
 
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