Is a Labrador Retriever a suitable deer dog along with being a bird dog? I had a yellow lab several years ago when I was in college but never did hunt with him. I wish I would have now, but so much for regrets huh? Anyways, does anybody here have experience using a lab to find wounded deer?

You might want to look into one of the versatile breeds if your heart isn't set on a lab. I have one but I'm not going to train her to track deer/fur.

I am kind of set on a Lab, but nothing says I can't have two dogs. What is one of the other breeds you would recommend.

When I was a child I had a Blue Healer/Catahula mix. She was an excellent dog who was able to sustain herself on antelope. Hardly ever had to feed her, if you did put out food for her it would sit for days before she touched it. She was a cow dog but would it be possible to train one to be a game dog?

I know of people who have used them on occasion to find deer, but the guys who do it professionally use different breeds.

My dog is a Deutscher Wachtelhund.

Some of the other breeds are the Vizsla, Griffon, Pudelpointer, Large and Small Munsterlander, Weimaraner, and Deutsch Drahthaars, just to name a few. I think some even classify the wirehair pointers as a versatile, but not 100% sure on this one.

Well I don't plan on needing it professionally. I just need something as a just in case. I have been lucky enough that I haven't needed more than one shot to finish an animal in over a decade. I have had a couple of complete misses but no bad hits. I know that it will eventually happen again though so I would like a little help. For being part Indian I am a horrible tracker. I actually can track a human or vehicle on a dark night but god help me I can't track a wounded deer in daylight for the life of me.

GrosVentreGeorge,

What is it you seek in a bird dog? would it waterfowl or upland bird hunting or both?

I assumed you live in Montana? Outside or indoor dog during the winter month's?

Do you want a flushing or a pointing dog?

My old lab, Zack, was great on a blood trail but easily distracted. My Wimeraner was better, and very single-minded. After having both, I'd have to vote for the lab, really a more versatile breed (the wimie couldn't handle the ice water very well).
Just an opinion.
Walt

I was thinking about Huns, pheasants, and waterfowl. This would be the majority of his/her duties. I just want an added bonus of possible deer tracking as well. I have no problem having two dogs but would like to start out with the lab.

A lab can be taught tracking, however, if you get a lab, even though its versatile for several different jobs... It can only really be trained for one job type. Thats to say, you wouldnt get a pointing lab for pheasant and expect it to retrieve ducks/geese and track deer.. Its too much. We actually use deer breaking scent on our upland dogs so that they DONT go off tracking deer instead of birds in the field. Our waterfowl labs, do nothing but retrieve, which is way more complicated than bringing a bird back. Its the HARDEST to train, believe me. You dont have pointing labs as retrievers, or at least good retrievers. Its just not their strong point and it shouldnt be, they are bred for pointing. I hope this makes sense to you. You really shouldnt try to train a lab to hunt upland, waterfowl, and deer and expect it to be excellent in any of these duties. You could train a lab to excellent in one of these duties, and maybe average or medioker in a second duty. Your just stretching him too far, those are so diverse in their training that you probably wouldnt have a dog that would handle retrieves well, or that would end up chasing deer trails instead of pheasants.

I have a lot of dogs, when I need a specific job done, I pull a specific dog for it. We have several labs for waterfowl hunting exclusively, and some for Hunt test exclusively. We have EP's, GSP's, English Setters, and Brittany's exclusively for Upland. I also have dogs exclusively for quail, exclusively for pheasant, etc.
I own beagles for deer tracking when needed. Thats all they do.

Jack Russells are used to track wounded game in Africa.Should work on Whitetail.They are hypercharged and need to run daily.

I've got a heeler-samoyed mix that's a good tracker. The borders and border-heeler mixes are too easily distractable and more sight oriented.

....sniff, sniff.....went this way!.....sniff sniff....went this way!....HEY! LOOK! RABBIT! BACK IN A BIT!.....

I have several dogos argetinos for hunting wild boars and too labs for birds,Africa one of them not only find the wouded hogs but shes a very good baying dog ,i used another lab too for hunting pumas ,they are very smart and they understand easily what you want .Juan

Check out the Deutsch Drahthaar.

www.vdd-gna.org

quote:

Originally posted by Norseman:
Check out the Deutsch Drahthaar.

www.vdd-gna.org

A good possibility. So the lab would be best for retrieving ducks but might need another dog (not a problem in my mind) to do other chores. Has anybody here had any experience with catahoula's ?

The biggest problem I have right now is that I work on the road. I would love to quit my job and be home on a regular but I can't seem to pass up the money. I do plan on getting a camper this next year so that it will be more like home for me and I will be able to keep whatever dog I get with me.

What other chores that a lab can do that a Deutsch Draththaar cannot do?

You may want to check the game laws where you hunt they may consider it chasing Deer. A friend explained why he was using his lab. Still got the ticket. Outcome unknown at this time. Hasn't went to court. Lou

Labs are largely retrievers and in the case of tracking I would go for a hunting dog. One of the HPR breeds i.e. Brittany, GSP, etc. Terriers also make for good tracking dogs.

I have had GSP,S for years and they will do everything you require.w/regards

Okay, nevermind the deer tracking thing and we can probably rule out duck or goose hunting for now. So what it comes down too is Hun, Pheasant, and Quail. I believe a Lab should be sufficient for this. Does anybody have advice or experiences with a breeder in MT they would recommend.

I would like a dog that was gun started but I don't think I can afford this right now. So I guess I would be training the dog myself (training myself as well)and taking him or her on the road with me.

If you are looking for a dog that you can easily take with you wherever you go, and tracking wounded game is more important to you than birds, the Jack Russell works very well.
My male is aggressive and determined and my little bitch has a nose that can't be beat. Can't use for that purpose in my state, but I have seen her work a scent trail and she does it very well. And they never seem to slow down....

versatile all around dog would be a German Shorthair Pointer.

Okay, so I was planning on getting a lab puppy before this spring. Just today though I was presented with the opportunity to take two labs, one male one female, off the hands of a friends sister. Make sense to you?

So anyways the female is mellow for a lab and untrained while the male is high strung and trained in birding. I guess the male came from a bird hunter who couldn't keep him because of financial reasons. He went to my friends sister's family where they took him hunting maybe 4 times. They say he is high strung, but when I quiz them on their activity with the dog I can see the problem as being a lack of it.

I have had luck in the past with correcting bad manners in a dog and getting them to mellow some. I believe interaction is the best thing for them. Run 'em till their silly and they'll love you for it. In the past I have hurt my own shoulder throwing the ball for them.

I guess in the end would anybody advise against adopting this three year old lab?

I have a black lab thats a very good blood trailer. I have use her to track and find several bow shot deer.

She is also a very good bird dog she only tracks deer when I put a tracking rope on her and show her the blood.

Never trained her to I was very lucky 10 years or so ago my son wounded a buck with his bow dry ground. We could not follow the trail any more So I said lets try the dog after about 5 min she took us right to the deer. Been using her from that time on.

quote:

...I guess in the end would anybody advise against adopting this three year old lab?

I have a lab that I used for retrieving birds and just this year, when he was 2.5, I had with me when I shot a deer down. I went back to the truck and got him and showed him the blood and he took me right to it within minutes. Everytime I shot a deer this year I would get him and let him trail the deer for me. I guess what I am saying is that even if the dog is not trained on deer at a young age I think that it is more curiosity than anything that drives them to find what is at the end of the blood trail.
just my $.02

From past experience a lab with one swipe of their tail can clean everything fragile from the wife's coffee table though they do have a very gentle nature.

quote:

Originally posted by shorthair:
From past experience a lab with one swipe of their tail can clean everything fragile from the wife's coffee table though they do have a very gentle nature.

Hell yeah! Or take out an old person at the knees and then lick em to death once their down.

What a surprise I had when one of my Jack Russels started to retrieve birds to hand! only ever happened with this one dog, all the rest were ratters/bunnie flushers

A good waterfowl dog will use his nose to find the birds instinctively. Tracking a blood trail is a bit different, but a good dog can be trained to do most anything once he realizes what you want from him, and gets his reward. I would strongly suggest the book Schutzund. It is about protection training, tracking, and obedience (think police dog that does all phases). The tracking segments will give you a great head start on how to get them started.