Hardest Gamebirds

[CowboyBirdDogs]

In your opinion, what are the top 5 hardest gamebirds for a bird dog to handle? 1 being the hardest. I've only had the opportunity to hunt pheasant and bobwhite quial so far, just curious as to what more experienced hunters and bird doggers will say!

Thanks!

[gittrdonebritts]

this thread is sure to cause a fight and with how dull the board has been lately I can't wait to watch it !
I'm in the same boat as you only ever hunted Phez and quail.

[Sharon]

Ruffed grouse, woodcock and pheasant take lots of experience for the dog to handle.
We don't have 5 gamebirds in Ontario, so that's the best I can do.

[brad27]

I was going to make a joke, but it didn't work out to well for me over on the Elhew thread so i'll just keep my mouth shut.

p.s. I've never hunted birds with dogs so i wouldn't know.

[chiendog]

For pointing dogs:

1. Snipe (by far)
2. Ruffed grouse
3. Pheasants
4. Sharptail grouse
5. Huns

[ezzy333]

Huns, Pheasants. I always thought quail and woodcock were gimmes, great birds to start a pup on. The rest I do not have enough experience on.

Ezzy

[orbirdhunter]

Out of the gamebirds i have hunted....here is how i would list from hardest to easiest

#1 pheasant - Here in oregon pheasants like to run, run, run, they are wily...hard to pin, hard to hold...They seem to win more then the dog.
#2 everything else....valley quail can be tough in the fact that here they often run in huge coveys.....so a dog has to learn how to distinguish the older scent from the freshest bird scent, and slow down and really work through the cover as to not run by some, it can be very distracting for younger dogs as quail are running,fluttering and flying everywhere in every direction....Chukars and huns are fairly easy for the dog as long as it doesn't have a habit of crowding birds, if they are preserve dogs then forget about it....generally speaking where i hunt the dog had better be standing the covey from at least 25-30yds away if your hoping to get a shot...

[Ron R]

Wild Turkeys (not pen raised)

[birddog1968]

I'm amazed someone mentioned snipe, one of my favorites ! A good lookin dog will look like a million when he figures out snipe. Or at least a couple hundred thou

[DonF]

#1 has to be Ruff Grouse

#2 This would be Valley and Mountain Quail. They are in big covey's. To get them to hold at all you need to break up the covey.

#3 Pheasant. But I have to say also that in the beets and other heavy cover they seen pretty easy to me.

#4 Huns. Another covey bird. But smaller covey's. You bust them up and they pretty much stay together. A good dog wouldn't bump them as easy as the the Quail and grouse.

#5 Would have to be for me, Chukar. Tuffest thing about them though is the country they live it. Generally covey's aren't as big as Quail. Other than the country, it could be Huns/Chukars or Chukar/ Huns.

I've never hunted Snipe or Sharptails, Woodcock or chickens so haven't a clue on them.

[djloder]

1. Ruff's

2. Hun's

3. Phez

4. Sharpies

5. Woodcock

Only bird's I have hunted with dog's.

[Georgia Boy]

Huns, Pheasants. I always thought quail and woodcock were gimmes, great birds to start a pup on. The rest I do not have enough experience on.

Ezzy

Go try some Mearns, Scales or Blues then tell me how easy they are Prairie Chickens are worthy adversary as well

[Retiredbirddogman]

1- Grouse
2- Late season sharp tail
3- Lake season pheasant
4- P chickens
5- Huns

[Ahumphers91a]

I've never thought phez was hard to hunt. I grew up in Cal, and hunted rice fields and cheks. Always had a dog to hold point on the bird so it didn't run. I would say Chukar is the hardest to hunt. Since moving to Utah, I've hunted Chukar a hand full of times and will say their habitat is difficult to hunt.

[GrayDawg]

1. Ruff's

2. Hun's

3. Phez

4. Sharpies

5. Woodcock

Only bird's I have hunted with dog's.

+1 (and in that EXACT same order!)

Rob

[mcbosco]

eastern ruffed grouse for sure, woodcock the easiest the few I have seen in nj you could pretty much walk up to them without them moving

[tn red]

Anyone here ever harvested a Himalayan snow cock?

[Ron R]

Anyone here ever harvested a Himalayan snow cock?

Are they white and found in alaska?

I too am curious how woodcock would make anybody's list for hardest gamebirds to hunt. From my experience they hold very tight and are easy to hunt.

[mcbosco]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayan_Snowcock

Nevada

[quailrunner]

After the "City Boys" come out and take the yearlings, come on out to hunt some gambels or scalies (they don't call 'em grey ghosts for nothing) in January. For lunch we'll stop at the Humble Pie Bar and Grill and I'll buy if you've got your limit.

[asc]

#1. NEIGHBORS CHICKENS... :roll:

[CowboyBirdDogs]

Thanks for all the responses! I was wondering where pheasant ranked on everyones list, seems like my dogs have at least been on one of the harder birds to hunt so at least we have that under our belts. I'm just curious what birds hunters find harder to hunt that others. I didn't see mention of blue quail or mearns. I'm really looking forward to chasing some of these birds like chukar, huns and sharpies!

[Birddogz]

1.) Late season pheasants/ snipe. My dogs don't seem to even think snipe are game birds.

2.) Ruffs

3.) Prairie chickens after the first 2 weeks of season.

4.) Scaled quail

5.) Huns

[Georgia Boy]

Thanks for all the responses! I was wondering where pheasant ranked on everyones list, seems like my dogs have at least been on one of the harder birds to hunt so at least we have that under our belts. I'm just curious what birds hunters find harder to hunt that others. I didn't see mention of blue quail or mearns. I'm really looking forward to chasing some of these birds like chukar, huns and sharpies!

Huns, Pheasants. I always thought quail and woodcock were gimmes, great birds to start a pup on. The rest I do not have enough experience on.

Ezzy

Go try some Mearns, Scales or Blues then tell me how easy they are Prairie Chickens are worthy adversary as well

[quailrunner]

Notice the feathers on the back of this guys neck? He is the sentry for the covey that was in and around the bush. He is about 5-6 feet above the ground, watching down-wind. It's mighty tough for a dog to even get close enough to get their scent. Gambels quail like this one love to run, then flush, then run some more. The coveys that survive the first month of the season (and have been worked a few times) are usually quite a challenge for any dog.
Last year in this same general area, before the season opened I worked my pups on a big covey of scalies (blues, or cotton-tops) whatever you want to call them. There must have been 50-60 birds, and we found the birds pretty consistently every other day. No shooting, just pups chasing, then pointing, and even an honor or two. The Monday following the season's opening weekend, I took the pups back, only to find a lot of carcasses of the birds (the breasts were removed) by the water tank close to where we parked. Must of been 4-5 guys and their bazookas (12 ga) found them and totally wiped them out. We never did find the covey again the entire season.
So, I guess those guys would say that quail are a "Gimme". It's probably the same with every upland bird we hunt.. if you have enough guns in the field the birds don't stand a chance!

[JKP]

1. Snipe by far

2. Late season sharpies

3. Ruffs in the wind

4. Phez in thin CRP

5. late season Gambles

I couldn't include huns....once they have fed and move to cover, they are one of the best birds to work with dogs....they don't like to leave those plum thickets or the grassy edges and will hold well .... just don't find enough of them...before 1994 in the Dakotas, I could move 6-8 covies/day.

[Waterdogs1]

Chukers I think are hard. A good lab will kill pheasants and grouse. I guess are grouse are stupid. I think wild chukers are the toughest in my area.