Brittany question - grouse lines

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KFhunter
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Brittany question - grouse lines

Post by KFhunter » Wed Jun 25, 2014 11:55 am

What bloodline/s would you pursue if you were a dedicated grouse hunter?

ruffed and blues in the thick brush, need lot's of nose and nose to spare.

I also hunt other birds, but the grouse is in my back yard and it's shaping up to be good. I have to travel for other birds so they get seen less, but I do have some good quail numbers in the hay fields and doing some work to boost their numbers even higher. I should have fantastic quail in the coming years, but the question is for best bloodlines for a grouse dog.

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kninebirddog
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Re: Brittany question - grouse lines

Post by kninebirddog » Wed Jun 25, 2014 12:06 pm

All what the dog has the desires to do ..Some of my western bred brittanys have gone back east to hunt grouse and such

Make sure the breeder is breeding dogs that want to hunt ..after that it is fine tuning what the human wants to do :wink:
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KFhunter
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Re: Brittany question - grouse lines

Post by KFhunter » Wed Jun 25, 2014 1:57 pm

I get that part lol


just wondering what lines tend to kick out the best noses and a gritty dog

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AZ Brittany Guy
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Re: Brittany question - grouse lines

Post by AZ Brittany Guy » Wed Jun 25, 2014 3:50 pm

If you don't mind digging around and doing some research, the ABC website is a good place to start. Here is the history of the Grouse / Woodcock championships going back a few years. http://clubs.akc.org/brit/ABCClassics.h ... ockClassic Do some cut and paste between there and the Brittany Pedigree Data Base and you may begin to see similarities in the bloodlines of the winners. http://www.brittanydata.com/ . In my opinion a solid bloodline transcends the type of game it hunts. I think a good hunting dog is 70% environment and 30% bloodlines**.

** My percentages change based on quaintly of beer consumed.

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mm
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Re: Brittany question - grouse lines

Post by mm » Thu Jun 26, 2014 3:29 am

Check with some of the New England Brittany clubs a lot of those members are avid grouse hunters. Some are also doing some real nice breedings. You could find a real nice grouse dog there.
mm

Mountaineer
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Re: Brittany question - grouse lines

Post by Mountaineer » Fri Jun 27, 2014 4:28 pm

Ah, that brings back memories of Mr. Ed's Brittanys, when Ohio was a ruffed grouse state.
I think they overdid it toward the end but....that can happen.

I would look toward some eastern upland birdhunting message boards for paws-on experience but, really, the genetics will prove out, wherever they originate...developing the potential indicated by genetics is another deal entire and is where the importance lies.

I suspect many folks get hung up over both nose and bloodlines......most, with reasonable understanding of pet vs. hunter, will end up with a dog where the owner is the real limiting factor in the successful hunting of gamebirds.
The dog, or their nose, too often gets the blame....kinda like scatterguns in that regard.

5andaback
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Re: Brittany question - grouse lines

Post by 5andaback » Wed Aug 06, 2014 3:15 pm

We breed and train our French Britts down in Texas. They all have adapted to grouse and woodcock. I guide the month of Oct. in Minn. and they work perfect for me. Guess what I am trying to say is other than the American Britts ranging a bit further out, any good line will work with proper training.

jetjockey
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Re: Brittany question - grouse lines

Post by jetjockey » Mon Aug 11, 2014 7:06 am

I agree with the above statements. Get a dog with good lines and expose them to the type of birds you plan on hunting, and you will have a good dog.

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