Gun Dog Forum

I am new to training and I am working with a male Lag. He is 6 months.


I am strarting to wrok on "birdyness" and everyone on this forum seems to suggest pigeons... Why? I am in Northern Virginia and they are not easy to come by... I have called several trainiers and game bird clubs..... No one has pigeons and they do not know where i can find them.... I can purchase young pigeons from a hatchery (via internet) if there is a particular reason why.... I have found someone who is offering quail. Good, not good???

Please let me know your thoughts.......

Thanks and Good day,

JW

They are cheap, fly great, don't put up with much pressure.
If you have farms, cities, overpasses, bridges, etc. you could net or trap pigeons.
Or you can go to the woods and find wild birds.

Bob White Quail are good if they are good flyers.
Chuckars are better but cost more. Twice as much.

Rick

check out racing clubs for pigeons. There are a lot on the east coast. You may have to make a few calls to find someone that will sale them to you but you can find them. Sometimes it depends on what you want to do with the pigeons as well. If you are going to shoot them, a lot of guys will not sale to you, but if you are going to use them as homers and not shoot them you can get some.

One of the big advantages of pigeons is the ability to home over distances and you do not have to worry about always buying birds. More up front cost, buying the homers, setting up loft and food and water, but easier in the long run I think. If I ever live in an area that would allow it, I will definitely set up a loft with homers.

brandon

Quail will work in a pinch. They are usually more expensive than pigeons, and not as robust, but they will get your dog birdy. Not sure exactly how you are going to train your lab - people prefer using pigeons in launchers for pointing dogs because they are strong fliers. Quail are weaker fliers (and sometimes don't) which encourages a pointing dog to try to catch them rather than point. But I would not hesitate to use quail if I couldn't get pigeons.

Hope this helps.

I thought he said lab. You don't want homer's unless they are either cheap or free. Once you get birds you need to get them breeding, your gonna need them. For flushing dogs, start them out with birds on the ground with flight feathers pulled. You want a flusher to catch birds. Once they are hunting well and bringing you the birds and have been intro'd to the gun, learn how to dizzy birds with flight feathers intact. You plant them and the ones that escape the dog, you shoot. You could probably do the same with game birds but the cost goes way up. Feral pigeons, you have them there. Shoot I used to catch them in Alaska, they are everywhere!

did not see that he was training a lab. I would not use homers either.

brandon