can a gsp duck hunt

[zmac399]

I've got a 6 moth old gap I'm working with and recently got into duck hunting. Has anyone ever used a gap or is the water just to cold for them? He about shakes to death just on a good cold day and not being wet. Anything y'all.might have on this we be great

[4dabirds]

Check out versatile dog forum there is a lot of guys using gsp for ducks. You live in florida how cold could it get?

[northern cajun]

nope not at all do you want pics of her or another I have in Upstate New York as well in slush water just above freeze? Get a SUGAR COAT I have never used it but they say they great.

viewtopic.php?f=89&t=34652



http://thesugarcoat.com/SUGARCoat.aspx

[DonF]

I wouldn't hunt ducks in Florida. heard about to many dogs that turned in to allagator food! If not for that, it never get's that cold in Florida.

[ACooper]

Of course GSPs can duck hunt, give the dog a shot.

[Doc E]

Properly trained and in nice warm FL water, a GSP should do fine.



.

[TraditionsGSPs2010]

Absolutely. Do not expect to break ice but they are more than capable.

[mrcreole]

Even a white one can.....My girl Delta picked up over 300 ducks last year between teal and big duck seasons...We lost 1 all year.

[tasi devil]

YEP!!

[Ruffshooter]

They love it. This is in Maine. Temps about 40 this day.

[High Voltage]

Check into the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association, http://www.navhda.org/
Great people that help you to train your versatile dog for the field & water.

[rgsiii]

YEP!!

Interesting looking ducks. Pacific Black duck? Is it the equivalent of our mallards?

When I googled duck hunting Tasmania, almost every link was regarding banning the sport. Is duck hunting an "endangered species?"

[Sharon]

YEP!!

Great pics.

O.P. Yes but make sure the dog can get completely out of the water betweeen retrieves.

[Hunting cop]

All I use in KY

[Tyler S]

Iam a little over an hour north of pensacola. I use mine for ducks and geese too. I use a vest on days anything colder than 50 degrees. Don't take your dog during teal season if your hunting the coastal marshes (especially the mobile delta) alligators are plentiful and pretty bold too.

I dont care what anybody says about the weather here on the gulf coast. It can get down right miserable at times. I'll take 10 degrees and no humidity over 35 degrees and 80% humidity any day.

[Rockett]

Rgsiii, not sure about Tasmania, But in New South Wales, it is illegal to shoot quail and ducks, the clubs do hold non shooting trials. But In Victoria it is ok.

[tasi devil]

Rgsiii, not sure about Tasmania, But in New South Wales, it is illegal to shoot quail and ducks, the clubs do hold non shooting trials. But In Victoria it is ok.

G'day Rockett, owyadoin.
in NSW you can shoot ducks 'on the rice' but only with a crop protection permit . hunters do not take dogs because there are mostly more snakes than ducks, @ that time of year it is also the breeding season for ducks. go figure, can't hunt them within a legal designated season but you can cull as many as possible to protect a farmers income & crop.
yes rgsiii duck/quail hunting in Tasmania is seriously under threat every year.
Sharon, you are correct the ducks are 'Blackies" Pacific Black duck, they (male/female) look very similar to your hen Mallard. in fact we use hen Mallard decoys to hunt over

.......tasi

btw that's Tex , 'Wildrose Texas Storm'

[Rockett]

G'day tasi, thanks for clearing that up I just stick to retrieving trials at the moment. Yes I'm over the snakes already!! Hopefully will venture to VIC to do some field trials, my young boy is out of 'Junior' so he has some boots to fill. Hope u are safe from the fires.

[tasi devil]

yeh i'm up North away from the main fires, but there still has been some pretty serious fires along the North East coast.
your right about your boy having some serious boots to fill with both Junior ...... & his Daddy "Butch"?. was the Dam of your boy one of Burkys Pointgold bitches. Millsy is an awesome shooter as well
possibly see you at some Field trials next year, am hoping to travel over & get some serious time on the Stubble quail & revisit some Trials. been out of it due to work/family issues for quite a few years, also didn't have a dog capable of competeing at that level, looks like this one might tho.

holding on a covey of 20+ Browns till i got there.........not steady after he flushes yet tho

[birdyhunter]

I'd say so.

[will-kelly]

Definitely but keep in mind that any dog should be conditioned/acclimated to the environment they are going to be hunted in. Spending 3 hours in the field in Florida is a lot different than 3 hours in a duck blind in Michigan.

[AlbertaChessie]

Definitely but keep in mind that any dog should be conditioned/acclimated to the environment they are going to be hunted in. Spending 3 hours in the field in Florida is a lot different than 3 hours in a duck blind in Michigan.

Very true! further that, and its GROSSLY different from a cold november morning in Canada. Stateside sure Id use a GSP for ducks....but up here on big northern birds when your hands freeze within 2.5 minutes.....not a bloody chance.

[buckeyebowman]

Definitely but keep in mind that any dog should be conditioned/acclimated to the environment they are going to be hunted in. Spending 3 hours in the field in Florida is a lot different than 3 hours in a duck blind in Michigan.

Very true! further that, and its GROSSLY different from a cold november morning in Canada. Stateside sure Id use a GSP for ducks....but up here on big northern birds when your hands freeze within 2.5 minutes.....not a bloody chance.

Yep! My buddy has a GSP that will water retrieve with any Chessie or Lab you can put up. But, a GSP is a rather finely drawn dog compared to the other two, and my buddy won't use her for that purpose below certain temps.

[Sharon]

early season hunts - yes. Make sure the dog can get completely out of the water onto something dry between retrieves.

[northern cajun]

Definitely but keep in mind that any dog should be conditioned/acclimated to the environment they are going to be hunted in. Spending 3 hours in the field in Florida is a lot different than 3 hours in a duck blind in Michigan.

Very true! further that, and its GROSSLY different from a cold november morning in Canada. Stateside sure Id use a GSP for ducks....but up here on big northern birds when your hands freeze within 2.5 minutes.....not a bloody chance.

This is -15 and the dog will hunt the ice slush etc as long as any lab and I was raised on em. Now will all GSP take the cold no but more than you think.

[Ruffshooter]

The thing is with the GSP is you can have a bigger boned, larger sized and can handle colder weather better than smaller ones. I know an old timer that used to use his brittanies for sea duck hunting but he after a few realized they would only make it till 8 years old or so. Use the right tool for the job.

[northern cajun]

The thing is with the GSP is you can have a bigger boned, larger sized and can handle colder weather better than smaller ones. I know an old timer that used to use his brittanies for sea duck hunting but he after a few realized they would only make it till 8 years old or so. Use the right tool for the job.

So would you have a person own more than one dog if thats all they can have?
Sometimes you have to use the dog that will optimize all of your hunting endeavors.

[Ruffshooter]

Where did you get that?
All I am saying is there are many GSP's that can handle cold simply because of their mass/size. I have Brits and GSP. Two britt that have good mass and handle cold pretty good. But they are still just 50 and 55 pound animals. So I limit them to in the 30's. I have another that is just 40 pounds and she is willing but shivers like no tommorow and I know it is hard on her. So I only use her on warm days.

I have one GSP female the one in the photo that is a 55 pound but will only handle cold to low 40's.
I have another that may not make into the mid 40's because she is just 45 pounds.

But No matter what most generally a Lab or chessie etc. is the best choice for Cold water duck and goose hunting.
The comment about using the right tool for the job relates more to hunting mostly ducks and the sea duck hunting thing.
Obviously, I do use my dogs for all of my hunting but use my head when to use them and not and how.

[northern cajun]

Where did you get that?
All I am saying is there are many GSP's that can handle cold simply because of their mass/size. I have Brits and GSP. Two britt that have good mass and handle cold pretty good. But they are still just 50 and 55 pound animals. So I limit them to in the 30's. I have another that is just 40 pounds and she is willing but shivers like no tommorow and I know it is hard on her. So I only use her on warm days.

I have one GSP female the one in the photo that is a 55 pound but will only handle cold to low 40's.
I have another that may not make into the mid 40's because she is just 45 pounds.

But No matter what most generally a Lab or chessie etc. is the best choice for Cold water duck and goose hunting.
The comment about using the right tool for the job relates more to hunting mostly ducks and the sea duck hunting thing.
Obviously, I do use my dogs for all of my hunting but use my head when to use them and not and how.

That bitch is 46 pounds and handles it all no more no less.

[onuhunter02]

I have to agree with the folks who say no matter the dog they need to be use to the weather. It is not fair to take your indoor dog and have it do retrieves in the cold water or even in cold weather on land. Think about this when you get bundled up because it is cold out putting on your thickest duck clothes to keep warm but yet people take their indoor dog out, have them lay in a cold field or even colder duck boat then expect them to keep still. Even if it is a lab in order to be fair to the dog they should be outdoor dogs so their coat fits the weather for winter duck hunting.

[AlbertaChessie]

Definitely but keep in mind that any dog should be conditioned/acclimated to the environment they are going to be hunted in. Spending 3 hours in the field in Florida is a lot different than 3 hours in a duck blind in Michigan.

Very true! further that, and its GROSSLY different from a cold november morning in Canada. Stateside sure Id use a GSP for ducks....but up here on big northern birds when your hands freeze within 2.5 minutes.....not a bloody chance.

This is -15 and the dog will hunt the ice slush etc as long as any lab and I was raised on em. Now will all GSP take the cold no but more than you think.

yet again....cold in NY is GROSSLY different than cold in canada. -15 is a september morning. Lets see how a GSP does in water at -25 for 4 hours. Aint gonna happen.

[Jagerdawg]

At any temperature I am willing to hunt in so will my gsp. Will they hunt at -15 or -25 not a chance of course I wouldn't hunt either