Do you remember the first duck hunting dog you got after you started duck hunting? I know I will never forget mine. I had just started duck hunting. I was tired of long retrieves on winged birds, and I was tired of missing most of the hunt chasing downed birds. I made the big +1 decision that every duck hunter makes at some point in their duck hunting career. It was time to buy my first duck hunting dog.
I didn’t have duck hunter to lean on for advice in this big decision. I also didn’t have a lot of money to spend on a dog. I only had a hundred dollars to spend on a hunting dog, some money for shots, and some money for feed. A hundred dollars was a lot for a dog in the early nineties (at least I thought) for a broke high school kid. There was no internet to search for dogs back then. I had to look in newspapers and weekly classified magazines I bought at the local gas station. After talking with multiple litter owners, I made up my mind on a new pup. He was the puppy of duck hunting lab and sounded like exactly what I was looking for from talking to the owner. He wasn’t but seventy-five dollars, so I wasn’t killing my “top heavy budget”. HE HAD ONE LEFT! Wouldn’t you know it! I made the trip in my mom’s car to pick my new full blooded black lab puppy which was over a couple of hours away. I arrived at the meeting spot. It was a local gas station in Charleston, Ms. The puppy was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I gave the puppy’s owner his money and me and my new hunting retriever headed home. Watching this pup grow up, I started to notice some strange things. His beautiful black coat was getting longer, and the purple dot that was on his tongue started covering it completely. He wouldn’t fetch a bone. I got played. It turned out my full-blooded lab was a half chow.
Years later I did own my dream lab when I started guiding. He was everything I ever dreamed about when I was younger in a hunting partner. On this purchase, though, I did obtain advice from smarter duck hunters that hunted with dogs and dog trainers. The wisdom they gave me about picking a puppy was spot on. I used this guidance two other times and shared it with multiple friends, and it hasn’t failed yet.
I will probably bore you with the first part. Most already have their mind made up on what breed of dog they want and most importantly need. Here are my top five breeds for duck hunting and how that breed is used for those that don’t know what breed they want:
- Labrador Retriever: The most popular dog breed in the USA and most popular duck dog. They are great hunters and better family pets. They are very calm dogs. They are intelligent, unreal swimmers, and have an intensive drive to please. They can easily remember locations of downed birds. The first labs were used in fishing to retrieve nets, ropes, floats, and fish. They can handle temps down into the mid to upper twenties.
- Chesapeake Bay Retriever: The first thoughts that come to mind when I think of a Chessie are Big, Strong, and Powerful. They have amazing drive also. During the market hunting days, they were used for retrieving more than a hundred ducks a day and guard the owner’s possessions. They have a reputation for being a little aggressive. If you have small children or lots of visitors to your house, think hard about this breed. They are very loyal to their owner. Chesapeake’s are highly intelligent, but can be stubborn. They can tolerate extreme cold conditions. They don’t do well with the heat.
- Golden Retriever: Another one of the most popular breeds in the US. The Golden is known for its intelligence, obedience, friendliness, and being an accomplished hunter. Most Goldens these days are bred to be pets and not retrieving waterfowl. They can handle the cold well.
- American Water Spaniel: Smaller retriever than the rest we have described above. It is perfect for hunting in canoes or pirogues. Handles extreme cold well.
- Boykin Spaniel: This breed of dog was bred in South Carolina to retrieve waterfowl and hunting turkeys. They only weigh around forty pounds. Also, they are used for upland hunting. The neat thing about a Boykin is they are small enough to stay in the house. They tolerate the cold pretty well.
