Would a Beagle make a good waterfowl retiever dog ?
of course, not for late season, and not for open water. they dont look like amazing swimmers,
but how about marshes in Nov ?
can they be trained for waterfowl hunting ?
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Would a Beagle make a good waterfowl retiever dog ?
of course, not for late season, and not for open water. they dont look like amazing swimmers,
but how about marshes in Nov ?
can they be trained for waterfowl hunting ?
I had one that was pretty good at flushing pheasants, he used to give me dirty look's when he did this because I was expecting a cotton tail on the ground and never even raise my shotgun. I think any dog can be trained from a younger age.
As a long time beagle owner, I’ve never before seen “beagle” and “waterfowl” in the same sentence :)
For every beagle I’ve known, water is like lava :D
X2...... beagles and water retrieving?.... no.
Gator_theduckdog
On Instagram. Check out this little jack russel that retrieves.
Little bugger retrieves big Canada geese on his own. Cant lift them off the ground but he can run down cripples and always gets them back to the blind. Makes me laugh everytime.
Beagle would work but I can think of better breeds lol
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One time I had a dead duck in a shallow pond and a wounded one in the thick grass. It got dark and I couldn't find the cripple. I walked back to the house and grabbed my beagle, he found the cripple right away. With some pointing and tossing sticks to the dead duck, he finally swam out and brought it back to me. Probably will never happen again lol. He has helped many times on finding dead doves and grouse I've shot, he just wont retrieve them.
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When I was a kid we had a rooster on the farm that would spurr anything that got close enough. We had a litter of walker/beagle pups and the rooster was always picking on the puppies. He would jump and spur them and really hurt one dog. The mother heard her pups squeal and she came over and ripped that rooster in half. After that, for the rest of that dogs life, Any bird on the farm would die if that hound got a hold of it. Over protective mother.
Dogs seem to work that way, They have one instance that turns them right on or off(gun shy for instance) and its almost impossible to break.
My point is, Give any dog the motivation to do something, They will do it everytime giving 100% effort.
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Beagles are sent hounds, sounds like your looking for a retrieving breed or a versatile pointer breed.
I've only seen a beagle of mine retrieve once.
The chase was on and my friend, who was right beside me, took the shot and thought he'd missed the rabbit. Moments later my beagle (who had not witnessed the shot) came through hot on the trail. Then my beagle went silent and came trotting back, cottontail in its mouth, and dropped the rabbit at my friend's feet.
Why my beagle decided on that day to perform its one and only retrieve (for my friend and not me!), and how it knew that my friend was the shooter, I will never know. That had to be 20 years ago and my friend still rubs it in! :D
The only time my beagle would get close to water was when the deer he was chasing crossed water. He'd swim a river when chasing but wouldn't dare touch a puddle on a walk. Get a beagle for hunting deer, a lab for hunting ducks. ��
Make your life and the training easier .... go with a breed designed for waterfowl and retrieving .... labs, goldens, chessies, tollers ....lots to choose from!
Haha. Little bugger. Great story.Quote:
Originally Posted by ninepointer
I only had one Beagle when I was really young, all I remember is riding my bike looking for him most of the time.
Not a good idea.
Beagles are not really made for hunting waterfowl.
Hardest part would be getting a hound to stay still when your working birds in. I can see a little beagle just going apesht when the birds are coming close haha
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First beagle I ever had would retrieve the shot rabbit and drop it at my feet, no matter who shot it and then take off and find another one to chase, these were snowshoes I'm talking about, although he would try to retrieve a jackrabbit by backing up while dragging it, priceless memories, he lived to a ripe old age of 16.
i have a walker/beagle mix who kills my chickens every chance he gets. loves to kill birds.
but when it comes to water... he acts as if he's melting as soon as he gets wet...
We may have turned a page. Look what my beagle delivered right to my back door this evening...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6144aacd_z.jpg
The dog must have been reading this thread and said "I will show you guys" LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by ninepointer
LOL thank you all for the replied and the cool stories !
the main concern and reason for Beagle is that Im gonna need my GF and family help with him ... and they like small dogs, and family already has a small Shihtzu ..
so searching smaller size hunting dogs, I thought beagle would be a good fit.
I hunt small game [which I see beagles are good for, with pic proof lol ] and waterfowl, and getting into deer and large game next season. I have other means of retrieving birds in water, so he would just be an add on I would imagine and in some cases helpful. getting it to keep quite for me to bring ducks in is another story, but ppl tell me with right training it can be achieved .. the jack Russel did it :)
other concern is water .. in spring and summer im usually on boat on water .. maybe if introduced early to water it would be more willing to have fun with it ?
any other small/medium sized breeds I should look at ? miniature golden retrievers ?
There is a breed of Lab's called Red Lab's. Smaller than the usual, shorter haired that may be worth looking at ? Otherwise..... use the right tool for the right job.
Sounds like you want a small, vertatile dog... Small Munsterlander? Brittany?
Tollers (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever) are nice, but not as versatile.
I can tell you its hard to have one beagle for both rabbits and deer. Its one or other, then ensuring that you dog is "trash-proofed" against chasing the unwanted species. It not so bad if a deer dog also chases rabbits, but a rabbit dog that has a liking for deer can be a whole lot of aggravation and even heart-ache. Also, deer hunting with with dogs is a regional specialization under the law (specific central Ontario WMUs) and usually means an organized group, so unless you want to make that your deer hunting specialization, you may not be looking for a deer dog.
yes exactly, should have said Versatile hunting companion. and ure right, no deer hunting with dog.
so waterfowl and small game, will research ure advice, thank you.
I saw a beagle at Presquile last week, swimming in lake O !
I think a English cocker spaniel will fit the bill that you’re looking for.
Hahah there ya go. Now that's a good hound!Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilroy
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I'm thinking more towards the water spaniels. Boykins, American water spaniels sort of thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by fishhawk
Macy is the same way..does not want to even walk on wet ground. But when the rabbit is across the pond, she'll plow thru so fast the water parts like the red sea.Quote:
Originally Posted by warpipe
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilroy
He felt pressured, his job was on the line....lolQuote:
Originally Posted by SongDog
Normally when my dog catches a backyard rabbit, the most we find is a rabbit's foot or a head... and a newly rotund beagle suffering a rabbit hangover :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Deer Hunter
Haha. I had a big malamute/wolf mix that was really good at catching them and eat them in a few bites. Beside a few bad farts, it never bothered him. Mind you, whenever the farmer next door killed a cow, he would bring the head and legs over for him to eat.Quote:
Originally Posted by ninepointer
LOl Isn't that true. My Jack Russell kills the rabbit/squirrel and eats as much as he can. That's the whole story.Quote:
Originally Posted by Deer Hunter
You mentioned miniature golden retriever. That’s essentially a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever.
Fox red is simply a darker shade of a yellow lab, and their size has no correlation to colour. The only size difference between a fox red and a yellow, black or chocolate will be dependent on the sire and dam and even that does not always hold true.Quote:
Originally Posted by longpointer
If you find someone selling "miniature golden retrievers" ..... I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn too! :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ata83
I have been a life long spaniel guy. Hard for me to imagine a more versatile small dog choice for all kinds of hunting, upland birds, rabbit and waterfowl are all in their tool bag. They aren't late season dogs in icy water but great noses and usually natural retrievers. I have mostly had springers. I currently have a working cocker I love. However cockers of the right breeding are hard to find, springers are easier to find and lots from smaller parents don't grow much over 35lbs, not a lot bigger than a beagle and far more trainable.
Absolutely. Never had one, but always wanted one. Don't think I can take one to the nursing home though. :)