Montana hunting dogs

[Tod osier]

Lab if looking at a lot of cold water hunting, otherwise I'd look at one of the versatile dogs. Montana has some great upland hunting available, a bigger running dog than a lab would be great.

 

[Axlrod]

Yellow lab and a roomba for your house!

 

[Danny Hoey]

I would get a lab if you haven't trained a bird dog. They are pretty forgiving and super willing to please.

Get a setter if you want a challenge.........

 

[Sierra Hunter]

If you’re truly interested in upland I’d look at EPs, GSPs, Setters… and maybe a Brittany. You can find great upland dogs there with the right lines and they’re more consistent than some of the other breeds mentioned. IMO

 

[grossklw]

If you're going to be doing a bunch of late season hunting I would vote a golden or a lab. I'm biased with goldens, but know you get what you pay for. With both labs and goldens they've almost split into 2 breeds, the ones that hunt and are dopey around the house, and ones that are just dopey around the house. My golden does just fine in a duck blind when it's freezing out, chases roosters in the grass in October; but where he really thrives is the thick cattails and snow that late December and January bring.

Not to mention he has an off-switch and has the classic golden personality at home with the kids. I don't think you can go wrong with a field bred golden, lab, GWP, GSP, drath...Any of the classic bird dogs will fit your style, I tend to prefer the longer hair for cold weather hunting but to each their own.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

If you're going to be doing a bunch of late season hunting I would vote a golden or a lab. I'm biased with goldens, but know you get what you pay for. With both labs and goldens they've almost split into 2 breeds, the ones that hunt and are dopey around the house, and ones that are just dopey around the house. My golden does just fine in a duck blind when it's freezing out, chases roosters in the grass in October; but where he really thrives is the thick cattails and snow that late December and January bring.

Not to mention he has an off-switch and has the classic golden personality at home with the kids. I don't think you can go wrong with a field bred golden, lab, GWP, GSP, drath...Any of the classic bird dogs will fit your style, I tend to prefer the longer hair for cold weather hunting but to each their own.

If shedding isn’t a concern, I agree 100%. My golden was the best bird dog (pheasants/quail) I’ve ever hunted behind. He also had zero field blood lines. He was eager to learn and easy to train. He also had incredible drive. It was nothing for him to hunt 3 full days and get up the 4th ready to go. He especially excelled at tracking and locating down birds and running down cripples. He had several 1/4 mile sprints in open cut corn and beans with wily winged roosters that are some of my fondest memories. When my buddies’ dogs gave up, he would run those birds down and body slam them, walking them back to hand still alive.

In the house he was/is classic golden. Just a big baby and 80 pound lap dog. He’s been retired for a few years now due to arthritis, and turned 12 in December. It will be a very sad day when he can’t get up in the morning to greet me. Fortunately he was able to participate in my daughter’s sr. Pics this fall.

Edit: during hunting season I always trimmed his coat and tail close. He looked more like a red lab than a golden. This dramatically reduced bur collection and tangles.

 

[Tod osier]

My vote for a Montana Bird dog is a Chesapeake, they are exceptionally durable and smart. There is a great breeder down in Twin Bridges otherwise sometimes tough to find.

Is that Dustin retrievers? I'm a newly converted Chessie owner and soon to me westerner and want to get dialed into the local breeders. In our little area of 2-3000 population in Wyoming I was surprised to find at least 3 Chessies (soon to be 4).

 

[displacedtexan]

What do you want from the dog? How do you want to hunt? What do you want to hunt? Do you like long or short hair/tails? Solid color or multi color?

All I really hunt (with my dogs) is upland, I like big running pointing dogs. I like long tails and multiple colors. I care a lot more about how they run than retrieving. So I own Pointers.

Any of the hunting breeds can and do make great pets.

 

[goathunter]

Always been a lab guy, I'm looking at a GSP right now. They seem awesome upland hunters and family dogs, but not sure if it would be the right fit for us. I haven't upland hunted in years and don't see myself anytime soon as I'm addicted to archery hunting. We're very active but some of those things aren't things I think of as GSP friendly - watersports, skiing, etc.

 

[Howdy Partner]

My vote for a Montana Bird dog is a Chesapeake, they are exceptionally durable and smart. There is a great breeder down in Twin Bridges otherwise sometimes tough to find.

Well I agree 100%
I'm on #5.



BUT.........If OP has never trained a bird dog I would go with a Golden Retriever for the first dog.
Good bird dog and easily trained.

 

[Customweld]

Weimaraner is a great dog , this is my fourth . Great family dogs and love to hunt .

Weims are terrific pups! Slovakian Wirehairs, they are a blend of weim and GWP.

 

[hobbes]

If I were only hunting the prairies for sharps and huns here in Montana, I would probably go with a bigger running dog, at least bigger running than my griffons. However, I don't hunt them much and primarily hunt heavier cover for rooster pheasants and much of that ends up being in cold snowy weather after the end of big game season. The EP that I had years ago would not have endured December in Montana. He was great on Midwest bobwhites but did not like the cold. The setter would have done better but he was a little guy and may have struggled as well.

 

[bdg848]

I have a GSP and their hair is like glitter. It gets EVERYWHERE and is impossible to clean up. The stiff little hairs will poke through the fibers of all the fabric in your house and won't brush out. I love my GSP as a hunter but I won't get another one for that reason. I'll get either a picardy Spaniel or a Large Munsterlander. I hear they are versatile pointing dogs with great temperament for the home and at least their hair can me vacuumed or brushed up..

 

[Forestryguy]

Chessie for ultimate cold weather dog. English lab or Standard Schnauzer.

 

[Customweld]

Pudelpointer. Upland only or versatile. Super smart, strong prey drive, calms down in the house, amps outside, doesn't shed (wife's ask), great personality. We've been absolutely overjoyed with her. There are good breeders in MT and ID. Coat is important. She has a medium dense coat, which can collect early season burrs, etc, but sheds well later in the season. I manage. Pudelpointers also come in smooth coat (short, smooth like a lab that doesn't collect) and fleece or woolly which is to be avoided. They are a burr and water magnet. Her hunting partner is a german wirehair which is an absolute stud. His coat tends to collect less compared to her. It's another great breed to consider. They along with the other german breeds by reputation don't amp down in the house as much. Good luck!

Pudelpointers are a fantastic breed as well. There is a breeder in North Dakota that puts out some great dogs. They also have Slovakian Wirehair pups every once in a while.

 

[VA2MT]

Another vote for a Golden. Currently have 2 and they are everything you could ask for, both in the field and at home. Eager to please and easy to train. They can do upland and waterfowl equally. they have an exceptional nose and a great off switch. Make sure you do your research when looking for a Field Golden because there aren’t a lot of good breeders around. Wes at Trieven Sungold has excellent dogs. He also has pointing labs if they interest you.

 

[KurtR]

Chessie for ultimate cold weather dog. English lab or Standard Schnauzer.

English labs are from show lines so you mean British?

 

[NCTrees]

Draht. But I’d advise you to research if there are active owners in your area before going all in. Amazing breed, breeding standard generally prevents issues that come from backyard breeding and they absolutely will hunt -but- in my limited experience they need a definitive “alpha” to be a truly well rounded dog. Don’t buy the BS “sharp” rumors you’ll see on the ‘net. If you’re hunting water, and the further north and east you hunt in MT, chessie should be in the discussion. As with Draht, be an alpha or you’ll probably have issues. Tough to beat a Lab, buy one from an exclusively sporting line. Not the short legged fat guts that win at Westminster. Over time AKC money doesn’t seem to mesh well with working bird dogs. Lot of other good breeds around. Boykins and AWS are fun little dogs. Springers and a few of the setter breeds make really great blend of sporting and family dogs. I’d just make sure to buy from a breeding that is a few generations deep with actual hunting dogs. If the breeder doesn’t ask if you’ll be hunting their pup, I’d probably look elsewhere.

 

[Fireman03]

 

[bayoublaster7527]

Hard to beat a Wirehair for what you are wanting to do in those conditions.