what dog would be better for pheasant hunting a vizsla or irish setter?

July 19th, 2009 | by admin |

I also live in north dakota and the temperature can get down to -30. Will the vizsla be okay with its short coat

  1. 5 Responses to “what dog would be better for pheasant hunting a vizsla or irish setter?”

  2. By Sighthounds !!!!! on Jul 20, 2009 | Reply

    I would go with Irish Setter, they have a better coat to keep warm, and my opinion only, but I think they might be better at hunting.

  3. By allie_love_him_09 on Jul 22, 2009 | Reply

    Irish Setter.

  4. By *Sombra* on Jul 24, 2009 | Reply

    An Irish from field lines will positively excel at pheasant-hunting if trained … the Setter is the quintessential bird dog. They don’t retrieve, though … they merely set (hence the name) to indicate the location of the bird.

    The coat isn’t a deciding factor for either breed as far as warmth goes. Although the Irish has a long coat, it is not a thick or double coat, and isn’t much help in keeping the dog warm. If the dog is from a field line (as opposed to show lines) it will have a shorter, scruffier coat anyway. Irish don’t really like extremes in temperature.

    Keep in mind that both breeds are velcro breeds … they are very people-oriented and HAVE to live indoors with their family … both are also high-energy, athletic breeds that require a ton of daily exercise.

    Best of all … they’re both red!

  5. By Rod on Jul 28, 2009 | Reply

    You own a dog 12 months out of the year for 10 to14 years. You pheasant hunt 4 to 10 days a year. 355 or more you have a dog to do other things with.
    The Vizsla is fine in the snow but no dog except dogs built for frigid conditions should hunt in sub 0 temps.

    We own two Vizsla and they are VERSATILE hunting dogs that point, track and retrieve. They can hunt fur or fowl. Better all around hunting dog. They are and have been the national hunting dog of Hungary for centuries.

    Rod
    Pictures of Vizsla on my blog

  6. By Birddogger on Jul 31, 2009 | Reply

    Neither dog would do well, at all.

    An Irish setter would have a touch of an advantage because it’s a larger dog (larger animals do better in the cold) and their coat is a tiny bit warmer but not by much. The flip side to that is when they are running in very cold temperatures, they end up with snow stuck to their fur and they hate it. None of the setters are truly bred for cold weather, the long coat is more for protection when hunting thick cover.

    Most vizslas will just flat out refuse to hunt in extreme cold. Their coat is meant for heat and they don’t tend to be very mentally tough. Even if they would hunt in it, they would be hypothermic in a hurry.

    With either breed really, even running flat out the whole time they just lose heat way too fast.

    The ultimate breed would be the chesapeake bay retriever. They are unbelievably tough with a coat bred for cold. They do well hunting pheasants and a lot of people prefer flushing dogs for them because then the pheasant can’t run from a dog standing on point, they have to fly.

    If you really want a pointing dog the german wirehaired pointer, wirehaired pointing griffon, or a longhaired weimaraner. Long haired weims tend to be my favorite but they can be tough to find.

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