When it comes to flushing dog breeds, the English springer spaniel is a near-perfect blend of fun and functionality.
If the German shorthair is the “happy medium” of the pointing dog set, the breed that fills this role in the flushing dog division is the springer spaniel. Not as hyperkinetic as the cocker but with more fire, flash and dash than the Lab or the golden, the English springer spaniel is a near-perfect blend of fun and functionality.
It’s worth remembering, too, that the springer is America’s original pheasant specialist. In the 1920s and ’30s, wealthy Eastern sportsmen brought over English, Irish and Scottish gamekeepers to manage their estates for pheasant shooting, and those gamekeepers, in turn, brought their springers with them. The breed’s popularity spread—the Chicago area in particular became a hotbed of springer activity—and, for much of the 20th century, the springer was considered the pheasant dog nonpareil. If it’s no longer as pre-eminent in this respect as it used to be, it’s not because the springer’s any less proficient a pheasant-flusher than it ever was, only that there’s a lot more competition out there.
For much of the 20th century, the springer was considered the pheasant dog nonpareil.
The springer’s no slouch as a retriever, either. Light- to medium-duty water work is well within its capabilities (especially if outfitted with a neoprene vest), and if you think a goose is too much bird for a springer, think again. A professional trainer in Texas was telling me just the other day about the time he showed up for a snow goose hunt with a pair of springers. The guide tried to talk him into leaving them in the truck—but after they’d flawlessly retrieved something like 40 geese, he changed his tune to, “Where can I get one?”
Archibald Rutledge has long been recognized as one of the finest sporting scribes this country has ever produced. A prolific writer who specialized in stories on nature and hunting, over the course of a long and prolific career Rutledge produced more than fifty books of poetry and prose, held the position of South Carolina’s poet laureate for thirty-three years, and garnered numerous honorary degrees and prizes for his writings. In this revised and expanded edition of Bird Dog Days, Wingshooting Ways, noted outdoor writer Jim Casada draws together Rutledge’s stories on the southern heartland, deer hunting, turkey hunting and Carolina Christmas hunts and traditions. Shop Now
