Hello,

I'm new here and looking for some advice.  I will be training a new GSP pup this summer for the first time on my own.  My question is when I'm ready to introduce birds which is better, Quail or Pigeons?  I have been reading a lot and the more I read the more indecisive I get about it.  Seems like there are valid arguements for both out there.  Any opinions/ advice is greatly appreciated.

I too am fairly new to training a GSP to hunt.  So, here is what I experienced when I introduced my male pup to birds at 4 months.  I went to a fun hunt day at the GSP bird lease that belongs to the GSP club in San Antonio.  They have homing pidgeons and they also had bought quail to plant for the dogs when they ran in practice braces.  Ringo had never been introduced to birds, so that morning I worked with one of the experienced club members and we used pidgeons to introduce Ringo to birds and get him excited.  They told me they use pidgeons because they are cheaper (homing pidgeons can be used over and over) and they fly much better than the store bought quail.  So, Ringo was introduced to birds with pidgeons and he figured it out quickly and got really excited.  So then we added in the gun using a starter pistol. 

Later in the morning I ran him in a brace with the quail marked where they were planted.  The dog he was paired with was experienced.  After the older dog found the first couple of quail and he figured out what was going on (I took him over to where the other dog had found the quail and let him get a nose full), he found the last planted quail on his own.  That afternoon the quail had been scattered all over the place as there had been many braces run that morning, we took Ringo out in another brace with a dog of about his same level.  He never hesitated, he got out in front of the other dog and proceeded to find all of the birds and point them.  I pulled him off the course about 2/3 of the way through so the other dog could find some birds and also Ringo was a very tired boy.

My opinion after this experience is it doesn't really matter.  The dogs are smart enough to figure it out. Ringo even points my pet cockatiel in her cage in the house from time to time.

I would love to see your homemade pidgeon trap and also any plans if you have them.  Do you think the pidgeon trap would also work on white wing doves.  We have a ton of doves in our area as well as pidgeons.  The doves fly pretty good too and I could set the trap in the yard for the doves. I would have to trap pidgeons elsewhere.

ill post up the way i made it along with some pictures.  Cost me $15 to make total.

Yea it will work on doves, i catch those also.

Thanks Ruger!

I'd also like to see the plans for that pigeon trap.  Thanks for the help.