Two hours into a duck hunt, I contemplated calling it quits. But Echo wasn’t ready to give in. Not yet. She sat in her blind, scanning the new world in front of her. She was content, yet curious. The rain didn’t bother her. Nor did the swirling winds. Two hours later, we were done. Echo pranced proudly by my side as we walked back to the truck, sniffing the strap full of mallards and wigeon slung over my shoulder.

For four hours, Echo’s senses were on high like I’d not seen. It was her first duck hunt. She was nine months old. I wasn’t sure what to expect. That day changed my life, and my hunting plans with my new gun dog began to grow.

Last winter wrapped up Echo’s 11th season of duck hunting; she went on over 40 duck and goose hunts. She’s going as strong as ever, just needs a day more of rest here and there. That’s where Kona comes in.

Echo is a pudelpointer I got from Cabin Creek Gun Dogs in 2014. Her father was Lon, the best known, most decorated pudelpointer of his time. I was fortunate to hunt over Lon on a number of occasions.

For two years, I researched versatile gun dogs that would fit my needs. I hunted over multiple breeds. The task wasn’t easy. Not until I met Lon.

I wanted a dog that would hunt everything upland, from chukar cliffs to pheasant laden valleys, from forest grouse to doves, even fall turkeys. I desired a dog that would thrive on tree squirrels, antler sheds, and of course, waterfowl on land and water. I wanted to avoid a head-strong breed. I wanted one with an off switch, one that would be good around kids. I chose a pudelpointer.

A Pudelpointer’s Innate Hunting Ability

I was so pleased with Echo’s versatility that when she was two years old, we brought another pudelpointer into the family, Kona. Lon was also the father of Kona. Kona’s hunting performance has not only equaled Lon’s, but has exceeded it. That’sonly because I make my living hunting and writing, and we’re in the field a lot. Lon’s owner didn’t hunt that much. Lon was a Ferrari running in first gear.

Kona and Echo hunt 175 days a year, sometimes more when grouse and quail numbers are up. No matter what the breed, there’s no substitute for actual hunting experience. All the training in the world can’t match it. These dogs need to hunt. That’swhere they learn. That’s where they flourish.

Echo and Kona came with all the skills, I just had to channel them. As with any breed, a quality bloodline is a must. I’ve hunted with pudelpointers I don’t care to hunt with again. Day after day, Echo and Kona operate at full-speed and quickly shift gears, just as I’d dreamed.

Training Pudelpointers

Echo was born in early February. Introducing her to water took time due to the cold conditions. She was very bumper driven from the start, so once water temperatures warmed in late spring, she didn’t hesitate jumping in. She’ll retrieve ducks and geese in water all season long, no matter how cold. She’s logged several days in freezing temperatures, breaking ice all day to get the job done.

Kona was born in July. His introduction to water was much simpler. Kona’s first waterfowl hunt was for geese. We hunted a field white with frost. Kona’s retrieves on dead geese were solid. It was his impressive 200-yard run to chase down a wing-tipped cackler and bring it back, still kicking, that most impressed me. That was, until he picked and delivered a big honker to hand. Kona was four months old.

Both dogs were introduced to duck and goose wings at eight weeks of age. Dried skins—wings intact—tied to bumpers soon followed. I wanted the dogs to get used to the flapping wings of big birds, knowing they’d be stepping on them, even struggling to see through them. Pheasant tails and wings are easy to push through. The wings of a 15-pound honker are different.

We train a lot in water during the late spring and summer months. Not only is water where we do most of our waterfowl hunting, but the swimming workouts offer great conditioning. For Echo’s aging body, it’s the best exercise there is, and herrecovery time is much quicker than when running hills.

Both dogs have always done well with maintaining composure at the shot. But when they’re in the blind with six to eight hunters, that’s a big ask. When I see their drive breaching desired behaviors, I put down my gun and focus on them. Sometimes, I won’t shoot until the other hunters are done. Some days, I won’t even pull the trigger. The dogs are my priority every time we hunt, not killing birds.

Patience and Drive

More than any versatile breed I’ve hunted with, the dedication of Echo and Kona to sit all day in a duck blind is most pleasing. Maybe it’s because that’s what they grew up doing. A buddy has an awesome Draht’ that comes close. I’d hunt with that dog anytime, anywhere.

“Your dogs are really cold,” commented a man I took hunting last season. I shined my headlamp on Echo and Kona, “It’s 50º, they’re not cold.” Fifteen minutes before shooting light, ducks started bombing the decoys. “Look at ‘em now,” I said, both dogs uncontrollably shaking in anticipation. That’s when he realized they were shivering with excitement, not because they were cold.

Everyone who’s waterfowl hunted with Echo and Kona has commented on how calmly they’ll sit. Not only will they sit all day, they won’t make a sound. That was easy to teach them, and it began the day they came home. Today, it’s enforced with eye contact and a beep of the e-collar, if needed. Rarely is it necessary.

But sometimes, they will whimper, usually when I’m getting picky, like trying to single out a mature drake wigeon from flock after flock. That’s not easy to do on dark, blustery days. It takes time. Echo and Kona don’t care what I shoot, they just want to retrieve. In recent years, there has been an increase in Eurasian wigeon in the valley we hunt. The more drakes I shoot, the better the chance of getting a prized copper top. The selective shooting sometimes makes the dogs antsy. Then again, I think they just love watching birds, thriving on the uncertainty of what may or may not happen.

My favorite part of duck hunting is watching dogs watch birds. Like some dogs I’ve hunted with, Echo and Kona can decipher ducks from other birds. Massive flocks of red-winged blackbirds don’t excite them. A raptor soaring over the blind won’tperk their ears. But when there’s a flock of ducks, mere dots in the distant sky, their demeanor instantly shifts. It’s like they’re on point. It’s immediate intensity, and they maintain that level all day long, often for six hours or more.

Flocks often circle the decoys multiple times before committing. That’s when I most love watching the dogs. The whites of their eyes slowly rotate as they track the flock. They control their head movement better than most hunters, their instincts telling them not to move for fear of spooking quarry. I often keep my head down in the blind, glancing at the dogs to learn where the birds are.

Pudelpointers: Versatile Hunting Dog

When the hunting is slow, Kona sometimes gets restless, especially on days when temperatures dip below freezing or when it’s cold, raining, and the wind is howling from the north. That’s when I send him on a run. He’ll cover a quarter mile in a matter of seconds. When he’s warmed up and content, Kona returns to his blind and turns his eyes to the sky.

Echo rarely seeks a break. No matter how slow the action, how cold it is, or how many times she has to break ice, she’s focused. One day last season, Kona worked extra hard. Two buddies and I hunted a slough. The river was nearing flood stage and there were submerged logs and tangled limbs Kona plowed through to retrieve a three man limit. He had some cuts and bruises, nothing serious, but took the next day off.

Echo hunted with my dad and I the following day. Temperatures were in the mid-20s as we set decoys. The morning was supposed to warm into the upper 30s. It didn’t. We hunted over seven hours. All but two of Echo’s 14 retrieves were through ice. It was so cold and the bird movement so slow, the pond kept refreezing between shots. Echo didn’t care. A few weeks shy of her 11th birthday, Echo hunted like she did in her early years.

Over the years, we’ve had a number of quick hunts, shooting limits of ducks or geese in a matter of minutes. Sometimes, those are the days we head home, clean birds, and load up for another hunt. Other times, we might turn to chasing gray squirrels in the coniferous forests of the Cascade Range, or pushing higher into the mountains for blue grouse and mountain quail, or we shift gears and target fall turkeys. Tracking turkeys is a favorite of both dogs.

Two seasons ago, the water level in a flooded field we hunted was perfect for holding snipe around the edges. I shot a limit of ducks that Echo and Kona shared retrieving responsibilities on. Then, we went on a snipe hunt.

I’m not sure these little brown bombers carry enough scent for my dogs to detect, or if it’s the fact we don’t go on many snipe hunts because the conditions have to be perfect to hold huntable numbers. Whatever the case, though the dogs don’tscent and point like they do upland birds, they thrive on the instant shift, the new challenge, one that allows them to be active.

Snipe flush from all directions, sometimes at our feet, sometimes 40 yards to either side. If I’m lucky to hit one, it’s not often the dogs get a mark because the action rapidly unfolds. That’s when I guide them to the kill with hand signals. The dogsengage with this level of communication we’ve developed over their lifetime.

One morning, we shot limits of ducks, geese, and snipe. That afternoon, we intercepted a flock of crows heading to roost in the mountains.

We put a dozen crow decoys in a field. When the crows neared, I sent Kona into the decoys and started blowing on the call. Kona’s black, moving body always infuriates crows. I called Kona back. The murder dive-bombed him, as usual. The shooting was fast. Both dogs loved it. So, did I.