Sport: DOG DAYS

THE bright leaves of New England autumn crackled crisply underfoot as hunters in Maine and Vermont took to the woods and meadows in search of rabbit and pheasant. In Wisconsin and Oregon the hunt was on for grouse and quail. In Virginia and Maryland, packs of foxhounds were ready for the classic chase. Along the great flyways of the nation, ducks headed south. From California to the Carolinas, observers reported ground-game population on the increase as hunters and dogs prepared for one of the best seasons ever for the U.S.’s third (after fishing and bowling) most popular participation sport.

Over the years, U.S. dog breeders have produced and trained a variety of breeds to cope with the widely varying conditions of U.S. hunting areas (see color pages). A popular favorite is the friendly little Beagle, often tagged the poor man’s hunting dog. Slower than larger hounds, the beagle will not range too far afield of the hunter or frighten game too far ahead of the gun. Oldest upland game dog in the U.S. is the silky-coated English Setter. Northern hunters use this breed for grouse and woodcock while Southerners hunting quail prefer the shorter-haired Pointer.

Cocker and Springer Spaniels make excellent dogs for pheasant. Rather than point game, most spaniels flush it, often leaping spectacularly into the air in an effort to catch birds on the wing. Waterfowl hunters occasionally use water spaniels, but generally take their choice of the three retrieving specialists: the Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever or Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

Of an estimated 5,000,000 hunting dogs that will be roaming the autumn landscape, only a small percentage are formally registered by their owners, many of whom balk at the expense and bother. But the vast majority are purebred nonetheless and, as many a fond owner will testify, prove just as efficient in the field as those whose ancestry is a matter of record.