A reserved spot on a good waterfowl/dove lease: $1,500

A good 12ga semi-auto shotgun: $1,200

A case of Kent FastSteel 12ga 3" #3s: $150

A good hunting dog: PRICELESS!!!

I like that third pic. Thanks for sharing.

Yup!! cool pic.

Sure it is typical. Buying a dog with good pedigree just increases your odds of having a good hunting dog, and health clearance decreases your odds of having health issues. Having health issues with a dog can cost you a fortune, and can also cut a dogs career short. Buying a quality dog is a very good insurance policy.

Homeland security is buying some dogs, yes. That has nothing to do with the price of a puppy or partially trained hunting dog. They're not buying "the best" hunting dogs and increasing pricing. The trainers who train these dogs have pushed the limits for pricing over the years and have virtually come up with a standard price for a certain level of dog. There are so many litters of labs out there it's ridiculous, so there's no way I'm buying that reasoning. And I doubt very seriously that Duck Dynasty has changed or added to the number of duck hunters out there. It has little to nothing to do with hunting. I like Phil and I think he's got his stuff in line. Personally, I don't watch the show anymore. I watched a few episodes and lost interest, like most folks I've talked to about the show. I can't imaging someone watching that show and wanting to become a duck hunter....

I checked with my breeder with whom I have a reservation down for an upcoming puppy later this year.

Breeder's response when I inquired about feds buying up dogs to be trained as SAR:

"We sell SAR dogs and I've yet to have the government come pounding on my door. My experience has been that contractors buy the dogs, train them and then work for and/or with government agencies. Many SAR technicians are volunteers. The price of SAR dogs can be quite high, but it is a very limited and specific pool (or set of qualities) that they look for/at. I don't see how the price of the relatively few SAR dogs sold, compared to the market for hunting dogs, could possibly drive up the price of gun dogs."

Just interesting. But really I'm just looking forward to getting my dog and to some good hunting with friends. I'm also looking forward the the double fried pork chops and eggs at the Sportsman's in Eagle Lake.

Sportsman's

Afterwards we'll go to the liquor barn and then head back over to that prairie chicken farm and tell em we've returned for the youth hunt.

Obviously, value is relative. In a society where 30-50k trucks and SUVs are the norm (even though they are only kept for 5-7yrs), an investment of 3-5k in an obidiant, well mannered, member of the family is a very small price to pay. At least IMO....

The hardest part is finding the dog that fits you and your family the best. Personally, after considering my options, I decided to go the started dog route. Simply put, since I knew what I wanted, I was not prepared to make a signifcant investment in a puppy just to "hope it turns out". Also, most sellers of started dogs will let you "try" the dog for a few weeks or even a couple of months. This is obviously a huge help in finding the right "fit".

If you do go the puppy route, look much closer then just the pedigree. Attitude and demenor are often overlooked. I know too many guys who naturally gravitate towards high powered field trial bloodlines and are surprised when they end up with a fire breathing dragon they can't handel.

I hope you find what your looking for. Best of luck!!!

$1000 for a good pup with decent AKC/HRC pedigree.
$1000-1500 for a few months of post teething training for basic obedience and simple marks.

Market prices for sure.

Is Sportsman's still open? It's been closed the last couple of times I've been through, but it has been on Sundays. Love their Chicken Fried and the Sunday Pork Chop Special was/is always greaT.

I say find a good hunting retriever buy for $750 or less. All this pedigree talk is a little hyped up. Labs are bred to hunt! No need for $2,000 puppies. I bought my lab from a friend who had a good lab I enjoyed being around (calm at a young age but still driven and very smart) I paid $550 for him. sent time on the basics here, heal, sit, and most important STAY! that builds a solid foundation. He learned the rest from experience by hunting a lot. Last year as a two year old he was better than I could have expected. It's crazy to think as easy as it was that dog is probably worth 4k-5k now. He is priceless to me though.