For centuries, Labrador retrievers have been the go-to partners for duck hunters. But in the past couple of decades, a new breed has gained popularity among hunters in Arkansas and throughout the country: the versatile Boykin spaniel.
The shift is notable because Boykins are smaller than Labs and other traditional gundogs. Arkansas duck hunter Walter Mahone was a bit ahead of the curve.
“When I was in high school and college, from 2008 to 2014, I was hunting a lot with a Boykin,” said Mahone, a longtime Boykin owner in Alexander. “I received a lot of trash talk when I’d show up at the boat ramp at 3 a.m., with a bunch of big Labs and Chesapeake Bay retrievers running around, and I walked up with my 35-pound female Boykin.
“Now it’s shifted quite a bit. If I’m at a boat ramp at the White River, people want to know about Boykins. I’ve been invited to go hunting just so people can hunt with a Boykin,” he said.
In contrast to those active Chessies and Labrador retrievers, a healthy Boykin ranges in size from 14- to 18-inches tall and between 25 and 40 pounds. They have less stamina than larger hunting companions, but their enthusiasm more than makes up for it.
Their temperament was a major factor in the Mahone’s family decision to keep Boykins, starting in the early 1980s. He and his father, Kelly, had always hunted with German shorthaired pointers, but his mother wanted an indoor pet.
While energetic, Boykins have fit his family, he said.
“They’re an amazing breed,” he said, “but they are a lot to handle.”
The breed is known for a pleasant temperament and versatility in hunting. Mahone has taken Jim, his fifth Boykin dog, hunting across the country, and he said the breed’s all-around hunting prowess never ceases to amaze him. They’re comfortable retrieving birds in water in winter and flushing fields in the summer.
Boykins’ popularity has been on the rise in recent years. Former Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel bought his first Boykin, named Bella, in 2015 after seeing a colleague’s dog in action, and he’s been pleased with her performance.
“We start the year with dove hunting in Arkansas or Mississippi, then I take her to South Dakota. This year, we have five hunts scheduled in South Dakota and Iowa for pheasants,” he said.
Before Bella, McDaniel always hunted with Labs, and while Boykins don’t have the same speed or range, he said Bella has been a great fit on his hunting trips.
“She gets along with the other dogs in our hunting club. My fellow hunters all have Labs. They certainly raised an eyebrow when Bella started coming around eight years ago; she had to prove herself,” he said. “She’s very good about going laterally in front of hunters, staying close to me and working with local dogs.”
The breed’s eagerness to please makes them easy to train, so long as the trainer is patient, said Bo Brewer, owner of the Brookland-based Ridgemark Retrievers training service.
“You really need to work at their pace,” Brewer said. “If they don’t get something right away, you don’t need to force it; you need to settle in with them and let time be your friend.”
Brewer works with a variety of breeds, and he said the number of Boykins he’s trained has increased significantly in recent decades. Other unique breeds he’s trained for hunting are Weimaraners, German shorthaired pointers and poodle mixes, like labradoodles and goldendoodles.
“It seems like people are starting to mix dogs again a little more than they did 10 or 15 years ago,” he said. “I think what’s happened is the pet side of things has become important to people.”
Boykins are just as motivated to hunt as any larger dog, though, he said.
“They seem to really love birds. They love the idea of going out and hunting something up, running around until they find something,” said Brewer. “They’ve got a good prey drive and a good work ethic.”
Grady Baker, who operates the Lost Branch Boykin Spaniel Kennel in Greenbrier, previously raised beagles; he got his first Boykin 42 years ago and has been breeding them ever since. He attributes some of their growing popularity to the breeds’ introduction into the American Kennel Club in 2009.
Baker said a well-trained Boykin with a solid pedigree is capable of great things, and positive reinforcement — rather than harsh training or punishment — is the key to directing the breed’s abundant energy.
“The more time you spend with a dog, the more they’re going to do,” he said. “Their nose, I think, is the biggest part of it. It’s just amazing what they can do.”
