Ok...I get where your coming form Ric..
I, as you well know, am a shooter. My chosen dog, is a lurcher.
She is not used to flush to the gun, but when we are out she comes with us and us used to follow up wounded animals. Which she does very well.
Whilst not a trained retriever, she listens intently when the gun is fired, in the same manner...And wants to go to the site of the kill. Most of our shooting is done at night, and she will look through cover to find and retrieve lost rabbits for instance. Its not retrieve to hand all the time, but 70% of the time, she does.
My dog is