Congratulations Stony Fork Fargo - 2009/10 Flanagan Top Setter Derby Award Winner

Congratulations to John Shields and Stony Fork Fargo for winning the 2009-10 Flanagan award for the top cover dog setter derby in country. Fargo is owned, trained, and handled by John shields and was bred by Gardner Stoker. Both are hard working amateurs. John is pictured above in Marienville, PA with Fargo and their biggest win of the year at the one hour National Derby Classic along with judges Mike Groy (standing left) and Roland Swank. Fargo is out of Gardner's female Elektra and was sired by CH Keystone's Red Rage.

2011 Keystone Litters

We have several litters planned for the coming year. For more information on any litter please see below descriptions or e.mail us at keystonesetter@zoominternet.net or call 443-206-1091.

(Pictures of CH Keystone's Red Rage - top, and Beauty Keene Valley - bottom)
CH Keystone's Red Rage ex Beauty Keene Valley
Beauty has been bred to Red Rage and pups should be due sometime around St. Patrick's Day. Red Rage is an intelligent, tuff as nails grouse dog that has produced the same including last year's Flanagan Derby winner Stoney Fork Fargo and again this year a leading Flanagan point derby female in Straight Forward. Beauty is a beautiful masked white, black, and ticked 48 lb young female with a great gate and running style to go with poker straight pointing style. She is a full sister to Peacedale Blackjack and is out of CH Peacedale Duke. Her dam is out of Long Gone George ex Grouse Ridge Digger who is out of Grouse Ridge Reroy and a Grouse Ridge Storm Female. We expect some nice looking pups out of this. A few picks may be available. Call Craig Peters for details @ 443-206-1091.

(Picture of RUCH Montero's Rock by Chris Mathan of the Sportsmen's Cabinet)
RU CH Montero's Rock ex Keystone's Best Bette.
Rock was RU in the National Amateur Grouse CH at only 3 1/2 and is a very intelligent and stylish powerhouse of a dog at 50 lbs +. These will be his first litters. He is sired by CH High Defintion (sire of AA CH Jetsetter) and out of CH Keystone's Red Ryder. Bette is a fast, fancy, high flying tri-color female out of CH Keystone's Red Rage ex Keystone's Pale Ryder (she by CH Tug Hill Raven). This litter was bred 31 January and 2 February for end of March pups ready to go by mid May time frame. Only a few picks taken to date. Call Bill Henke for puppy information @ 814-715-4934.

RUCH Montero's Rock ex a female sired by CH Cracklin' Tail Speed ex a CH First Rate/CH Long Gone Punkin' female.
This female will be bred 25, 27, and 30 January, putting pups on the ground before end of March and ready to go in May. Call Bill Henke for information on the owner of the dam and puppies, 814-715-4934.

Nice start to Spring

A great weekend in the northeast for the first trials of the year. We spent Saturday judging at the Lehigh club's horseback trial. Felt like a wet noodle after a day in the saddle but had fun with great weather. Also great to see all the wins in the RI trials this weekend. It's always great to see people enjoying their dogs and winning in all different venues and areas. Richie Frisella keeps on winning with CH Peacedale Duke and his son Peacedale BlackJack gaing 1st and 3rd in the open shooting dog. Sweeping the open shooting dog at their trial, Dennis Vescuso got 2nd with his male Chestnuthill Jake out of CH Keystone's Red Rage and he also placed his Duke female Chestnuthill Suzie (younger sister to BlackJack) 1st in the derby. And over at the southern RI club the Foreman's went up against the pointers and got 3rd with Mike Reeves' and Steve Chiapinni's younger brother to Duke and Mickey, call name Chip's Charlie Brown. Good Stuff!

Puppies, Bird Hunting and Pictures

It's dark on the way to work, it's dark on the way home. Blah! Looking at bird hunting pictures and the nice emails from folks with pups from us or pups out of Keystone Setters is one good way to get rid of the winter blahs.
This is a picture of Scout pointing woodcock and with his owner Curt Cote and his son after a good October hunt in New England. At 7 months Curt shot 54 grouse and woodcock over Scout's points this fall! Scout is from Bill Henke's shop out of his Keystone's Best Bette (CH Keystone's Red Rage ex Keystone's Pale Ryder) and sired by CH Long Gone Boston.



This is a picture of a 5 month old male, Merlin, sired by CH Keystone's Red Rage and John Theriout's female that was reported by his owner to be hunting AND pointing ND pheasants. He is the small tri-color pup in this shot hanging out with all the big dogs and their pheasants.


This picture was already posted on the internet but I just love it! These are pups sired by CH Peacedale Duke and out of Babe Keene Valley and are just 8 weeks in this picture. The boys (3 of them) belong to Bill Curtis of Mass. These pups are younger siblings to 2 1/2 yr old Beauty Keene Valley who we just aquired from Bill and Richie Frisella to breed to CH Keystone's Red Rage later this winter-spring. Beauty or B as we call her, is also pictured here pointing birds.



Stoney Fork Fargo (CH Keystone's Red Rage ex Electra) won the Flannagan Top Cover Dog Setter Derby award last year and was sold to new owners. Here's a quality shot of him on point during his new owners first trial in New England where he got a first in the Amateur Gun Dog Stake.


Making it coast to coast for the holidays here is a nice shot of Mike Spies' dog Ted out of CH Keystone's Red Ryder and sired by CH High Definition. Ted is pointing California Valley Quail in southern California on the Kern River this December.


Happy Holidays to everyone. Have a great winter!

An October to Remember!!!

What an October! I'll never forget it. Great friends, some very bizarre events, but lots of great, great times. WI and MN were absolutley fabulous. We arrived on 1 October and when the sun came up the next day it was beautiful. For the next 3 weeks the weather was nothing short of perfect with only an afternoon or two seeing some high cloud cover. It was unreal and the birds were terrific with the dogs performing near flawlessly on trips with Sig, Mike, Howard, Scott, and Al (great friends make great hunts!). Mickey was the bird finding star for me. He was sucking down grouse like a vaccum every time down. His performance at the WI CH was one of the top 10 I have ever witnessed. He handled on a string, ran to the front with some terrific powerful moves, and had 3 immaculate grouse finds. The first early on, slamming on point just in front of us with a grouse in a tree (you could tell he did not bump it by his proximity and suddeness of which his bell silenced plus the fact the other dog and handler had just been through the area likely causing the bird to jump in a tree. We witnessed this repeatedly on our trip.). His last find came near 100 yards to the dead front with only seconds left in the hour. How he did not win that trial will remain one of the bizarrest things I have witnessed at a field trial for a long time and really tests your resolve for these silly trials. But he came back strong at the PA grouse CH and this time I flat blew a placement for him. Again he ran a huge, strong hour. To the front and with us in 71+ degree mid day heat. He had two gutsy grouse finds at 40 and 48. It was a dry, leaf crackling hour and hearing was difficult at best. With 2 minutes to go he swung by and was sent to the front. At time he was gone, vanished. With the noise we did not know where he went and could not locate him. His chance for a placement was lost. Gut wrenching. A real waste of a fantastic effort yet again. But he has proven to me beyond a doubt that he is one hell of a grouse dog and one gutsy athlete with bird drive beyond comparison. At least others are more successful than his amateur handler. Our friend Chuck Wingard won the MN Derby Classic with his son of Mickey and a real nice grouse find in his effort. A daugher of Mickey (handled by Helen Brenneman!) had a nice effort to win the Blakely Derby Classic in PA. We got to witness both! And best of all Mickey's younger brother Chip's Charlie Brown won the MI Woodcock Championship with 3 grouse and 3 woodcock finds. Quite a feat for a 2 1/2 yr old dog over 70 others. Congrats to owners Mike Reeves and Steve Chiappini and handler Marc Foreman! That makes 3 out of 4 males from Lacey's Torque litter to be champions and I am betting Sig and I can make it 4 with Sig's sister to these boys willing to make it 5! And all without an elaborate, relentless promotional campaign, winning with pure talent. Sig and I have put this family to the test in the woods and we have both been conviced after this fall that these dogs are absolutely peerless when it comes to pure bird finding abilities in the woods and their pure athleticism. They are an absolute pleasure and thrill to own.
Attached are pictures of Sig and Mickey after a great mornings hunt and Lacey and Will after a memorable evening 'happy hour' hunt. Also is Chuck Wingard winning the MN Derby Classic with his son of Mickey. What an October with great friends. For now, I'm going back to sleep. Wake me up next year when September ends!

Debutante Ball

Debutante Ball
A coming-out party in the Wisconsin uplands
By: Tom Davis

If you read "The Shooting Sportsman" magazine check out this feature article by outdoor writer Tom Davis in the September 2010 issue, http://www.shootingsportsman.com/magazine/2010/debutante-ball. You may also know Tom from his other writings in such periodicals as "The Pointing Dog Journal" and his books such as "A Tattered Autumn Sky". We were hoping to meet up with Tom & Tina this fall in our travels but east was west when west was east and it looks like we won't be able to coordinate our paths to cross this fall for a hunt. Tom's article "Debutante Ball" is about a hunt with artist Peter Corbin and Tom's then 18 month old, derby aged setter Tina in where else but Wisconsin. Tina is out of Red Ryder's (Lacey) second litter to Chip's Torquato. Tom & Tina have been all over the midwest and west bird hunting and creating new articles, and are planning to be in the North East this fall. The pencil drawings in the below post are among a few that were done by Peter Corbin after his hunts with Tom & Tina. I have always been fond of pencil drawings since early college days. But the amazing thing about these quick sketches is they are exactly that, quick. Almost done as an afterthought in a short sit down.

Fall will be here in 4 days!

OCTOBER!

As they say, wake me up when September ends. And it's almost here! Have Fun!

Tri-Colors!

Tri-colors are always great! Pups out of John Theroult's Tricky Dick bred female and sired by CH Keystone's Red Rage (see pedigree link under stud dogs). Raised by kids is always a good combo! These pups are all sold and off to good hunting-trial/field test homes.

Spring 2010 Season - too busy

Well spring for trying to get out with dogs went down hill and ended up rough this year at our place. Unbelievably we were only able to get out in the woods twice this spring, unreal! Very little time to get to training and get dogs worked and I think here we only entered 4 trials total. Unfortunately there was just no time to get to the things that should be more important. Some things are just out of your control. But the good thing is there are plenty of Lacey’s pups out there and pups out of Duke, Mickey and others that at least make it fun to follow what everyone is doing. Actually it is getting to the point where it is too hard to follow everyone and what they are doing but here are some of the placements from this spring. Sorry if we missed some. Quite a few were wins of particular note due to level of competition, prestige of the trial/club, or what have you. The nicest part is it shows the dogs winning in all sectors of walking and cover dog venues from Massachusetts to Minnesota, on wild birds as well as liberated quail, and a majority of the wins are coming with amateur owners/handlers doing much of the work (no slight on a pro, just shows trainability of the dogs). Congrats to everyone!

MA - 1st Peacedale Duke (Chip’s Torquato ex Keystone’s Red Ryder), New England Setter Club 1 hour Shooting Dog stake, 1st Peacedale Duke Amateur SD Stake on Cape Cod Mass.
RI – 3rd Chip’s Charlie Brown (Chip’s Torquato ex Keystone’s Red Ryder repeat litter), North East Woodcock CH – Joel Collier derby stake on planted quail
RI – 1st – Peacedale Duke, 2nd – Chestnut Hill Jake (Keystone’s Red Rage ex Iron Maiden), 3rd – Peacedale Blackjack (Peacedale Duke ex Babe Keene Valley), Peacedale Club Independent Field Trial OSD
RI – Multiple placements in Derby and Puppy stake for Duke’s puppies such as Chestnut Hill Suzie, Peacedale Club Spring Trials
PA – 3rd – Chip’s Charlie Brown, Black Ash Amateur Derby
PA – 1st – Straight Forward (Keystone’s Red Rage ex Full Tilt), Venango Puppy Classic
PA – 1st – Stony Fork Fargo (Keystone’s Red Rage ex Elektra), 1 hour National Derby Classic with nice ground effort and a finished grouse find. Chip’s Charlie Brown honorable mention from the judges for his ground effort.
PA – 2nd Straight Forward, West Branch Open Puppy
PA – 1st – Keystone’s Red Rapture (Long Gone George ex Keystone’s Red Ryder), 3rd – Keystone’s Black Berry (Long Gone George ex Keystone’s Red Ryder), Lancaster Co. Bird Dog Club Amt Puppy
PA – 1st – Straight Forward, PA Amt club Amt Puppy
PA – 2nd – The Mercenary (Keystone’s Red Rage ex Elektra), PA Amt club Amt Derby
MN – 1st Northern Lights Meissa (Chip’s Torquato ex Keystone’s Red Ryder repeat litter) – MN club Open Derby with a broke woodcock find
MN – 1st Keystone’s Red Recession (Chip’s Torquato ex Keystone’s Red Ryder repeat litter) – MGDA club Open Derby with a nice ground effort and grouse contact