The Buzz at Ames

Every February it seems the bird dog world lights up with interest from pointer and setter folks as it nears time for the National Championship (All Age) at the Ames Plantation. Since the inception of the internet and message boards the fervor from setter enthustiast over the prospect of a setter winning this event goes out of control. It has been almost 40 years since a setter won this championship and I guess the tension is too much for some. In recent times there are only a few setters that annually qualify (a tough feat in itself) and have run. This year there were two. And one, Jetsetter, perhaps came closer than anyone has since 1970 to winning the title. Jetsetter is co-owned by his breeder Jim and Sheri Michaletz with Dr. Berry Win. Jet finished his three hours with a great ground effort and 3 good finds but fell short of the eventual winner pointer Lester’s Snowatch who had 4 finds. Jetsetter was sired by High Definition who is also the sire of our Montera’s Rock. So we felt a little connection to his efforts and would have been happeir than most to see him succeed. But with all this hoopla and our own little connection to the dog we also received the timely photo attached here from Tom Davis. Tom’s year old setter pup out of Chips’ Torquato and Keystone’s Red Ryder has been a terrific wild bird dog for him already and he reports she is a pretty, fluid moving animal as well. Tom travels a great deal and this past February he was in TX bird hunting and doing some research. While there Tom snapped this picture of W.C. Kirk on the tailgate with Tina. W.C. Kirk is of course the last man to walk the steps of the Ames Plantation at the conclusion of the National Championship with a setter, that being Johnny Crockett.

RU-CH Montera's Rock moves to the Box P Ranch

Bill Henke made the tough decision and sold RU-CH Montera's Rock to Bill Prestage of the Bar P Ranch in Texas. Rock will still be following the ciruit in the Keystone state each spring, on the prairies each summer, and off to the northwoods each fall on the wings of trainer Joe McCarl's truck. And Bill Henke may even be running him in amateur stakes from time to time. Not much change for Rock. And he will be assured of spending his winters each year hunting the wild quail of the Bar P Ranch in Texas with Mr. Prestage and Mr. McCarl. Good luck to them in gaining more championship placements and chasing many of the best wild birds North America has to offer each year - ruffed grouse, woodcock, sharptail grouse, and wild Texas quail! Lucky dogs!

A season of 'Sporting Classics'

The fall hunting and trial season is over and it was a fun one, we could almost say a classic. Whenver we were able to get out the birds always seemed to be there and by most accounts from others it was a good overall year for birds. Hopefully the winter does not bring a lot of foul weather, we all can still get out to find more birds, and they go into the spring healthy.

The trial season ended well. We ran in the Region 2 walking CH in Petersburg, DE on what are some terrific grounds to work a walking dog. It was a very nice trial and Peacedale Duke showed his stuff for Richie Frisella with 8 great finds and a stop-to-flush in his hour to take home the championship in a very nice stake. The ideal cover of this venue is well suited for a sensible bird dog and made for a lot of fun watching Duke perform. The attached picture is from one of his finds during the trial.





The following weekend we attended the Delaware horseback event on the same grounds. On Saturday it was for the Open Horseback stake with Keystone's Red Rage and we ended up doing a little more training than trialing as it sometimes goes. But Ernie Saniga ran him in the Sunday Amateur Horseback stake and took 3rd. An interesting placement in a horseback stake for 'Mickey' with an amateur handling him for the first time.

The season ended with a phone call from a stranger asking about the dogs and referrencing an article in the Nov/Dec 2008 issue of 'Sporting Classics'. After digging up the issue we found writer Tom Davis was waxing a bit about his new female pup out of Chip's Torquato and Keystone's Red Ryder. Tom has been sending us some fantastic reports of the bird finding abilities of his pup 'Tina' throughout the fall! Attached is picture of her from the magazine article. Tina has successfully pointed and has had shot over her points sharptails, wild pheasants and even was nailing covies of wild huns for the gun in North and South Dakota at 9 months of age and less. Sounds like a true winner! Sig Degitz also has been reporting great grouse handling prowess with his littermate female 'Marley' in WI as she has been pointing and handling grouse all through the fall. With the female we still have from the litter it sounds like the females were the hit from this repeated cross.