Labor Day Weekend Trial, a kickoff to the fall!

Labor Day weekend marked the first trial of the season for us as I have just been training and working. Erin, the dogs, and I went to Allegan to the Southwest Mich. Field Trial, and had a good time even though it was hot, around 83 when we left. Up next, North Dakota bound or bust come next Friday early morning. I will post a slideshow of the trip when we get back and I have time to sort through everything.

Fricke N Freddy posed with me got 1st in the Open Walking Shooting Dog, coming in 2nd was Kara (Pippilongstockings) with Scott Borgeson, and 3rd was Terhaar's Elvis with Dave Terhaar.

In the Open Walking Derby, Fricke N Coco, posed with me was 1st, followed in 2nd by Terhaar's Ivy with Dave Terhaar, and 3rd by Dolly with Bob Kluger, not pictured, who headed out early thanks to a five hour drive.

New York Trip - Empire CH/Lost Pond Field Trial

Last week I had the oppurtunity to go to New York to go to the Lost Pond Field Trial as well as the Empire Championship at Grouse Ridge Kennels. It was a very fun trip with lots of great scenery and dogs. My friend Dave was judging the Championship so I tagged along. We loaded up the horses and the dogs and were able to ride all week. I also added an older slideshow from last fall as a new feature came up to post on here.

Spring hasn't really sprung as the weather has stayed pretty cool, cloudy, and rainy. The quiet season starts up again this week, and we made the most of the wild birds this spring. For a puppy, Coco had really good month and a half or so. I tried to run her in the woods 3-4 days a week since the snow has been gone and she has pointed birds I think every time but once. I was hoping to do a little more trialing this spring, but about the first week of March, Freddy, my derby, had a tail injury and has basically sat in the kennel for a month and a half, but it looks to be pretty much heeled this week so we will hopefully catch some of the later spring trials. I have only went to the Michigan Amateur Club's trial, where I only ran Coco; she got 2nd in a field of 16 pups. I am hoping to ride some of the Michigan Shooting Dog Championship this week at Ionia, and am also hoping to go to the Empire Championship in New York in May. Other than that, we might catch a few other weekend trials, and just keep working the pups. Below is a picture of Coco on point at 13 months old.

Spring 2009

Finally, bare ground! After an extreme winter, spring looks like it's finally here. We have been finding woodcock as of about two weeks ago, with a decent amount of birds found last weekend. All of the dogs have been getting plenty of work, along with Slic, the tennessee walking horse which was added to the group in the fall. We also have a few puppies we are starting this spring which I am excited about. In the coming weeks we are just trying to get the dogs on as many birds as we can before the quiet season starts, and shuffle back and fourth between some of the trials at Gladwin along with some of the US Complete and Horseback trials.

Slic and I

Daisey, one year old female getting steady on birds

Puppies, what a bunch of work! Pictured above is Bruno and Diesel with Erin, and below is Finley and the Diesel. In case you can't tell these two are half brother and sister, both sired by Rocko. Finley is out of RU CH Magic Climb's Kaytoo, and the Diesel is out of a nice female named Grace, who is out of Long Gone Agnes and Long Gone George. Bruno is by The Insider and Grouse Ridge Paris (Grid Iron x Grouse Ridge Maxima) So far they all seem to be good at eating, peeing, and poopin.





Video
The Baby D as my wife calls him aka The Diesel scent pointing a pigeon (I threw a tethered bird in this clump after he already went through the area and ran out in the field) So what if it's only a pigeon, not to bad for the third bird he has ever encountered; gotta start somewhere with the babies!

Daisy workout video, a 1 year old female for sale

The last few days the weather has been less than nice. Last weekend finished up the fall trial season for me, at the Grand Valley Field Trial Club's fall trial at Ionia. On Saturday Casper got first in the open horseback derby, and on Sunday Freddy got 2nd in the walking derby, while his dad, Elvis, got 1st in the walking shooting dog. I got out during the week and got Freddy and Coco into what I think were some of the last woodcock coming through, and also a few grouse. That pretty much wrapped up my grind time on the dogs, as I switched over to deer hunting for the next few weeks. I do hope to get out this week a couple of times yet with the dogs for one last hurrah. Last Friday, November the 7th, I shot this nice seven point with my bow at about 5:45 pm. I heard a bunch of deer coming so I got ready, and about seven does went behind me, as I was about fifteen yards inside the woods in a tree, which was facing a field with a ditch on the edge of the woods. A few seconds later, three does came in front of me with this guy following them. As he was going to pass in front of me coming from about nine o'clock, I drew back and waited, and when he got to about ten o'clock, he stopped broadside, rite behind a group of trees. So there I stood, with him looking around and sniffing, and me waiting. Eventually about five minutes later, he took a couple more steps which didn't allow for a good shot. Then a few minutes later he walked out in front of me providing a nice quartering away shot, which I double lunged him, as he took off out of the woods and across the alfalfa field, were he managed to make it a couple hundred yards. It was a great hunt and nice bow harvest.