Summer 2010

What a busy summer so far! Luke was born the end of April, my wife Erin graduated med school a week and a half later, then we headed to Wisconsin another week later for her sisters graduation from dental school, and a week after that we bought and moved into our first house. On top of that, numerous other weekends have been filled with weddings (I think we had 5 this summer, I was in 3 of them, plus bachelor parties equal a lot of weekends gone). I have still been getting the dogs out as much as I can, and plan on running as many of the fall trials as possible with first year shooting dog Coco, and maybe some puppy stakes, we will see as the pup I have was born late in the spring. I didn't go to any of the summer trials as I had wedding on every one of the weekends. We are skipping out on North Dakota this year and are planning on a week in the U.P. for the grouse opener as the bird reports have been good, and the weather is usually a little cooler up there than out west that early in the season. Hope everything is going well for everyone, and to catch up with people in the next month or so.

Here is a newborn picture that was a sneak peak for us from the photographer of Luke at 9 days old. Cute little guy!

Newest Addition - Born on 4/27/10

Luke Jameson Fricke

6 lb 12 oz 20 inches

Born on April 27, 2010

Baby Luke and I

Erin, baby, and me

Coco Pointing Woodcock Video from this spring

This was on one of the last workouts we had before the quiet season ended, you can see the woodcock walking around in front of her, I thought it was on a nest and was walking away so I didn't flush the bird, only shot and heeled the dog away.

Michigan Amateur Field Trial Weekend

This weekend I headed up to Gladwin to hang out with the guys and run some dogs and be part of the Michigan Amateur Field Trial. I was a little apprehensive with Erin being due with our first born in less than a couple of weeks and always claiming that tonight is going to be the night, which makes for a nervous mix without cell service on the Meredith grounds. Everything worked out ok and all was well though; the bun was still in the oven. I drove up Saturday morning and watched some of the puppy braces, and then helped add some course to it afterwards for the upcoming Puppy Classic. After that it was near dinner time at Alibi Hall. The next morning we got up and worked dogs and then had lunch and waited to run in the derby stake, along with watching the thermometer raise to a nice hot and very dry 70 degrees out when we cut them loose; a good 40 degrees warmer then when I got up. I was braced with Dave Terhaar and both dogs took off through the pole timber and laid to the front in and out of bell range for the majority of the course. At about 27 minutes Coco had went off to the right and as we were approaching the end of the course she was found standing beautifully on the edge of a water hole. As we went in for the flush all was in order and woodcock was produced and we had a broke find tallied. This was good for second place in the derby in the 20 dog stake, which was good considering the weather and the course we were on, only seeing the lone woodcock at the end. We will probably go up next weekend for the Ruffed Grouse Trial and then call it a spring as the baby should be on its way by then, maybe going to a couple of quail trials in May. Hope everyone is having a great spring.

Winter seemed to be going ok, and it almost felt like it was going to be a semi-smooth drive out to February until yesterday came, and we got dumped on with about a foot of snow. We are hoping to go down to southern Ohio or Kentucky for a few days to run dogs sometime this month. Other than that, just trying to stay warm through the lovely west Michigan winter. My wife and I are also expecting our first child on May 2 this spring, and we are really excited, with a busy year ahead of us, as she is also finishing medical school this spring and starting her residency in July. Below she is pictured with Fricke N Coco as a puppy.

North Dakota sunset makes me wish it was at least spring, if not hunting season, something to warm up a day however you look at it.

First Week of October

Ahh, favorite time of year. So far has been cool and rainy. We have been doing a lot of hunting with pretty good bird numbers, hanging some bow stands, and enjoying the fall field trials. It has been good so far, mainly just trialing our derby Coco this fall. She has placed in three trials in a row so far, getting 1st at Allegan at the SWMFT open derby, 3rd in the Michigan Amateur trial with a very nice woodcock find, and 2nd at the National Brittany Grouse Championship open derby with a beautiful grouse find. This week kicks off the Woodcock Championship so we hope to do a lot more hunting and be up in the Gladwin area at the trial. Hope everyone is having a great fall!