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Region Championships Shooting Dog 2005 Report
Region Championships Shooting Dog 2005 Report | 2005 Report |
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REGION 14 SHOOTING DOG CHAMPIONSHIP REPORT FOR 2005 by: Bill Preston STOUGHTON The PFRA Tecumseh pasture consists of 36 sections of natural prairie grass pock-marked by alkaline swampy bottoms (aka buffalo wallows) adorned (sometimes heavy and sometimes sparse) by poplar, willow, and/or silver willow bluffs. It was the summer camp of John and Ted Gardner; and, since 1970, has been the home of the Border International Championship hosted each year by the Stoughton Branch of the Canadian Legion under the leadership of Peter Piper. This is the first year that it has hosted an amateur championship, thanks to the indefatigable efforts of Region President Lou Qualtiere, together with amateurs Pat Lewis and Kelly McLean. This championship followed immediately on the heels of the one-hour Ken McLean Shooting Dog Classic and the Sharp-tail Club's 30-minute stakes. Region 14 was fortunate to persuade the services of Judges Brian Sullivan of Dillon, South Carolina, and Leslie Andreas of Maple Creek, Saskatchewan. Both have a wealth of experience, training, competing and judging championship shooting dogs. Brian has judged all over the south, northeast, and mid-west, while Leslie likewise has judged throughout western Canada, the mid-west, and the south, mostly but not exclusively for Brittany stakes. At this championship they hoped for what they idealized; but, the dearth of bird-work and the fact that it was an early date which denied the entrants much summer training time to polish their hunt and manners, made the judges' job somewhat difficult. In the end, the two winners placed themselves by fitting the judges' model of a shooting dog that they would like to take home for future competitions. Their selection, in this writer's opinion, really couldn't be argued. Finally, this trial was a success because of the willing co-operation of pasture manager Murray Martin, pasture rider Justin Van De Woestyne, Peter Piper, and Len Wilcox, together with the attendance of competitors from all over North America. The Tuesday evening roast beef banquet at the Stoughton Canadian Legion included: from the southeast, Laura and Roy Epp, and Ruthann Littell; from the northeast, Brian Sullivan and Dr. Marion Brown, from the mid-west, Dr. Bill Wright, Tony Ramspott, Steven Feder, Don Arnold, and Don Mullens; from the southwest, Mike Stephens and Dr. Charlie Hjerpe; from the far west, Joe Brinster and Austin Turley, and from Canada, Dr. Lou Qualtiere, Jeanette Heise, Betty and Murray Martin, Leslie and Rick Andreas, Pat Lewis, Sandra and Len Wilcox, John Raymond and Linda Henderson, Maureen and Bill Preston, Ron and Linda Bender, Dawn Feist and Sheldon Rogers, Betty and Jim Herriman, Louise Roblin and Kelly McLean, Peter Piper, Patty and Rod Annand, Jim Wickenheiser, Justin Van De Woestyne, and Sean Kelly. WINNERS Good apples don't fall far from the tree. Each of the winners of this championship were sired by individuals who have won the National Amateur Chicken Championship on the Canadian prairies with hunting power to the maximum. Tip the Cap is by 1993 National Amateur Chicken Champion Redemption's Victory while Waygoing Maggie is a frozen semen daughter of 1985 champion Addition's Go Boy. Here, some in the gallery quibbled that the champion ran all-age, while judges Brian Sullivan and Leslie Andreas opined, "He could be seen hunting forward and had a good, well-earned, stylish find. When he was in the cover, he shortened up, while if it was open, he reached and hunted the next nearest cover." Cap's win was a first for both Laura and Region 14. This was Laura's first opportunity to handle an entrant in a championship, and this was her first championship win. While also, she was the first female handler to win a Region 14 championship, whether all-age or shooting dog, though Maureen Preston handled the runner-up in the 1983 Shooting Dog Championship. Maggie also did a fine job with a different but equally-difficult course. At beyond 200 yards, on the wrong side of a large alkaline bottom, she could have easily gotten lost and, at 30 minutes, she could have easily been lost while hunting into the wind beyond an impenetrable fence. At times, one feared that her quick pace and intense hunting might indeed get her lost in one of these traps. But, she kept showing forward. Regrettably, she had only one bird opportunity which, with perfect manners, resulted in an unassisted stop-to-flush and a smart, crisp relocation. In the foreground, left to right: Roy Epp, Champion Tip the Cap, with Ruthann Littell, and Runner-Up, Waygoing Maggie, with Dr. Charlie Hjerpe. Standing, from left to right: Bill Preston, Jeanette Heise, Laura Epp, Judge Brian Sullivan, Rick Andreas, President Lou Qualtiere, Judge Leslie Andreas, Austin Turley, John Raymond, Mike Stephens, Joe Brinster, Kelly McLean, Linda Raymond. THE RUNNING Just Colorado (Ruthann Littell) Touch Star B (Dr. Brown) 8:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 16th at the gate immediately north of the PFRA Tecumseh pasture corrals. What a beautiful setting for a field trial! The temperature is 60o and the breeze is out of the southeast, while this brace has been directed to search 2½ miles west, then 1½ miles northwest, before swinging further west to the power lines. It is a vista of lush natural prairie grass pastures peppered with bluffs. It is great habitat for hiding sharp-tail grouse and the occasional covey of grey partridge. Marshal Dr. Lou Qualtiere has decided to run, in the morning, four braces counter-clockwise on the west side of the gravel market road which bisects the pasture's 36 sections and then, in the afternoon, run three braces counter-clockwise on the east side of the road. Both Colorado and Star B started fancy and reached up to 300 yards. Star B was more focussed on completely searching the bluffs, while Colorado sped through more country. Colorado was charged with an unproductive at 11 and picked up at 32 when his casts began to take him wider and wider. Star B slowed near the end, but continued his diligent hunt. No birds. Waygoing Maggie (Mike Stephens) Blue Re-Issue (Don Mullens) The second course is a greater challenge for the handlers, but we found birds! From the north end of the field trial grounds at the power line, it runs under the power line for 2 miles, across alkaline buffalo wallow and through lush stands of willow and silver willow. Then, with an impenetrable fence 200 yards forward, it sharply turns 180o and over the same type of country 400 yards east of the power line, to return almost to the start point. Blue is a very fancy tri-colored setter male who has already earned a placement in a shooting dog championship. Maggie, a fast-moving, liver-spotted pointer female, was the toughest dog to beat in the Canadian summer trials last year, and started 2005 with a win of the Region 12 Shooting Dog Championship. For this race, Maggie was stronger and faster, but Blue was fancy and forward. At 52, Blue garnered a very well-earned stylish find on a flock of chicken in a big poplar bluff, but he had earlier suffered unproductives at 12 and 30. Maggie had an unproductive at 22, but at 47 she was given a chance to redeem herself, and she didn't fail. Initially, she was running north with a southeast wind, when she earned an independent, legitimate stop-to-flush on a sharp-tail. Then, Mike asked her to relocate. She swung south 50 yards and pointed the same bird without a bobble. All in order, with good style. Windsong's Ginger (Joe Brinster) Unleaded Gasoline (Ron Bender) The third course begins 3½ miles northwest of camp, and runs south for the first 30 minutes over 2½ miles of fairly open grassland. Then, it swings sharply west through fairly heavy cover and buffalo wallow to the power line where it then heads south through some more cover to the far southwest end of the field trial grounds. For the first ten minutes Ginger vigorously ran the open country, while Sara was obviously labouring and being very cautious. At 31, as we turned west, Sara was found standing on the east edge of a buffalo wallow with the winds blowing out of the southeast. When Ron was unable to produce feathers, he asked her to move on. She relocated 75 yards southwest, out into the middle of the buffalo wallow, where she earned a stop-to-flush. Sara was charged with an unproductive at 45, but otherwise both dogs hunted forward through the heavy cover to the south end without birds. Dixy's Northbound (Sheldon Rogers) Ramblin Rebel Yell (Austin Turley) The fourth course runs into camp from 3½ miles southwest of the PFRA Tecumseh corrals, across very flat prairie moderately speckled by low willow, poplar, elm, and silver willow bluffs. On this course, everything is evident, and there is sufficient game birds to test and reward a hunting dog. Yell is a big, handsome, pointer male who for the first 30 minutes remained forward at 250 yards, but throughout seemed uncertain and sticky. Often, he'd become staunch and not move on without Austin's urging. At 17 he scored an assisted back, and at 45 he was involved in an unclear event behind the gallery where a bird was flushed and Austin shot without judicial attendance. Dixy, a petite, all-white 43-pound pointer female, had a nice find on a flock of young sharp-tail at 17, and a suspicious avoidance of an opportunity to back at 10. Her race was fast and fancy, but often in and out. We finished Ύ of a mile south of the corrals. Phoebe (Sean Kelly) After Mona (Dr. Brown) At 2:00 under a bright sunny sky, temperatures of 70 o, and a southeast breeze to 15 mile an hour, Marshal Lou Qualtiere introduced the fifth course. It starts on the east side of the gravel road, across from the corrals, and parallels the road south for 3½ miles. There is a very troublesome alkali swamp at 400 yards to the east during the first 7 minutes, but otherwise the first 30 minutes is very open, dry, and flat, with a few poplar bluffs. Then, the last 30 minutes becomes a challenge: 2-foot-high broam grass with large patches of silver willow and dense poplar bluffs at 300 yards on the edges. A dog has to stay in touch for the last 30 minutes, or be lost. Phoebe, a black spotted setter female, got caught by the swamp and Sean asked for the tracker at 15. Mona, also a black ticked setter female, stayed comfortably forward at about 200 yards, working back and forth. Her race was close for the first 30, but for the last 30 it was perfect. The gallery road up birds in the old ball field area, but Mona was not involved. Jennifer (Don Arnold) Carbonado (Austin Turley) At 3:10, on the start of the sixth course, the temperature has moved up to 76 o, but it's still an absolutely beautiful day for hunting a bird dog. This course runs east along the pasture's south boundary for 2 miles, and then stretches straight north to the oilfield tank farm on the edge of the big alkaline swamp. The first 25 minutes is tight cover of large poplar bluffs and silver willow patches. The last 35 minutes is very open, lush pasture grass, and the occasional modest poplar bluff, until the dogs reach the heavy willow cover along the edge of the challenging swamp. Carbonado is a big, fancy, black-headed pointer male who, on this occasion, has just come from a win of the McLean Classic. He started great with a relocation on a flock of young chicken at 8, but by 25 he was swinging wider and wider until Austin asked for the tracker at 35. Jenny is a young, 43-pound, black-marked pointer female who, here, put down a very good, fast, forward, stylish hunt. During the first 30 minutes of heavy cover, she went to the right places, stayed on the edges of the bluffs, and busily stayed within the forward quadrant. Then, when the course opened up at 30, she reached forward appropriately. Though her last 5 minutes was not as busy as the first 55 minutes, hers was the best race so far. But, no birds! Network B (Dr. Brown) Cinder (Don Arnold) The fourth course reaches 1Ύ miles northwest from the tank farm, along the south shore of the swamp, and then crosses the road at the corrals to finish the last 35 minutes on the first morning course. Network B, an orange-ticked setter female, began searching along the south shore of the swamp. At 7 she was charged with an unproductive, but at 25, thanks to the bravery (foolishness) of Don Mullens, she was found (out on a small island in the middle of the swamp) standing pointing 6 chicken. With care, Marion arrived and the chicken were produced after a location which was not entirely staunch. Thereafter, when we crossed the road, Network stretched her casts with great pace and style, but no further bird work. Cinder, an almost solid white pointer female with orange ticking around her ears, also started in and near the swamp. Ruthann, who was helping Don, ended up getting her horse stuck in the mud which required the motor gallery's help. Cinder earned an unassisted back of Network's unproductive, but otherwise went birdless. Sand Creek Rita (Dr. Hjerpe) Ten Oaks Will (Jeanette Heise) The 21 mounted folks at the start of the first morning course are greeted by calm winds, cooler temperatures, and overcast skies threatening showers. Will is a high-tailed, 50 pound, liver-headed pointer male who knows this country and obediently hunts forward at 150 to 250 yards. Like most days, today he finds birds: 2 faultless, stylish stops-to-flush at 7 and 11, and at 58 a knock of a chicken right in front of the gallery. RitaΈ a much more heavily liver-spotted pointed female, starts fast and reaching up to 350 yards. At times in the early morning light, it's tough to follow her. At one point, Charlie rolled with his horse when bringing her back to the front of the gallery, but no harm. Rita finished closer and thoroughly working the poplar bluffs along the north end of the field trial grounds, but Rita gave Charlie no opportunity to flush birds. Battle Ben (Kelly McLean) Canadian Pete (Joe Brinster) A couple of identical, 55-pound liver-headed and liver-spotted pointer males. For the first 30, Ben stayed within 200 yards forward, working the buffalo wallows and willow bushes thoroughly, while Pete sometimes reached up to 500 yards forward, mostly hunting in the open grass. At 21, 45, and 50, Kelly called point for the stylish Ben, but on each occasion, as Kelly tried to flush forward of the dog, Ben would move on without birds being produced. Between 33 and 53, Pete worked forward through the heavy cover at a modest 200 yards, but couldn't find any birds. At 56, when we hit the open country, Pete reached 500 yards to the left. Windsongs McCrae (Joe Brinster) Milomix Trace (Dr. Wright) For the start of the third morning brace, we are at the water tank experiencing light showers and strengthening winds out of the southeast at 18 mile an hour. McCrae is a big, orange-marked pointer male who, today, started fast forward, but mostly in the open grassland. Trace is a high-tailed, black ticked setter male, who holds the front and smartly works the willow bluffs in the forward alkali bottoms. At 20, as the course swings west, Trace got under a fence and continued southeast into the wind, not returning in time. While, as we swing west, McCrae moderates his pace and begins to work the willow bluffs. McCrae finished purposefully working the very tight heavy cover of the southwest corner of the field trial grounds, but no luck. Later Bill Wright returned to the gallery without Trace, but the tracking collar indicating that he was either at the corrals or further east. Classie (Don Arnold) Ramblin Away (Austin Turley) A couple of liver-marked pointers. Ramblin is a 48-pound pointer male, while Classie is a female. For the first 10 minutes, Ramblin is laying out a purposeful, snappy-tailed, forward hunting race at about 150 yards, while Classie is struggling to hold the front. At 10, Classie has a find on a young flock of chicken, but it didn't go well and she was harnessed. Ramblin continued forward within 200 yards and suffered unproductives at 21 and 32. Austin then picked up and we were headed home for lunch. Sand Creek Ringo (Dr. Hjerpe) Clintwood (Ruthann Littell) A very nice, Canadian prairie afternoon for hunting dogs; bright sunny skies with temperatures of 67 o and winds out of the southeast at 15 mile an hour. Both these fellas are very high-tailed, liver-marked, 53-pound pointers. Clintwood starts cautiously, and is picked up at 8 when Ruthann's horse flushed birds over his head and he failed to honor. Ringo begins forward at a modest pace and range, while smartly hunting the bluffs. As his hunt progressed, Ringo became stronger and stronger. His pace picked up and his stylish searching forward reached up to a couple of hundred yards. But, no birds. Tip the Cap (Laura Epp) Waygoing Speck (Mike Stephens) A couple of fancy, high-tailed pointer males. Cap is mostly white with a few yellow spots on his ears, while Speck has a lot of black ticking. Both started with a 350 yard swing to the south, but by 5 they had both returned to smartly hunt forward within 200 yards during the tight cover of the first 30 minutes. Speck earned an assisted back at 32 and was charged with unproductives at 9 and 48. The gallery put up chicken at 8 and 50. While, Cap throughout held the forward quadrant with a very attractive find at 7 and an unproductive at 32. His race was within 200 yards during the heavy cover of the first 30 minutes, while he stretched up to 500 yards in the open country of the last 30 minutes. Until 55, Laura rode comfortably forward while Ruthann was 300 yards to the side. But, when Cap hit the edge of the swamp, Laura's horsemanship took her 350 yards forward. Buckeye Jim (Dr. Brown) Just Buckle Up (Laura Epp) At 4:30 Wednesday afternoon, under bright skies, the wind had moderated to just a slight southeast breeze, while the temperature was near 70 o. Jim is an orange-marked setter male, while Buckle Up is a mostly white male with a few liver markings on his head. Buckle Up started off to the left rear, but was forward at 15. He'd lost a lot of his zip, and Laura picked him up at 26. Jim started great, diligently hunting forward through the silver willow bottoms and then the heavy willow cover along the southwest edge of the swamp. At 33 we crossed west across the road near the PFRA Tecumseh corrals with Jim continuing out front at about 250 yards. He continued going to the places where I would expect to find birds, but no luck. We finished 2 miles northwest of the corrals. Jim was charged with unproductives at 40 and 45. |