Northwoods Bird Dogs is now producing the eighth generation of English setters and sixth generation of pointers. Detailed here are past-generation males that were vital contributors to the breeding program.
Northwoods Grits, Setter, 2011 – 2022, White, Black, Tan & Ticked
Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chablis Pedigree
Northwoods Grits inherited some of the best qualities of the Northwoods Bird Dogs line of setters. He was leggy and stood 24 inches tall at the withers. Like his sire, Northwoods Blue Ox, he was a powerfully built 50-lb. dog with a strong, easy gait and tremendous endurance. Grits was a hard-hunting dog and absolutely would not quit, even under the toughest conditions. He ran a wide shooting dog race from horseback in open, prairie-type country, but choked down in the tight cover of the grouse woods. Grits always stood lofty and intense on point and maintained that posture through flush and shot until released. He had an outstanding nose and naturally backed.
Grits had an eye-appealing way of going and a want-to-please attitude. He was an exceptional wild bird finder and had been hunted on ruffed grouse and woodcock; sharp-tailed grouse, pheasants and Hungarian partridge; and bobwhite quail in the piney woods of Georgia. In addition, Grits has the ultimate disposition—sweet, affectionate, calm, quiet and clean.
Northwoods Rolls Royce, Setter, whelped April 4, 2013, White, Black, Tan & Ticked
Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice Pedigree
Northwoods Rolls Royce is mostly white with black and tan ticks and a dark nose and eyes. He is squarely built, well conformed and weighs 47 lbs. He matured early and was steady to wing and shot at 18 months. He is out of the superb Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice nick and therefore line-bred to Houston. He displays the long, smooth stride, lofty gait, pointing posture, natural backing and carriage of that lineage. Royce is reminiscent of his sire also in his bird finding. Even though rarely campaigned, Royce won the prestigious Georgia Florida Hunting Dog Invitational in 2020 and placed second in the highly competitive Red Hills Invitational in Georgia in 2018.
Now in retirement, Royce roams around the kennel during the day and, with plenty of chew toys, lays on soft dog beds in the house at night.
Northwoods Blue Ox, Setter, 2007 – 2018, White, Orange & Ticked
CH Peace Dale Duke x Blue Silk Pedigree
Northwoods Blue Ox was a powerfully built, 50-lb. dog with a strong gait. He had tremendous endurance and was a good warm-weather dog. Ox was fast and hunted hard but adapted to the cover and handled to the hunter. He was accurate and intense on point, backed and naturally retrieved. He was a strong bird finder with an exceptional nose and was hunted on ruffed grouse, woodcock, sharp-tailed grouse, pheasants, Mearns quail and bobwhite quail. Ox had a great disposition—calm, sweet and easy-going. From the age of two, he had been a key dog in the grouse guiding string.
As a sire, Ox passed his excellent qualities to his offspring and produced talented grouse dogs with drive and desire to find birds. In addition, he produced winners of puppy, derby and shooting dog stakes in cover and horseback field trials.
Blue Shaquille Setter, 2004 – 2018, White, Black, Tan & Ticked
Houston x Blue Silk Pedigree
Blue Shaquille was as good a grouse dog as Betsy and Jerry have ever owned. He had a handsome, blocky head and weighed 54 lbs. Shaq had an excellent nose and a strong, powerful stride that always led to birds. He had incredible endurance and his style and loftiness on point would be the same at the end of three hours as at the beginning. Around the kennel, he was extremely charismatic. Any visitor—no matter whether looking at puppies or pointers—ended up in front of Shaq’s run. He had been bred to several females and, fortunately, his progeny inherited his wonderful qualities.
Blue Chief Setter, 1996 – 2008, White, Black, Tan & Ticked
CH First Rate x Finder’s Keeper Pedigree
Blue Chief was a leggy, 55 lb.-male with a handsome, blocky, evenly masked head. He had uncanny, raw, bird-finding talent. He moved with a strong, smooth stride and a high head. He hunted hard but always handled and stood extremely tall on point. Chief naturally backed and retrieved with a soft mouth. He had a kind disposition and rarely barked.
Chief was used on guided ruffed grouse and woodcock hunts and was hunted on bobwhite quail, sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge and pheasants. He was never a field trial champion but he found birds in almost every stake—whether in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin. He was named closest to the winner in several championships including the 2002 Grand National Grouse Championship.
Chief’s legacy is in his progeny for he had the ability to pass on his incredible natural abilities. He sired almost 50 litters.
Blue Smoke Setter, 1995 – 2007, White, Black & Ticked
Spring Garden Tollway x Finder’s Keeper Pedigree
CH Blue Smoke was whelped in Jerry and Betsy’s first litter out of Spring Garden Tollway and Finder’s Keeper. He was black-and-white, heavily ticked and had a large body spot on his left side. His head was blocky and he had dark, intelligent eyes.
Smoke had an extremely accurate nose, perhaps the best Jerry and Betsy have bred. He d was a bull on birds and always pointed with intensity—his tail poker straight and head lofty. Smoke never went around anything if he thought there was a bird straight through it. He always gave 110%.
Smoke’s main competition in field trials was his litter sister, CH Blue Streak. He garnered his share of prestigious wins, though, beginning with the 2000 Minnesota Grouse Dog Championship. The following spring he won the Pennsylvania All Age with 50 entries and was named reserve dog at the 2001 Grand National Grouse and Woodcock Invitational. Smoke was also invited to the 2002 Grand National Grouse and Woodcock Invitational where he was named a day dog and asked to compete on the final day.
In summer 2001 Smoke developed arthritis in his right front ankle and subsequently was used sparingly. Due to his enthusiast, dynamic personality, he always remained a vital presence in the kennel.
Dashaway Pointer, 1997 – 2010, White, Liver & Ticked
CH Brooks Elhew Ranger x CH Dance Smartly Pedigree
Dashaway was out of Jerry and Betsy’s first grouse champion, Dance Smartly, and CH Brook’s Elhew Ranger. Of the eight puppies in the litter, Jerry and Betsy chose to keep Dasher because he was liver-and-white and evenly marked like his dam.
Dasher also inherited the intelligence, athleticism and grace of Dancer. He was a strong, powerful dog and weighed 58 lbs. He was a talented wild bird dog with an outstanding nose that excelled in finding and handling ruffed grouse. He was naturally staunch, backed and retrieved. Dasher had endless stamina and, amazingly, kept himself in excellent shape without any real conditioning.
Dasher had some field trial wins but his forte was as a valued member of Jerry’s guide string. In fact, Dasher was on the truck when Jerry clocked the highest flush count of his life.
Dasher was a treasured house pet. He was frisky and playful, intuitive, and his temperament was kind and lovable.
Dasher was bred just a handful of times. His litter by Fallset Fate produced Northwoods Prancer, a beautiful, talented orange-and-white female that Jerry and Betsy kept. Dasher now appears as the grand-sire of Northwoods Vixen, an orange-and-white female out of Prancer and CH Westfall’s Black Ice.
Spring Garden Tollway Setter, 1986 – 2001, White, Black & Ticked
CH Trail’s End Tomoka x Spring Garden Carrie Pedigree
Spring Garden Tollway was a specimen. His evenly marked black-and-white head was perfectly shaped with a sharp stop and his dark eyes were keen with intelligence. He had endurance, ideal conformation and extreme desire to find game. Tollway was a grandson of hall-of-fame setter, CH Tomoka. Interestingly, Tollway’s dam was a litter sister to Houston.
Houston Setter, 1982 – 1991, White, Black, Tan & Ticked
Spring Garden Streak x Summer and Smoke Pedigree
Houston was an extraordinary gun dog owned by Paul Hauge of Centuria, Wisconsin. He possessed all the trademarks Paul liked: strong bird finder, extreme loftiness on point and a smooth, effortless gait. In addition, Houston was tough; he could take training and just got better and better.
Houston was out of Leroy Peterson’s female Summer and Smoke and Jack LeClair’s Spring Garden Streak. Houston had a solid white body and a tricolor patch on the right side of his head. He weighed about 48 pounds and was physically strong with a solid build, medium leg, medium coupling and a blocky head. He naturally backed and retrieved.
Houston was bred sparingly and mostly to local hunting dogs during his lifetime. Before Houston’s death, Paul had the foresight to collect and freeze Houston’s semen. Every litter by his frozen semen has produced outstanding hunting dogs and field trial winners. One of Houston’s best progeny was 2X CH / 4X RU-CH Houston’s Belle.
