Northwoods Carly Simon: June 2011 – October 2025
Northwoods Carly Simon (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2011)
The theme song for the 1997 James Bond movie, “The Spy Who Loved Me,” was composed by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics were by Carole Bayer Sager. But it was the singer Carly Simon who brought those words to life in the song, “Nobody Does It Better.”
In 2011, when our puppy naming theme was rock bands and musicians, one of the female setter puppies was named Northwoods Carly Simon. How befitting that our puppy matured into a phenomenal bird dog that expertly handled and pointed ruffed grouse. No dog did it better.
Carly was line-bred to Paul Hauge’s dog Houston, a major contributor to the early genetics of our Northwoods setter line. Carly’s sire, Blue Shaquille, was a son of Houston and her dam, Houston’s Belle’s Choice, was a granddaughter. Three times Betsy and I repeated that breeding, leading to a generation of natural bird dogs. Those dogs, in turn, had the uncommon ability to consistently pass those characteristics to their progeny.
What a morning in the grouse woods for two guiding clients. Two-year-old Carly, on left, is happy to share the spotlight with Maggie, her pointer bracemate.
Carly was the epitome of a grouse dog. She ran with lofty carriage, high head and high stiff tail. She would occasionally put her head down if scent was there but most often her head was up, nose searching for air scent. Carly had a medium-coupled build, an efficient gait and pointed with poise and intensity. She wasn’t a big ranging dog. In the grouse woods, she was within 100 yards and even on the prairie she would rarely crack 200 yards. Carly was always hunting birds and when she pointed, the birds were there.
As a young dog though, she wasn’t afraid to engage birds to try to make them sit tight resulting in quite a few bumped grouse. But once Carly figured out the distance, she invariably produced killable pointed birds with few unproductives.
Those abilities made Carly a celebrity of our grouse guiding string where—for seven years—she provided countless memorable days in the grouse woods for our clients.
Carly cares for her one-day-old puppies by RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus in 2018. Some famous dogs are in that nest, including Madrid, Paris, Dixie and Speck.
In addition to her prowess as a bird dog, Carly excelled as a producer. In her six litters of 24 males and 22 females, she left a legacy that continues today. Our 2025 Northwoods Homer x Northwoods Four Roses litter goes back to Carly through both the sire and dam.
Carly’s early litters produced extremely nice dogs—many are still enjoying life and hunting—but when Betsy and I chose RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus (out of CH Ridge Creek Cody, a dog we bred), we hit on a “nick.” For three years in a row, we repeated the breeding and produced 21 puppies. Besides many impressive grouse dogs, two cover dog champions, CH Northwoods Sir Gordon and CH Northwoods Cedar, were whelped. Siblings Northwoods Minerva and Northwoods Stardust were stars in our guiding string. All four of those dogs have been bred and produced wonderful puppies. Other notable dogs include Northwoods Hercules in our Georgia guide string and Fitz, an extraordinary Wisconsin grouse dog.
Jessica and Carly share a hug on the banks of the Kinnickinnic.
We retired Carly from breeding in 2019 and, as always, we searched for the perfect place for her best possible life. Through our friend and client, Chris Bye, we found that spot. Wisconsin residents Jessica Kramer and Taggart, her son, fell in love with Carly. For her last six years, Carly spent nights on her favorite couch and days wandering the banks of Kinnickinnic River, assisting in fly fishing whenever necessary.
But she wasn’t retired from the woods. Chris hunted her until she was almost 13 years old and they shared many memorable hunts. He commented about a first hunt with Carly:
“I quickly learned if Carly pointed, the bird was there. That day she pinned 14 grouse in surgical fashion in less than two hours. It was a day you don’t soon forget, and we quickly learned to never, ever doubt Carly.”
Jessica summed up her feelings for Carly:
“Thank you for allowing us to care for and love her these past six years. What a gift to me and my son she has been. She truly changed our lives.”
Carly Simon’s hit song concludes with the perfect line. “Baby, you’re the best.”
Rest in peace, sweet Carly. We will always remember.