RU-CH Landcruiser Scout (CH Can’t Go Wrong x CH Houston’s Belle)
Landcruiser Scout, five-year-old setter male owned by Mike and Patricia Cooke of Rochester, New York, was recently named runner-up champion at the Eastern Open Shooting Dog Championship. Four setters and 28 pointers competed in the trial which was held near the Virginia and North Carolina border. Scout is trained and handled by professional Jeanette Tracy.
What a family! Scout is out of a litter of six males and two females that Paul Hauge, Jerry and I co-bred—CH Can’t Go Wrong x CH Houston’s Belle—in 2008. Two litter brothers are champions in horseback field trial competition, CH Ridge Creek Cody (Larry Brutger, St. Cloud, Minnesota) and CH Houston’s Blackjack (Frank LaNasa, Isanti, Minnesota).
In addition to delivering Scout on his way to field trials in Pennsylvania that spring, Jerry met Joe Zimmer of Chamois, Missouri. Joe’s dog, Fritz, is a winner in walking field trials.
The most common sight here in southwest Georgia is Jerry out working dogs…and when he’s training Northwoods Vixen, our young pointer, it becomes one of my favorite sights.
There is very little about southwest Georgia that resembles home. The woods and lakes of Minnesota seem far away—not only in miles but in cultural differences. Obvious anomalies include no snow and no SA convenience store on every corner. The agricultural landscape consists of peanut and cotton fields and vast groves of large pecan trees; no corn or soybean fields in sight. Sometimes it’s even difficult to grasp that this is part of the United States and people here vote for the same president.
Other basics are different, too. For example:
• Rather than neighborhoods and communities full of beige vinyl-sided houses, here the majority of homes are adorned with brick, usually some shade of red brick. Architectural features such as shutters and front porches (complete with rocking chairs) are ubiquitous. Few homes have garages and even less has basements.
• In the upper Midwest, not many broadleaf evergreen plants grow. The landscape here looks green even in January due to the plethora of big live oaks and many shrubs including camellias, kalmias and hollies. Turf grass is even green in winter.
• Winters are very mild with highs in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Snow is extremely rare. It’s now spring and the sunny, crisp days are more reminiscent of falls days in the north.
• Speech varies from an incomprehensible dialect to typically southern expressions. Truly, I have, quite politely, asked people to repeat themselves because I haven’t understood one word they said. Almost everyone uses “you-all” although, with their drawl, it becomes a single syllable word pronounced like the two-masted sailboat, the yawl.
Even so, Jerry and I have loved living here. We have met some extraordinary people, all of whom exude graciousness and warmth. Many are courteous to a fault with lots of “Ma’ams” thrown into the conversation.
Even more than normal, our meals are highlights of our days as we eat what locals eat. We’ve had grouper and shrimp from the Gulf, catfish, BBQ, biscuits, grits, cornbread, hush puppies and pecans in bars and pies. From nearby Florida, we’ve eaten terrific grapefruit, tomatoes and strawberries. Jerry has even tried and enjoyed sautéed turnip greens.
The dogs, seemingly, like it here, too. Each has a spacious kennel run (5’ wide by 10’ long) and an elevated dog house that is just the right size—cozy yet large enough to allow for air flow on warm days. Not one dog has become ill with intestinal problems, tick-borne diseases or other issues. The training opportunities on wild coveys of quail and, when necessary, on liberated Johnny-house quail have been excellent.
Here are some of our favorite sights of southwest Georgia.
A classy aspect of most plantations is a simple, understated entrance.
Southwest Georgia, and particularly Thomasville, is the center of quail plantation country. Highways (Plantation Parkway), art festivals (Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival) and businesses (Plantation Propane & Petroleum) are named in their honor. Quail plantations themselves have names, too. Many are Native American in origin—Seminole, Cherokee, Osceola and Kickapoo, while others are evocative: Sunny Hill, Twin Oaks, Mistletoe, Longpine, Dixie.
Evergreen azaleas are in full, glorious bloom now. Azaleas belong here in the piney woods of the Red Hills region and prove it by happily putting out hundreds of flowers on a single shrub. The most common flower color is deep pink but I’ve seen shrubs with blossoms of light pink, peach and white.
Elements for a successful burn on a quail plantation include: one guy on a four-wheeler with drip torch that ignites the brush, water supply in yellow container and furrowed row that serves as a fire break.
Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) is the dominant plant of the once-extensive southeast forest that originally (pre-Euopean settlement) comprised an estimated 90 million acres. The stands were rich in numbers of vascular plant species—second only to the tropics—and relied on the natural phenomenon of lightning-started fire for management. Fire continues to be important but now must be set with special permits.
Thick bark on mature longleaf pines makes them resistant to fire.
Some of the nation’s most prestigious shooting dog and all-age field trials—the Masters, Continental, Florida, Free-For-All and the National Open Shooting Dog—are held during January, February and March in this part of the country. A huge draw is the opportunity to run on wild bobwhite quail.
Pots of herbs and a garland of cotton adorn the front of Liam’s Restaurant in downtown Thomasville.
Brick-paved, downtown Thomasville is charming and lively. The buildings have been completely renovated and all now bear a plaque noting the original business name and date. Benches and large container gardens full of blooming petunias and pansies line sidewalks and lovely wrought iron signs mark the streets. In homage to its quail plantation heritage, bronze statues of sporting dogs and 12 bobwhite quail are in various locations. Jerry and I discovered some terrific restaurants: Jonah’s Fish & Grits, Sweet Grass Dairy & Cheese (& wine!) Shop, Liam’s Restaurant, Savannah Moon Bakery & Café and Grassroots Coffee Shop. No trip downtown is complete without checking out Kevin’s, a very classy store with hardwood floors and old glass cases that sells premium firearms, outdoor gear, sporting apparel and fine china and crystal.
Jerry and I developed an affinity for native longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), the stately evergreen that dominates the landscape in southwest Georgia. The longleaf has a unique start to life. Up to about six years of age, most of the growth takes place below the ground; all that shows above is a very cute, dense cluster of needles that looks more like a grass and, in fact, is termed the “grass” stage. Those needles also protect the young plant from fire.
Mornings in the piney woods are beautiful and May, our Labrador retriever, and I loved the daily walks around our place.
I was surprised but happy to see one familiar tree even though it bloomed about two months earlier than at home. In mid February, red maples (Acer rubrum) became noticeable due to the spectacle of red flowers along bare branches. Tiny samaras soon formed. Red maples have a huge range—among the most abundant and widespread of eastern trees—from northern Maine to the southern tip of Florida.
In a beautiful piece of cover with tall pines, a small field and border of broomsedge bluestem, Lewis, left, and Buddy walk in for the flush of a big covey.
Although Jerry is perhaps most well known for his grouse guiding skills, he has several years of experience on bobwhite quail hunts in Texas. This year, though, is his first guiding in Georgia.
Just after Valentine’s Day, four guys from Atlanta, Buddy, Jack, Lewis and Oscar, loaded up their dogs and drove the easy four hours to our place here in southwest Georgia. They couldn’t have been a nicer group—real southern gentlemen—with soft drawls and easy smiles. Jerry enjoyed his hours in the field with them and we all had a good time at the end of the day with cocktails in front of a warm fire.
Most quail plantations that are serious about guided hunts have special vehicles. Ours has a Jeep chassis outfitted with dog boxes, gun racks and plenty of seats.
With shotguns in position, Lewis, left, and Jack move quickly up a furrowed row to the dog on point.
One beautiful morning, Grits (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chablis) locates a covey along a picturesque two-track while Lewis, shotgun ready, is set for the flush.
Oscar, left, and Lewis display nice shooting form when the covey rises.
Many quail plantations own an English cocker spaniel or two to retrieve downed birds. One afternoon, our cocker Penny had a stellar performance. She searched tenaciously for 14 minutes (Jerry timed it) until she found the winged quail. Upon the command, “Bring it to the truck,” off she ran and jumped onto the front seat of the Jeep.
During a good day in the field hunting wild bobwhite quail, Oscar finds it easy to smile.
Blue Silk at 12 years of age. Photo by Chris Mathan.
If you had glimpsed Silk a month or so ago as she eagerly ran up the driveway from the kennel to the house, you would never have guessed she was 14 years old. Upon closer inspection, it still might not have occurred to you for little of her jet black fur had faded to gray. Only if you had looked into her eyes would you have noticed her years. They were full of wisdom, but also faded and opaque with age.
Jerry and I thought this might be a tough winter for Silk so we brought her along on our training trip to Georgia. Wouldn’t the warmth feel good on her old bones? And wouldn’t she love lounging on soft green grass?
Silk adapted well to our routine here and seemed healthy. So we weren’t at all prepared for her sudden illness and end.
One morning last week when we went to the kennel, Silk appeared dazed and disoriented—perhaps, we guessed, like she had just had a seizure of some kind. She recovered and seemed fine all day—even napped in the warm sunshine—until early evening when she had another. She recovered again but by the next morning, she had worsened with numerous, severe seizures. Jerry and I bathed her, wrapped her in a soft blanket and brought her to the vet.
Even though simple blood work and a physical exam ruled out many diseases, our experienced vet explained the most likely cause of Silk’s condition was a tumor of some kind that was growing quickly and pressing on her brain. It was clear that Silk’s long, happy, productive life was at an end. Jerry and I tearfully made the heart-breaking but humane decision for her.
Blue Silk and her sons, Northwoods Blue Ox, left, and Blue Shaquille.
Silk: the extraordinary dog.
Throughout her life, Jerry and I co-owned Silk with Paul Hauge. Even though she lived at our kennel, Paul was always proud of her. Silk was out of our 4XCH/4XRU-CH Blue Streak and CH First Rate, a multiple champion in horseback field trials. From both she inherited uncommon stamina and a tenacious application but had her own sweet disposition and even temperament. Similar to her uncle, CH Blue Smoke, Silk had a very accurate nose which allowed her to pin birds with precision. She placed in several field trials, one time even besting her famous dam. In 2001, Silk won the Minnesota/Wisconsin Derby of the Year. For several years, she was a first-string member of our grouse-guiding team.
At just a few weeks of age, a female puppy from the CH Peace Dale Duke x Blue Silk litter already shows the sweet temperament of her dam.
Silk: the dam.
Jerry and I bred Silk just three times. Her first litter was by Paul’s great dog, Houston, using frozen semen. We next chose a talented son of Houston, I’m Houston’s Image, and for her last litter, we went to the East Coast for CH Peace Dale Duke.
As evidenced by this list, Silk was an exceptional producer of both grouse dogs and field trial champions.
2004/Houston x Blue Silk
• Blue Shaquille, one of our best grouse dogs ever
• Sweet Dakota Blue, owned by Doug Wenell
• Kobe, owned by Sam Gary, Sr.
2006/I’m Houston’s Image x Blue Silk
• 2XCH/RU-CH I’m Blue Gert, owned by Dave and Rochel Moore
• CH Satin From Silk, owned by Greg and Diane Gress
• Beloved Blue Ghost, owned by Randy and Mo O’Brien
• Casey, owned by Jim DePolo
• Blue Spirit & Boomer
2007/CH Peace Dale Duke x Blue Silk
• Northwoods Blue Ox, our Oscar
• Northwoods Blue Babe, formerly owned by Paul Hauge
• Blue Peace Belle, owned by Steve Snyder
• Zeke The Streak
Silk: the pack leader.
Silk was our eldest dog and definitely the leader of the pack. No matter which dog was in the house with us—the Labrador May, strong Shaq, macho Oscar, Vixen the whippersnapper or even puppies in for rehab like Carly and Roy—Silk ruled. They shrank away from the water bucket if Silk wanted to drink. And with one significant look, all dogs would scatter so she could claim the big dog bed all to herself.
On Christmas morning 2012, Silk and May begin working on their huge chew toys from Santa.
Silk: forever.
Blue Silk is gone but she will never be forgotten. Of the 19 English setters we have with us here for training, all but three are out of Silk. Her sweet disposition, spirit and talent live on through all her famous sons and daughters and their offspring, here and elsewhere.
One early morning on the Miami Plantation, Grits (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chablis) had a nice covey find in the midst of lush, native wiregrass (Aristida stricta).
The weather here in southwest Georgia has been lovely and the bobwhite quail plentiful. Due to the warm temperatures, Jerry starts early in the morning, breaks in the middle of the day and then works until dark. All the strong storms have swung to our north so no days have been washed out.
Jerry has identified more than 30 wild covey locations on the Miami Plantation and, here on Arrowhead Farms, several of the put-out coveys and all the Johnny house birds are thriving.
Jerry and I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity to live and work in southwest Georgia. The training opportunities have been outstanding and the quail coveys couldn’t be more thrilling when they flush wild and strong. Best of all, the dogs are healthy and making excellent progress in the field.
Displaying the style of her famous parents, Trixie (CH Ridge Creek Cody x CH Satin From Silk) nails a covey behind a young longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) in its “grass” stage.
Even after the shot and even though panting, big, strong Gus (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice) stands tall and tight.
Oh, to be a puppy! Littermates out of Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chardonnay, Martini (left) and Manhattan, cool off in a horse tank during an afternoon training session.
Carly (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice) finally nails a single bobwhite in a harrowed strip after the covey had run the entire length.
Even though Tyler (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice) gets credit for this find on a big covey, Franny (Northwoods Blue Ox x CH Houston’s Belle) came in and backed on her own.
Oscar (CH Peace Dale Duke x Blue Silk) was moving so fast when he winded a quail covey that his ear stayed flapped back.
Northwoods Luna (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chardonnay) Age: 6 months Lives: Twin Cities
From her owner: “Luna absolutely loves the snow and exploring her new territory!! Her transition to our home has been very smooth and we adore her. We can’t tell you how lucky we are to have her.”
More than anything else about our business, what gives Jerry and me the most pleasure and the most gratification is good news from clients. We love seeing our dogs with their new families and in all their new situations—whether running joyfully through the snow, posing after a successful hunt, showing puppy pointing posture or just lounging in a warm house.
Some of our owners are excellent photographers as well. Enjoy!
Northwoods Santana (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chablis) Age: 7 months Lives: Twin Cities and cabin “up north”
From her owner: “Here’s a sight point on one of the 100s of gray squirrels we have this year. I snapped the picture most because of how beautiful she has become. Everyone loves her mask but I think her feathering is pretty cool looking.”
Roxie (CH Terhaar’s Rocko x CH A Rolling Stone) Age: 8 Lives: Pennsylvania
From her owner: “Roxie is resting and licking her wounds from a tough season. She has slimmed down and I’m now increasing her food a little for the winter.”
Rosie (Blue Riptide x Blue Ghost) Age: 2½ Lives: Illinois
From her owner’s friend: “On a Montana hunting trip, Rosie is looking across the field thinking, ‘Why am I in your lap when there are birds over there?'”
Female (Blue Shaquille x Snyder’s Liz) Age: 6 months Lives: New York and cabin in New Hampshire
From her owner: “She is developing nicely and within the last month has really matured and figured out what is expected. She handling quail great, listens well, handles to the front naturally and with little care, and backs some of the time. She is nice and calm in the house.”
Bess (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chardonnay) Age: 6 months Lives: Ohio
From her owner: “Bess is doing fine. She is learning quick and made her first trip to the woods last week.”
Lucy (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chablis) Age: 7 months Lives: Twin Cities
From her owner: “She had some beautiful solo points on single quail from some coveys we were following up after the initial flush, and she had one beautiful solo point on a large covey she found on her own.”
Scott Berry and his wife Lynn bought two-year-old Northwoods Brie (Northwoods Blue Ox x Houston’s Belle’s Choice female) last year. Scott is an avid bird hunter and grouse guide for Ides Guides in Park Falls, Wisconsin, where Brie is used on guided hunts. Too, judging by the photos they’ve emailed, Brie has become a pampered family pet.
Scott recently sent a link to a television news story that appeared on WQOW out of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Brie is on point over a woodcock in the opening scene.
The piece is well done and very interesting. It features Gary Zimmer, Coordinating Biologist of the Ruffed Grouse Society, and Terry Ides, who along with his wife JoAnne, are participants in a grouse and woodcock habitat improvement project. The multi-year plan is part of Wisconsin Coverts Projects.
There is also cool information about woodcock and beautiful footage of a grouse in flight.
Chablis (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice) finds a covey in tall broomsedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus).
Jerry and I have been in the Thomasville area of southwestern Georgia since January 5 and now are fully in the groove. We’ve even started eating grits, pimento cheese and mayhaw jelly.
Since there were few reported wild coveys on the 600-acre farm where the kennel and house are located, Jerry reserved 175 quail and planned to put out coveys. He explored the grounds to find 12 spots with good cover.
Tripp (Houston x Northwoods Blue Babe) has a beautiful find in the middle of a large strip.
In the afternoon of the day he picked up the quail, we placed 12 birds and spread a bucket of milo at each location. He put the balance of 31 birds in the Johnny house.
After giving the quail a bit of time to settle in, Jerry started working dogs on them. He has also driven the quick six miles to the Miami Plantation, a 2,000-acre plantation managed specifically for wild birds that is part of our farm.
The dogs have pointed quail in different locations and in various types of habitat—including mown and harrowed strips, edges near deciduous shrubs and small trees, in knocked down (un-identified) cane-y plants and near clumps of broomsedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus).
Even though the habitat can be diverse, one genus of plants provides a unifying look and feel to the landscape. Stately pine trees, either longleaf (Pinus palustris) or loblolly (Pinus taeda), tower high overhead.
Franny (Northwoods Blue Ox x CH Houston’s Belle) points a quail covey at the edge of a harrowed strip.
In the shadow of a tall pine, Liz (CH Magic’s Rocky Belleboa x CH Houston’s Belle) nails a covey.
Choice (Gusty Blue x CH Houston’s Belle) has a nice find on a covey that was buried in dense cover at the edge of field.
Setter puppy Manhattan (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chardonnay) and Labrador May (rather unusual but not unprecedented for May) score a divided find while stylish setter puppy Rickey (Blue Shaquille x Snyder’s Liz) backs.
Jerry and I are heartbroken to pass along the news that 5XCH/7X RU-CH Westfall’s Black Ice died in December. Even though Ice was healthy when I saw him in June, he had recurring cancerous growths that finally overtook him.
Ice was always impressive in the field and racked up championship win after championship win. But we liked Ice perhaps even more because of his temperament. His beautiful brown eyes were intelligent and displayed a calmness and good disposition. Ice was handsome, too. He was black-and-white with an evenly marked head. He was lightly ticked and had no body spots.
Ice was owned by Bill and Ryan Westfall of Liberty, Missouri. Jerry and I got to know Ice when we trained on their farm in Tennessee.
Ice is a multiple shooting dog champion with a pedigree to back it up. He is out of the very successful nick of Rock Acre Blackhawk x Elhew Katie Lee whose progeny included many field trial winners and even more outstanding wild bird dogs.
Even though Ice himself was bred sparingly during his lifetime, he had the pre-potency of his sire and produced an impressive list of field trial winners. His numbers are 34-24-213.
When we bred him to Northwoods Prancer in 2011, the entire litter of eight females was outstanding grouse dogs—natural, keen, easy to train, loved to retrieve and even liked the water. Plus, most importantly, all were well-adjusted with happy personalities.
Thankfully, we can carry on with some of Ice’s talented daughters, including our own Northwoods Vixen.
Maybe Izzie is as sharp as Snoopy and can read. One look into her beautiful, brown eyes does reveal her intelligence and good sensibility.
Izzie has been featured in three recent blog posts and perhaps has glanced over Jeff’s shoulder when he powers up his Ipad. She is definitely our poster child for “How to pick a puppy.”
November 28, 2012: How to pick a puppy “Since at eight weeks of age it’s impossible to definitively know what the puppy will become, any puppy should be ideal—no matter the picking order, no matter whether it’s the first pick or last.”
About two years ago, Jeff was in the market for a puppy and, in exchange for his work with us, we made a deal. He could have the last pick of our Ice x Prancer litter.
November 21, 2012: Winning wild bird field trial championships “Even though Izzie is just a derby, I feel compelled to include her because she has all the makings to be a champion.”
Izzie was whelped on April 17, 2011 (she is only 20 months old!) and was very successful last fall. In four derby stakes, she won two and twice placed second.
October 8, 2012: Jeff and Izzie: An inseparable pair “Izzie is a sweetheart in the house and a tiger in the field. She was quite precocious and last year Jeff successfully hunted her on grouse, woodcock and the quail of southern Arizona.”
Too, Izzie has the genes of a champion. Her sire is Westfall’s Black Ice, a five-time champion and seven-time runner-up champion. Out of Northwoods Prancer on the bottom side, her great grandparents were both multiple grouse champions, Brooks Elhew Ranger and Dance Smartly. Rather unusual for a dam, both parents of Dance Smartly were also multiple champions, Northern Dancer and Vanidestine’s Rail Lady (a six-time champion!).
But, truly, Jeff deserves all the credit. What any dog becomes depends on how it is raised, developed, handled and trained. Since she was a four-month-old puppy, Izzie has been hunted and worked at least three days a week.
In early January, on the Empire Ranch of Sonoita, Arizona, Izzie was named champion at the Region 12 Amateur Walking Shooting Dog Championship. She ran a strong, forward race and went on point where no dog had gone. At the shot, she stood tall and firm. Amazingly just days before, Izzie had placed third in the horseback derby stake.
Congratulations, Jeff and Izzie! You deserve that big blue ribbon.
