Northwoods Cedar (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2019), setter female owned by Eric and Lindsey Saetre and handled by Lindsey, earned a red ribbon in the Don Didcoct Amateur Shooting Dog Classic.
Field trial competition is a bug that some owners of pointing dogs catch. Betsy and I are proud of owners of our dogs who put forth the effort to compete. It’s a fun, rewarding game attended by fellow serious bird dog aficionados. We’re also proud of our setters and pointers that have the ability to compete in the various venues across the country and also that pass on that prowess to future generations.
MINNESOTA & WISCONSIN TRIALS
Northwoods Atlas (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Nickel, 2017) is a setter male owned and handled by Greg Johnson. Atlas gets the nod for consistency, winning three thirds and one second place ribbon in six starts and in three different venues; the Minnesota Grouse Dog Associations (MGDA) grounds in the Rum River State Forest; Chippewa Valley Grouse Dog Associations (CVGDA) grounds near Augusta, Wis.; and the Four Brooks Field Trial Area near Milaca, Minn.
Northwoods Atlas (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Nickel, 2017), on left, setter male owned and handled by Greg Johnson, placed third in the open shooting dog stake at the Chippewa Valley Grouse Dog trial.
Placing third behind Atlas at the second MGDA trial was Rhett (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2018), setter male owned and handled by Dave Moore.
Northwoods Cedar (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2019), setter female owned by Eric and Lindsey Saetre and handled by Lindsey, placed second in the highly competitive Don Didcoct Amateur Shooting Dog Classic held by the CVGDA.
As a puppy, Northwoods Fallset Hope (CH True Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2021), on right, owned and handled by Mark Fouts, placed third in a huge open derby stake.
Northwoods Fallset Hope (CH True Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2021) is a pointer female owned and handled by Mark Fouts. She placed third in the gigantic, 28-dog open derby stake at the Moose River Grouse Dog Club spring trial held near Moose Junction, Wis. Very impressive for a 15-month-old pup!
Tony Misura handled his Northwoods Thunderstorm (Northwoods Grits x Houston’s Nelly Bly, 2020) to second place in the 14-dog open derby at Four Brooks. This was the first field trial for both Tony and Thunderstorm. Again, very impressive!
NORTHWOODS CHARDONNAY PRODUCED BIG-TIME WINNERS
Northwoods Chardonnay (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2009)
Northwoods Chardonnay (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2009) was co-bred and basically co-owned by Paul Hauge, Betsy and me throughout her life. She had the basics of a winner—big race, strong bird-finding, natural staunchness and composure around game. But she excelled in many of the finer aspects of field trial competetion. Her long, strong, graceful stride produced a style in motion that was both exuberant and exciting and her loftiness on point was breathtaking.
Chardonnay placed in every grouse trial we entered her in and won the Minnesota/Wisconsin Derby of the Year award in 2011. After her derby year, we retired her from competition.
In a feat perhaps never accomplished before, Chardonnay produced two Elwin G. Smith English Setter Shooting Dog award winners. This award is bestowed on the nation’s winningest English setter in open shooting dog horseback field trials.
CH Northwoods Charles (CH Ridge Creek Cody x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2013), owned and handled by Bill Owen, won the 2020-2021 award.
CH Erin’s Three Leaf Shamrock (CH Erin’s Hidden Shamrock x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2015), on left, owned by S. Tucker Johnson and handled by Tracy Swearington, won the Southeastern Open Shooting Dog Championship.
CH Erin’s Three Leaf Shamrock (CH Erin’s Hidden Shamrock x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2015) is owned by S. Tucker Johnson and handled by Tracy Swearington. Shamrock is the recipient of this year’s Elwin G. Smith award. He also won the prestigious Southeastern Open Shooting Dog Championship, a wild quail trial held on the Senah Plantation near Albany, Ga.
A Chardonnay granddaughter, Mauck’s Wyeast Owyhee Dalee, owned and handled by Alex Mauck, recently won runner-up in three all age horseback championships, including the California Quail Championship. Dalee’s dam, Hidden Jasmine, is by CH Erin’s Hidden Shamrock x Northwoods Chardonnay.
Mauck’s Wyeast Owyhee Dalee, on right, is owned and handled by Alex Mauck. She won runner-up in the California Quail Championship.
OTHER WINNERS
Others with Northwoods dogs in their pedigree but not bred by Betsy and me also had impressive wins. Pointer derbies sired by JTH Cooper (CH Rock Acre Blackhawk x Northwoods Vixen, 2016), owned by Jeff Hintz, swept all three placements in the 19-dog CVGDA Open Derby stake.
Meredith Grade Katie, winner of the Thomas Flanagan Setter Award for the top Cover Dog derby in the nation, is out of I’m Blue Sky (Northwoods Grits x CH I’m Blue Gert, 2014). Katie is owned and handled by Mike SIngleton.
Northwoods Grits (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chablis, 2011) Photo by Chris Mathan
Grits. A perfect name for an extraordinary dog.
Each year Betsy and I choose a theme to use when naming our puppies. Not only is it fun to do but it can help us remember the years and litters. When Grits was whelped, we were training dogs in northwestern Tennessee, a.ka., the Mid South. At a quintessential southern cafe where we stopped for breakfast one morning, grits, biscuits and sweet tea were on the menu. We looked at each other and that was it. We had our theme for 2011. We named the first three puppies we kept, Grits, Biscuit and Sweet Tea.
Though “grits” is actually ground corn, the first four letters defined the dog. According to one definition, grit means “firmness of mind or spirit, unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger.”
Grits had that grit. No matter the distance or what might lie in in the way, if Grits thought a bird could be there, he was going to find it. Nothing stopped him—whether handler or terrain—and he had the scars to prove it. From countless fence lacerations and tears, sticks, broken tail, a serious snake bite, nothing stopped Grits.
His personality, like his sire, Northwoods Blue Ox (CH Peace Dale Duke x Blue Silk, 2006), was a 10. He got along with any dog, male or female, young or old, and had an incredible off switch. In the hunting cabin at night or in our house, he only wanted to be petted.
For as much go as Grits had in the woods, he was lover in our home.
Grits didn’t have one or two outstanding qualities of a bird dog, he had them all. He was an extraordinary bird finder. He was naturally staunch, backed and could find dead birds. Too, he had the conformation, build, carriage, gait, speed and nose.
GRITS AS A YOUNG DOG
Grits was whelped in the first breeding of Northwoods Blue Ox to Northwoods Chablis (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2009) – a breeding repeated five times. He was precocious like Ox and displayed desire and bird finding even as a puppy.
At nine months of age, I had Grits on the ground on a guided grouse hunt out of Bowen Lodge, northwest of Grand Rapids, Minn. I was out with Ken Taylor and Jim DePolo, hunting in a remote area when we heard Grits make a funny sound, like he was hit in the chest. When he came out on the trail, he acted a little dazed but I didn’t find anything obviously wrong. I leashed him and we headed back to the truck.
But after 10 minutes, Grits was straining at the lead, ready to go again. I released him and we hunted our way out. Grits pointed several grouse on the way—one of which Ken shot which was the first grouse killed over Grits.
Back at the lodge Grits cleaned his food bowl (he was a tremendous eater!) and acted normally. But on a hunch that something wasn’t right, I checked on Grits at about 10 p.m. Dr. Wayne Grayson, another hunter at the lodge, took one look and declared he needed to get to a vet. Under sedation, the veterinarian removed a five-inch stick embedded in the back of his throat.
Grouse woods or wide-open prairie, Grits excelled at bird finding and poise.
During Grits’ early years, Frank LaNasa and I had a prairie camp near Forbes, N.D. Frank is a serious and hugely successful amateur breeder, trainer and handler on the horseback circuit. He only works top-tier performers and back then was no exception. I worked him alongside some of Frank’s most accomplished champions, including CH Lil Miss Sunshine, CH Homemade and CH True Confidence, a little known up-and-comer at the time. With all those champions, Grits held his own.
GRITS IN COMPETITION
Betsy and I weren’t competing much when Grits was young, but he did place in several field trials. Most notably he won the Northwest Field Association Open Derby stake, held at the Crow Hassen grounds in Minnesota with three broke finds, a back and a big race. That tail injury (see third paragraph!) unfortunately ended his field trial career but our belief is he would have been extremely competitive in the horseback trials in the piney woods.
Happy owner Bob Senkler poses with his extraordinary brace of setters: Grits, on left, and Houston’s Belle’s Choice, Grits’ grand-dam.
GRITS AS A HUNTING DOG
When Grits was about one year old, we sold him to Bob Senkler, a passionate grouse and woodcock hunter from Minnesota, with the arrangement that Grits lived at our kennel. Grits was a lot more dog than most people would be comfortable with in the woods, but Bob loved it. Grits always found and pointed birds—many times more than 300 yards away. Grits never wanted to quit. When he saw the truck, he’d make one more cast, usually a big one, as he wanted to find one last bird. Often, Bob just waited at the truck until Grits came back.
Grits made a couple trips with me to North Dakota and Montana—and what a prairie dog he was. Even at 10 years of age last fall, he out-ran and out-birded many younger dogs.
I had tremendous hunting with Grits on the prairies of North Dakota and Montana.
For nine years, Grits was part of our Georgia guiding string on several high-end bobwhite quail plantations. Although he ran bigger than most hunters appreciated, one afternoon in 2017 on the Dixie Plantation, Grits soundly out-birded a future National Champion pointer, trained and handled by Gary Lester.
GRITS AS A PRODUCER
Grits was a tremendous sire for us, producing 78 puppies from litter after litter of talented wild bird dogs. Betsy and I bred him to our best females, including Houston’s Belle’s Choice, Northwoods Carly Simon, Northwoods Carbon, Northwoods Bismuth, Houston’s Nelly Bly, Northwoods Nickel, Northwoods Minerva and Northwoods Stardust; and CH I’m Blue Gert, owned by Dave and Rochel Moore.
We’re grateful to have two daughters, Northwoods Valencia (out of Carly Simon) and Northwoods Gale (out of Minerva), that exhibit his traits. Most of his offspring are owned by very serious hunters but a few have been campaigned. Some daughters of note include Northwoods Rocks A Lot, out of Houston’s Belle’s Choice, owned by Joe Byers, I’m Blue Sky and Northwoods Elle, both out of CH I’m Blue Gert and owned, respectively, by A. J. Kalupa and Tom Beauchamp. In addition, young Northwoods Atlas, out of Northwoods Nickel, owned by Greg Johnson, has already placed in several shooting dog stakes.
Bob’s son, Chris Senkler, kneels with Grits after what turned out be Grits’ final hunt last fall.
IN THE END
Frank LaNasa said it best when he learned of Grits passing.
“As a performer, Grits ranks right up with the very best that I’ve been around. He would have excelled at anything you asked him to do. An exceptional animal in every way a dog could be. All of our dogs eventually die. Truth is we bury more of ourselves with some than we do with others. Grits was one of those few.”
Over the past 30 years, Betsy and I have been blessed to have had incredible dogs, each defining an era. In the early 1990s, we had CH Dance Smartly. Late that decade and into the early 2000s were defined by Ch Blue Streak, CH Blue Smoke and Blue Chief. The mid 2000s brought us CH Houston’s Belle, Blue Shaquille and Northwoods Blue Ox.
Forever, the decade beginning in 2011 is the era of Northwoods Grits.
Northwoods Chablis (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2009)
In an auspicious pairing, Paul Hauge bred Blue Shaquille to Houston’s Belle’s Choice in 2009. Out of the eight puppies whelped, he chose four—two males and two females—for Betsy and me. One of the females was mostly white with an elongated spot next to her right eye and a distinctive black patch on her rump and tail. We named her Sally and later registered her as Northwoods Chablis.
Courtesy of her line-breeding to Paul’s dog Houston, Sally showed natural staunchness and strong backing instincts. She also displayed other traits of that line—lofty carriage, poise around game, strong scenting ability and “the gait.” Paul described “the gait” as a dog that could run with a glass of wine balanced on its withers without spilling a drop.
Sally had beautiful conformation and showed great poise and confidence during training exercises.
At an early age, Sally exhibited a seriousness towards hunting and finding birds; by the end of her first season she had pointed and held to flush dozens of ruffed grouse and woodcock. A hard-core grouse hunter and client of ours, Bob Senkler, spotted her blossoming talent and became her new owner.
By the time she was a derby, we were winding down our field trial participation but couldn’t resist a bit of competition. We entered her in spring derby stakes where she won several placements and was runner-up for the 2011 MN/WI Cover Dog Derby of the Year award.
Sally developed into a top-notch grouse dog and spent her autumns in the woods hunting grouse with Bob. But she also had such desirable genetic qualities that Betsy and I chose to breed her. So she spent her winters and springs whelping and raising puppies.
Sally was successful in all aspects of her life, including as a dam. She whelped 35 puppies from six litters. Jerry and Betsy have carried on her legacy and bred Sally’s sons and granddaughters. Here she tries to snatch some sleep just minutes after the final puppy is whelped.
Sally was a phenomenal producer. Her first of six litters was sired by Northwoods Blue Ox—a pairing that turned out to be a nick and one we repeated three more times. (A nick is a breeding term describing two individuals that when bred produce above average offspring.) In it were three field trial winners: Northwoods Bees Knees (Mike Donovan), Northwoods Tesla (Tim and Monica Cunningham) and Northwoods Grits (Bob Senkler). In addition, that first breeding produced outstanding grouse hunting dogs Northwoods Biscuit (Ryan Gould) and Northwoods Sweet Tea (Ken Balfanz).
Sally was also bred to CH Houston’s Blackjack and Blue Riptide and produced outstanding puppies.
Even though she maybe couldn’t cover as much ground as she once had, Sally hunted in the grouse woods every fall in her final years. Photo by Julie Sandstrom.
After her retirement from hunting with Bob and our breeding in 2017, Sally found a wonderful life with another dedicated grouse hunter, Julie Sandstrom. Sally lived in the house, slept on her own chair and happily hunted on private land managed for grouse production.
I have many wonderful memories of Sally. Foremost were the days I hunted her and Chardonnay, her litter sister, in a brace. Each worked the cover independently and yet knew the other’s location. One would point and by the time I got to the point, the other would be backing. Etched into my mind is the sight of those two spectacular dogs—standing tall and proud to the flush of a grouse.
One of Jerry’s most memorable days with Sally was when she was a puppy. Braced with Ben McKean and his stellar setter Addie, many birds were found, pointed and shot.
Another good memory was during her first fall on a November hunt with our friend and client Ben McKean. On that day, braced with her nine-year-old grand-dam, Blue Silk, young Sally held her own in finding and pointing grouse. Sally even trailed and found a wounded grouse that had eluded Silk. That day was a harbinger of her future mastery in the woods.
Betsy and I are grateful for those who played an important role in her life: Paul Hauge for producing and choosing her for us; Bob Senkler for being a passionate grouse-hunting owner; and Julie Sandstrom who cared as much about her as we did and filled her final years with ample comfort, love and opportunity.
RIP sweet Sally. Your life brought happiness to many and your prowess and spirit lives on through your puppies.
The vistas in north central Montana are spectacular—and the dog work can be, too. Royce had no trouble adapting to the different terrain. Photo by Jeff Decker.
My annual hunting trip to Montana is a highlight of the fall. As usual, I met Bill Heig, of Bowen Lodge in Deer River, Minn., in eastern Montana. We stayed in that area for a few days and then hunted our way west to our final destination in the central part of the state. We rendezvoused with two friends from Denver, Colo., for several days of bird hunting.
For a grouse hunter used to dense woods and listening to a bell, the open country of Montana is especially alluring. Comet can be seen hundreds of yards out—whether hunting, working a bird or on point. Photo by Jeff Decker.
Puppies have a blast and can learn so much on a big hunting trip. Tally retrieves a sharptail with gusto.
My string was a little light on experience this year; three of our females were back at the kennel in various stages of getting bred. Even so, I had a strong group of dogs: Northwoods Grits (10 yrs.), Northwoods Rolls Royce (8 yrs.), Northwoods Leon (3 yrs.), Northwoods Comet (2 yrs.), Northwoods Gale (1 yr.) and puppies Northwoods Redbreast (7 mos.) and Northwoods Talisker (4 mos.). All dogs did well but watching the younger dogs develop their skills in the expansive terrain was a fun and gratifying.
Royce had a beautiful find on a steep hillside and young Robin backed. But when the bird flushed, she chased. Photo by Jeff Decker.
The ongoing drought had a severe impact; sparse vegetation and warm temperatures made for some challenging hunts. But bird numbers were good—and after all, that’s the most important part.
It’s always fascinating to imagine the story behind an abandoned homestead. This one is in eastern Montana.
5X CH / 5X RU-CH Northwoods Charles (CH Ridge Creek Cody x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2013)
5X Champion / 5X Runner-up Champion Northwoods Charles is the recipient of the 2020-2021 Elwin G. Smith English Setter Shooting Dog Award. This accolade is bestowed on the nation’s winningest English setter in open shooting dog horseback field trials, based on wins during the previous trial season.
Charles, call name Charlie, is owned by Bill Owen of Santa Barbara, Calif. As an amateur, it’s even more impressive that Bill won this award handling Charlie in open stakes.
Charlie was whelped in 2013 by CH Ridge Creek Cody x Northwoods Chardonnay. Cody (CH Can’t Go Wrong x CH Houston’s Belle, 2008), a famous dog in his own right, was co-bred by Paul Hauge and Northwoods Bird Dogs and is likely the most prominent sire of winning setters of the past 20 years. Chardonnay was a blue hen producer of many field trial winners and top-flight hunting dogs.
Charlie’s field trial achievements exhibit his versatility; he has won on the West coast, on the Canadian prairies and in the piney woods of the southeast. He has won on several species of wild, released and planted game birds.
On a training run in Saskatchewan, Northwoods Charles is backed by Northwoods Rolls Royce (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2013).
This award is one of the annual English Setter Fund Awards. They were created to promote the breeding and campaigning of English setters in All Age, Shooting Dog and Cover Dog categories. There are also awards for Derby-aged dogs in each category. Each award is named after a prominent setter devotee of the past.
This is the fourth time a Northwoods-bred setter has been honored. Betsy and I won the 2002 Michael Seminatore Cover Dog Award with our 4X CH / 4X RU-CH Blue Streak. Cody won twice: the 2009 Bill Conlin Derby Award and, in 2012, the Elwin G. Smith Award, the same award as Charlie.
Like fine wine, English setters tend to get better with age. Just-turned-eight, Charlie should have many more wins in his future.
Northwoods Redbreast (Northwoods Rolls Royce x Northwoods Minerva, 2021) happily complies with the “place” command using marker training.
I’m continually looking for new ways to enhance the development of our puppies.
For many years, we used the “treat” only technique to teach our puppies the kennel and recall commands. We used treats to lure the them into the desired behavior; such as tossing a treat into the dog crate for kennel or letting them see I had a treat in my hand for recall. With that technique, the puppies didn’t have to think about what they were doing; they automatically followed the food.
But then I found Gary Wilkes.
Gary is a professional dog trainer in Phoenix, Ariz., who got his start in the late 1980s. His resume is impressive, including experience training guide dogs, service dogs and military special operations dogs. An innovative person, he has developed techniques that dogs understand intuitively and respond to quickly.
One of Gary’s methods to teach new behaviors to dogs is called marker training. Initially used for training marine animals, marker training is now mainstream for training dogs. The concept is simple: wait for the desired behavior to occur and then “mark” it with a click and a treat. With this technique, the puppy has to think about what it has to do to get its reward.
And for me, a thinking dog is a better dog. It is more adaptable, more effective in the field and more interesting to be around.
Here is a video of 10-week-old Northwoods Redbreast (Northwoods Rolls Royce x Northwoods Minerva, 2021) working on the three behaviors I taught her: kennel, sit and place.
For more information about marker training and many insightful tips on dog training, check out Gary’s website at clickandtreat.com.
CH Satin From Silk (I’m Houston’s Image x Blue Silk, 2006)
CH Satin From Silk was knock-out pretty. Her perfectly conformed body was mostly white with a spot or two of orange around her dark eyes and on her ears and tail. Beneath that beautiful exterior, though, beat the heart of a champion—fierce in her focus, determination and application.
Satin From Silk was owned by Greg and Diane Gress of Minnesota. Her registered name honored her dam, Blue Silk (out of our 4X CH / 4X RU-CH Blue Streak), by I’m Houston’s Image, handsome male straight out of Paul Hauge’s favorite setter, Houston. Greg and Diane called her Peggy.
Betsy and I have many fond memories of Peggy.
Peggy and her seven littermates were born on Easter Sunday in 2006 in our rental home. It was, in general, a fine place to live, kennel our dogs and raise puppies. But one day as Jerry and I worked in the kennel, a big “boom” blew the wooden well cover off the floor, ignited some dog hair and dust and shot a ball of flames down the hallway of the kennel until it ran out of fuel.
With the exception of singed eyebrows on Silk, no dogs or puppies were harmed and nothing was damaged. (We did honor the occasion by naming one of the male puppies Boomer.)
CH Satin From Silk, on right, is backed by her dam, Blue Silk (CH First Rate x CH Blue Streak, 1999), on a training run in Oklahoma.
Greg and Diane entrusted us for Peggy’s early training. Highlights include late summer weeks at our prairie camp in North Dakota and a memorable winter in Oklahoma. We watched her develop from an energetic puppy into a national-caliber, field trial competitor. Like her dam, Peggy had the mental toughness and independence to be great but, at times, it could also be her downfall.
Peggy won the 2009 Wisconsin Cover Dog Championship. Still today, her performance ranks as an amazing display of the highest bird dog ability. And I had a front row seat; I was braced with Greg and Peggy, handling her litter sister, CH I’m Blue Gert, owned by Dave and Rochel Moore.
Greg and I broke away on the infamous “crash” course at the Chippewa Valley Grouse Dog Association’s grounds near Augusta, Wis. Peggy’s nose dragged her around the course—and she dragged Greg. Peggy went from grouse to grouse to grouse to grouse. Greg caught up in time to flush each bird and shoot, and then Peggy was quickly off to her next bird before he could even holster his pistol.
Peggy was never an easy handling, close-working dog and this hour she pushed—and beyond at times—the limits of the bell. When Greg finally put the lead on Peggy at the end of the hour, all who had witnessed her performance knew we were running for second place.
Northwoods Atlas (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Nickel, 2017), on right, is posed by his owner Greg Johnson after Atlas’ third place finish in the Don Didcoct Amateur Classic held near Augusta, Wis.
What a successful spring it has been for our clients who compete in field trials with their dauntless dogs! Whether handled from horseback or foot, whether campaigned on released or wild birds and no matter the geography, dogs from our kennel garnered ribbons and trophies.
Congratulations to all! We’re very proud of you and your dogs.
MINNESOTA/WISCONSIN/MICHIGAN Three must be Greg Johnson’s lucky number. His dog, three-year-old Northwoods Atlas (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Nickel, 2017), placed in three shooting dog stakes on three different grounds. • 2nd — Minnesota Grouse Dog Association (MGDA) Open Shooting Dog held near Mora, Minn. • 3rd — Don Didcoct Amateur Classic held near Augusta, Wis. • 3rd — Moose River Grouse Dog Club Open Shooting Dog held near Moose Junction, Wis.
Two Northwoods’ dogs are in the money after the April 2 MGDA derby stake. First place (blue ribbon) was won by Northwoods Sigurd Olson (Northwoods Rob Roy x Northwoods Minerva, 2019), owned and handled by Chris Bye of Wisconsin. Northwoods Gale (Northwoods Grits X Northwoods Minerva, 2020), owned by Northwoods Bird Dogs and handled by Jerry, placed second (red ribbon).
Derby Northwoods Sigurd Olson (Northwoods Rob Roy x Northwoods Minerva, 2019), owned and handled by Chris Bye, also had a tremendous spring. Sig placed in three of his starts. • 1st — Chippewa Valley Grouse Dog Associations Open Derby held near Augusta, Wis. • 1st — MGDA April 2 Open Derby • 2nd — MGDA April 16 Open Derby
Sig narrowly missed winning the MN/WI Cover Dog Derby of the Year Award, losing by only three points to Bill Frahm’s worthy setter.
Other Northwoods-bred dogs placed in the spring MGDA trials, including two in the Open Shooting Dog stake. • 2nd — Sadie (CH Ridge Creek Cody X Northwoods Chardonnay, 2013), owned and handled by Ryan Bjerke. • 3rd — The Highway (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus X Northwoods Carly Simon, 2018), owned and handled by Dave Moore.
And two derbies placed in their stakes. • 1st — Lily (Northwoods Rob Roy X Northwoods Minerva, 2019), owned and handled by Jordon Pharris, in the April 16 stake. • 2nd — Northwoods Gale (Northwoods Grits X Northwoods Minerva, 2020) owned by Northwoods Bird Dogs and handled by me, in the April 2 stake.
Jade (CH Rock Acre Blackhawk x Northwoods Vixen, 2015) isn’t campaigned often because it cuts into owner Frank Ilijanic’s hunting time. But when she is entered in a trial, she is extremely competitive, including this second place in the Michigan Hunting Dog trial.
Meanwhile, in Michigan, a special female pointer named Jade (CH Rock Acre Blackhawk x Northwoods Vixen, 2015), owned and handled by Frank Ilijanic, won second place in the Michigan Hunting Dog stake held near Gladwin, Mich.
SOUTHEAST Northwoods Sir Gordon (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2017), owned by Ben McKean, placed in two one-hour shooting dogs stakes. Gordy placed second in the Columbia County Field Trial Club stake held near Lake City, Fla., and earned third at the Mill Pond Field Trial Club held on the Burnt Branch Plantation near Ochlocknee, Ga. Gordy was handled from horseback by professional Tommy Rice Jr. to both of those wins. In the pointer-dominated southern circuit, the wins are especially impressive for a setter.
Flanked by pointers, Northwoods Sir Gordon (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2017), was handled by pro Tommy Rice Jr. to second place in the Columbia County Field Trial Club stake held near Lake City, Fla. Gordy is owned by Ben McKean of Minnesota.
NORTH DAKOTA Back near his home in Minnesota, Northwoods Sir Gordon won third place in the Northwest Field Open Shooting Dog trial held near Hankinson, N.D. In this stake, Gordy’s owner Ben McKean, handled off horseback. Four-year-old Gordy is well traveled—he’s now placed in field trials in Wisconsin, North Dakota, Georgia and Florida.
Northwoods Sir Gordon, on left, won third place in the Northwest Field Open Shooting Dog trial held near Hankinson, N.D. Gordy was handled by his owner, Ben McKean, in this trial.
WEST COAST Tian Elhew Verbena (CH Elhew G Force x Northwoods Vixen, 2013) won runner-up champion In the Pacific Coast All Age Championship (a horseback trial) held near Waupin, Ore. Verbena is owned by Angela and Tim Schillereff of Suave Island Kennel near Portland, Ore., and handled by Tim. This wasn’t Verbena’s first win in a titular stake. She’s been named champion or runner-up in several western shooting dog championships, including the top spot at the American Pointer Club National Amateur Championship.
Northwoods Charles (CH Ridge Creek Cody x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2013), owned and handled by Bill Owen of Santa Barbara, Calif., added to his illustrious career by winning the West Coast Open Shooting Dog Championship (a horseback trial) held near Valley Springs, Calif. Charles is a now a5X champion and 5X runner-up champion (!!), in addition to eight other field trial wins.
Tian Elhew Verbena (CH Elhew G Force x Northwoods Vixen, 2013), on right, won runner-up champion In the Pacific Coast All Age Championship held near Waupin, Ore. Verbena is owned by Angela and Tim Schillereff.
At the summer trial held by the Minnesota Grouse Dog Association, Jerry, with the blue ribbon, poses winner Northwoods Comet (CH Rock Acre Blackhawk x Northwoods Vixen, 2018). Standing in the back row are judges Rod Lein, on left, and Ryan Hough.
Northwoods Setter Tech Ringo, owned and handled by Jeff Forsberg of Loretto, Minn., won the 2020 Minnesota/Wisconsin Cover Dog Derby of the Year award and Amateur Cover Dog Derby Award.
Because spring field trials were cancelled, all Ringo’s winning performances happened last fall when he placed in every derby stake he entered. And in all but one, he had steady to wing and shot work on wild birds. Ringo is out of a litter Betsy and I bred in 2018—CH Erin’s Hidden Shamrock x Northwoods Nickel.
Jeff and I worked dogs in the woods together this spring and I can verify that Ringo is a focused wild bird finder. Jeff’s work in the field developing and training Ringo definitely paid off I’m sure there will be more wins in his future.
Jeff takes home a beautiful trophy that’s been traveling from winner to winner in the 26 years since the inception of the Derby of the Year award. We’re proud to note that Northwoods dogs are well represented on the plaques mounted on the trophy’s base. Betsy and I have bred, sired or handled nine winners and four runner-up winners.
Congratulations to Jeff and Ringo.
On June 20, the Minnesota Grouse Dog Association held its summer trial on the grounds at Four Brooks, near Milaca, Minn. Betsy and I were thrilled that our young pointer female, Northwoods Comet, won first place in the Open Derby stake. This was a one course trial with planted quail.
Comet was in the last brace—a tough draw in early afternoon—but she ran a strong, forward race, handled perfectly, backed her bracemate and, with two minutes left, pointed a single quail and remained steady at the shot.
Comet is out of CH Rock Acre Blackhawk x Northwoods Vixen.
Northwoods Vixen (CH Westfall’s Black Ice x Northwoods Prancer, 2011) is backed expertly by Northwoods Gucci (CH Erin’s Hidden Shamrock x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2015) while bobwhite quail hunting in northern Florida.
Even though there are countless heart-thumping sights an upland bird hunter encounters, there is something at once classic and captivating, mannerly and marvelous about seeing one dog backing another dog’s point.
Backing point, also called honoring or, simply, backing, is when one dog sees another dog on point, stops and points that dog. A back doesn’t involve scent; rather it’s strictly by sight. According to C.B. Whitford, author of the 1908 book Training the Bird Dog, “Backing is another form of expression for the pointing instinct.”
Like the ideal point, the ideal back isn’t either too far away from or too near to the dog that is pointing. The backing dog should be close enough so it can mark where the birds fly and find dead birds.
Backing point is genetic. Dogs that inherit a strong instinct might back perfectly the first time they see a dog on point while it might take several opportunities for dogs with less. Still others might have to be trained to back.
Backing point is important—and at times essential or crucial—when two or more dogs are hunted together. Not only does backing keep one dog from flushing birds pointed by another but it keeps the hunt safe and dogs out of shooting lanes.
Backing point is complex. Over the last 35 years, I’ve seen many unusual backing situations while hunting and guiding. There have also been interesting circumstances in field trials whether I’ve been competing or just watching a brace.
A heart-thumping site! During a training run on bobwhite quail, Jerry and his horse come upon three setters—one pointing and two backing.
Patch, one of my first setters, had lots of instinct to point, but when braced with Adrienne, my veteran Brittany, he waited for her to find the birds and then backed.
I’ve observed dogs refuse to back a bracemate after that bracemate had several unproductive points in a row. Sometimes bracemates become competitive and refuse to honor the other’s point.
Occasionally, a dog doesn’t see another dog on point, even though it seems obvious. While walking a brace during the Lake States Grouse Championship many years ago, I watched a setter, nose to the ground, run circles around a dog on point. The setter was so intent following his nose that he didn’t see the other dog. When he finally raised his head, he immediately backed, but by then it was too late and he was ordered up.
I’ve also seen a dog that doesn’t stop until alongside another dog on point. While not considered good behavior, it isn’t a major offence as long as the dog doesn’t flush the birds. But the situation can degenerate if a dog points in front of the other dog on point (stealing point) or flushes the birds (bumping). In a hunting situation, the hunting companion might become alienated and in a field trial, the offender will be picked up.
With e-collar in place, Northwoods Super Nova (Northwoods Rob Roy x Northwoods Minerva, 2019) backs the dog silhouette.
Training to back point is incorporated into my sessions at the same time I teach steadiness around birds. Ideally, the dog is ready after a season of hunting wild birds and when it holds point long for me to flush the birds. The dog is usually between 8 and 12 months of age.
The first step of steadiness training is teaching the dog to stop and stand still when it feels e-collar stimulation on its flank. Once the dog masters that association, I move to the next step which is to create an association between birds and a dog on point.
For this, I use a dog silhouette, a life-sized cutout of a dog on point that I made out of plywood and painted. I place the silhouette in the field with a pigeon in a remote bird launcher behind it. I lead the dog into the field and, if it doesn’t back as soon as it sees the silhouette, I flush the pigeon and stop the dog with e-collar stimulation on the flank. If the dog does back, I walk in and flush the bird, stopping the dog if it starts to chase. Once the bird is gone, I lay the silhouette on its side.
When teaching a young dog the essentials of backing point, Jerry uses his handmade dog silhouette which he cut out from plywood and painted.
At this stage, I don’t use any verbal commands. I want the dog to learn with minimal distraction.
When the dog backs, I physically reward it with light strokes against the grain along the top of its back. I also say, “Whoa,” in a soft but firm tone. After this praising, I walk in, flush the bird, tip the silhouette on its side and release the dog to move on.
I keep the sessions short and mix them up. I have the dog back once and point its own birds once or twice but I also have a session or two without requiring a back at all. The silhouette is moved to different locations, too. It’s important not to overdue this phase.
Once the dog backs reliably in the training field, it is ready for wilds birds with a bracemate.
Since dogs learn behavior in context, I don’t expect the dog to back the first time on wild birds. Initially, I use a reliable bracemate, one not prone to unproductive points. Once that dog points, I let the inexperienced dog decide what to do. If it doesn’t back, I let it go past the pointing dog until it causes the birds to flush and then stop it with flank e-collar stimulation, again without any verbal distraction.
When the dog backs, I physically praise it and say, “Whoa,” just as in the training field. Repetition, time and maturity will still be necessary before the dog becomes dependable.
But even with training, experience and maturity, backing point is never 100% reliable. There are just too many circumstances with endless possibilities.
The best bird dogs I’ve trained, owned or competed against occasionally made mistakes.
