Fall 2024 field trial results

Big smiles are easy for a dog’s first championship. Northwoods Cedar (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2018) is the newly crowned champion at the North Country Shooting Dog Championship, held near Eau Claire, Wis. Proud owners are Eric and Lindsey Saetre. Cedar is handled by Eric and scouted by Lindsey.

Dogs out of our Northwoods breeding were big winners in field trials during the fall 2024 season. This included setters at all major field trials held in the Minnesota/Wisconsin area and a young setter in Pennsylvania.

Other winners include pointer littermates out of a Northwoods-bred sire.

At the Minnesota Grouse Championship, held near Mora, Minn., runner-up Northwoods Cedar, on right, is posed by owner and handler Eric Saetre while champion Over The Hill Morgan is posed by breeder and handler Rod Lein.

Northwoods Cedar (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2018), owned and handled by Eric and Lindsey Saetre, went on a roll this fall. She was named champion at the North Country Shooting Dog Championship and runner-up champion in the Minnesota Grouse Dog Championship. The wins put Cedar high on the list to run in the Grand National Grouse and Woodcock Invitational next spring.

Special congratulation to Eric and Lindsey for their work and dedication. Cedar is their first bird dog!. They bought her from us as a puppy six years ago.

Northwoods Rip Roy (CH Woodville’s Yukon Cornelius x Northwoods Redbreast, 2024) wins the blue ribbon at the NBHA Sharptail Championship Open Puppy stake held near Minong, Wis. Rip is owned and handled by Greg Johnson.

Northwoods Rip Roy (CH Woodville’s Yukon Cornelius x Northwoods Redbreast, 2024), owned and handled by Greg Johnson, had quite a fall for an eight-month-old-puppy. He placed in the following stakes:
• 1st NBHA Sharptail Championship Open Puppy
• 2nd Wisconsin Cover Dog Championship Open Derby
• 3rd North Country Shooting Dog Championship Open Derby

Clover Valley Mulak, handled by Greg Johnson and owned by Jerry Furnish, placed first in the Wisconsin Cover Dog Championship Open Derby held near Eau Claire, Wis. His littermate, Clover Valley’s Evans, handled by Jordan Pharris and owned by Jerry Furnish, placed third. Northwoods Rip Roy, owned and handled by Greg Johnson, rounded out the placements with a second place finish.

Three littermates out of RU-CH Northwoods Atlas (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Nickel, 2017) x Clover Valley’s Millie had a banner season. They basically competed against each other and won nine placements in derby stakes. Jerry Furnish bred this outstanding litter out of his Millie, a granddaughter of another dog produced by us, CH Ridge Creek Cody.

Clover Valley’s Mulak, handled by Greg Johnson, owned by Jerry Furnish, had four placements.
• 1st Wisconsin Cover Dog Championship Open Derby
• 2nd Reuel Henry Pietz Derby Classic
• 2nd North Country Shooting Dog Championship Open Derby
• 3rd NBHA Sharptail Championship Open Derby

Big Big Energy, owned and handled by Jordan Pharris.
• 1st Reuel Henry Pietz Derby Classic
• 4th Grand National Grouse Futurity

Clover Valley’s Evans, handled by Jerry Furnish or Jordan Pharris, owned by Jerry Furnish.
• 1st North Country Shooting Dog Championship Open Derby
• 3rd Wisconsin Cover Dog Championship Open Derby
• 3rd Grand National Grouse Futurity

The Grand National Grouse Futurity is a prestigious stake sponsored by the Grand National Grouse Championship. The breeder must nominate both the dam and the litter and then owners follow up with entries and fees. Results of the fall 2024 stake included a third and fourth place finished by littermates Clover Valley’s Evans, second from right, and a fourth place by Big Big Energy, on the right. Both dogs were out of RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Clover’s Valley Millie.

Northwoods Sunny Day (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Northwoods Stardust, 2023), owned and handled by Tom Kieffer, won second place in the Black Moshannon Trial Club Open Derby stake held in Phillipsburg, Pa.

JTH Scion (HOF CH Rock Acre Blackhawk x Northwoods Vixen, 2015), call name Cooper, was bred by us and owned by Jeff Hintz. When Rod Lein bred his female, Over The Hill Patty, he chose Cooper as a sire. Two littermates had big placements this fall.

Over The Hill Morgan, handled by Rod Lein and owned by Robert Zielke, was named champion at the Minnesota Grouse Dog Championship. Bad Habits, owned and handled by Ben Mergens, won runner-up at the Region 19 Amateur Shooting Dog Championship.

Congratulations to all dogs, owners and handlers!

2024: Hail and Farewell

Jeff Hintz and Cooper (HOF CH Rock Acre Blackhawk x Northwoods Vixen, 2015)

In a nod to the CBS News “Sunday Morning” feature, Betsy and I want to honor two special people and nine dogs that passed away in 2024.

Jeff Hintz (1948 – 2024)
Though our mutual association with grouse trials, Jeff had been a friend since the 1990s. But in 2005, that friendship blossomed to another level when Jeff sold us a chunk of his land where we built our house and kennel. Every summer and fall, Jeff lived next door in his own unique home, Thunder Meadow. We saw him almost every day because he helped us train dogs. He also was one of our biggest supporters and advisors.

Jeff owned lots of dogs—many were pointers he got from us—over the years. He loved his dogs and bird hunting; few dogs worked wild birds more than his. Jeff also competed successfully in field trials for more than four decades. He was especially proud of CH JTH Izzie, a pointer that won off horseback and foot and was the MN/WI Derby of the Year. She pointed many species of upland birds and even retrieved ducks!

Jeff was our neighbor, friend and confidante. We miss him.

Steve Studer and CH Bear Hill Bob

Steve Studer (1945 – 2024)
Shortly after I bought my first setter in the late 1980s, I met Steve. He took me to my first big trial, the Grand National Grouse and Woodcock Invitational Classic held in Gladwin, Mich., and we became good friends. We worked dogs together and hunted together. We traveled to Texas every Christmas to hunt and bring dogs for our friend, Roger Buddin, to train. Steve’s Bear Hill pointers were successful competitors in the woods and his pointer male, CH Bear Hill Bob, won the National Amateur Grouse Championship in the early 1990s. Steve was a long-time president of the Minnesota Grouse Dog Assoc.

Steve was also an outstanding chef who was way ahead of his time in cooking ideas. His laugh was loud and infectious and he lifted up everyone around him. Steve was a big man with a big heart. We are grateful and feel fortunate for the years we spent with him.

“Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.”
~ Agnes Sligh Turnbull

Two female setters and one male died far too young. Two female pointers and a male setter lived to ages of 13, 14 and 13 respectively. Three setter females from the same litter died this year at age 14. They had spent their entire lives together as their owners all hunted at the same grouse camp.

We will always remember.

Maquina (CH/RU-CH Northwoods Sir Gordon x Houston’s Nelly Bly, 2021), age 3

Valencia (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Carbon, 2017), age 7

2X RU-CH Northwoods Atlas, a.k.a. Jet (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Nickel, 2017), age 7

Birdee Sue (CH Westfall’s Black Ice x Northwoods Prancer, 2011), age 13

Morris (CH Houston’s Blackjack x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2011), age 13

Ice (CH Westfall’s Black Ice x Black Bama, 2010), age 14

Rosie, Piper and Sage (Blue Riptide x Blue Ghost, 2010), age 14