“I wanted to better understand mechanics, timing and how to effectively use tools like releasers and launchers…That’s stuff you can read about or watch as many videos as you want, but won’t truly understand until you see, feel, and do.” ~ Jeremy Moore
Northwoods Bird Dogs—both our dogs and Jerry’s training style and technique—were featured in the November 2023 issue of Gun Dog magazine. Jeremy Moore of Pulaski, Wisc., is a columnist for the magazine and even though he has been to our kennel several times, those are the reasons he visited last summer.
We’ve known Jeremy since the summer of 2020 when he first visited us. He subsequently reserved a female setter puppy and in early 2022, he picked up Maquina (CH Northwoods Sir Gordon and Houston’s Nelly Bly).
Jeremy nails what, I think, makes Jerry the trainer he is. Jeremy comments on Jerry’s confidence and calmness and how well he reads a dog.
In the end, though, Jeremy writes: “Jerry has given me the confidence to ‘do it’ rather just ‘think about it.’”
Elsewhere in the issue, editor Kali Parmley described a “milestone” hunt with Jones, the young setter male she bought from us 2020. Jones (Northwoods Grits x Houston’s Nelly Bly) is her first bird dog and in previous Editor’s Letters, Kali has shared some of the issues of raising and training a pointing dog. This piece was different.
“The image of my soaking wet setter locked on point with a wave of fog blanketing the mountains behind him is an image that will forever be ingrained in my memory. He was beautiful. These are the reasons we hunt and the milestones we dream of for our bird dogs.”
Northwoods Big Sky, our T’s puppy, at 18 weeks of age is a hefty 30 pounds and a handsome, bold, spirited, fun puppy.
First, a little history…
When Jerry and I started Northwoods Bird Dogs in 2003, training was our primary service and primary source of income. Breeding setters and pointers was definitely secondary and more a means to personally keep us in good bird dogs. Field trial competition and guiding were a distant third and fourth.
But, as businesses usually do, ours gradually morphed into primarily a breeding facility as more and more clients—especially returning clients—want our puppies and dogs. While we’re extremely proud of our line breeding program that consistently produces our high quality puppies, we’ve known for some time that we’ve needed to find good outside sires and dams, too. But where to find those dogs?
Fast forward to this April…
Jerry and I drove to T’s Doghouse in Farr West, Utah, to pick up an eight-week-old male setter puppy. Jerry had contacted Talmadge Smedley, owner of T’s, and not only did he find excellent bloodlines and dogs but, in Talmadge, he discovered a kindred spirit. Over several conversations last winter, those two discussed training methods, puppy rearing and breeding and all manner of industry issues.
Unfortunately, we were on a very tight schedule when we were in Utah which left little time for face-to-face conversation. But early one morning, Talmadge and his son, Tanner, filmed a session featuring Jerry for their YouTube channel, titled “Training and Breeding Bird Dogs with Jerry Kolter of Northwoods Bird Dogs.”
The photo of the serious yellow Labrador puppy on the cover of the current issue of Gun Dog magazine is just one reason to buy it. That it’s the annual puppy issue is another. Too, the perfect-bound redesign is beautiful, including the larger format and matt finish on the cover. Finally, amazingly, Northwoods Bird Dogs is well represented.
• page 60: Super Puppies by Brad Fitzpatrick • page 84: Building a Bird Dog by Tom Keer (This piece includes many of our photos, including an awful one of me. Thankfully, the sleeping puppies are adorable.) • page 94: The Journey by Kali Parmley
Last summer, Jerry and I met Kali, Editor in Chief of Gun Dog, when she drove from her home in Utah to our Minnesota kennel to pick up her eight-week-old setter puppy out of Houston’s Nelly Bly by Northwoods Grits. She hauled a very cool camping trailer and brought her Labrador retriever, Lincoln, too. She wrote an excellent piece about her decision and ensuing journey to add a pointing dog to her hunting string.
Other pieces deserve mention.
Chad Hines of Willow Creek Kennels in Little Falls, Minn., is quoted in Debunking Puppy Development Myths by Tony J. Peterson. Chad and his wife, Tracy, bought two setter puppies from us recently. The first was a male out of CH Erin’s Hidden Shamrock x Northwoods Nickel in 2018 and, just one year later, they added a female out of Northwoods Rob Roy x Northwoods Minerva.
Jeremy Moore from Pulaski, Wisc., is a columnist who writes in every issue. Even though he’s a passionate Labrador guy, he’s intrigued by pointing dogs and has a deposit with us for a female setter puppy.
On a rare, quiet afternoon at Northwoods Bird Dogs recently, Jerry was interviewed by Tony Peterson for the Sporting Dog Talk podcast.
Tony is the host and co-creator of the podcast and is an enthusiastic, knowledgeable dog lover and hunter. He and Jerry discussed many aspects of owning and training a bird dog.
Tony Peterson, host of the podcast Sporting Dog Talk, and his Labrador, Luna.
The bird dog world is a small one, and so, it seems, is the dog world in general. Tony owns a Labrador but became aware of us through two of our clients—Kali Parmley and Jeremy Moore.
Jerry and I got to know Kali this summer when she drove from Utah to pick up her 8-week-old male setter puppy from us. Her day job is editor of Gun Dog Magazine and Backcountry Hunter. Tony does freelance work for Kali.
Jeremy Moore is another freelancer for Kali. Jeremy and a group of friends visited our kennel last summer and, even though he is a Labrador guy like Tony, put his name on our 2021 puppy list.
Northwoods Minerva (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2017), in front, and Northwoods Aphrodite (RU-CH Three Leaf Shamrock x Southern Grace, 2018).
Recognize these tricolor setters?
That’s Northwoods Minerva and Northwoods Aphrodite on the cover of the newest catalog from Kevin’s, Fine Outdoor Gear and Apparel. The blurb on the inside page states: “Great wild bird dogs can handle both our beloved Bobwhites and the king of the north woods, the Ruffed Grouse.”
Chris Mathan shot the photograph last spring at Pinehaven Plantation in Monticello, Fla. Chris, of Chris Mathan Sporting Dogs, is an excellent outdoor photographer and graphic designer and also a long-time business associate and friend. She lives in Pavo, Ga., and is in high demand to photograph the myriad bird dog hunting and field trial gatherings in the area.
Kevin’s is an institution in this plantation-rich region of south Georgia/north Florida. Kevin Kelly and his wife, Kathleen, run a business that includes the catalog and stores in Thomasville and Tallahassee. The Thomasville location on Broad Street couldn’t be more charming. Complete with a high ceiling, squeaky wooden floor, gorgeous antique display cases and top-quality merchandise piled in every nook and cranny, the shop is always bustling.
Jerry and I own Minerva (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2017). She inherited wonderful traits from her sire and dam, including her spectacular posture on point. She is part of the grouse and quail guiding string and has whelped two fine litters.
Aphrodite (RU-CH Three Leaf Shamrock x Southern Grace, 2018; Shamrock is out of Northwoods Chardonnay by CH Erin’s Hidden Shamrock) now hunts quail for John Downing on Long Brow Plantation in Green Pond, S.C.
Hunters, guides and dogs at Bowen Lodge, located on the shores of Lake Winnibigoshish in northern Minnesota.
Bowen Lodge, located about 40 miles northwest of Grand Rapids, Minn., was featured in a Duluth News Tribune story last week by outdoor writer John Myers. The piece was titled “Pointing dog enthusiasts take ruffed grouse hunting to the next level.”
Bill and Gail Heig, owners of Bowen Lodge, transform their resort into a premier grouse hunting and guiding operation each autumn so it was entirely natural that Myers spent a couple days with their guides and clients.
What is more unusual is that Myers understood and clearly articulated the unique experience of hunting grouse and woodcock over pointing dogs.
“And so goes upland bird hunting in the traditional pointing dog style, where only birds flushed from under a solid point are considered fair game. If there’s no shot, so be it. The dog work, the pointer’s steadiness and style, are honored as much as any bird in the game pocket of the Orvis hunting coat.
“Every point is a memory, every grouse a trophy. It’s about carrying ancient side-by-side double barrels considered functional works of art. It’s about the camaraderie of Scotch in front of a fireplace after the hunt and the laughter over who missed what and why.
“It’s the process, not the success, that matters most to these guys.”
Jerry and I have known Bill and Gail for about 23 years. We have a deep friendship based on shared interests and a business relationship formed through grouse guiding and pointing dogs. Bill has owned many setters and pointers out of our kennel.
Consequently, many hunters have bought our dogs after watching Jerry and Bill guide over them.
Featured in the story are hunters Ken Taylor and Jim DePolo of Pennsylvania; guides Cubby Skelly, Jens Heig and Bill Heig; and setter male Tyler (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2011), pointer female Gee (CH Elhew G Force x Northwoods Vixen, 2013) and pointer female Macey.
Against a background of golden maples and basswoods, hunters, guides and dogs are a colorful group.
How to describe the camaraderie and hunting experiences that bring guests, guides and dogs back to a northern Minnesota lodge for 10, 20, 30 years?
Bill Heig, who with his wife Gail own Bowen Lodge on the shores of Lake Winnibigoshish, explains it this way:
“Sportsmen and women from all over the country gather at Bowen Lodge to spend their days in some of the nation’s finest ruffed grouse and woodcock covers. The evenings around the stone fireplace are filled with testimonials of the day’s adventures, topped off with Gail’s world-famous table.”
As for the dogs and guns, Bill says:
“A dog must be at the top of its game to be considered a true ‘grouse dog.’ To bag a pointed bird over a stylish bird dog with a lovely, lightweight, well-balanced gun really adds icing to the cake.”
Even better than reading about a guided grouse hunt, though, is to see one. Kurt Walbeck of Outdoor Bound TV, a Midwest-based hunting and fishing show, visited Bowen Lodge for several days last fall. He just released “Bowen Lodge Minnesota Grouse and Woodcock Hunting.”
Filming in woods so thick with aspens and other woody plants that it’s almost impossible to see dogs or birds can be problematic. So, too, it can be difficult to capture the special ambiance and close connection between guides, hunters and dogs.
But Kurt nailed it all. He catches Bill giving his safety lecture before a hunt. He films spectacular dog work and exciting, screech-to-a-halt points. He captures the beauty of the woods in autumn. Perhaps most importantly, Kurt gets the relaxed friendships, the ribbing, the laughter and the wonderful evenings in the lodge for dinner and story-telling.
Brian Simmons, Dick Taylor and Jon Hirtle are featured hunters. Guides include Bill and Jens Heig, Cubby Skelly, Mike Powers, Tony Follen and Jerry. Stars of the film, or “pro athletes” as Brian describes them, are the dogs—Bobbi and Gee (owned by Bill, bred by Jerry and me), and Oscar, Carly and Vixen (bred and owned by Jerry and me).
Nick Larson could hardly wait to get his puppy Hartley (Northwoods Grits x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2014) into the woods to check out early season grouse.
Project Upland (https://www.projectupland.com/) is a website and initiative dedicated to “the cultures and traditions of upland bird hunting” across the country. There are things to watch, listen to and read—and even stuff to buy.
We’ve known Nick for several years. He and his wife Lacey bought a male setter puppy out of Northwoods Grits x Houston’s Belle’s Choice from us in 2014. We’ve bumped into him occasionally since then and stayed in touch. Even though Nick has a real job, he is a passionate hunter, dog owner and outdoorsman and gives back generously to the sport.
“To Break or Not To Break, That is the Question” is the intriguing title of a piece Tom Keer wrote for Ruffed Grouse Society magazine’s Spring 2018 issue.
Keer interviewed seven men with various backgrounds in training, trialing, guiding and handling bird dogs. Among them is Matt Soberg, RGS Director of Communications and editor of Ruffed Grouse Society magazine and Jerry. Included also are photographs of two English setters we bred, Northwoods Carly Simon and Northwoods Guns N’ Roses, and long-time client Jim DePolo.
Our bird dog background is wild bird field trial competition where dogs must be steady to wing and shot. Major differences exist between dogs trained for those championship-level performances and hunting dogs. For our guiding work now, we allow our dogs to release after the shot.
Keer lets Jerry explain our philosophy and some of the differences.
“As a hunting guide, I want my dogs to consistently do three things: find birds, point them right and at a distance close enough to present as good an opportunity as possible for a kill shot.
“I like dogs to be bold and savvy to follow the bird until it is pinned…I allow my dogs to reposition until they have the grouse pinned. My clientele is comprised of serious grouse hunters who spent a tremendous amount of time in the woods. I can’t think of one owner of our dogs that fully breaks his setter or pointer. My dogs all release after the shot.
“I think field trailers prefer fully broke dogs for one reason. Their dogs can’t make errors around game. What counts is the find, so birds must be pointed correctly. If the bird is pointed but flushes wild, it’s still counted as a find. But to a hunter, pointed birds that flush may be out of range and not provide a good shot. Grouse trial dogs aren’t required to retrieve dead birds, but in hunting, getting to a crippled bird fast can make the difference between finding it or not. That is where breaking at shot can give the dog an advantage.”
Northwoods Jeter (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2011), owned by Sam Gary, Jr., was featured in a recent episode of Outdoor Bound TV with Kurt Walbeck.
Jerry and I watched two recent videos where three English setters—all bred and trained by us—are stars. They are equally exciting and humbling to see.
The first footage features Bill Heig, owner with his wife Gail of Bowen Lodge in northern Minnesota. Bill was the subject of an episode of Outdoor Bound TV with Kurt Walbeck, a Midwest-based hunting and fishing show.
This program follows Bill and Sam Gary, Jr., on a hunt at Bill and Gail’s bobwhite quail lease in Texas. Bill and Sam have bought many dogs from us over the years—setters and pointers, males and females—but for this hunt, both chose English setter males. Bill took out Louis (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2014) and Sam wanted his favorite, Jeter (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2011).
The Texas ranch setting is beautiful. The dog work is sometimes extraordinary and other times, especially for the younger Louis, earnest. The shooting by Bill and Sam is expert.
The next footage was shot by Nick Larson, a regional director for the Ruffed Grouse Society. Nick was out in the woods near his home in Duluth, Minn., with his setter male Hartley (Northwoods Grits x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2014).
In a fantastical setting of aspen trees and fluffy snow, Hartley pointed and a grouse flushed. The bird then careened off through the woods. Nick captured the whole thing in slow motion on his cell phone and sent it to A.J. DeRosa of Dangerous Cow Publishing for some expert editing.
Nick writes, “For most people, I think the flushing bird is probably the star of the show. It’s a great flush no doubt, but for me, Hartley is definitely the real star because without him I never would have captured the shot.”
