Michter's Rock 'N Rye

Jared Specht’s setter male, Michter’s Rock N’ Rye,  handled by pro Dave Hughes, won the 2012 running of the International Cover Dog Futuity at the Flanagan Farm, Oxford, NY, 4/13/12.   As a derby “Riley”, sired by Ch. Lilley Hills Secret Stash x our Grand National Ch. Full Tilt, has won consistently with his strong ground efforts and sharp skills in pointing and handling birds.  In callbacks throughout the fall and spring of this trial season Riley has demonstrated finished manners on game.  “Riley” is the Spechts’ first consistent winning field trial dog and they have done an excellent job of developing him and giving him the opportunity to win in the top level stakes.   Professional trainer Dave Hughes deserves credit for being a major part of “Riley’s” development.

Jumpstart

Jumpstart, owned and handled by Mike Spotts, ripped across the hour course at the Pennsylvania Grouse Trial Club’s Open All-Age scoring two grouse finds in the process to earn first.   Laying consistently to the front, “Woodie” was found pointing her second bird after a lengthy search.  She had the grouse right in front of her nose.  “Woodie”, daughter of Ch. Pennstar,  won this prestigous stake against a large, high quality field that included the full strings of all the top east coast professionals from PA to Maine.  Throughout the spring “Woodie” has been in contention at most every grouse trial, demonstrating her bird finding and consistency on each occasion.  This is “Woodie’s” biggest win and we’ll be hearing more from her in the seasons ahead.

Bold Move

Bold Move, our son of Pennstar, is retired.  “Fire” has been a favorite of ours for several years.  Handled by Dick and at other times, Dave Hughes, “Fire”  racked up a string of derby wins and then competed successfully for a couple of season as an all-age.  Full brother to Grand National Ch. Full Tilt, “Fire” rendered many exciting performances and established himself as a dog who could deliver the goods, be it in NH, NY,PA or MI.   “Fire” produced one litter and his daughter, the young female, Spitfire, has scored several wins including a first in a large open derby field. 

It’s painful to retire a good dog.  With our limited time, ”retirement” from trialing usually means finding a good home with a hunter.  “Fire” will finish out his life hunting grouse and woodcock in PA and pheasants in South Dakota with his new owner.  We are confident “Fire” has found a home worthy of his ability and record and we continue to have access to him as a sire when we or others find a strategic place to insert him into a breeding program.

Full Tilt

Grand National Grouse Champion Full Tilt (retired) whelped a litter of seven pups in early March, 2012.  Sired by our young all-age male, Impact Player, the pups are linebred Ch. Pennstar breeding as Pennstar is the sire of both parents.  This is “Callie’s’ second litter.  Her first litter has had some significant accomplishments that include winning the International Cover Dog Futurity (Michter’s Rock and Rye, 4/12) and the International Woodcock Futurity (All In, 9/2012).  Two other pups from her first litter have been recorded firsts in open derby competition while still officially puppy age.  We are excited at the looks of this new litter and this encourages us to give the pups every chance to be top flight grouse dogs.

Full Blast

Full Blast, son of Pennstar, picked up in the spring of 2012 where he left off from the fall of 2011.  In November 2011, Jeb won the Blakely Derby Classic.   To kick off 2012, Jeb won back-to-back firsts in the open derby at both Nittany Valley (26 entrants) and the West Branch Grouse Trial (34 entrants).   In April Jeb added a placement in the International Cover Dog Futurity to his list of accomplishments. Handled by Dick Brenneman,  at Nittany and West Branch “Jeb” ran a strong, hard drivng 30 minute hunting effort.   The two different courses featured areas of heavy cover as well as more open timber.  Jeb was especially snappy and cracky and he spent a good bit of time on the edge of bell range, but he kept showing to the front.  Jeb’s finish was impressive.  He was hunting as hard at the end as when he started, seriously applying himself to hunting the woods acerage ahead.  In the callbacks, he pointed with his usual high style, intensity and finished manners.  In this early part of the spring 2012, Full Blast continues to lead in the cover dog derby-of-the-year competition, aptly named the Flanagan Award.

Straight Forward

In her first year as an all-age, Straight Forward stepped up to win 1st at the Nittany Valley Open All-Age.  A grouse find handled with manners during a blistering hour of hunting positioned “Cracker” to surpass a field ladened with veterans and Champion pointers and setters.  The next week in the West Branch Grouse Trial (34entries) Cracker was 3rd.  At West Branch, 2 woodcock finds helped her earn the placement.  In both trials she was handled by Dick Brenneman, Cracker continued her steady climb from a youngster who won the Venango Puppy Classic, to a derby who was 3rd in the Flanagan Award, to a top-level performer as an all-age grouse dog.

Star's Misty Willow

Peter Casgrain’s amazing bird finding female, Star’s Misty Willow, won Runner-Up in the Rich Tuttle All-Age Classic held at Marienville, PA, November 14, 2011.  Willow, daughter of Pennstar x Rachael’s Chase Smith, ran her usual well-applied race which earned her two grouse finds.  Birds where hard to come by and the field of approximately 50 dogs struggled to locate grouse….not Willow.  Bird finding has been Willow’s forte over the past years as she has rung up a quality string of all-age wins for her owner, many of them in grouse-rich Michigan.  Willow’s genes were on display not only in the all-age stake but also in  the open puppy stake at Venango where one of her pups placed for Pete in a competitive stake.  Congratulations to Pete on both these nice wins.

During this period I was fortunate to be the breeder of three first place winners of the National Red Setter Futurity.  Double P Rae and Double P Mike were owned by Conrad and Meta Plevnic and my own male Red Hot.  There were a number of other red setters we bred who placed in this event.  I was also honored to serve as the Futurity Secretary.  I came to believe that futurity-aged dogs are at a point in their development and training where one can see the natural qualities that arise from breeding most clearly. 

In 1980 when I moved to the woods of PA, I switched from red setters to cover dog English setters.  My first dog was Wire.  I knew that breeding counted in getting a winner and I went to what I considered the best female of the day, 3x Ch. Ghost’s Star.  When Dick Brenneman and I formed our cover dog partnership in 1981,  he took Wire and won consistently, eventually winning PA Grouse Dog of the Year.  I had two careers at the time–professor of Marketing at Bloomsburg U. and owner of a medium-sized evergreeen nursery and large tree farm.   Having to stick relatively close to home (also two elementary-aged kids), I gravitated naturally to the breeding and young dog development side of the partnership.  This fit right in with my experience in searching the country to creatively breed better red setters.

At this point I secretly set a goal to match the record I’d set as a red setter breeder by breeding three first place cover dog futurity winners.  In the 1980s a son of Wire x Meteor’s Express Train, Harmony Hills Duke owned by Everett Skehan, won the Grouse Futurity.  Then in the early 90’s another offpsring of Wire x Buffalo Run Kate, Star’s Misty Ghost, won the Grouse Futurity for Rob Frame.  I thought the three 1st as cover dog breeder goal was in reach but it took years later and a number of near misses (Full Tilt–2nd the Grouse Futurity, Hard Call–2nd the Grouse Futurity, and Aim High–second the International Cover Dog Futurity).  Finally in October, 2011–31 years after the start–Mike Spotts took our setter male, All In, sired by Ch. Lilley Hills’ Secret Stash x our Ch. Full Tilt,  to Canada and won the North American Woodcock Futurity. 

Of course many others share in most anything accomplished in bird dogs.   Dick and Helen Brenneman are the best partners one could hope for.  Dick is listed as the co-breeder of most of these winners we have bred.  Their input into breeding has been invaluable–they know more about  cover dog setters from witnessing their hunting than any amateurs in the history of the breed.  Mike Spotts for taking All In along to Canada.  Dave Hughes and Ryan Frame for giving us solid breeding advice for years.  We always ask and often act directly on their advice.  Dave and Ryan need also to be thanked for their assistance in developing our winning dogs.  Finally the other owners of futurity winners, Conrad and Meta Plevnic, Everett Skehan (deceased) and Rob Frame.

It’s fascinating to decide on breedings.   Scanning through the list of available winning stud dogs,  both living and deceased.   Finding out as much as possible about their key genetic qualities.  There’s no substitute for seeing the potential sires hunting  first hand.  Objectively figuring out the strength and weaknesses of the potential dam and then matching her with the best choice stud.   And then working with the pups and giving them every favorable opportunity to develop to their fullest.  Nothing is more fun for me than working pups and seeing in the exeptional few their gene combinations work together to create a thrilling bird dog performance.

Jumpstart

Mike Spotts’ daughter of Pennstar, Jumpstart, continued putting forth quality performances over the course of the fall grouse trial season after winning the Nittany Valley Grouse Trial Club’s Open All-Age stake on October 23, 2011.  “Woodie” laid out in front and hunted the cover that was presented to her in serious fashion.  Some parts of the course are very dense and others are open after being recently cut.  A top dog makes the adjustments to these varied covers.  Woodie had a sharply executed woodcock find in the first half of her hour and then capped the effort with another woodcock find (not considered by the judges) just after pickup was announced.  “Woodie” also caused a stir on the grouse trial circuit throughout the fall with what the judges reported as the top hour hunt in the Region 2 Amateur Championship held in the woods of New York State.  The judiciary reported that she only needed a bird to surpass the field.  She also put on a display of classy running at the Venango Grouse Trial Club’s Open All-Age.  Woodie has perfected the knack of laying forward and consistently driving to covers.  Woodie is blessed with (it’s in the genes)  being fast and light-footed over the ground.