Ghost Train Cody, 3-year-old son of our Grand National Grouse Champion Full Tilt, was named the Runner-Up Champion at the Region 4 Amateur Championship run on wild birds in MI. Cody is owned by Tom Fruchey who handled him to this title in “Cody’s” first all-age season.
Sired by Lilley Hills Secret Stash, “Cody” has a solid record of derby wins and now at a remarkably young age he has stepped into the Championship circle. Earlier, offspring from this litter won the Cover Dog Futurity (Michter’s Rock N’ Rye) and the North American Woodcock Futurity (All In).
Dick Brenneman received the inaugural “Service Award” from the grouse trial clubs of Pennsylvania. The recognition came at the annual meeting and work day held at the Marienville, PA, grounds and clubhouse. Dick was recognized for four decades of work in support of the grounds, trials and clubs in the Pennsylvania grouse circuit The participating clubs include the Venango, Pennsylvania, West Branch, Nittany Valley, Black Ash and PA Amateur Grouse Trial Clubs.
It’s no surprise that Dick receives this award as he has presided over the PA Grouse Club for decades. But it’s for putting his back and hands to work for the clubs that he is best known. He has done yeoman’s work on the grounds each year. . he organized this work day, just as he has each year for as many years as anyone can remember. Fittingly when it came time for lunch and handing out the award, Dick was just returning with a gang he insisted ought to keep working to clear out all the half hour courses. From moving cars from course to course, to helping the wrangler, to getting judges refreshments, to marshalling an uncountable number of one hour braces, to hosting the draw, to getting the judges, Dick has done it all and done it for years with no sign of letting up. Helen, Dick’s wife, has been deeply involved and a big help in putting on the grouse trials over the years and especially since her retirement from Penn State. She too was recognized in the presentation address delivered by Joe Cammissa.
A plaque with a photo of Dick along with a description of his service will be placed on the clubhouse wall at Marienville. This recognition appears alongside historic photos of other stalwart grouse dog field trialers and their dogs. This is a place in history of the sport that has been well earned.
Full Blast, son of Pennstar, has won the Harden Foster Award for the top coverdog of any breed for 2011-2012. Earlier he was announced as the winner of the Flanagan Award for the 2011-2012 field trial season. The Flanagan Award recognizes the top cover dog setter derby. “Jeb” scored a number of big wins to top a strong field of young contenders. Jeb started off the past season with a first at the DuBois-Beaver Meadows open derby. While this trial is not a part of the cover dog circuit, Jeb’s three finished finds and strong hunting effort made us realize he was something special. Some of his finds were well off the path and this kind of composure on game is rare for a dog who is less than a year and a half old. Always calm and cool, “Jeb” went on in the fall to capture 1st in the prestigious Blakely Derby Classic. This stake accompanies the PA Grouse Championship and virtually all the top derby dogs were there with their trainer/handler. In the spring, first place awards over large fields at Nittany Valley and the West Branch Grouse Trial Club elevated “Jeb” to the forefront of the competition for the top setter derby. One judge exclaimed at the end of his West Branch brace, “what a specimen”. Late in the season, “Jeb” placed in the International Cover Dog Futurity. In all his wins, “Jeb” was handled by co-owner, Dick Brenneman.
“Jeb” was bred by Jim Chambers of Uniontown, PA. When we acquired him, we immediately put him into our puppy program which Bob Watts has been building since the 1960s. Lots of exposure to new situations, learning to stake out, travel for significant periods of time in a crate, standing calm on the whoa bench and time in the field, on a 3X a week schedule, with as much wild bird contact as possible synthesizes the puppy program. “Jeb” came along fast on wild birds as he was handling wily pheasants in late fall and winter. In the summer prior to his derby year, “Jeb” was in training with Dave Hughes and Ryan Frame. Dave deserves much of the credit for “Jeb’s” advanced development around game. Back home with Dick and Helen Brenneman, Jeb was worked in grouse and woodcock covers exclusively on the 3X a week program. When Mike Spotts took Jeb along to Maine in September for grouse and woodcock, “Jeb’s” training and instincts really shone with many solid points on these wild birds. The stage was set for the trial season and all this work came together with “Jeb’s” strong drive, pointability, style and desire propelling him to come out on top of the Flanagan award competition. “Jeb” is the third winner of the Flanagan Award that we have owned. Earlier our Topseed (Ch Body Guard sired) and later-to-be Grand National Grouse Ch. Full Tilt (another Pennstar prodegy) had won this award.
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, 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, 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.
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, 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.
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.
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.
