Month: April 2019

Full Blast, retired from competition, is still going strong.  Still hunting.  Still mating.  Still producing large, vibrant litters of offspring that win in the field and in the woods–be that hunting upland birds or competing in cover dog field trials.

The quality of “Jeb’s” offspring continues to be proven in cover dog competitions with two of his son’s earning their way to the 2019 Grand National Grouse and Woodcock Invitational held at Gladwin, MI. “Jeb” is the only setter sire with multiple offspring entered in the GNGW Invitational, 2019. 

Jeb’s son, Blast Zone. won both the 2018 New York Grouse Championship and the 2018 Pennsylvania Grouse Championship this past fall.  They were events with large 50 dog+ entries.  Followers of championship quality dogs recall that the temperature was reported to be 90 degrees when Blast Zone thrilled the gallery with his relocation on a running grouse, then going on to finish strong in the unprecedented heat.  Reaching back to his sire’s 2013 win of the Lost Pond Shooting Dog (44 entries) in the spring of 2013, followers recall that the temperatures were in the mid-80s when “Jeb” thrilled the gallery with his hunting and multiple bird finds.  The judge called me on his way home after the running to tell me how impressed he was with “Jeb’s” hunting in the scorching conditions.  “Jeb” and his offspring have heat tolerance.  Heat tolerance has become more important as field trial seasons are extended into late spring and summer and global warming has made for many hot days during the fall.

Jeb’s son, Blast Off, owned by Justin Evans won the Northern Michigan Cover Dog Championship, fall 2018.  This win over a large field was one of the most prestigious wins of that recent season.  He added a 1st at the Pennsylvania Open All-Age this spring to his strong record.  The Northern MI win propelled him into the 2019 GNGW Invitational.

“Jeb’s” production record stands at 40 winners produced to date.  These winners have placed 155 times in field trial competition.  What other living cover dog has a stronger record of producing offspring that epitomize the standards of the Grand National Grouse Club?  Recall, “Jeb’s” youngsters have won the Grand National Grouse Puppy Classic three (3) times and our Game Winner won the 2017 Grand National Grouse Futurity.

In choosing a sire for your cover dog female, ask yourself, “What other setter sire standing at stud today has a proven record of quality production as exceptional as Full Blast?”  Pick your sire based on facts, not fantasy.  

3-TIME WINNER OF THE SEMINATORE AWARD

Regarded as one of the all-time great performing setters, Straight Forward has retired.  From the fall of 2009 through the spring of 2018, “Cracker” scored 29 wins including 9 Championship placements.  A highlight of “Cracker’s” career was her win of the Grand National Grouse and Woodcock Championship in 2013 at Gladwin, MI.  Her 4-find performance on Day 1 stands out as a classic performance in the history of that event.  Pro Dave Hughes trained and handled “Cracker” throughout her championship career.

“Cracker’s” championship wins were earned across the coverdog geographic spectrum and include the Northern New England Grouse Ch., the NY Grouse Ch., the PA Grouse Ch., the New England Grouse Ch. and the MI Woodcock Ch.  “Cracker” earned her reputation as a versatile dog whose strength was bird-finding coupled with incredible determination in hunting.

“Cracker’s” consistent, high level winning garnered her the top English setter cover dog award, the Mike Seminatore Award, three times.  No dog has surpassed this record of hers.  Her consistency was typified in the fall of 2016 when she was in the championship circle at the New England Grouse, NY Grouse, MI Woodcock and PA Grouse in consecutive starts.  No one can recall another coverdog scoring this many grouse/woodcock championship placements consecutively.

With all this campaigning, it was hard to fit in any litters and when we did get her bred, the litters were relatively small.  She was bred first to Grand National Grouse Ch. Full Blast and in that litter Full Breeze emerged and went on to win among her placements, the Grand National Grouse Puppy Classic in the spring of 2017.  5X wild bird Champion Pennstar sired “Cracker’s” second litter using frozen semen.   Super Storm (Thor Kain, owner) and Deciding Point (Dick Brenneman/Bob Watts, owners) are two winning dogs that we have kept from that mating.  We hold them both in high regard.  “Cracker’s” final litter of just two pups was sired by multiple champion Blast Zone.  From that litter we have kept a winning female, Power Forward (Thor Kain, owner).

Today, “Cracker” spends her days relaxing in the kennels at Bob Watts’ home where she considers herself, rightfully, the queen.  She roams the acre dog pasture during the day with her daughter, Power Forward, and looks forward to getting roaded with the “youngsters” 3x a week.  She always loved to go and get to work and we still accommodate her.  Come summer there will be quail and pheasants on the farm to hunt and in the fall she’ll return to the woods where her big heart has always been.