Ch. Wintergreen Max
Mickey Fancher traveled from Wisconsin to New York’s Flanagan Farm to guide his Wintergreen Max, son of Pennstar, to the top placement in the 2011 Grand National Grouse and Woodcock Invitational. The Invitational is a three-day event in which all the invitees run for an hour on two consecutive days with the judges determining what dogs they would like to see on Day Three for an hour. This is a great test of bird dog skill and determination.
Max and Mickey teamed to record a strong hunting effort each day. Coupling this with grouse finds on Day 2 and 3, he was the logical winner. The field included the best of the coverdog world. Only placements earned during 2010 in Grouse and Woodcock Championships count toward the invitation to this classic event. Especially impressive is that Max is trained and handled by his amateur owner, Mickey Fancher. They went up against the best dogs of the cover dog world as well as several of the all-time most successful professional handlers and emerged on top. This is a great win to be savoured for a lifetime.