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20 dogs vied for the National Amateur Championship held at the Flaherty Field Trial Area, Windsor, CT, March 25-26, 2023. The respected, experienced pair of John Stolgitis, from RI and Dave McKay, PA, were the judicial panel.

Hunting began in quest of the national amateur title in the early morning of March 25, 2023 with Super Storm handled by his owner and trainer Thor Kain striking out boldly in search of game. “Fed” (think GOAT tennis star), charged to the front and kept his focus on the search throughout the 60 minutes he was allotted to show his hunting skills. From start to finish “Fed’s” efforts took him to appropriate objectives no matter how nearby or far. Fast over the ground, “Fed” is true to the line of high class dogs from which he descends. He’s quick and light on his feet but still powerful when that is needed. At several points through the hunt there are edges that call to be hunted and they go on for hundreds of yards. “Fed” reached in these places showing his drive, determination and power. At other places there are woody thickets that invite exploration and “Fed” maturely adjusted to hunt these objectives as well. His smart hunting was rewarded 4 times with finds. On each find (including the first find where his bracemate ran in front of him while he was pointing) “Fed” demonstrated the intense style and high-headed pointing style that is a trademark which earlier helped bring him the recognition of US Complete National Amateur Dog of the Year twice.

Going down the stretch “Fed” showed he had plenty of fuel left in his tank and at pickup he was well ahead, going strong and requiring a few minutes to round him up.

Little Miss Margaret delivered a very special performance to be named Champion for owner/handler TIm Cavanaugh. There were several impressive performances among the eighteen other bird dogs featuring multiple finds in this competitive championship. We were especially happy with our Super Storm Cliff who had a four-find performance with Thor handling.

Full Breeze, our now 7-year-old female owned by Bob and Dick, has received an invitation to compete against the top 13 other cover dogs at the Grand National Grouse and Woodcock Invitational. Held April 3-5, 2023 at the Black Moshannon State Park, near Phillipsburg, PA, she will run a one hour hunt on the first day of the event and another hour on the second day under the watch of judges Bruce Mueller and Mark Forman. On day three the judges will determine what dogs they want to see on the final day of running.

In order to gain access to the Invitational, “Bree” scored a big win when she was named Champion at the Ontario Grouse Championship in the spring of 2022. Other highlight wins for her were RU Champion at the PA Grouse Championship and 1st in the PA Grouse Open All-Age.

“Bree” is sired by Grand National Grouse Champion Full Blast ex Ch. Straight Forward (she with 9 wins in grouse championships). Both of “Bree’s” parents qualified to run in the Invitational. Straight Forward won the Invitational in her first appearance when the event was held in Michigan.

Known as an extraordinary bird finder throughout her life, “Bree” will be handled by Dave Hughes who has guided “Bree” throughout her career and was at the controls for her championship wins.

The historic Freeland Kennel Club was the site of the fall 2022 Sandy Valley Bird Dog Club field trial, October 2. A perfect fall bird dog day greeted the entrants of the three-stake program. Emerging the 1st place winner of the 13 dogs Amateur Shooting Dog stake was Super Storm Cliff.

Cliff’s performance on this day stood out for the quality of his hunting. From start until the judge ordered pickup at the end of the 30 minute heat, Cliff ran forward to objectives no matter where on the vastly improved Freeland grounds he needed to go. He ran, not only to the limits. but forward on the edge of bell range. At 17 his bell went silent ahead and he was found by handler Thor Kain standing tall with straight-up tail ahead. After the trek to his stand a quail was dispatched with Cliff maintained his composure throughout the fight and shot. While several other competitors had multiple finds, the quality of Cliff’s hunting and bird work elevated him to the blue ribbon on this day.

Cliff has been a favorite of ours right out of the gate as a pup for in trial competitions, he dug up finds including wild game that he pointed and held until flush. His numerous wins at this level earned him the US Complete Amateur Puppy of the Year. As a derby we generally entered Cliff in shooting dog and championship stakes as his training advanced quickly for a derby-aged dog.

Super Storm (Ch Pennstar ex Ch. Straight Forward) placed 3rd at the Mountain View BDC Amateur Shooting Dog stake held as part of the horseback Southern Bird Hunters circuit. “Fed” had a sharp, 3-find performance that left us highly satisfied with his complete effort. As the two-time US Complete Amateur Shooting Dog of the Year, we feel that “Fed” is actually getting better as he moves into the sixth year of his bird dog life. He’s giving us plenty of thrills and his performance here was no exception.

Super Storm Hank, (Maximum Resistance ex Gold Rush) won the Mountain View Bird Dog Club Amateur Horseback Derby, run over the Murphy Farm, Lake Ariel, PA, on Sunday, September 25, 2022.

“Hank” had never been worked/handled off of horseback prior to this stake that was run as part of the Southern Bird Hunters circuit. “Hank” was unruffled by the horseback handling, scouting nor gallery. He just went out and did his best to locate birds. He was successful on three occasions where he got to demonstrate his very high pointing style. High on both ends, “Hank” is a picture on point. Throughout his 30 minute heat 55lb “Hank” was strong and forward. He wants to please, he wants to handle while at the same time being aggressive in his hunting application. Going down the stretch to the finish, “Hank” drove forward showing he had plenty left in his tank.

We were thrilled with “Hank’s” performance in this horseback stake against some veteran handlers whom we respect. We were also thrilled with “Hank’s” performance on these same grounds the prior day where he was 2nd in the US Complete (walking) Amateur Derby stake in an event hosted by the Mountain View Club. Here too “Hank” had a strong effort and clean birdwork, to show his training, only surpassed by the ideal effort of his kennelmate, Super Storm Sandy, who was 1st.

Super Storm Sandy, (Ch. Blast Zone ex Gold Rush), won the Mountain View US Complete Amateur Derby, September 24, 2022. “Sandy” is a later-in-the-year born pup, but she has advanced smoothly during the summer training program conducted by her handler, Thor Kain. She showed her training as well as her genetically endowed hunting abilities in this foot handled stake. Snappy, with lots of jump in her step, “Sandy” motored around the 30 minute course with good speed and serious application. On two occasions she stopped with birds accurately located. It took a bit of time to get to her but she was cool and calm as Thor approached, flushed and put the birds to flight. Her pointing style was 12 o’clock on both pointing occasions. She was a logical choose for the blue ribbon.

Super Storm Liz won the Amateur Shooting Dog stake at the Mountain View BDC event held at the Murphy Farm, Lake Ariel, PA on September 24, 2022.

Liz’s win is especially gratifying to us as over the summer she experienced a severely broken tail. While we don’t know what caused the break, there was a time after more than a month of the tail not responding to treatment that we were all but resigned she would never be able to compete in field trials again. This was quite a bitter pill to swallow as Liz has had such a spectacular career as a derby and our hopes for her were sky high. But now, just in the last days/week we saw glimmers of her tail that had hung limp behind her for well over a month beginning to be held up straight again.

At Mountain View, Liz buzzed around the course, hitting the heavy cover hard and opening up when the cover lessened and the opportunity to reach out presented itself. He was very hard driving, leaving us a bit scared for more damage to her tail. As she drove through the cover she was hunting with determined application. At 15 and 20 she had point called for her and when we found her we were holding our breath to see how her tail looked. She did not disappoint as her tail was absolutely straight and at 10:30 on the one find and 11:30 on the other. As Liz went across the dirt road that separates the south part of the course from the finish on the north end of the farm, she was ripping, putting her athletic body into high geaIt might be a bit of an obsession to be so concerned with a bird dog’s tail but its a part of judging a bird dog

Our derby prospects delivered solid performances at the Arcadia FTC event in Exeter, RI, September 18, 2022. Super Storm Hank and Super Storm Sandy were 2nd and 3rd respectively in the amateur derby. Both dogs displayed the requisite drive and class that you’d need to see in a young prospect. Hank, a strapping 55 lb. boy who earlier won the Grand National Grouse Puppy Classic, has the smooth gait and high carriage that makes you pay attention to him on the move. He pointed quail with high style on both ends and was steady to wing and shot on his find. Hank has come along readily in Thor Kain’s summer training program and that work showed itself in his performance.

Super Storm Sandy (Ch. Blast Zone ex Gold Rush) also had clean birdwork coupled with a very classy hunting effort to garner 3rd in this competitive stake. She’s not as big running/wide ranging a dog as her kennelmate, Hank, but she drove hard to the various objectives and exudes class in her every move.

Bo

Super Storm traveled to Rhode Island and the Arcadian Bird Dog Club to continue his fall campaign. The trip proved worthwhile as he was named the first place winner of their amateur shooting dog stake. The account of his running follows from his handler, Thor Kain.

“Fed was to the front as far as the eye could see at the breakaway, but hunting. First on the left of the course, then crossing and hunting to the left. Got him and put him on an edge perpendicular to the course. About the time I thought he reached the end of that edge I started singing to him and he turned forward toward the front. He rimmed the field to the right side of the course. Then last seen going forward, singing for him again and I could just hear his bell as he came back. When he saw me he turned and went out the other side. Ahead he was seen crossing far to the front and swapping ends-standing like a bull. Couldn’t produce the bird so sent to relocate and he rifles ahead 30 yards and pinned 3 quail that I put to wing. Fed steady to the flush and shot. Forward upon release, Fed faded off the bell and we found him standing to the front. A bird was dispatched and Fed steady throughout the wing and shot, all the while not blinking an eye. Just before the big field that is the finish, Fed swaps ends again and is a statue on a long quail. I heeled him out into the field and made him turn and then I hit the whistle. He was on and off the bell hunting both sides of the course and occasionally crossing hunting with totally application to the end.”

Thor confided that he thought this was the best single 30 minute performance by any dog he’s ever seen.

Game Winner, Bob and Dick’s 6 year old male, trained by Dave Hughes and handled on this occasion by Mark Hughes was named the RU Champion at the conclusion of the 2022 New York Grouse Championship. The grounds and courses at the famed home of Grouse Ridge Kennels were in top condition for this year’s running that saw 34 of the nation’s best cover dogs compete for honors.

Game Winner, call name “Finn”, distinguished himself early in his competitive career by winning 1st at all the open derbies that year in his home state of PA (Nittany, PA Grouse and Venango) as well as going to Michigan and winning 1st at the Grand National Grouse Futurity with a finished grouse find in the closing minutes of an exciting 30 minute hunt. Since then, “Finn” has been campaigned almost exclusively in grouse championship stakes.

In New York, “Finn” ran a flashing one hour. He’s a classy moving dog as were his many winning siblings who won the Grand National Grouse Puppy Classic on multiple occasions. It was the thrilling performances of “Finn’s” siblings from earlier litters that had us determined to get a pup from this mating. On the third repeat mating of Dave D’Hulster’s Springfield Showgirl to our Grand National Grouse Champion Full Blast we were able to get in the que for a pup. Our pup pick didn’t let us down as “Finn” has the carriage, jump and crack in his running form that we have sought and demanded of the dogs we campaigned for now over 40 years.

“Finn” not only put down an exciting hour of hunting at this event, he also found grouse and got them pointed with style. On three occasions point was called by Mark Hughes and in each instance “Finn” had the quarry in front of his nose. At the flush on each of his finds “Finn” was steady and just as intense as when he first pointed. It’s been a long long time since any dog has pointed grouse successfully on three (3) occasions in a championship on the east coast. This underscores what we’ve know about “Finn” since his early days, that he’s a smart dog who has the instincts and intelligence to find wild birds and get them pointed.

An emotional aside to the story of “Finn’s” win is that the pointer who was named champion, Duck Hook, was braced with “Finn”. The pointer also had three (3) beautifully handled grouse finds. Duck Hook is owned by our friend Dick Straub and his recent partner Mike Flewelling. Our friendship with Dick goes back 50 years to Bob Watts’s early horseback field trialing days where “Straubie” lived nearby and both attended the local Brandywine FTC draws, runnings and parties after the day’s running. Dick Brenneman and “Straubie” become close friends through the grouse trials that both attended and competed in successfully for decades. Dick Straub’s dogs accumulated 20 Championship and RU Champion awards over these years through the performances of some exceptional dogs, both pointers and setters. It was reported that Dick Straub’s health was fading and that he was near death when he received the news that his Duck Hook had won the NY Grouse Championship. Dick, on hospice, was pleased and had a smile on his face at the report as he had a goal of achieving 20 championship wins in his life. Dick Straub passed away on September 26, 2022, the day following the announcement of Duck Hook’s win.