Grouse Brood on the home course

This morning we did the short loop here at the kennel with both sets of Puppies.  The black and white ones got into a brood of grouse and the hen led them on a merry chase as she would flush and fly only 20 or 30 yards drawing them both away from the chicks which are about the size of the 10 week old quail we got last week.  Yesterday we checked out a cover with Pete and Lucy (Jack X Trip -- Cider and LJ's littermate).  Pete pointed three woodcock and Lucy pointed a turkey with a brood of grouse size chicks and then had a stop to flush on a fourth woodcock.  If it's like last summer there's probably 2 to 3 times that many woodcock in that cover and they'll stay there all summer.  Also the grouse will move in there as well once their chicks are bigger.  Everybody is doing a lot of yardwork to get ready for the end of next week when we'll start hitting the covers regularly.  It's also time for both sets of pups to get a little more structure in their training.

Pete on one of his three woodcock finds yesterday.  I think the camera lens on my phone was a little fogged up which created the bad picture quality.  There's nothing wrong with the quality of Pete's bird work.

Starting to See Some Birds

Yesterday was primarily a yardwork day so this morning I threw Max and Pete in the truck and headed up onto an old hill farm that has some good woodcock cover.  Both dogs ran well and in the cool of the morning (temp in the low 40s) and Pete had a nice find on a woodcock.  Back at the kennel I ran Jagger who is handling really well now and he dug out a grouse although I heard him slow down and stop a couple times before it flushed.  I was standing out in the open and the bird flew by offering what would have been a pretty straight forward left to right shot.  ran the puppies next.  The Jack puppies were up first and I took them to the area on saw Jagger's grouse land.  It's amazing to see their heads snap up as they hit the hot grouse scent.  The both stopped and then gave hearty chase when the grouse flushed.  Then we went on through the bird field where we had let some birds out a little earlier.  They cam out of the woods and were standing on a edge pointed when I came up to them.  They both dove in and tried to chase the bird through the ferns and raspberry canes where it was fortunately safe.  The next brace was Ruby and her sister.  The picture below says it all.  Not bad for 16 1/2 weeks -- stood long enough for me to get my phone out and snap a picture.

Wild Apple Cider is learning the basics.

With Pete this is all just a refresher as he is regularly finding and pointing wild birds.

This is Ruby pointing a quail today.

Hamilton's Blue Diamond

Received this from the Tracys.  It's long overdue.

8 X CH. HAMILTON’S BLUE DIAMOND

 

            Hamilton’s Blue Diamond (call name Jett) is being nominated for the Field Trial Hall of Fame and we are requesting your support and vote.  You may have had the opportunity to see Jett compete and witnessed his great abilities first hand.  Jett entertained people from across the country, he was an intense competitor, demonstrating the qualities we all admire and seek in a dog.  His ability to hunt and find game was second to no one, his desire to please was beyond any expectation, his style and the way he covered the ground was a sight to behold.  Hamilton’s Blue Diamond was possible one of the greatest setter we have ever seen.

 

He accomplished quite a record in the two years that he competed in the shooting dog circuit.  Only dog to win both Shooting Dog Derby & Shooting Dog Setter Award in the same year, 1997.  That includes All Age too.

 

Top Setter Derby Shooting Dog Award 1997 (Bill Conlin Award)

Top Setter Open Shooting Dog Award 1997 & 1998 (Elwin G. Smith Award)

Runner-Up Top Setter Shooting Dog Award 1999 (Elwin G. Smith Award) Joy Top Shooting Dog Award 1998 (now the Purina Top Shooting Dog Award)

8 Championships – 2 Runner Ups

Winner: 1997 Egyptian OSD Champ.- 128 dog entry -won on his 2nd. Birthday

Winner: 1997 Canadian OSD Champ.

Winner:  1997 Kentucky OSD Champ.

Winner- 1998 Eastern OSD Champ.

Winner- 1998 Middle Atlantic Champ.

Winner- 1998 Michigan Champ.

Winner- 1998 Ontario OSD Champ.

Winner- 1998Keystone OSD Champ.

Runner-Up 1998 Kentucky OSD Ch.

Runner-Up 1999 Canadian OSD Ch.

 

Not only was Hamilton’s Blue Diamond a great individual in the field trial world, he was a great producer as well, with over 86 winners with over 309 placements and still counting, both Shooting Dog, All Age, Cover Dog, etc. 

 

He deserves election to the Field Trial Hall of Fame alongside his father Ch. Hicks Rising Sun and his grandsire Ch.Tekoa Mountain Sunrise.

 

Please help support the election of Hamilton’s Blue Diamond into the Field Trial Hall of Fame.  His time has come, your vote is needed!

 

 Thank You,

Summerhill Kennel

George, Mary, Mike Tracy

gtracy4466@aol.com
P.O.Box 7

Glenville, PA 17329-0007

717-235-4466

40th Anniversary

Yesterday was Katie and my 40th Anniversary.  Worked dogs, went for a wildlife drive in the afternoon and out for an ice cream cone after dinner.  That was about as much celebrating as we can take.

Young moose grazing in a field.  They are so poorly designed that they have to get down on their knees in front to eat.

Today was primarily a yardwork day as I went from one end of the kennel to the other heeling and whoaing up and down the driveway.  That eats up a good chunk of time and when you do it with ten dogs and puppies and then end on the barrel.  Most of the dogs are now to the point where I can step away from the barrel and snap a picture.

Maggie on the barrel this morning. She's making great progress.

I also ran the puppies around the big loop and got Jagger out for a run.  I have to keep reminding myself that at just over a year old he's still part puppy.  He's making progress all the time and finger doesn't need to be on the button.  Today he only needed the tone from the e-collar to remind him tp go with me.  He's also doing better on birds although I need a firm grip on the checkcord when the bird flushes.  I'll let him chase wild birds but he's too likely to catch a quail coming out of a trap.  Hopefully he'll be staunch enough on quail that he'll transition to wild birds.

Big Thudd got some good pictures of a bunch of the dogs on point I'll ad them tomorrow.