Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Smoothbore Button Buck

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The sun was rising in the east, brightening up the live oak woodlot that I had seen many deer in over the last few years. I pulled my worn woodsmans frock tighter around me and was glad I decided to wear my wool weskit and wool stockings this day.

It was cold winter morning in Texas, the frost was heavy on the grass and fallen leaves and a film of ice was evident on the depressions that held water from the snow on Christmas Eve. I slowly moved through the assorted live oak trees and ducked under a rail fence that separated one pasture from the other.

Moving slowly along the creek, I spied a small flock of wood ducks feeding in one of the deeper pools along Whiterock Creek. These pools are formed by the spring and fall flood water rushing over the soft limestone rock. I watched them for several moments before I moved on, at this movement the small flock lifted off the still water of the pool, leaving small ripples in their wake.

As I walked towards the pond near the back of the woodlot, I stopped and listened, squirrels were chattering and I heard a hoot owl and my gaze turned to the big snag that the owl had called his home for a while now. Across the dry leaves I carefully walked along a cut that would bring me close to the convergence of three small deer trails that have been heavily used lately. As I walked, I heard some brush breaking and stopped and listened, looking in the direction that the sound had originated from. I found myself wishing I was near the small deadfall that I had made into a makeshift blind as I was sure the sound was coming from the deer trail that was just below that, but alas I had gotten up a bit late this morning. I carefully continued on my way, taking a couple steps, stopping and listening for a span of time before continuing with this pattern as I moved down the old road toward the pond.

My fowler rested comfortably cradled in the crook of my arm, my powder horn and bag tucked high up under my right arm.

A light mist was rising off the pond to my left and I caught something out of the corner of my eye. I slowly turned my head to see a small yearling deer standing in the open next to the seep about 50 or 60 yds in front of me. Slowly, I brought the fowler up and cocked "Ole Never Doubt." It seemed like an eternity to accomplish this simple and well practiced movement. I bought my fowler up and sighted down the barrel. Without thinking I held just above the right front shoulder at the top of the deer's back. I fired, the ka-boom report and hard shove of the fowler - reassured me that the 90 gr load was speeding the big 62 caliber ball on its way. I watched as the deer flinched and debris flew from near the deer, and disbelief as the deer ran up the hill with another and stood near the top of the pond bank.

I quickly poured powder and rammed a bare ball down the barrel as several unseen deer moved in front of me. I momentarily took my eyes off the deer as I put an overshot wad down the barrel and when I looked back up - both deer had moved off. I finished reloading and primed my fowler and went to see if I could find a blood trail. Nothing!

The woods had grown silent as I moved in a small circle along the meadow and woodlot, hoping to find a blood trail. The leaves were disturbed but I found no blood, and the passing of the close to eight other deer obscured the trail. As I expanded my circle outward, I saw several deer moving through the woods in front of me, but as I followed the trail through the blow downs and cedar it became very difficult to discern the tracks and I lost them near the creek.

I returned to my stables and kennel and got out one of the dogs, and was joined by my oldest child in the search. We returned to the pond where I last saw the deer and as I passed by a cut, there lay the deer not 20 yds from where I last saw him. The ball entered a bit farther back and evidently he was slightly quartered to me because the wound path angled forward with no exit wound and we were unable to recover the spent ball - the liver was destroyed.

This is the first deer, I have killed with a muzzleloader since the early 90s and the first with my fowler since I acquired it 2 yrs ago.

What a journey me and "Ole Never Doubt" have taken over the last 3 yrs. I acquired her from very good maker about 3 winters ago. She was a lovely little thing. Quick and well balanced, but for whatever reason she was tempermental driving me to distraction. First, her trigger pull was heavy, once I got that worked out, I found that she shot low and to the right. A bit of work with the file and she was shooting at the right elevation but still to the right. I tried moving the front sight, cutting a dovetail for a rear sight. Finally, one morning in the main room of the camp house. I took her barrel out and put it on two blocks of wood, and stood on it, bending the barrel to the left. That finally fixed windage and elevation problems. Then, after several wins in rifle and fusil matches with her and over one thousand rounds down the barrel. The lock started to occasionally fail to spark. After heat treating the frizzen and switching to black english and french amber flints she was sparking reliably.

As many young men are prone to do and some not so young men. A newer, and more appealing distraction came into my life. A fine early virginia 50 caliber rifle. And "Ole Never Doubt" found herself relegated to my gun closet, neglected. What made me choose her this day instead of the rifle only a higher being understands. But, in the end the familiarity and comfort she and I have developed over 3 years won out, and I am grateful I picked her up that day.

The little woodlot is a piece of paradise unlike any of the surrounding area. Much of the area around it is suburban housing developments along with large farms with horses and cattle grazing on Bermuda grass and fescue. No the little farm is special, that day as with most days. I am amazed at the variety and type of wildlife that calls our little farm home.

There are deer, turkeys, grey foxes, bobcat, oppossum, coyotes, raccoons, and even a beaver once in a while cruising the creek bottom and waterways on the farm. There are birds of wonderous variety, golden eagles, goshawks and red tailed hawks and even a small falcon or two, floating effortlessly on the air currents or roosting in the old pecan trees are often seen.

All on a little 88 acre piece of paradise, that I have mostly to myself. I am grateful for this blessing and even more so since on this day I decided to take "Ole Never Doubt" and she came through for me. Makes one wonder I ever doubted her.

Cheers

Dan'l Hickham

Monday, December 14, 2009

More success

We ran two puppies in the Hill Country PDC trial. Maggie was 2nd and Dolly was 4th

Keith - Posting from Under the Live Oak Trees

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Good showing this weekend

I entered four dogs in the Dallas Pointer and Setter Club trial at Wortham, TX.

In the Open Shooting dog I ran Tucker (Parrs Tucker) had a nice find, stood with the flush and the bird flew over his head and I fired he took 5-6 steps but I was able to stop him, unfortunately, it was a broke stake - but this dog has come a long ways and I am super happy with his effort today.

In the Open Derby - Cullen ran nice, a bit lateral and had 1 find and 2 non productives but finished strong and was awarded 3rd Place. Maggie ran a hard driving, forward race with two very nice finds. She finished strong and was awarded 1st Place.

In Open Puppy - Dolly ran a bit immature at first but picked up and ran a nice forward race with a nice find. She did not finish in the money - but it was a great effort and I look for more great things from her.

Keith - Posting from Under the Live Oak trees

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. It will be a busy one for me - working dogs as usual and hopefully I will get it done early enough to go out and relax shooting my flintlock rifle or fowler.

We have several up and coming young dogs that I will be getting ready for hunting in January - most of them are young but seem to be talented.

Keith - Posting from Under the Live Oaks

Monday, November 23, 2009

Another Solid Weekend for Bootleather Gun Dogs

I just got back from running in La Grange, TX. I entered 6 dogs (5 llewellins and one irish setter) In Open Gun Dog - I ran Whiterock Jackaranda - She had a find at 5 minutes and was very nice looking - I rode up a bird it flew over her head and it was too much for her. She chased like a puppy. OH WELL.

In the Open Derby, I ran Celtiagh Magix Cullen (IS) and Bergs Collin. Cullen had 3 finds and a very nice hard driving race. Collin started slow but picked up well, had 2 finds and a strong race at the end. Cullen was awarded 1st Place. Both my scout and I thought Collin would have gotten a piece of it, but the judges saw it differently. Collin ran the best he has in competition and is putting it altogether well now.

In the Open Puppy - Streeks Lil Maggie ran a strong, hard driving race, to the limits of the country she had to work with. Copelands Dolly Parton ran a nice but immature race and finished well. I thought Maggie might have won it but was awarded 2nd Place - Hey, there is always next week. Dolly was awarded 4th Place.

So Bootleather trained and handled dogs wound up with a First Place, a Second Place and a Fourth Place. Not a bad showing.

Kudos to Georgia Brown - dogs from her breeding program dominated the placements. And special thanks to Molly Brown for scouting my dogs - something the program really needs to continue to succeed.

Keith - Posting from Under the Live Oak Trees

Friday, November 20, 2009

Its field trial season

I just got back from judging the Region 8 Amatuer All Age Championship. We saw some good dogs and I had a great time.

Champion - Resters Pro Line O/H Cecil Rester
Runner Up - Barnhills Jake O/H Jim Michaletz

I stayed on after the championship to run some dogs. I ran Misty Valleys Marvel (Chewy) in the Open Derby and although I was pleased with his performance it was not quite good enough to place.

In the Open All Age Classic (A National Championship Qualifier) I ran Blizzards Bomberstone Diva - She was not performing up to standards and I elected to pick up at 30 min.

This was a major step up for our program - I was running against a who's who of major all age championship quality dogs including at least 7 dogs that were at Ames Plantation in 2009

It was great fun overall.

The previous weekend I ran in the Texas Coastal Brittany Club trial at Wortham, TX. I placed Maggie 1st in the Open Derby and Cullen 3rd in the Open Derby. This was the exact opposite of the last time we ran them. This weekend I am running 6 dogs in a trial at West Point, TX.

So, far it has been a great year for the program.

Keith - Posting from Under the Live Oaks

New Pics





This is Celtiagh Magix Cullen - he has had a nice fall season placing in 2 of the 4 trials he has run in this fall. He was also bred to Celtiagh Magix Dot and we should have a bunch of little Cullens and little Dotties running around this spring and I can't wait to get them up to SD in the summer.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Back but Under the Weather

Hello, all - I just wanted to let everyone know we are back in one piece, and that all the dogs are missing their owners. I came back to a hot, humid day (84F) then the very next day had to work all morning day, in the pouring down and cold rain.

This has put me under the weather. I have a high fever (101F) and Daniel will have to meet you, as I don't want to get any sicker, until I am feeling better.

Very Sorry;

Keith Hickam Sr.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Field Trial stuff

Congratulations to the following dogs and owners

Blackhawks Dot - Bourke Harvey - 1st in Open All Age Derby
Fayeds Chewy - Fayed O Fayed - 2nd in Open All Age Derby

There were 7 dogs drawn for this wild bird stake on the prairies in Montana

Whiterock Mali - Chuck Wilson - 3rd in Open Shooting Dog. There were 18 dogs drawn for this stake.

Sunday, was also a good day for the dogs.

In the Open Derby (Shooting Dog). There were 8 starters in this stake.

1st Place was Celtiagh Magix Cullen -Teresa and Keith Hickam
3rd Place was Streeks Little Maggie - Donna Gibbons-Markey

These stakes are multiple course trials run on wild sharptail, huns and pheasants, every course has plenty of birds.

On a lighter note - Tucker waited to the last day to get broke - but he had 4 broke finds on wild pheasants on his last outing prior to coming with me to Montana for some more work - unfortunately we did not get into any more birds here.

Keith - Posting from the Banks of the Wide Missouri

Monday, September 28, 2009

Cold blustery days - camp wrapping up

Well, we are packing up and winding down - we will still road the dogs and work a few dogs on birds every evening but for the most part - we are finished working dogs and wrapping up camp.

We have available for purchase a few puppies. These pups have been run on the prairie all summer - pointed many wild birds, and are running great. They have been properly exposed to gun fire and are some of the best bred llewellin setters in the country. They are for sale for $750 each.

#1 Mystra - female chestnut full masked tricolor. She is a top notch field trial prospect - she is out of Whiterock Mali by Whiterock Forever Knight, both her parents have numerous derby and shooting dog wins. Mystra is a solidly built female that runs with a merry cracking tail and points with a 11 oclock tail. Super nose, she has been run off horseback and makes 200 yd casts on a regular basis and has pointed and held birds for me to ride up and flush. She reminds me of her aunt Diva - and should be a top notch shooting dog prospect. She should go to a serious AF or AKC field trialling home.

#2 Tymora - female chestnut belton. She is another very good field trial prospect, littermate sister to Mystra. She is a very nicely built female, almost masculine build (reminds me of Diva). Runs with a merry tail, and this dog has been observed making 350 yd casts when run for horseback. Has pointed and knocked many pheasants and sharptail. Very enduring dog often running 8 miles while I road older dogs and making strong forward casts into the prairie to point birds. She should be a top notch field trial prospect. AF or AKC field trialling homes would be best.

#3 Xena - 3/4 masked chestnut tricolor - Strong dominant bitch. Littermate sister to Mystra and Tymora. She points with a 12 oclock tail and has a great nose - pointing countless pheasants and sharptail this summer. She has not the endurance of Mystra and Tymora but still has very good bottom. She makes 200 yd casts occasionally but mostly will run about 150 yds from horseback. She will be a very good AKC Gun Dog or a dog for a serious wild bird hunting prospect.

#4 Loki - Full sibling to Diva and Knikki - By Shoeleathers Tanner out of Sherrods Pretty Polly. This is a big male tricolor belton. He has pointed numerous wild birds and conditioned to gun fire. He is a strong male, and has good endurance. Points with an 11 O clock tail. And has a good nose. He works at 100-125 yds from horseback. He runs with a lively tail but a bit low. In workouts, he is not as serious as I would like to see, but still very attentive and trainable. He will be a great hunting dog I believe.

#5 Chester - This a a full masked chestnut tricolor. He is going to be a 60 lb plus dog. Runs big, have seen him make 400-500 yd casts, but needs to develop more endurance. He points with an 11 o clock tail and will be a fine dog for a serious wild bird hunter. While here on the prairie he has had lots of contact with wild pheasant and sharptail, showing a nose for birds. Should be a great hunting dog for a serious wild bird hunter.

Contact Chuck Wilson - 254-644-5207 if interested.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Fine day for puppies

Well, we are giving the older dogs the day off, today. We ran puppies. We have several trial prospects - that may be available for purchase (we can't trial them all) Mia is standing broke to the flush along with her sister Dolly. One of these pups is gonna be a serious trial dog. Dolly is a client dog that has made tremendous progress.

Mystra, Tymora, Diana and Xena - All pointed birds today and did a great job they are conditioned to gun fire now and are doing great - Diana and Tymora - Had numerous points and flushes on wild birds. Xena is holding point very well.

Molly and Haley - Had numerous finds - holding to the flush - they had a great run for over one hour.

Tucker - Ran today because he is really starting to make a turn - it is very probable that if I had 10-20 more days here on wild birds he would be broke with style and class. He had a semi-broke find today - he was making game and I saw birds running through the grass - a gentle whup and he stopped and pointed - he stood through the flush of 15 birds and through the shot - holding until I collared him away. He had a stop to flush - that I whoaed him on - and handled it fine too - then on a third contact he stopped to flush on his own and held with manners through the shot. I am so happy to see this from him. Should we be able to get him broke - he will be a very nice trial dog.

Knikki - Had a broke find on a pheasant. We then moved into a wheat field that holds sharptail - this was just what Knikki needed - he had numerous wild flushes that he mishandled and was corrected and after about is 3rd stop to flush correction was stopping promptly on the wild flushes.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Friday, September 25, 2009

Great Training day

We, had visitors for a week - Joe and Janeen Schneider from Houston. Our days were great, especially yesterday.

All the braces had birdwork. Most of the dogs are seriously ready to run in upcoming trials.

Dogs we ran were:

Chewy, Dot, Tymora, Mystra, Knikki, Diva, Mali, Jackie, Maggie and Collin.

They all ran wonderful shooting and all age races respectively. Each had a contacts with birds with the broke dogs handling it with all in order - puppies and derbies held to flush.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Cooler Days

Dot - Running a big all age race, she had one mishandled opportunity to point birds in a high wind.

Chewy - Running big all age race, he pointed a single sharptail and finished strong.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Cooler days was very good for the dogs

Maggie, Collin, Molly, Dolly, Jake, Doc, Bess, and Haley - have been running very well, they have had multiple finds on pheasants and sharptail in the last couple days.

Max - Running well, finds birds and holds to the flush or shot.

Kiwi - Running very well, she has not had much birdwork lately, however. Right, where she needs to be for a puppy aged dog.

Buster - Running a nice very comfortable foot hunting range. He has found multiple birds today but was not holding steady. I have been taking Buster and Tucker out often at night to hope more birds would help - it seems to be working but very slowly for Buster.

Tucker - Had some stop to flush today with some correction, this progress is good and gives hope that Tucker is making the turn towards being broke. He finds birds most days and his ground work is great.

Trevor - Making progress, about where he should be for a derby aged dog. Finds some birds, green broke in yard training.
Lucy - Broke, Broke and more broke - runs a nice gun dog race. Sweet dog that is a pleasure to train.

Jackson - Still not much progress. Runs short and seems not to care about hunting or birds.

Hope - Running great and had a nice broke piece of birdwork on an honor of a bracemate on sharptail. Making progress towards our goal.

Tech - Ran great, hunting improving and patterning great. No birds today though.

Kane - Great shooting dog race. One broke find - Diva and he made some fantastic moves and are a pleasure to watch and train.

Diva - Still the diamond of the show. Running great and I foresee great things for her.

Knikki - Did some bad stuff yesterday - ended up in the harness because he was chasing wild flushes like a puppy.

Jackie and Mali - Multiple broke pieces of work - running very well. They are coming on great and should be great competitors this season.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Cold front coming


Well, the last couple days have been warm, but we will get a cold front coming in this weekend.

Dolly and Mia - They ran together this morning and had several points or contacts with numerous pheasants. Nice pair of littermates.

Jakey, Collin, Maggie, Molly and Bess. Ran this morning and did a nice job reaching out on the prairies, staying forward and pointing some birds. Molly had a nice find on a 3/4 grown rooster pheasant. Collin and Jakey shared a find, and Maggie had numerous finds and knocked a bunch of sharptails.

Buster - Had a nice find and some other contacts. Still working close.

Tucker - Running great, had a nice find. More he runs and makes contact the better he is getting.

Diva - Ran a big shooting dog race, no opportunity at birds.

Jackie - Had a nice back, ran better than she has previously.

Mali - Had a beautiful shooting dog race, she had one find and a stop to flush.

Max - Had a nice find and a good gun dog race and pattern.

Star - Ran a nice gun dog race, and had a broke find.

Lucy and Kane - Ran well with a broke find each.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Warm Days

We worked a bunch of puppies today early. Dolly, Mia, Bess, and Molly. Each of these dogs had at least one productive point on wild pheasants, they hunted diligently and to likely places to hold birds.

Dot and Chewy - Ran a pretty nice shooting dog race, in very tough conditions. Dot had 2 finds, Chewy had one find.

Knikki and Rhemy - Ran a nice shooting dog race, went to likely objectives. Knikki had a broke find and a back. Littermates that scorch the country.

Jakey and Tech - Ran very well making 200-400 yd casts. Jakey pointed 1 bird, and Tech had contact with 2 more. Progress continues.

Collin and Maggie - Ran extremely nice moderate shooting dog race. They went to likely objectives and made intelligent casts. Unfortunately, the numerous birds we saw driving into the training grounds scattered into the cornfields where they are relatively safe from being found by the young dogs.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Still a bit on the warm side


We got a bit done today in spite of the warm weather. Haley, Collin, Doc, Maggie Jake all had multiple finds or contacts on the numerous pheasants that are getting out now that the crops are coming off. At times there were 4 pups either backing or pointing today.

Max - Ran well, had a nice race in the heat at nice comfortable gun dog range with one non-productive

Lucy - Had a beautiful stop to flight, on a sharptail that I rode up. Made some very nice gun dog casts

Cord - Great race, had one honor and one piece of broke bird work.

Hope - Had some non-productives and one find on a pheasant, with a pretty nice AKC Gun Dog race.

Kane - 3 honors and one broke find - nice shooting dog range.

Jackson - Still not wanting to hunt much. Will continue to work on him.

Buster - 3 finds on pheasants - derby broke manners - very nice close hunting dog range.

Tucker - Made some huge moves - had bird contact, but did not get any pointed. Will continue to work him on areas where we have lots of birds.

Star - Ran well, but did not have any bird work.

Trevor - Ran well, but scenting conditions were not great and he had no bird work.

Sally - Ran well, one bird contact. Making progress

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Training today



We ran the puppies first this morning. The puppies we ran were: Doc, Collin, Molly, Dolly and Mia.

Doc - Ran well, he pointed 3 pheasants and ran all over the alfalfa fields we were training on sometimes getting in there over 300 yds.

Collin - Made some huge moves, he pointed 2 pheasants, and his application was good. Listening better.

Molly - Ran hard and had more points and backs than I could count but about 6 or so of each.

Dolly - Ran big, made some 200 plus yd casts, pointed 2 pheasants and honored Mia twice.

Mia - Ran big, made some casts in the 100-300 yd ranges, pointed 4 pheasants and honored Doc and Mia once each.

Dot - Ran super well, nice shooting dog range. She had a non-productive on a pheasant that ran out and flushed 100 yds in front of us I believe.

Cullen - Pointed 1 pheasant - ran well and to the front, super nice and developing field trial dog.

Buster and Tucker - Had numerous opportunities to point birds, but failed to do so. Still hoping that the light will come on for both of them.

Chewy - Ran a nice shooting dog derby race. Mishandled his bird, but getting much better.

Knikki and Diva - Ran big shooting dog race for over an hour. Knikki had a nice piece of broke dog work with Diva backing mannerly. Diva made some great moves but did not come up with any finds.

Mali and Jackie - Ran a moderate shooting dog race for an hour. Jackie had an non-productive early with Mali backing. Mali returned the favor later. Near the end of the hour Mali had a broke find with Jackie backing mannerly. It was great work - Jackie was tempted by a grouse flying right over her head, she maintained her composure and only turned her head to watch the flight of the bird.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

P.S. I am getting my field trial schedule for October firmed up. I need emails from the following people, so we can firm up whether campaigning the dogs in field trials is warranted.

Donna Gibbons-Markey - Hope and Maggie
Rhonda Berg - Collin and possibly Haley
Bourke Harvey - Dot
Stan Copeland - Dolly


Let me know - all these dogs are capable of placing/winning field trials.

Waning of Summer


The old trainer started the morning as the sun came up. The air was crisp, a hint of frost on the ground, and the dogs and horses were excited. He saddled his old reliable field trial horse, walked over to the dogs and unsnapped his young irish setter from the chain. Summer was waning into fall, the colors of the trees had started to turn. He marveled at the brilliant painting on the canvas of the Earth that the Creator had blessed him with. The chokecherries and plums were ripening and large groups of prairie birds had started to congregate near these areas feasting on the manna from Heaven. He planned to run his younger dogs around these areas to get them in more opportunity to point birds. Time was running out and the old trainer felt the urgency of the coming field trial season, and the necessity of getting his young dogs broke and in great shape, as judging by what he had seen at the few prairie trials he attended the competition would be fierce again this year, just like it was every year. He was confident in his shooting dogs, they were as prepared as he had ever had them and he felt for sure. That this would be, His Year.

He reflected on the young derbies he had at camp and felt this was a very good crop of derbies, as good or better than most he had in the previous summers.

There was the brilliant orange and white nephew of his old dog. He had already placed in a prairie derby stake this year. He had just gotten better in the weeks since that trial, maturing in application and bird work on every opportunity.

A young tri color bitch. She was the daughter of a field trial winner herself, and as the summer passed into fall, she had been a whisker away from placing in a trial herself. He thought to himself, she will put it all together soon, and be hard to beat. She had intelligent expressions, and he could tell she understood what was expected of her and she improved and showed greater potential each work out.

Then there was the strong willed, naturally talented orange and white derby from north Texas. Related to some of the best dogs he had trained, but more strong willed and quite trainable once he decided to be trained. This dog likely had greater potential than any of the other derbies. He thought to himself. Once he makes the turn, wow!

He felt the young derby put his head against is leg - demanding a pet and a scratch from his old master. The excitement of the dog was evident by the trembling and excited whining as the old trainer lead him to the starting line to turn him out for his workout that would last nearly an hour. The brilliant copper hue of the dogs coat shined in the early morning sun as the old trainer turned the dog loose to roll across the prairie. Soon, he was a copper dot against the yellows, and reds of the turning leaves and flora of the prairie. He made a cast down a small drainage, working into a the wind and pointing at the edge of a small cluster of buffalo brush. The old horse quickened his pace without urging to the motionless young irish setter standing with the feathering of his coat moving in the light breeze. The morning sun reflected off his copper colored coat and there appeared to be a halo around the young derby.

The old trainer waited, taking in the scene and etching it in his mind with all the other memories of summer training camps of the past. Memories that would sustain him when he was no longer able to heed the Call of the Prairies. He marveled at the brilliant scene in front of him, the young irish setter was drinking in the scent like Nectar from the Gods. His lip quivered as he inhaled the scent. Out of the corner of his eye he watched his master. The old trainer dismounted and walked into the brush, a the large covey of sharptail exploded from under his feet, the old trainer fired a blank from his old blank gun and turned. He was pleasantly surprised to see his young charge still standing motionless as the birds sailed over a low hill. He reached the young dog and petted him, as he collared the young dog to give him a well deserved drink of cool water.

The old trainer remounted and whistled his young charge on. The young red dog, slashed up the prairie, with huge moves in a mature application for the remaining time. Pointing brilliantly three more times and displaying impeccable manners. As he harnessed up the young dog and roaded him back to camp. The old trainer reflected on todays turn of events. How many times, in the past had a dog made a turn seemingly out of no where. Turning in a brillant, broke shooting or all age performance. The old trainer realized it was the way of the prairie. Each training session, each mishandled bird, taught his young charges more than he ever could in the same time. Soon, those young dogs were putting it altogether, and standing broke like old veterans, something that was not as easy to do at home in Texas.

He returned to camp to see his other young dogs eagerly awaiting there turn on the prairie. The old trainer was as close to heaven he had ever been, and was regretting the turn of the season which would send him back to Texas. For the winters on the prairie were as harsh as the summer was heavenly.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Monday, September 14, 2009

Great training day



Well, we are entering the last phases of training here in SD. With plans to go to MT in a couple weeks to run in a field trial in Great Falls.

Buster - Still running short - still hoping to see him start firing and moving out.

Tech - Ran great today but did not find any birds to point.

Tucker - Running great - still needs some bird contact.

Dolly - Running really well, she had 4 derby broke finds and a great race today.

Mia - Running better, she had 2 finds and I was able to walk almost in front of her and flush.

Haley - Running a great derby race, 2 finds.

Bess - Starting to run better - had one find.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Puppies had a big day



We ran a bunch of pups today - they all did fantastic.

Doc - Pointed 3 pheasants, that I was able to flush and fired the gun as he broke to chase. He knocked about 30 more. Pinning pheasants in wheat stubble is really tough.

Haley - Pointed 2 pheasants, I was able to flush the birds before she broke and chased and fired a blank. This is great for her, she has turned the corner I think. She had many more contacts

Jake - 6 pheasant finds - I flushed 4 of them before he knocked them and chased. Get job on the ground.

Molly - 6 finds, I was only able to flush in front of her on one but, great job on the ground overall.

Collin - 10 finds - 4 of which I was able to flush before he broke. His application and handling is getting much better.

Dolly - Pointed 4 pheasants, I was able to flush all of them. Doing a great job. Superior young puppy with loads of potential.

Some of you have asked about the potential of your dogs to trial.

These dogs have great potential - perhaps even the ability to make history for llewellins. Jake, Collin, and Maggie have the potential ability to compete at the highest level shooting dog stakes, if they continue to be exposed to wild birds, worked towards that goal and get a bit of luck.

Haley, Dolly, and Molly have the potential to be great AKC field trial dogs and with proper development - Regional level American Field trial winners. Again, this opinion is based on the potential I see right now - and I am sure I haven't seen all the ability in these dogs, and my feeling is they will get much better as they age and mature.

Dot - Standing broke on her two bird contacts today. This dog could take it as far as she wants to go.

Chewy - Stood broke on one bird, derby broke on another. Potentially a very nice big going shooting dog or all age dog

So far, I am really loving what I am seeing from all these dogs. I look forward each day to run them and see them put it all together more and more each day.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Friday, September 4, 2009

Another Great Day Training



Another cool day that was conducive to running our bigger running dogs.

Cord - This is the best bird dog llewellin I have ever seen. Seldom does this dog not have several broke finds on wild birds on his outings. Today was no different he had 3 broke finds on pheasants and a stop to flight of a group of pheasants that was rode up by another handler. He just turned 16 months old.

Kiwi - Lauren Soulis's pride and joy. Kiwi ran very hard this morning in heavy cover and pointed a pheasant and mishandled another. Still working on getting her broke - she is still young but progress is being made.

Collin - Ran a big race in heavy cover and found 5 groups of birds - pointed on 3 occasions but did not hold long enough for me to get off the horse and flush.

Chewy - Ran a nice shooting dog race, had contacts with birds, and one honor. He is still figuring out handling wild birds, but progress continues.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Training is really getting good



We have had a great couple days training. We are making great progress. The dogs are coming along great with a few exceptions.

Lucy - Ran well with several broke finds on pheasant and a couple times she honored well on other dogs points. Her range is comfortable foot hunting range, great nose and impeccable manners.

Squirt - Nice going, comfortable foot hunting range, she had 5 broke finds and 3 stop to flights as we rode up birds that sailed over her head.

Max - Worked well in heavy cover and stuck a sharptail several times . He broke at the shot but progress continues.

Tech - Ran very well, working the cover, intelligently and wind appropriately. He pointed birds twice and I was able to flush in front of him on one occasion. Progress continues.

Sallie - Ran well, worked the cover well still maturing on application. No birds were pointed.

Hope - Worked the cover well, at moderate foot hunting range, she had 4 finds and 2 honors. She is getting tighter on her birds.

Trevor - Ran well, had 3 bird contacts but mishandled them. He is a moderate working hunting dog, that shows progress in every outing.

Dot - Ran a forward, hard going shooting dog race, she pointed birds on 4 occasions, all handled with derby manners and a stop to flush near the end of her hour with broke dog manners.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Lost my Cell Phone

If anyone needs to get in touch with me - please phone my camp phone - 605-865-3173 - I lost my cell phone training today and the nearest Verizon Store is in Aberdeen, SD.

Keith- Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Great day training

Well, today we had a light rain early and it was overcast and cool most of the morning. We roaded dogs early - and ran 4 groups of dogs.

Our first group had many pheasant finds - Kane had 6 broke finds, and 8 or 10 honors. All with manners appropriate to a mature, broke dog.

Doc - Had a great run, a derby broke find and two more points on running pheasants - His owner Kevin was grinning from ear to ear watching his little guy run this morning.

Bess - Ran by herself but had a flash point on a group of birds. Race was appropriate for her limited amount of horseback handling.

Tucker - Ran hard, well applied race, worked the wind great and had 6 pheasant contacts over the hour he was on the ground.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Monday, August 31, 2009

Barnhill BDC First Day Running Results

Well, we concluded the first day of running of our trial here in SD.

Results are:

Open (All Age) Derby

1st - Dot PF (Hickam
2nd - Pete PM (Michaletz)
3rd - Drifter SF (Michaletz)

Open All Age

1st - Dent (Michaletz)
2nd - Dot (Harter)
3rd - Withheld

Open (Shooting Dog) Derby

1st - Bono (Boser)
2nd - Alex (Michaletz)
3rd - Jake (Hickam)

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Friday, August 28, 2009

Cold Front Arrived

Well, a cold front came in today and it was a pleasant day to train.

Kane - Had a very nice shooting dog race with an impeccable find on pheasants on a fenceline with heavy cover.

Lucy - Nice race, had one piece of broke dog work on a wild flushing pheasant.

Rocky - Had a nice find, a rough race, and a beautiful back.

Collin - Had a beautiful derby race, with a nice find on a brood of pheasant.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Good Days of training



We had a great couple days of training.

Maggie - Ran great she had 5 finds (most she would let me flush birds) and another group that she was working but knocked and chased. Classy and stylish on the ground.

Buster - Starting back into the program slow. Worked him for a short period of time and he got to work some pheasants, unfortunately they ran out and flushed wild on him.

Doc - Worked him off of foot today and he worked several scent trails but inexperience shows and he was unable to pin any birds, although he did flash point and I was unable to flush any birds for him.

Hope - Ran well, had a find on pheasant (broke at the flush) and honored another dogs work. She was on the ground for about 45 minutes.

Tucker - Ran hard and forward for the entire hour.

Star - Ran a smooth even paced gun dog race and pattern - with one broke find.

Dot - Ran well, mishandled her birds, but had an extremely good shooting dog race.

Trevor - Ran well, nice even paced gun dog race.

Knikki - Well paced shooting dog race. Had several bird contacts, and one piece of nice broke work.

Jackie - Well paced shooting dog race. Had a very nice find on pheasant.

Mali - Big, well paced shooting dog race. One stop to flush and one find with great manners and style.

Tech - Ran hard, very nice gun dog pattern and race. He honored his bracemate.

Max - Ran a smooth, even gun dog race and forward pattern.

Haley and Molly - Ran a hard, extreme shooting dog derby race, with multiple finds on pheasant and sharptail. Beautiful application and pace.

Collin - Ran and extreme shooting dog derby race, with 2 beautifully handled finds on chickens.

Chewy - Extreme shooting dog derby race, hard to handle at times, but starting to check and move hard to the front when turning.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Courses set and chickens everywhere



We are finding birds on every course we have set for the field trial. All the dogs are progressing well.

Diva - Nice even forward race, leaning on the edges with one find. She was down for one hour.

Rhemy - Even, comfortable gun dog race with 2 broke pheasant finds and an honor.

Knikki - Nice shooting dog race, and did a fantastic job overall.

Kane - Nice shooting dog race, well applied and forward. Broke find on young brood of pheasants.

Cullen - Moderate, to big shooting dog race, took the edges nicely. Pointed some birds, and knocked a whole lot more (derby aged dog)

Jake - Forward, well applied shooting dog race, had a beautiful find on a large group of sharptail. He had a great day and judging by his happy tail a great time.

Tucker - Well paced, gun dog to shooting dog race, with multiple finds over the hour.

Kiwi- Well paced, gun dog race with nice forward moves to extreme range at times. One derby broke find.

Collin - Multiple derby broke finds on chickens and pheasants, well applied forward race with some big moves to excite the observers.

Hope - Well, applied forward race, in high heat and humidity. No finds.

Max - Forward, mostly even paced one hour race, but also had no finds. He has had multiple finds on different occasions.

Doc - Starting to move out from horseback more. Very encouraging to see this young pup work out there.

Tech - Hunting hard and finding birds, we still need to get him to hold long enough to flush in front of him, but his progression is very encouraging.

Dot - Extreme shooting dog race, she was the only dog that had any finds on a hot, miserable and frustrating day a couple days ago. Deep nose on her.

Chewy - Roading great off the horse, running a nice well paced all age or shooting dog derby race, with finds most days.

All in all it has been a wonderful 3 days of training.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Things are progressing


We are gonna start running dogs on Sunday to get more dogs worked in the rotation and more wild bird work for the young puppies. I had a nasty spill today and although I am fine, it reminded me that I am not 10 ft tall and bulletproof.

We only got 4 dogs worked today because of me being a bit out of it after a fall from the horse and the heat coming on. But, what work we did get was a bonus and a plus - since it was a Saturday, and that is generally our flex day.

We worked 3 braces over our field trial courses.

Diva - 2 Broke finds and a nice race. She was run last in the hottest part of the day and on the course with the heaviest cover. She was flat near the end, but her application is getting better and more forward.

Maggie - This was the first brace, she ran great and this was also where I was pitched from a horse, after firing my pistol. She did fine for her 1/2 hour on the ground.

Knikki - Ran for only a half an hour but did well on the ground and I was very happy with his performance. He was running well, and a forward moderate shooting dog race today.

Mali - Ran on course 2 with Dent. They had multiple finds on chickens and a far reaching shooting dog race. It was a great day overall. I did feel a bit better on this brace than the previous one and the later one.

Kiwi - Ran hard, in a nice easy handling race. Had 2 finds that she broke at the shot. Nice young pup.

We ran a few dogs today also.

Tucker and Jackson - Had 3 pheasant finds, Jackson was handy as usual and Tucker was more animated and was the first of the two to get get into birds. He flash pointed then broke and put the birds in the air. He did this another time, holding a bit longer this time. Jackson joined both chases and found a single to chase himself.
Tucker on the third find held much longer - so the progression is getting much better.

Tech and Sallie - Both are running and patterning with much more maturity and ran with little effort - Both had a point on a single pheasant - holding for a decent period of time before breaking and knocking the bird. Progression is good.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Friday, August 21, 2009

Courses are laid out and we are gonna have a nice trial



Our days are starting with roading our dogs at about 4:30 AM and we generally don't get finished by 2 PM.

All the dogs are doing well.

Collin - Had 2 points of birds and a back today. His race is good, with his forward patterning improving. Pretty well done work today. Sunny had 4 finds, and stood derby broke. Race was forward, but flat in the middle and ended big shooting dog race.

Dot and Drifter - Ran hard to the front for over an hour. To all age extremes at times on the front half. Drifter pointed two large groups of sharptail. Dot regressed to puppy like enthusiasm on wild flushing birds. They both finished strong but shorter than on the first half.

Tucker and Zack - Ran hard to the front, at extreme shooting dog to all age range after a slow start. Zack had a find on a bunch of sharptail. Tucker had an honor. They were on the ground for one and a half hours.

Maggie and Joey - Ran well, but heat and humidity and heavy cover affected the performances of the dogs. They had no finds.

Rain on the day before - made it a day for getting things fixed and equipment repaired.

Keith - Posting From Under the Rusty Windmill

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Making Money now

We have had a great two days of training, with many dogs having contact with birds but very few points the first day.

Maggie and Chewy - Had two bird contacts with Maggie pointing the birds while Chewy ripped them out from under her. The ground application was fine.

Tucker and Rhemy- This was the first time I actually saw Tucker smell and try to point a bird. Billy had a find and Tucker honored. The race was to the front and well applied. Rhemy ran great but no bird work.

Diva and Kane - Diva had one broke find, although still lateral we are making progress and her application is getting more forward. Kane ran a hard race but ran over birds, and failed to stop.

Today was a much different story.

Cord and Alex - Cord had three broke finds and a honor. His race was well applied if a bit short. Alex did a nice job and pointed on a few occasions that produced birds or after relocation - in her inexperience knocked the birds.

Cullen and Pete - Had numerous finds and beautiful forward races. Both these dogs are derbies and handled their birds with fine derby manners.

Dot and Tech - Tech had a couple finds, and a nice race, he is coming along nicely. Dot had 3 finds with derby or broke manners.

Jackson and Star - Jackson continues to work short and as a result he is not getting into any birds. Star - Ran a nice race, forward and well applied - she had no birds however.

Lucy and Max - Max had four finds on pheasant, with derby manners. He is improving on his application and ground race. He stood broke, after a correction on his last group of pheasants. Lucy had one broke find and a honor with broke manners, her ground coverage and application is getting much better.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Monday, August 17, 2009

Wind was up, dogs had a hard time pointing birds



We started about 6 AM. It was about 45-55F when we started. We had planned to run six - 1 hr braces across the prairies.

Cord and Dent. Cord had 3 finds and an honor all with great manners and a fantastic shooting dog race. Dent had a find, ran through some birds but ran a nice race.

Lucy and Alex - Lucy had 2 broke finds, a couple stop to flush/bump and an honor all will manners - she ran a comfortable gun dog race. Alex had a nice find, and ran through a few bunches of birds but had a nice race.

Cullen and Jake - Cullen ran well, no finds but ran a great forward race, and bumped a couple bunches of birds. Jake ran well, had a nice couple of pieces of bird work. And did a super nice job.

Dot and Billy - Ran well, Dot had find on a duck on the prairie. The rest of brace, was great with both dogs running nice, forward shooting dog races. They also, ran over some birds, that they had no opportunity to point.

Phil and Sallie - Ran well, had a nice race but had no bird work. Sallie was short and had a better race than previously but still needs work.

Pete and Trevor - Ran well, but the wind made it impossible to find and point birds.

We had birds on every brace, the wind made it difficult for our young dogs to get anything pointed. The only dogs that pointed birds were more experienced dogs with a couple dogs spending summers previously.

We got lots of work done today. So, it was awesome.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Good days and hard running dogs



Up early and out before the heat came on. We had a good day running. We ran 10 dogs in 4 braces.

Jakey and Collin ran with Drifter (Eades) they all ran well, Drifter ran a great race, Jakey did great and did a nice job handling to the front - Collin was more lateral and we had to ride for him a few times. They had a divided find - the rooster was cornered by 3 dogs and it was probably not sure where to go. They also ran over a few birds. It was a great day for puppies.

Jackie and Sunny (Eades) ran well together, Jackie had a broke find, a stop to flush and honor all with classy style and great manners - her race is getting bigger as her confidence grows and except for a few flat areas over the hour - stayed with Sunny well. Diva was in the roading harness and did nice job on honoring and stop to flush. Her pattern has gotten really lateral and we are hoping that running her with other dogs in a short lope will encourage her to stay forward and correct the problem.

Tucker, Joey, Cullen - All did well - Joey had a find, and did really well. Tucker had an honor - he is getting more confident and running much better - Birds will really help, but so far he has not lucked into any. Cullen backed also.

Mali, Knikki, and Zack. Mali had a 2 broke finds, and honor, and a stop to flush. Zack did nice birdwork - a find or two,and a couple stop to flush. Their race was very nice always forward and mature. Knikki did well, honored and pulled hard in the harness.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Friday, August 14, 2009

Progress is sometimes measured in small steps


We started this morning as the sun was just peeking over the horizon. We had a big day planned since some of the crop fields have been harvested. We ran 10 dogs in 5 braces plus Jim ran 5 of his dogs.

Haley - Progress is sometimes measured in small steps. She was our airhead at the beginning of summer - she has actually starting to hold her own and pay attention - she was sometimes casting in deep about 300 yds. She pointed a quail and it held it for a few seconds before it popped and she chased. She was also in on the find of a group of 5 to 10 chickens. It really was a great way to start and made my day.

Lucy - Was worked with Haley and she honored with great manners.

Chewy - Was worked next - he ran well, and made some very nice moves - He ran over a bunch of chickens with no opportunity to smell them - he did however, have a chance to stop - but he didn't he chased like a puppy.

Dot - Did a nice job she had a find and a stop to flush. Moves well and runs big, needs more conditioning and she will be a screamer.

Maggie - Got to run with the big dogs - she ran big and handled well, and honored the point of Jim's dog. Did a very nice job.

Max - Ran with Maggie - he hunted well and made some good moves - he had two stop to flush - but moved some and needed correction but is making great progress.

Star - Ran well, with some great endurance, and a nice hunting pattern - had no finds.

Trevor - Ran hard, I had to ride hard for him in there about a mile. I was pleased with his hunting and endurance - just a matter of time before he gets it altogether. He had no finds but we rode up a bunch of pheasants - going in there for him. He was on the wrong side of wind.

Jackson - Still hunting but at close range. I am hoping he will start to turn around. He needs more birds, but because of his close working pattern - mostly all he gets to do is honor.

Well, we did have a great time - it worked out super overall.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Hot days - But dogs are making progress


Well, we got up early yesterday and trailered over so we could run out and back courses over the prairie.

Kane and Buster - Both had a find and honor. Buster had a nice find on pheasant and showed derby broke manners (stood through the flush broke at the shot) Kane was roading and honored - about 20 minutes we switched off - Kane running and Buster roading - Kane had a find on a bunch of chickens - This was our last brace and we were loading up by 10:30 am - as it was getting warm.

Lucy had 3 pieces of bird work - all broke manners - 1 honor, 1 find, and 1 stop to flush. Her race was ideal hunting dog range and application

Tech - Has really turned on! He has been finding birds, and pointing some pen raised birds and his issues with gun sensitivity seem to be a thing of the past.

Sallie - Ran well, and honored her bracemate on 1 occasion - she is starting to come around and run much better.

Max - Had a good run and found 2 birds (stood through the flush, but broke at the shot) he worked in great hunting dog range and was covering the ground in a thorough and methodical manner.

Tucker - Had 2 derbt broke finds on chickens. Race is getting much better and is starting to hang out there a bit more. He is maturing - although, a bit slower than some of his siblings.

Trevor - Was able to honor a couple of finds, but was not in any birds independently. We are working well together and he is starting to come along. His last outing he had a derby broke find on pheasant.

This morning we worked mostly in the yard on johnny house quail and chukar.

We worked several dogs

Kiwi - Had great broke dog manners on multiple finds of quail and chukar. On workouts in the prairie she is running well and forward - she points with classic english setter style.

Tech - After the encouraging workouts we have been having on wild birds with Tech we thought to start doing yard work to get him to point and stand steady to flush or shot. I am happy to report that he had not problems with gun sensitivity and that he also stood derby broke (did not move until the flush) and that is some really great progress!

Sallie - Stood derby broke on all four of her finds on chukar. She has come a long ways on several applications.

Jackson - Still standing broke but he still is not pointing with great style. I think as we run him more and more on the prairies - perhaps getting into more wild birds will help. He is trained well, just doesn't seem to have lit the fire for birds and hunting yet.

We also ran all the puppies today - Loki, Dolly, Mia, Stubby and Chester knocked and chased 4 groups of birds. Kiwi and Maggie were also in the mix and found and knocked 2 groups of birds.

Additionally, we took Jake, Collin and Doc and released a bunch of quail for them to work - Doc found and pointed a bird, and chased at the flush. Collin had a beautiful point and knocked, the bird and chased. Jake ran a huge race all over the 1/2 section and finally knocked a group of sharptails - but did not find any quail.

Anyway, thats it for now.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Hot days and Somewhat disappointing braces


We got up early this morning because the heat was supposed to be on today. We left the kennel at 5 am and trailered to an area that often is productive for chickens (sharptail).

The first dog I ran was Maggie - she had a hard driving race, that flowed very smoothly going to the right objectives and we saw her under birds on two occasions and had one find. She is a very nice young dog.

The second dog I ran was Jakey. He had a hard driving race, that was a bit rougher than Maggie's. I had to ride for him on a couple of times to get him going in the right direction - He worked 3 groups, but knocked all of them. His enthusiasm was great and it was looking good rolling across the prairie.

Tucker ran in the third brace. He did a nice job, in fact, it was the best I have ever seen him run - but he seems to need more conditioning and the warm conditions were detrimental to his performance. He had no birds.

Diva - Ran in the fourth brace. Her race was very lateral and rough handling, it did not flow well at all. She backed her bracemate after a correction, had a broke piece of work on a stop to flush - and one find. She needs lots of work - I have rarely seen her run so poorly.

Knikki - Ran big to the front, but I did have to ride for him on several times. Correcting his patterning is coming along. The warm conditions were detrimental to his race, but he showed his guts and tenacity throughout. By the time, we finished it was nearly 90F and water was scarce so we called it a day.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Monday, August 10, 2009

Warmer Days

Well, we got out early today - Earlier enough that the heavy dew was still on the grass and we had little bird work.

Cullen and Buster - Were in the first brace - Cullen ran well and was mostly forward for his brace - he had no bird contact. Buster was able to honor a stop to flush by Rock.

Squirt and Jackson - Ran with Zack - Jackson was very short, because of this all Jackson had was 4 honors and a decent stop to flush. Squirt had a find and honored 4 times - it was a decent brace overall.

Star and Billy - They ran well for 1 hour. Billy had birds and Star was far out to the left and was not able to honor. They worked well, and since it was the first time any of the dogs were required to run 1 hour - they did well.

Dot and Dent - Ran well, Dot was forward and big at times making 1/4 to 1/2 mile casts. She had a derby broke find - at the flush she broke and was corrected. On her second find she did much better. She had some forward movement but was mostly clean in her birdwork. She did a super job for a puppy.

Chewy and Pete - Ran big and at times made some all age casts. The heat was on, and the cover was thick and the combination made it very difficult to find birds. We ran about half of an hour and picked up. Chewy did a great job and I am hoping that as he gets in better shape he will be very competitive in derby stakes.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Of Kings, Queens and Knaves



There were still a couple hours of light left, and the old trainer wanted to work some dogs yet. The sky was overcast but appeared that the storm was gonna pass to the north and besides, the weather report that he listened to on the old AM radio, only called for a chance of rain. He went out and caught his old horse. He decided to road his two young irish setter derbies using a double snap, from his horse. He had a new fangled ATV, but he enjoyed roading dogs the old fashioned way occasionally, just as he did in his youth. He smelled rain in the air, so he tied his oilcloth duster to the back of his aussie saddle, and mounted up, just in case. He was halfway through his roading course, and a light rain started falling. He whoaed his two derbies, and they dutifully stood there as he untied the duster from the back of his saddle. He put on the duster and continued on, but was soon caught in a fast moving prairie storm. The thunder rolled across the prairie and the lightning lit up the overcast sky.

The old horse was edgy, feeling the static in the air, lightning struck on a low bluff not a quarter of a mile from him and the old trainer, knowing about cattle killed and haystacks set on fire, decided to head back to camp.

The wind had come up and he found himself heading into the teeth of the storm. His fur felt Stetson, had rivelets of water running off the brim, and he was grateful that the duster had a cape and collar to keep the cold water from running down his neck. He kicked the old horse into a fast racking pace, and the young derbies responded well. Evidently, they wanted to be back in their dry house too.

He arrived back in camp, and unsaddled the horse quickly, and turned the old horse out into the paddock, and the old horse immediately went into the loafing shed. The saddle was hung under the gooseneck of his trailer and the young derbies followed him into the house. He hung his duster and hat up on the hooks in the entrance of the house next to the door and went inside.

By now, the storm was directly overhead and lightning struck nearby and the electricity went off. He grabbed the kerosene lantern from the hook in the covered porch, that he kept for such an occasion, and struck a farmers match and lit the wick. The skies had grown dark and without the light from the kerosene lantern he would be unable to see.

Since there was nothing else to do he reached up on the shelf and picked up an old deck of cards, to play some solitaire to pass the time until the electricity came back on.

He set up the cards, and the first card he turned over was the King of Diamonds. He thought back to dogs of the past as he contemplated it. He thought of a big running black and white pointer. Doc was breed in the blue, all of his grandparents were in the Field Trial Hall of Fame. He was the first field trial dog he owned. Doc possessed a huge heart and the old trainer thought of the time in Arizona at a field trial, where the pads on all of his feet were raw and bloody but he would not quit. He had 5 clean finds at that trial and was still running hard and going away when the judges called time. He won that trial. The old trainer hunted and trialed that dog, all over the intermountain west and also in Texas. Doc had an uncanny ability to work running birds, often pointing only to self correct, make a wide loop and work back towards his handler to pin the birds in between. This trait had been the undoing of many birds, and often the old trainer came home with a heavy game bag when other hunters had not bagged a bird.

He continued to turn over the cards and make some plays, when he uncovered the Queen of Clubs, as he moved that card over to place on top of the King of Diamonds. He once again, thought of dogs past. His mind went to a beautiful, little brittany puppy. Misty also came from a long line of field champions, including a couple of Hall of Fame dogs. He thought of her insane drive for birds, in her puppy years she would often point only to break as he got close and bust the birds, just to watch them fly and chase them. When it came time to start breaking her, she proved to be exactly the opposite of the stereotype of brittanies. She was stubborn, obstinate and tough. He tried breaking her with a soft touch as everyone recommended and found that it didn't work. This was in the early days of e-collars and he never used one. He would work Misty with her dragging a check cord work her into birds, and she would break, and be corrected. Eventually, she started to stand broke on pen raised birds using a check cord. On wild partridge, and pheasants, she reverted quickly to her black hearted ways. He was young, and inexperienced then, at a loss, as to what to do, asked a trainer with a great reputation what to do. The trainer recommended that he use a flushing whip on her, and give her a sound thrashing for breaking.

Well, with a heavy heart the next time he worked Misty he carried a flushing whip. Misty true to form broke and he caught the check cord, hauled her up short and gave her a couple good whacks on the chest. He stood her up and a few late birds flushed and she stood there with style and poise. He continued to work her and she found five more coveys and never moved a muscle. She had learned to respect him, and although once in a while she would need a refresher for the most part she never tested him much. But, it was always in the back of his mind that she would. Yes, he reflected with great affection, the Queen of Clubs fit her well.

A few more turns of the cards and up came the Knave of Diamonds. As he moved the card over on top of the Queen of Clubs, he contemplated, the beautiful irish setter derby asleep at his feet. He was aptly named for a pagan god of war. Because, the dog attacked the cover and objectives with speed, style and a single determination, in the pursuit of his quarry. The dog was smart, and tough. He had shown that he was honest on his birds, but like all young dogs, he sometimes was caught up in youthful indiscretions. The old trainer had run him a few times as a young puppy in derby stakes in the South, the young dog had done well but was immature in application. Now, as a coming two year old, the young dog was putting it all together, on the prairies and the old trainer felt he was the next great one. Yes, the Knave of Diamonds fit him well.

A few more turns of the cards, and the King of Hearts was revealed. The old trainer contemplated that. His mind settled on a beautiful tri-color setter he once owned. He ran the dog in a few field trials and he did fine, but his greatest attribute was his sweet disposition and he was a great wild bird dog. The dog was his companion from the forest to the plains and everything in between. Grouse, partridge, pheasant, and quail were his quarry and he handled it better than any dog the old trainer had ever had.

The hour was growing late but the game was still not finished. He turned over the Queen of Spades, as he moved that card on top of the King of Hearts, his thoughts turned to a beautiful retriever bitch. She had been a gift to his brother for his 18th birthday. But, his brother was more interested in fast cars and girls than the sweet retriever, and he felt sorry for the sweet, black dog. He started by throwing a ball for her, and found that she loved fetching it to him. He was young then, only 15. But, soon he and the little retriever became constant companions. He trained her through the summer and when opening day of pheasant and duck season came. He found himself in a pothole bordered by sage brush that he knew held wood ducks. She was very obedient by then and walked at heel as he sneaked up on the edge of the pothole to ambush the ducks that he was sure would be there.

As he peered over the edge of the brush a huge flight of ducks lifted and his dads old automatic shotgun, flew to his shoulder and barked three times. The flight of ducks was raked by heavy loads of 5 and 6 shot. Six ducks hit the water, and the little retriever went out and retrieved the ducks floating on the water. It was a couple miles walk back home so he decided to skirt the edge of a corn field. The little black dog quartered in front of him and dove into the corn field, a gaudy colored pheasant exploded from the corn field and he fired as it cleared the top of the corn, it was not centered and fell with only a broken wing. The little black retriever was gone for a long time but returned with the still alive pheasant in her mouth. He bagged another pheasant that she flushed on the way home.

A few more turns of the cards revealed the Knave of Hearts. His mind drifted to a sweet setter. He was a big raw boned dog. Big, blocky head and a heart the size of Texas. He was a great wild bird dog, as well as a great trial dog. He remembered one weekend he had shot a limit of birds over him one day, driven 300 miles and had won a field trial with him the next. He shot many species of upland birds in several different states over the course of the dogs life. The dog was his constant companion for most of his life, riding in the car or truck almost wherever the old trainer went. He was at home in the live oaks of Arizona, the mesquite flats of Texas or the forests and streams of the Northeast. The dog was one of his greatest and he probably will never be duplicated, but the old trainer had tried with some success.

A few more turns of the cards, and the old trainer found he had no more plays. The night had grown late, and the electricity had just come back on bringing with it the distractions of the modern world. The old trainer blew out the kerosene lamp, put away the worn deck of cards and called the young irish setter to him as they both retired to the hope of a new day, with great adventures on the prairies.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

New Pastures and Pointers



We have had a good couple days working new pastures north of camp. We have run a couple young dogs and are making progress with the first year dogs.

We trailered over a mile north of town. Our first brace on the ground was Phil and Dot. Both hunted hard and patterned well, the race was forward and big. Dot pointed at the edge of a wheat field, I was able to flush a couple sharptails and Dot broke at the shot but was corrected brought back and we attempted to flush more birds with her standing well until I released her. She was hunting at good range and rewarded with another find near a small butte - her manners were much better on her second find and I was well pleased with her finish. Chewy honored both times and we were well pleased with his work.

Our second brace was Squirt and Jake. Both dogs had one unproductive midway through but we felt the birds had probably skedaddled by the time we got to the dogs to flush. Both dogs hunted intelligently and hard and finished the brace strong but had no bird contacts. Jackson had no birdwork and no opportunity to honor.

Lucy and Dent - Were in the third brace. Both dogs ran well, Lucy was close to moderate range and Dent ran to the extremes. Lucy pointed and I attempted to flush she self corrected and got too close to a bunch of sharptails and they flushed - Lucy stopped briefly and was styled up and stood through another flush and shot. Dent did nice work for a young dog. Sallie at first was not enthusiastic but after the other dogs made contact she was more attentive.

Buster and Pete ran in a bird rich field, but the heat and humidity were up and both dogs ran short races, but covered the field in a thorough manner and evidently the birds had gone into deep cover of the cropland adjacent to the prairie pasture.

Kiwi and Trevor - Kiwi got into some sharptails but was unable to pin them before they flushed and she chased merrily - Trevor stopped at the flush and handled it well before the shot - Kiwi perked up and ran a nice well applied but moderate race for the remainder of her time on the ground.

This morning., the sky was very overcast but we decided to run as many braces as we could. We trailered 2 miles west and 2 miles north. This was an area we seldom explored but we found out we need to go over there more often.

The first brace was Collin and Drifter. Both these dogs ran a big and well applied race, both the dogs made contact with birds - Drifter and Collin both finding birds and knocking and chasing them - It was very fun to watch the young dogs and how they developed - the first field was pasture but we also ran on some alfalfa field. This was the most enjoyable brace of the day. However, we were unable to catch Collin and he went off hunting on his own.

The second brace we turned loose was Cordite and Sonny. Both ran a forward, well applied race. Our first piece of birdwork was a divided find where both dogs simultaneously pointed. Collin by this time had joined us and failed to honor and flushed the bird. Cordite stood mannerly while Sonny needed some correction. The second find was a beautiful piece of birdwork by Cordite with both Sonny and Rhemy honoring well - all dogs stood broke at the flush and shot. We finished the brace well and Collin was caught and put away at the end of the brace.

The third brace - Cam and Joey - we put on rain gear as a light rain began. Joey had a great piece of birdwork but Cam failed to back and was corrected. Just then the sky opened up and our brace was abbreviated because of heavy rain and lightning.

Kane and Rock - We ran these dogs together after the rain had let up and they both covered the alfalfa and native pasture in a thorough manner - and Rock was rewarded for is effort with a nice pheasant find, Kane backed nicely and all was in order for the flush and shot - they ended the brace shortly after that.

Doc, Molly, and Haley - After the sun had come out and we worked some dogs on pen raised birds - I took them for a run. Both Haley, Molly ran big and pointed a group of birds before knocking and chasing - after Doc saw the birds and chased, he started to venture out on the prairies more - Molly had two finds, and Doc backed her on his own until the birds flushed - both chased merrily.

Unfortunately, we were not able to get all the dogs run but I am very pleased with the progress we are making.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Making Progress



I have been remiss in posting on the Blog - I have been really busy and I beg your indulgence. Since Jim M arrived from MO - we have been working pretty hard. Jim and I handle a dog each while Daniel roads another young dog. This is a new concept and approach - just as we know dogs learn from watching on the chain gang, I believe that this will help the younger dogs get broke easier. It basically works this way - while Jim or my dog is pointed we bring in both the other dogs for a back and make them stand steady through the flush and shot. This looks very promising so far.

Chewy - This is the newest dog at camp and arrived last week. He is a strong pointer, that handles and listens well - he is young and green but show loads of promise and runs at moderate shooting dog range - I feel with more exposure and birds he will get bolder and independent.

Jakey - I really like this young dog - runs hard to the front and handles well, he points birds with style and I think he is special. He has great owners and I given the opportunity he would be a field trial winner - but know first and foremost he is a part of the Fernandes family. He is either the Number 1 dog or Number 2 dog of the dogs under a year at camp.

Maggie - Wow, she is the best young bitch at camp. Today, before we got rained out we put her down with Jakey and one of Jim's nice young prospects. She had contact with 3 groups of birds - the first a pair of sharptails, which she was working but flushed and she gave chase - shortly thereafter we saw her chasing another bird. And finally she had a nice point and I was able to ride up and dismount before she broke and chased.

Buster - Gaining more experience and has been in the vicinity of several birds that flushed - we have still not seen a point from him - but he is extremely green and inexperienced, and wild birds are different to handle than liberated birds. He is a nice quality dogs and I am sure he will get it down soon.

Molly - Running hard and pointing birds - close working dog but beginning to stretch out more - she has had many contacts and several points with wild birds. She is easy to handle and a nice front running dog.

Dolly - She is a nice little gal - loves to point and points everything - doves, larks, pheasants, sharptails, even sunflowers! Tough as nails and strong endurance

Star - Nice easy handling dog that points well, and is steady to wing and shot. She finds birds on almost every outing and listens well.

Lucy - Runs hard, big running dog - had 1 broke find and 2 others that she broke at the flush or shot.

Trevor - Getting more solid - the roading is helping him - I feel he will be broke and finding birds better all the time. Good attitude and solid ability.

Tech - Running all over the prairie - we had seen him point several birds, and fortunately is coming out of his shell and really starting to enjoy training camp.

Dot - Super wild bird dog, starting to really stretch out - finds birds but is not really honest yet on them. We are making progress in that area, however.

Max - Starting to really build up - had 3 nice finds on the last workout - on pheasants, still moving with happy feet, but our new training regiment is really helping that.

Haley - Actually, listening and finding birds - still a bit of an air head sometimes but coming along.

Collin - Has learned the meaning of "Here" is running big and finding and knocking birds, last time out I got almost in front of him to flush before he knocked the birds and chased.

We are overall pleased with the progress we are making - like every year some are coming along slower than others but all are making progress in varying degrees.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Monday, August 3, 2009

Day working on the Prairie



Today started early roading the field trial dogs. Additionally, we free ran Tech, Maggie, Doc, Collin and Jakey.

Tech and Maggie - Both ran nice forward race, and they also had contact with some birds.

Doc - Hung close to the quad but ventured out and knocked a group of small pheasants.

Jakey and Collin - Were gone from the start, and the only evidence we had of where they were at was the numerous pheasants and sharp-tails flushed out from the sunflower and prairie and glimpses of white following.

We worked the dogs in brace after a spot of breakfast.

The first brace out was Squirt and Jackson - they worked in perfect foot hunting range and covered the ground well. Squirt had a find on 3 pheasants that were well located and Jackson backed briefly - upon moving he had a small correction and Squirts birds were flushed and she stood with manners. Jackson had no further bird contact.

Star and Sallie - Ran a beautiful well applied foot hunters race, and sought out likely objectives but were not able to make contact with birds.

Buster and Rocky - Worked well together. Rocky running a moderate race and Buster being a bit handier. Rocky pointed a group of pheasants, and Buster was brought in to back and stood after a small "Whoa" and correction. Rocky's birds were flushed and he remained broke through the flush and shot. Buster ran better after that and showed signs of birdiness but did not produce any birds.

Dot and Trevor - Both dogs ran a moderate well applied race, and sought out birdy places . They slowed in the heat, but after a stop at water hole - resumed a good pace. Dot had a find on mature pheasants and stood through the flush of two as the handler dismounted and moved to flush - 1 more bird flushed and handler fired with Dot breaking on the shot. Small correction was well applied and Dot stopped as another late flushing bird exploded out of the grass in front of her. Trevor honored - but needed some correction and encouragement from handler.

Lucy and Max - Ran a great gun dog race, well applied and both had finds on pheasants - they broke at the flush and shot - but it was great work for puppy and derby aged dogs. Max had 2 finds and Lucy had 1 find and honored Max on one occasion.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Sojourn on the Prairie




The old trainer got up early - the sun had risen but was barely peeking over the top of the buttes to the east of his camp. There was a damp chill in the air, so he reached up and took his oilcloth duster off the hook. He turned up the collar to the ward off the chill. He was greeted by half a dozen mahogany colored pups and he sat down on the steps of his horse trailer to pet and scratch the young puppies.

One female puppy crawled up on his back, and proceeded to lick his ears, he smiled and pushed her away and stepped up into the trailer and took his saddle off the hook. His horse was gathered up quickly and saddled, and shortly he was riding towards the high butte west of camp. He looked down and he was being followed by a single red colored puppy. He smiled and wondered how long she would be able to follow, before he would have to get down and pick her up to carry her on his saddle the rest of the way. He admired the tough little girl, her daddy was tough too. He rested under a shady tree near camp now, gone too soon, like many good dogs.

The butte was a bit of a ride. It would be much easier to take his pickup, but he enjoyed the ride. As he rode, he watched a small group of antelope grazing in an alfalfa field west of camp. Riding across the big CRP field the little red puppy suddenly turned - catching scent of something and she bounded with great enthusiasm into the middle group of sharp-tails. Bouncing around with her eyes wide, the old trainer laughed aloud at her antics as she tried to figure out which bird to chase, finally giving up, but seeking more as she went along with him towards the high butte. He enjoyed these rides, they gave him an opportunity to reflect on the previous days training, and ways to make the training program better.

The old trainer spied movement from the corner of his eye, perhaps the flick of an ear. As he turned towards the movement and his eyes focused on the area, at first not being able to pick out where the movement came from. Then slowly the image of a doe and a spotted fawn laying motionless in deep grass took shape. Once the doe realized that the old trainer was looking at her, she let out a low call and she and the fawn bounded away across the prairie.

As he climbed up towards the high butte in a series of buttes the little red puppy let out a whine and he got off and picked her up securing her in the front of his duster. He thought that they must have made quite a sight - an old trainer with a little red puppy resting her head in the crook of his arm, as he guided the old horse up through a gap in the rocks leading to an ancient rock cairn on top of the butte.

Who built the cairn and why was unimportant. It commanded the entire valley and prairie below. The old trainer had once been a Church going man, even teaching Sunday School for a time. He had been to the Holy Land and walked in the footsteps of the Prophets and toured the ruins and temples of what had once been their world.
As he looked across the splendor of the prairie, he reflected that no man-made Church or Temple he had been in compared to the glory and creation of the prairie.

The wilds of the prairie had become his church, and he had never felt closer to his Creator than he had since coming to the prairies all those years ago. This is where he came when he needed to reflect on things. As he sat there, he watched a kit fox wander and play in a prairie dog town far below, obviously not caring or perhaps not knowing that his antics were giving the old trainer a bit of joy. Prairie dogs frolicked on the prairie, emerging as the kit fox moved off to the north.

A gentle breeze was coming out of the west, causing the knee high prairie grass to sway in the wind. He reflected on how he was priviledged to live in such a great country, he thought of the lessons he learned in Mr MacDonald's History class all those years ago and how that influenced so much of his life. The words written on that old document.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,[1] promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

People don't talk like that anymore, and he thought how much longer will the country stand without believing in the fundamental things that are the bedrock or the cornerstone of the country.

He bowed his head and recited a prayer that he knew by heart, that had always been above his parents mantle as a child growing up.

"God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen."

As he rode back towards camp, he reflected on his life and those three things that had shaped his life and gave him great joy. God, Country, and the dogs.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Saturday, August 1, 2009

First day on wild birds


Well, we started bright and early this morning. After roading dogs we set out upon the prairie.

We gang runned the puppies: They were Doc, Maggie, Molly, Haley and Jake. They ran for about an hour total.

Doc - Ran well for about 30 minutes and then loped close to the horse - he was near a flush of a group of sharp tail and chased with the rest. He had no independent finds.

Molly - Ran well for 45 mins and shortened up after that - She had one find on a pheasant the birds were well located and she looked good.

Jakey - Ran super hard for the entire time - ran over a group of sharp tails and chased. He had indicated he smelled them - but was not able to pin them before he knocked them.

Maggie - Ran well for the entire time - had independent finds on 2 pheasants and held until the small puppies knocked them and she chased merrily.

Tech - Ran with the pups this morning in an effort to build hunting desire and it appears to be working - he was often out on the prairie working the wind - and although we saw no indepedent finds we did see him chasing a couple birds across the prairie .

Haley - Ran hard across the prairie - seems to be starting to understand what she is out there for. No bird contacts but I am encouraged by her application and going to birdy objectives.

We also ran with Loki, Chester, Mia, Dolly, Stubby, and the other pups. They knocked and chased about 5 broods of pheasants and sharp tails.

We moved into the wild bird portion of work for the broke dogs. Dogs worked this morning after the puppies ran were: Kane, Knikki, Tucker, Diva, Jackie, Cam, Rhemy and Mali.

Kane and Cam were in the first brace - Kane had a stop to flush early, and a broke find, as well as two non-productives. Cam had one find and honored Kane's points.

Knikki and Tucker - Tucker ran well, but bumped a bird and had to be corrected on the failure to stop to flush. Knikki had two stop to flushes.

Jackie and Diva - Jackie had a nice find on a rooster and although she took steps was stopped and Diva honored her point. Diva had a stop to flush shortly after that. Both Jackie and Diva had a nice piece of work on a large brood of pheasants to end the brace.

Rhemy and Mali - The worked hard but were unable to get any birds pointed.

Overall it wasn't a bad first day - the Dogs were amped up and the wind was up - which probably led to the numerous bumps and stop to flush. I was pleased with all the dogs in their manners on honoring and finds.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Cool Weather - Great for Dogs



Well, we have been cool most of the week, yesterday we got rain. All the dogs seem to enjoy the weather.

We picked up a new dog at Aberdeen - Chewy is a pointer owned by Fayed O Fayed. We let him settle in for a day and took him out for an evaluation today - he did great, his birds were well located and he stood very well for flush.

Lucy - She stood broke today on pen raised birds and we will work her a couple more times in a more controlled situation but should be turned loose as soon as the rest of the dogs start running on wild birds.

Tech - He is doing much better - finding and pointing birds and ignoring .22 blanks when in full chase - progress is continueing.

Buster - Doing great - still no bobbles on liberated birds - will be rotation on wild birds.

Trevor - Standing well, a minor bobble once in a while but overall almost ready for the big dog runs.

Jackson - Showing more intensity on birds - although progressing - I am hoping wild birds will really light him up.

Dot - Standing broke well, still needing minor corrections - but we will work her into the rotation on wild birds in a week or so.

Max - Getting into better shape - still need to bulk him up a bit more but overall his performance on birds is fine - still not broke but we are making some progress.

Star - Will be worked into the wild bird rotation - standing well on liberated birds.

Jakey - Doing great - handling well - and overall a super nice young dog

Maggie - Nice dog - working well - wild birds are really helping her.

Haley - Still a bit of an air head - but has shown some flashes of getting the whole bird thing down.

All the young pups and older broke dogs are doing super -

Wild bird work will begin on Saturday.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill