Sorry, about not posting lately - we have been

Up to our ass in busy - we are having to pull out and drive longer to find pastures with birds, we are still plugging away. On Weds the temps when from mid 50's to mid 100s which was tough conditions.

Cooper and Rocky - Rocky had 2 nice finds and a non productive in a foggy morning - we couldn't see his run because visability was 100 yds at best when they were running. Cooper had 3 honors, and worked at comfortable foot hunting range.

Unna and Woody - Nice race in a wheat field Unna had a stop to flush and a find. Woody had a stop to flush and an honor. By the time we ran the brace the fog had burned off and it was getting very hot.

Deuce and Eleanor - Ran pretty well, had some work. Deuce had a find broke at the shot. Eleanor had a stop to flush and did a nice job

Syd and Lucy - Multiple finds and stop to flush - Syd ran a gun dog race and handled easily Lucy was busy in her typical foot hunting range and did a nice job also.

Kona, Kane and Ellie - Ran well - Kane had a hun find, Kona and Ellie both honored - but Ellie being a puppy knocked the birds - Kane stood broke, Kona broke at the shot - still a nice piece of work.

Unna and Dosa - Unna is excelling and doing well, multiple finds and stop to flushes - really nice race and good worker. Dosa is working but much softer and hasn't come up with many birds -

Jack and Penny - Penny is doing well and had a nice find and stood through the shot - nice honor of Jack's point (non-productive) interesting contrast between the littermates.

Fuzzy - Struggling badly - still taking him out for work but he has been unable to come up with any finds.

Ricky - Nice young dog - lack of birds this year and cover is really taking its toll on the young dogs development - birds are jumpy and not co operative -

The cover here in SD is grazed heavily and mowed due to drought and the birds are concentrated in cover we can't work (sunflower and corn fields) and the young dogs are struggling - we are doing the best we can with what we got - it is causing long days and the return while fine is not what we expected - we continue to press on hoping that the corn will be chopped for silage and we will get some birds concentrated in what cover we can work and have some more time yet to turn some of the dogs that are struggling around.

Working a little on the prairies now

Worked on the prairies the last three days, and we are getting more bird work.

Mac - Had a nice comfortable at times big gun dog race and a broke find.

Cooper - Has been getting a bit more bird work - he had a pheasant find a couple days ago, broke at the flush. Today he had a find, he broke at the flush - was corrected and flushed more and fired a blank - he stood for the shot that time - still working close.

Callie - Monster prairie shooting dog race - awesome to watch - no birds but she ran for almost an hour in the heat and that was impressive!

Penny - Ran great - had an honor - nice work.

Unna - Two nice finds - nice race worked fine - still have to work on steadiness after the flush

Dosa - Ran well but the heat got to her more than her bracemate and no birds were found

Diamond - Nice find - good race broke at the shot

Deuce - still working well and doing a good job listening - nice honor - hope he finds some on his own - been near a bunch of birds - just as not been in the right spot at the right time

Okie - Nice work but bird work is tough - he handles his birds when he finds them.

Primo - Super nice dog - always a solid bird finder.

Brunie - Ricky and Ellie - Making nice moves and knocking and pointing birds each time out.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Another day - bird work at a premium

Well, we ran again today on a place that usually holds lots of birds - we got some pointed but they were not being cooperative.

Cooper - Continues to work in very comfortable foot hunting range - and continues to practice backing - unfortunately the birds just are not being found 20 yds from the horses.

Jessie - Ran a great shooting dog race - one broke find

Penny - Ran great shooting dog race - one honor of Jessies find

Brunie - Ran spectacular - she knocked several birds

Knikki - Broke dog find. Good work

Deuce - Ran very well, listened well, and we had some long range honors.

Diamond - Ran well, had a find - she broke at the flush - but otherwise nice work

Lucy - Had a great honor and stop to flush - nice work.

Dolly - Ran a pretty nice race and had a broke find.

Additionally, we were treated to an aggressive antelope - she (probably a doe) charged the dogs, jumped a fence and hung out around the dogs and us within 100 yds for the better part of 5 mins.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Cooling off a bit

Well, we are running dogs every day. Some days we hit them and some days we miss finding birds.

Cooper - Still running short and backing only - for whatever reason he has not found and pointed a bird yet

Eleanor - Running well, her backing is coming along well. She had one find today.

Teeka, Ricky, Ellie - Found and knocked a bunch of birds today - both Ellie and Teeka backed an older dogs 3 finds - awesome young pups had a blast today.

Hondo - Ran well, knocked and chased birds - corrections made - needs more birds to get him to point better

Kona - Ran well, worked in easy gun range - also knocked and chased birds - corrections made needs to get more bird experience.

Callie - Ran all over the place - listened well and handled - no bird contacts seen

Knikki - Multiple broke finds and a very nice shooting dog race

Cordite - 3 broke finds, and a nice shooting dog race.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Still plugging away

Well, there are plenty of birds, but most are hanging in the sunflowers and corn. We had a beautiful cool morning and it worked to our advantage. We ran 5 braces with mixed results.

Cooper - Still running a nice foot handling race, and still honoring well. He honors other dogs every day and stands for the flush and shot.

Jessie - Ran a huge nice race and had a nice find - she broke at the flush but stopped on "Whoa"

Diamond - Running very well - honored once - had a nice find on a pheasant - broke at the shot - corrections made.

Penny - Nice race - hunting likely objectives and although unable to come up with a find (hunting in wheat stubble and birds were running) she handled very well and had a nice honor.

Kane - Multiple broke finds, nice race and multiple honors - just an old pro showing his stuff.

Fuzzy - Still not serious about the work - would rather hang out at the trailer than work birds.

Brunie - Running a great race and had 3 nice puppy finds - the star of the young dog show

Stubby - Well, this dog is normally a great bird finder, however, yesterday he took a line down a fence row and was lost at the break away - no bird work but he was waiting at the truck when we came back.

Deuce - Ran great, learning "whoa" and backing - very pleased with the progress of this young dog that we basically started on square one with.

Dolly - Ran a very nice handling dog - did a nice job on a broke find and honored very well. She is a nice hunting dog.

Teeka - Very nice young setter - really a toss up between her and her sister Brunie as to who is the best young setter in the program this year.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Better day today. Worked our north native prairie country.

Jessie - Deuce - Jessie had 3 finds one where she broke on the flush (corrections made) then a broke find, and another - She ran well and had a good gait. Deuce had no bird work - but he is getting better at "Whoa" and he had 3 backs.

Stubby - Fuzzy - Ran hard as it was getting warm - no bird work

Penny - Lucy - Ran short working well, no bird work.

Cooper - Dolly - Cooper continues to practice honoring - doing well, with little correction - continues to be a close working dog - Dolly had a find but upon relocation the bird popped - Dolly stopped and stayed steady through the shot.

Diamond and Brunie - Diamond is running well and listening well - she had one honor (broke work on honor) Brunie ran wonderfully and had 3 puppy finds.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill

Young dogs having a hard time

Well, it has been a rough week in more ways than one - My horse wreck is still affecting me - cut and bad headache still hard to see because of swollen eye socket but getting better. Grazing and haying is affecting us greatly - birds are in corn and sunflowers and pretty inaccessible to the young dogs - cover because of the drought is sparse.

Old dogs are getting work done because of experience.

Preston - Ran hard and had a few backs but not much bird work.

Syd - Ran well, had some broke finds and backing was great

Taz - Ran well, and no birds were worked - again birds at a premium

Kona - Ran well, backing was fine after a correction

Knikki - Ran well, some bird work - just hard to get birds pointed

Teeka - Had a puppy broke find and a back - ran well

Eleanor - Ran well, and had a nice back

Hoping that they will get the corn chopped for silage so that we have access to more birds.

Keith - Posting from Under the Rusty Windmill