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Woody's Summer Journal

 

News And Views

 

 

 

Tid Bits

 

Well summer training is in full swing, now that the young grouse and woodcock are old enough to withstand some dog work. Brood reports are trickling in from various places and things are looking pretty good in PA and NH too in addition to the good reports from MI and WI reported last week.

 

Ryan Frame sends along this: The points totals for the Foster Award have been up for some time and no one has questioned or called my attention to any inaccuracies or errors. So the winner of the Foster Top Dog Award for an unprecedented third time is Long Gone Madison. Madison was unable to run in any points trials this Spring but had accumulated enough points last fall to withstand some late challenges.

The Foster Derby Award came right down to the wire too with Suemac's Coventry edging Springfield's Showgirl by under 10 points. A personal note here. Two years ago from this past March, we were at Rhode Island for the Southern New England Woodcock Championship. John Stolgitis had sold a stud fee pick of the litter to Roger McPherson, and I was charged with picking that pup on Roger's behalf. The sire was Chasehill Little Bud and the litter was bred by Richie and Monique Guliano. Richie offered to keep the pup until we got done with the trials but Johnny insisted that we bring the pup back and let Jill and Erin, his wife and daughter, play with it. Roger wanted a female, but would take a male if none of the females looked good. One of the three females caught my eye zipping around and when I picked her up, she melted. It took all of 45 seconds to decide. As I said, “I'll take this one...” I saw a look of disappointment and sadness sweep across Monique. Moments later, at an appropriate moment, I asked Richie, “What's up with Monique?” He replied, “You picked the one that she really liked...”

I felt bad, but it confirmed my choice. Several days later, it was nearly World War 3 at the Stolgitis house when Jill and Erin became hopelessly attached Covey too, but we managed to get her out somehow and back to Pennsylvania. Roger was around her only 10 minutes when he announced, “This pup is going to have to stay here. If I take her home Suzie will never let her leave.” So it was my gain because she has been great to be around and fun to work with. I know that Monique had many, many more important things to worry about that last two years but I had been hoping, even well before I knew that Monique was ill, that when she heard and read about Covey's wins, that that look of disappointment might have been changed to a prideful smile. On behalf of Roger and Suzie, thank you Richie and Monique for this puppy. .

 

And on a happier not: This did not copy and paste well to the site last week so I keystroked it in. Paul Fuller of myoutdoortv.com also has a regular, broadcast outdoor TV show. Mr. Fuller recently sent the following note to Lloyd Murray which read in part:

 

“I wanted to let you know that Bird Dogs Afield won first prize in the broadcast TV category for 2010 from the New England Outdoor Writer's Association. The episode was of our November hunt with Log Gone Madison. The awards had nothing to dog with my hosting or editing skills....it was all about the dog work. Thanks for allowing me to film that day.乃he Pennsylvania Grouse Trial Club Eyes 100^th Anniversary Of Grouse Trials

 

 

 

Looking Back

 

I told this story on the Grouse Ridge Kennel Video and it is worth telling again. It was in the 1950's and Grouse Ridge Kennels was still in its early years, advertising its first Grouse Ridge Stud dog, Smokey. He was producing well and a young man by the name of Clarence Johnson badly wanted to breed a bitch to him, but could not afford the stud fee. Dr. Tom was running the kennel at the time (Pete was still a pup) and he agreed that if Johnson could swing the shipping of the bitch from Kansas to New York and back, that the stud fee would be waived. Clarence Johnson was so appreciative that he promised to return the favor someday if possible.

Fast forwarding to the early 1960's, Carl Barkley was working some dogs for the Flanagans and he had a beautiful young prospect. The dog was not related to Smokey at all but Dr. Flanagan saw the dog work, loved him and told Barkley that he would like to buy him. Barkley told Dr. Tom that the owner absolutely refused to the dog to Dr. Tom..., but that he would GIVE the dog to him if he wanted it. The man was Clarence Johnson returning the kindness he had received years earlier. The dog was re-registered Grouse Ridge John and he would go on to win the Pennsylvania Grouse Championship in 1965, his only championship.

IN this summer season where people are voting for the 2011 Field Trial Hall Of Fame (which should be called Horseback Field Trial Dog Hall Of Fame for the dogs anyway, for the sake of honesty), it is worth noting that Grouse Ridge John produced two dogs, Grouse Ridge Will and Tomoka, who are in the HOF, one of the only dogs two have sired two HOF dogs.

 

Bells

 

"Grouse trials are distinctive events. The ruffed grouse is truly a remarkable game bird, praised to the skies by all familiar with its exquisite sporting qualities. Grouse dog enthusiasts bow to none in the thrills they take from their exciting, colorful bird dog competitions." William F. Brown, "Field Trials."

 

 

One of the things that makes cover trials "distinctive" is the widespread use of bells. Bells are used so that the handler can know about where the dog is in heavy cover by sound. It allows the dogs to range wider in heavier cover and still likely be found on point.

 

 Now to dash something in the head, bells are legal and always have been. I write this because some 'internet experts' periodically claim that they are illegal. Some this past late winter/spring even claimed that they were illegal everywhere except for cover trials and cited personal conversation with American Field Editor Bernie Matthys as the source. Because we and others often run bells in quail trials where the cover is tighter, this claim was a potential concern. Pete Flanagan runs the Empire Championship with a single course/planted quail format. Pete heard what Mr. Matthys had allegedly said, and that the use of bells might be illegal according to the American Field in this championship. While I was e-mailing Mr. Matthys for confirmation or denial of this claim that bells are illegal, Pete called him directly. we both got the same basic answer from Mr. M. ... and let's just say that the Empire Championship ran on planted quail with many dogs wearing bells...

Brown's book, quoted above, which covered to some extent field trial rules, says nothing against the use of bells. Professionals trainers, amateur trainer/handlers and experienced trial officials all contributed to the "Guidelines To Field Trial Procedure And Judicial Practice." These are the real experts. The claim that bells are "training aids" is also contradicted by the literature. Illegal "Handling Devices" is a topic covered by the aforementioned guidelines on page 45, and there is nothing about bells there. Linda Hunt has attended numerous amateur cover championships over the years, as did long-time AFTCA secretary Miss Leslie Anderson. They saw nothing illegal and Miss Leslie has a cover stake named in her honor.

If someone thinks that bells alter a trial and are handling aids and so should be made illegal, the same case might be made for the handler's voice, the handler's horse, or the scout's horse all of which could actively alter a doggy performance. The bell certainly does make tracking a dog easier in heavy cover, but it makes it more difficult for a dog to hear its handlers ans so there is always a tradeoff. Luther Smith chose not to wear bells quipping quite famously, "Why would I want to advertise my dog's errors?"

A dog creeping, relocating or circling will only be potentially faulted if the judge has eyeballs on the dog. A ringing bell is often a dead giveaway that the dog is not still or stanch.

Moreover, one "Handling Device" specifically cited for being "forbidden" is the "weighted collar," and these days the Tracking Units permitted in most every fiels trials outweigh the average e-collar. Some of us remember what it was like even 20 years ago and I quipped with someone recently that if a person came to the line 20 years ago with a unit on a dog that looked and weighed what like what they look like and weigh now, they would have been run off the grounds.

So, bells ARE legal by the American Field and the AFTCA. U.S. Complete has no written rules that prohibit their use. Of course, it is the option of every club to allow or deny their use, and I have always maintained the right of any club to do so whether it comes to bells, or tracking devices, or mounted scouts etc., and I continue to support the right of clubs do what they feel is necessary to do so to bring what they feel is the best dog to the fore.

 

Good thoughts till next week

Woody B

 

 

The Supple Creek Napkin Chronicles

    Forrest B. Wyley 

 

Note:  This a copyrighted series of stories that I have recently received permission to print in installments.  It has been decided to classify these stories as Fiction as the details could not be verified.

 
     The Supple Creek Napkin Chronicles
   Part 2

      
  "The Supple Creek S + F"
 
   I would  like to offer my  profound and heartfelt apologies to the reader of these words. Many of you will  likely find fault with the writing skills of an old man! I realize from the outset that, when it comes to the art of writing stories, I am but an inept beginner.   My adult life has largely been spent in pursuit of my chosen profession: an architect.      Writing and architecture, though far apart in most respects,   do have some vague similarities between them.  A good solid story actually carries many of the same components as a well constructed building,  but uses an entirely different set of tools to accomplish the feat.
 
    I have had profound admiration for those whose talents have enabled them to take ideas and translate them accurately into printed words. The stringing together of letters into words,  words into sentences,  sentences into paragraphs,  and paragraphs into stories,   weaving them all together in such a fashion as to engage the readers,  carrying them along on some adventure,  is an art worthy of the highest calling.  I realize that no one is an architect one day and writer the next. So I hope you will forgive these feeble attempts. 
 
    Supple Creek is the name of both the town and the stream that dances through a small  valley in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York.  I grew up in Supple Creek in the 1930's and early 40's and,  and as an ambitious young man full of dreams,  was happy to relocate from there,  for there was little chance in that town to fulfill the desires of a man yearning to design and build buildings.  Yet though I lived most of my years happily in the great state of Texas,  Supple Creek was always in my soul.  I visited at least once a year,  save for the year that my wife suffered a terminal illness,  kept in touch with relatives and friends by letter and phone,  and always returned for weddings and funerals of those who had been dear.  When I retired nearly a year ago now,  It seemed  natural for me to return to Supple Creek to live out the rest of my years in the land of my parents and grand parents.  A restless spirit bourn of youth had called me away a half a century ago, but an even more powerful spirit called me home.
 
     Closer to the topic at hand, this tiny town of my childhood also sparked in me a love of bird dogs and an interest in bird dog competition that has lasted a lifetime.   I was fourteen when I entered Satchmo in Supple Creek's Spring trial,  and competed with him for the next four years before duty called me to the troubled shores of Europe.   Satchmo finished his career with one placement - that first place in the Fall of 1943.  Unfortunately,  the bird dog club which conducted  trials since 1917, became defunct in 1978.  A serious feud developed among the club's leadership and had caused the disintegration of this once stellar organization. But that is another story.
 
     The sixty-one  years of small town,  small time field trials is the subject of these "Napkin Chronicles,"  for there are some stories of singular interest that happened during the course of those six decades. Some of the stories are poignant,  others humorous. Yet it is my contention that there are lessons to be learned from a small club, existing in relative isolation, struggling to run bird dog trials.  Whether this contention is correct will ultimately depend upon you.  gentle reader.
 
     The official organization that ran the trials in my home town was called the "Supple Creek Rod, Gun, Archery, Beagle,  Bird Dog Club And Volunteer Fire Company."  Some of you will undoubtedly appreciate the wisdom of the founders because, under one umbrella organization, was included nearly all of the excuses that might enable a man to,  as they say, 'avoid domestic obligations' from time to time.  Enabling the men to 'get out of the house,  however,  was merely a beneficial side effect.  The overriding reason for such a long all inclusive name was the necessity  to combine all of these individual,  yet similar,  special interests just to have enough people to have a viable club,  Supple Creek being such a small town. 
 
     As a matter of fact, using the same tactic,  many have of Supple Creek's entrepreneurs have,  over the years, found it an economic necessity to combine several businesses under one ownership because there simply aren't enough customers to make a living out of just one.  The Vesper Hotel And Restaurant is one that comes to mind. Yet many of these businesses are not so related to one another as the hotel and restaurant are making for some unusual combinations.  There is,  for example,  the J. C.  Baumgartner Funeral Home And Small Engine Repair.  And  Ted 'Stinky' Stuart's "Barber Shop and Saw Sharpening Service" did business for a number of years.
 
    Fortunately,  the Supple Creek Rod , Gun, Archery,  Beagle, Bird Dog Club & Volunteer Fire Company changed its name in 1935 to the "Sportsman's And Fireman's Club" and was known locally as the "S + F Club."  The club also conducted beagle trials,   shooting competitions,  and archery contests  as well as pointing dog field trials.  As I have little interest for anything but the bird dog trials,  I will comment no more on the other involvements of the S + F Club. 
 
    There were in fact no great champions and no Hall-Of-Fame handlers that emerged from the Supple Creek Trials.  By and large,  good dogs were seldom seen and candor also compels me to say that good trainer/handlers,  myself included,  did not exist at all save for one.  Though better dogs did come along as the years passed, I need only cite "Blackman's Gunner" as proof  that the quality of bird dog that was publicly shown at Supple Creek was at times dismal,  particularly early-on, for the records reveal that George Blackman's dog "Gunner" was awarded four placements in the late 1920's and  Gunner was not even a bird dog,  he was an Afghan Hound.  But it was not until Ed Chamber's Dachshund was won the Fall 1933 event ,  and the Supple Creek Beacon published a headline "Wiener Dog Wins!" that a movement began to restrict the entry to 'traditional pointing breeds.' 
 
    The club was divided on the issue.  Sam Coombs claimed that being beaten by a wiener dog or another 'off-breed' in a bird dog trial was just too embarrassing,  and that the Club was becoming the laughingstock of the field trial world.  And while most of the others agreed that the situation was disturbing,  there were dissenting opinions best expressed by Jeb Evans that,  "We need every dog to participate and besides,  how do we really know which is the best dog if not all are permitted to participate?  Also,  if your dog is being beaten by an Afghan Hound,  don't you think potential breeders need to know about that?"
 
    "No,"  said Ike Austen,  "It's none of their darn business."
 
     The measure restricting dogs only to traditional pointing breeds was passed in 1934 and was one of only very few rules concerning bird dogs that the club had enforced.  The acceptance of the American Field's Minimum Requirements was debated in the late 1940's and the rules were rejected.  They were just too strict. The  Minimum Requirements were adopted DE facto in the mid-1960's when it was discovered that had been conforming to them anyway. 
 
      The distrust of the American Field was a legacy handed down from the 'pioneers'  of field trials in Supple Creek - that first wave of Field trialers that had established the Club.   To them, the American Field was viewed with abject  scorn. "They want to force their ways on us, tell us how to run the trials and don't care if our dogs get killed,"  Ike Austen would grumble when the subject came up,  "Jeb's got a letter from some young person at The Field to prove it."  There was widespread suspicion that the Field would try to siphon money off of the good-willed sportsmen of Supple Creek. 
 
     The truth of the matter did not come to light until 1982 when Judge Evans came across the letter among his late father's effects.  The "young fellow" that Ike Austen spoke about was actually Frank Young,  Editor of The American Field.  The brief letter,  which I reproduce in its entirety will provide many hints as to how those early trials were conducted.
 
   Dear Mr. Evans,
 
    We received your report of the Supple Creek Spring Trial but we regret that we cannot print it in the American Field.   We hope that you are not offended but there are some problems with the way that your trial was conducted that lead us to conclude that some guidance by us is in order to bring your trials into conformance with the standard way that bird dog trials are run in this country.  We hope that you chalk up your shortcomings to lack of experience and pray that you will take the suggestions that follow,  not as severe criticism,  but as a hints to improve the quality of your trials.
 
      Your report states that "George Blackman and his dog Lex were run in the first brace because Lex struggles to run in the heat of the day and we feared for his life."  Elsewhere you report that Mr.  Wallstrom was scheduled to run at 2 O'clock on course 1 "for the simple reason that his mail route (he is the local post man) brings him very close to course 1 at that time of day.  In this way he was able to participate in the trial with minimal effect on his work day." These statements and several more lead us to believe that you are not conducting a legitimate drawing.  You need to write the names of the entries on slips of paper and mix them all in a hat.  By randomly picking slips,  a fair order of running can be established.
 
     " Additionally,  all dogs should run the same length of time.  Because, though it was certainly kind of you to run Sam Whiteler's  'Duke' only 20 minutes " because Sam has been so busy that he has not had time to get the dog in conditioned for an hour,"  it is not good policy.  
 
     We find your description of the winner's background as "unknown but we're relatively certain that there's some bird dog in there somewhere"  troubling.  Particularly in light of a Labrador/shorthair mix and a Welsh Corgi that you said participated.  We strongly suggest that you obtain and trial standard pointing breeds with pedigrees.  Your local library should have a comprehensive list of the pointing breeds.
 
     Finally your notion that a steady to wing and shot dog is the "one that chases the bird accurately and without veering away from the direction that the bird used to escape,"  while the unsteady one is that which "chases a short way and then veers off in a different direction than the bird flew" is mistaken.  The steady dog does not chase the bird at all but stands still at the flush and shot.
 
   If you have any further questions,  feel free to contact me.  Good luck with all future events.
 
                                                                                      Sincerely, 
                                                                                       Frank M. Young
 
 
    This innocent appearing letter was considered to be of the 'poison pen' variety,  and the refusal by the American Field to print their write-up - an insult.  The founding fathers of the Supple Creek Club were stunned and angry.
 
      "A dog ... not chase birds when they flush?" wondered Ike Austen,  "Those people know nothing about dogs.  All dogs chase birds."
 
   "What do they know about bird dogs in those tall buildings in Chicago anyway,"  added Sam Coombs.
 
   "And they think its 'fair' to risk a dog's life by running it in the hot sun when the dog has no tolerance for it.  What's fair about killin' someone's dog?" continued Ike.
 
  "What right do they have to tell us how to run our trials?"  added Jeb Evans. 
   
   In the minds of the Old Guard,  the American Field and the rest of the field trials across the country,  for that matter,  were irrelevant.  The second wave  of leadership at the Supple Creek Club gradually brought the trials around so that they became indistinguishable from other trials across the country in the manner that they were conducted. 
 
     You may say that due to the ignorance and stubbornness of men Like Ike Austen,  Skip Taylor and Jeb Evans,  that trials were set-back or harmed in Supple Creek for more than 30 years.  The case could be made to that effect and there were would be little proof to deny it.  Yet field trials were such a small part of life in the small town of Supple Creek and a radical change of thought would have been required to run trials the way that the American Field wanted them to be run.  Radical thinking was not a characteristic of small town life,  and thank goodness for that.       Only a mentality prone to jump at 'fads and fancy'  would have caused those men to throw out all of their ideas about bird dogs and wholly believe something so different.  Consequently,   a slow transformation took place at the Supple Creek trials in the way the events were conducted and in the dogs that were placed.  The Supple Creek  bird dog trials inched closer to all of the other trials that are reported in the American Field,  because three decades later,  those time tested ideas that Mr. Young wrote about were still there and still reasonable.   Meantime,  the Old Guard sat up on that hill near the clubhouse looking down at the dogs and grumbling at the changes and longing for the return of a  time,  long since passed. Ironically,  grumbling at the changes and longing for the return of a time, long past, are what motivated this old architect to write. 
  
 
 
 Have a great week 
“Most any day one gets to spend behind a bird dog is a good day.”  Woody B.

 

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