Ivy Takes Greater SE MI RGS Fun Trial

The Ruffed Grouse Society in Michigan runs a series of regional gun dog trials for their members to compete it. The trials are judged similar to NSTRA events. The top four dogs from each regional trial qualify to compete in the MI Gun Dog of the Year Trial.


I have ran my red setter, Ivy, in these events for the past two years. She had done well, but not well enough to earn a placement. This year was different.... As the lone red setter in the 26 dog field, she ended up in the top spot at the end of the day. She had three finds with a very animated and efficient race. The judges said she was the nicest moving dog at the trial.
















For once in my life, some poor shooting actually helped us out. On her third and final find, she locked up hard on a chukar on the edge of a woodlot. I flushed the bird and only managed to hit it lightly with my second shot. The bird sailed down and dropped into a small valley about 100 yards away. Ivy saw it go down and dug into the cover looking for the bird. I heard her bell heading my way, and sure enough, she popped over the hill carrying the bird. She dropped the bird at my feet, shook off some water, and kept right on running. This lengthy retrieve sealed her spot as the top dog of the day.

















Ivy is out of Ch King Cormac x Red Ivy Shelby Girl.
We spend most of our time afield chasing ruffed grouse and woodcock in northern Michigan and also make an annual trip to South Dakota.

South Dakota

I finally made it to South Dakota. My grandfather and his group had been to Iowa historically and made the switch to S. Dakota about 5 years ago. I saw more pheasant in the first morning, in the first field, then I had seen my entire life. It has been one of the wettest years on record out there. Some of the beans had been harvested, but basically all of the corn was still standing. This made things a little tough. The group, overall, shot pretty darn well. We never limited out, but had plenty of action to fill out the day.

Day 2 Group Shot

Day 3 morning was one to remember. My 2 uncles and I shot 8 birds in two hours over my English Setter Jack. He had a hand in either pointing or retrieving nearly every bird that went down.

Jack's Take

Man is it flat out there......

Pile o' birdsI made the trip with my grandpa, two uncles and a family friend. I didn't realize how lucky I am to have the opportunity to hunt with family until I got back and shared the trip with others. A lot of guys do not have family to hunt with. I guess I take it for granted sometimes.

Can't wait to get back out there.
Maybe a combo trip for sharptails next time.....?

Family Camping/Panfish Trip

The new camper and the family shot...the dogs even made it in!

I was the official guide on my favorite panfish lake.

Thank you MDNR for stocking Redear Sunfish to complement the big 'gills.

First keeper....it took me a little while to find the fish..but once we

got into them it was some fast action.

Average sized keeper for a Redear... I've caught 11" plus from here.....

Suck it in Dad....

Mom didn't appreciate the benefits of a 14 ft rod for casting small jigs

Once the fishing was done, the dogs were welcomed aboard.

HIFIVE'S CAPTAIN JACK

In early 2006 I offcially "got into" field trials with the purchase of an English Setter, Jack. I did quite a bit of searching, learning, and asking questions. Eventually, I found the dog I was looking for at Hifive Kennels in Beulah, MI (http://www.hifivekennels.com).

On a bright and sunny March day, my fiance and I made the 7 hour drive up to northern Michigan to pick him up.

Jack has three placements so far as a puppy.

1st - Wayne Coonhunter's Amateur Walking Puppy

2nd - Grand Valley Bird Dog Club Open Puppy

2nd - Grand Valley Bird Dog Club Amateur Puppy

Lake Erie Walleye - On "the reefs"

April 21, 2007
At least once every year, I try to make a trip to the shallow reefs of Lake Erie's western basin and target spawning walleye. The action is fast and plentiful.

Much of the fishing takes place just off shore of the
Davis Besse nuclear power plant cooling stacks.


















We took a four-man limit in less then 2 hours, all males,
all caught with hair jigs. Here is a typical fish.