2011 Opening Day Grouse Season in Montana

Today was opening day of grouse season in Montana. Our friend Michael came last night and he and Dan headed out this morning with all the dogs. Well, almost all the dogs. Below is Dan's grouse report.

September 1, 2011 Grouse Report for Opening Day ~

It has been very hot and dry for six weeks. Yesterday afternoon we had a light shower and I was sure it would help scenting conditions and cool things off. Late in the evening a thunder storm rolled through and my hunting partner, Michael , and I hit the woods early to find everything soaking wet.

We put Blackie out on Fatman Mtn. and he hit a point not 100 yds. from the van. He worked the area but we never put up the bird. Grouse tricks. He hit another point right in front of us and a bird flushed in a direction that didn't allow a shot. Another flushed into a tree in front of Michael. It was a young Spruce Grouse. We don't see but a few of these each year. It too flew where Michael couldn't shoot and I wasn't ready. We saw another beside the road and stopped to put Gus out. The bird either flushed while we were gearing up, or outran us. We never put it up. We ran Gus and Sugar down several side roads and got nothing but wetter.

After lunch and a nap we headed up Elk Creek and spotted a pair of birds alongside the road. It was in a no shooting area but I take advantage of every opportunity to put a dog on a grouse. We put Mickey out for a few photos and went on up the canyon. We Ran Mickey and Sport but never found another bird.

See the grouse? Right side of road at grass line, just in front of the trees.

Sure Thing Sweet Mickey pointing the grouse above.

Okay, so my husband needs a few photo lessons in which end to photograph, but I am thankful that he is at least taking his camera and bringing me pictures!

I was not disappointed with only seeing five birds.  After last years poor hatch, bitter cold, and horribly wet spring, I didn't expect to see any.

We are hitting a big Aspen grove in the morning then the Bull River area. It should be dry and cool so off we go again with high hopes and happy dogs. Dan....DWT

Old Friends and New Dogs

Old Friends.........

Steve, Dan, Michael and "Happy" our Gordon Setter......Good times!

Steve, Dan and Happy

For the past 5 years, my husbands best friend Steve, from California, has come to Montana for the opening day of Grouse Season. Dan and Steve met years ago when they were both young. They remained friends through the years as they made a living and raised their families, living in different states.  It was just in the past 5 years that they were able to see each other more often and enjoy the fact that they were both now retired. Steve really enjoyed the bird hunts and fell in love with the Gordon Setters.

Steve with Happy and 2 grouse

Last year, we got together with Steve and his wife Deanette, and another couple of good friends, Ron and Cindy,  and rented a houseboat on Lake Powell. For 5 days we fished and explored, soaked up the sun and went swimming,  all while enjoying good food and drinks, and having a great time visiting and relaxing. It was the best!   

 
New Dogs.............

This summer we got a call from someone who had a 2 year old, neutered male Gordon Setter and he was looking for a home for him. After speaking with him on the phone, Dan called Steve and told him about this Gordon Setter who needed a home. Steve decided he wanted the dog. He asked Dan to keep him until he could get here, Sept. 1, for grouse season. He sent a check to the owner, and changed the dogs name to "Sport". Dan and I spent the next few weeks getting to know Sport. He is a wonderful dog. Not one single problem. We thought Steve had gotten lucky with this one.

"Sport"

Dan spent time with Sport and put him on birds. I did a post, or two on Sport - the "guest" dog. He needed a little "steady up" but he was doing really well for a 2 year old. He's a beautiful boy and weighs in at about 65 pounds.

I sent Steve pictures of Sport learning and hunting and kept him informed.  We were looking forward to him getting to know his new Gordon Setter and going hunting. Steve was even more excited as he was getting his first bird dog.

Delays........
In late July or early August, Steve called. It wasn't the usual call to schedule his flight to Montana. This was a call to say he may be delayed. He told Dan he was having a little stomach problem, nothing serious....but he had to go to the doctor and get checked out.

Only a few short weeks later, Steve was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It was obvious he was not going to make it to Montana this year.  He was worried about Sport, even with what he was facing. We assured Steve that we'd take good care of Sport and even bring him to California if he wanted. All that mattered was for him to get  better.

Sadly,  with all the love and prayers that was around him, Steve passed away on Sept 10, 2010.

Cancer is a wicked disease. 

Steve was a good man, a good friend, and a damn fine human being. It was a pleasure to know him the short time I did. I know Dan will always be fond of their friendship and these past few years they had together running bird dogs all over Montana. Steve will truly be missed.

So now, Back to "New Dogs"...........

Sport

Steve's wife Deanette, asked us to keep Sport or find him a good "hunting" home.  We really weren't looking for another dog. This all happened just after Happy died. I wasn't emotionally ready for another dog.  He's neutered, so he can't be bred. We have 4 dogs already. He'd be an expense that was not part of the "business". We don't need another dog........BUT..............We HAVE to keep him. He's been here since June. Just look at him for goodness sakes! He's beautiful.....and HE thinks he belongs here.

He's fallen in love with Dan. And I mean serious love! He follows him all over the place. He looks at him with adoring eyes.....literally! So I can only conclude,  it was meant to be. Sport obviously wants to be here.  Dan wants him to be here. And yes, I want him to be here too. I think that would make Steve very happy. I know it does Sport.
   

So Sport..........

Welcome to the family!

Breeding Dogs, In An Already Over Populated World

Cash at 8 wks./6-15-10

I have, on occasion, felt guilty for intentionally bringing more puppies into this already over populated with mutts, world. I know there are lots of dogs and cats that get put down every day, because some human was irresponsible and allowed their animal to roam and add to the population.  I truly hate that. I feel terrible for these poor unloved animals. But, ya know, I can not change that. If I could, I would.  It certainly is not of my doing, and I can not take responsibility for what others are so careless about. I try to help. I promote adoption, in the right circumstances, and I donate to shelters.  But I won't stop breeding these beautiful, hard working, loving, Gordon Setters, because there are too many mutts in the world.

The puppies we bring into the world, are almost always wanted, and spoken for, before they are born. There are people in the world who want certain breeds, like working dogs or bird dogs,  like our Gordon Setters. I love my Gordon Setters so it's very easy to understand why people seek them out. Those are the people we breed Gordon Setters for. They, are the one's we plan our litters for. They are the people who promise to love our puppies, care for them, and help them live up to their potential. Gordon Setter owners are very special, just like Gordon Setters.

I'd like you to meet a few of them here. This is why we bring these puppies into the world.

This is Molly and Dolly......now Reba. How could I feel guilty about that little princess smile?!

And what little boy, doesn't need a puppy?

Kelly, their Mom,  and Reba. Reba will live on a ranch in Montana, with her kids and horses and lots of people. What a great life for a Gordon Setter!

Mark and his kids, Bailey and Luke,  with Hank, who is now, "Sure Thing Hammering Hank". What a great name for a bird dog!

Ahhh......Puppy Kisses are the best!

And this is Ann,  a first grade teacher. Patsy....now Dixie,  went home with Ann to live in  Wyoming.  I bet Dixie will be the super star of Show and Tell Day!

 This is Rose Marie and Mary Anne, with Emmy....now Grendal. Sisters from Great Falls, who are going to spoil her rotten! What more could I ask for??

This is Mark,  Kathleen, and Ann, who is taking June to Spokane. Obviously, June is very happy about that!!

This is Mark and Judy with Cash.....now Flash. Mark works for the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service. Cash is going to have lots of adventures tagging along with Mark.   

 

So you see, our puppies are very wanted and well loved. They are all where they should be.  I'm going to bed now.  And I'm going to sleep very well.

Happy

"Happy"

March 14, 1997 - June 29, 2010

                           Our Sweet Little Boy, We will miss you forever. 

                      Life will never be the same without you here.

           

Happy Days

Sad News About My Little "Happy"

Around the end of April, some lumps showed up on my Gordon Setter, "Happy". They felt like fatty cysts. After a couple of weeks, it became obvious they were not like the typical fatty cyst. In about 3 weeks time, he had about 6 bumps.  We took him to the vet, had him tested, and the Vet did surgery to remove the bumps. The worst thing was......this happened while we were 2300 miles away. I got the bad news on my cell phone that Happy has cancer. "It's the fast spreading kind", my Vet said. He thinks he has 1 to 2 months. As you may remember, only 3 or 4 months ago, he was the healthiest 13 year old around, according to my Vet. I can't believe how fast this has happened. For now, Happy is on an anti-inflammatory and he has pain pills for the after pain of the surgery. He's doing pretty good. We'll take each day as it comes. I treat each day an normal as I can, but a little extra special for him. It's breaking my heart. I've cried a thousand tears and still have more. I know you will understand that for now, I need to spend time with my little Happy and not blogging.  A little extra loving. A few extra treats. Back rubs. Maybe even a bird to smell just for fun. He's been a loyal companion, and the best bird dog. I can not do enough to make his last days easier and I pray his departure will be easy.


As is the "Circle of Life" , we do have a litter of puppies due this Thursday. I will post photo's of those and let you now when they are born., for those taking a puppy.

If you're looking for some good reading, please check out my Favorite Blog list. I think I follow some pretty cool blogs.

Happy Easter 2010

 

Happy Easter 

From Gordon Setter Crossing

♥ Happy Birthday Happy ♥

Happy 13th Birthday Happy!

This post is dedicated to my little Gordon Setter, "Happy".  Today is his 13th birthday.

I never thought I'd love another Gordon like I did Peat, the Gordon that started it all. The Gordon Setter  that our kennel is named after. The Gordon that pointed my first grouse. The Gordon that I shot my first grouse over. The first bird dog I ever had. But I was wrong.

When Peat died, I was heartbroken. Then came Happy. He was the last puppy in the litter.  A litter from Peat. We had no buyer for him. The longer we kept him, the more Dan wanted to keep him. He brought him into the house to cheer me up. It worked. His doggie kisses and pawing my knee for attention soon won me over. He healed my broken heart with one doggie kiss at a time.

He's a wonderful house dog, as well as an excellent grouse hunter. He is a faithful friend and a bird dog through and through. He is our protector, our alarm system and the one waiting for us when we arrive home. He is always happy to see us.

I love this little Gordon Setter. Happy Birthday Happy.....and Many More!

Computer Crash........I Need Your Info!

I am still trying to replace emails, phone numbers, and addresses, of clients and friends in the business. If you have contacted me for a puppy, and have not been in contact with me in the last 2 months, please, please, call me, write, or email with your information.

If you are on a "puppy list", please send me an email to make sure I still have your information.


Our computer crashed a little while back and I do not have the original list. I am doing my best to recover all lost info, but it is not happening. 

If you want to make sure you are on the puppy list,  please call or email.  

............I DO NOT HAVE A BACKUP..............

Sitting By The Fireplace With My Gordon Setter

Happy "hugging" Karen
Photo By: Tim Herring


 
Happy, one of our Gordons, is almost 13 now. I've noticed his eyes are getting cloudier and his hearing is definitely not what it was even one year ago. Sometimes he walks into a room and has that look like he forgot why he came to that room, sort of like me sometimes. He sleeps a lot. Maybe because it's winter. Maybe because he's tired. When I have my coffee in the mornings we sit by the fire together and warm our bones and muscles to start the day. He's such a sweet little Gordon. I love his soft hair and long brown feathering. This is one of my most favorite moments of the day. I think it is his too. I'm glad he enjoys spending it with me in front of the fireplace. He even gives me a grateful hug sometimes.

Where Do Gordon Setters Rank?

As for AKC Registered breeds, Gordon Setters ranked 90th in registration last year, out of 156 breeds.

AKC Rankings for Gordon Setters over 10 years:

       2008  -  90
       2007  -  91
       2003  -  87
       1998  -  78

Am I crazy, or what? Did a Bouvier des Flandres and a Schipperkes, really beat out the Gordon Setter? No Way, REALLY?? And just what the heck is a Bouvier des Flandres and a Schipperkes anyway? Do they hunt birds?? There are dog breeds listed that I can barely pronounce, much less recognize! Do we really need 156 breeds? And that was last year. They have 3 more now! More Flavors than Baskin Robbins! I'll stick with my Gordons!
        
    Okay, these are a  Schipperkes and a  Bouvier des Flandres













The Schipperke is mostly known as a boat dog or ship dog. Although, in World War II the Schipperke was used to run messages between the various resistance hideouts and cells, fooling the Nazis.

They don't hunt birds, but the Bouvier des Flandres,  were used in World War I as message and rescue dogs and were almost totally killed off by the end  of the war. In 1923 a small group of people helped to revitalize the breed and a breed club was formed in Belgium.

An Allegiance For The Gordon Setter

"Although the Gordon Setter, along with other bird-hunting dogs, cannot be considered to have any great future so far as its basic function is concerned, though there is no need to despair of a breed which has commanded so much past allegiance.....

Since the time of its great vogue, which may well be put in the latter half of the nineteenth century, is has claimed fervent partisan supporters in every country to which it has spread. The ability to incite such enthusiasm is the best possible guarantee for this wonderful dogs future."

Cited from Wikipedia/Gordon Setter

Guard Dog Watching Guard Deer

Guard Dog, watching Guard Deer . ( We've got to get this guy hunting!)

Happy & The Stupid Kong With Cheese

Photos By: Karen Thomason














So, no one warned me about using soft, creamy, VELVEETA with the Kong Ball!! Wasn't my best idea. Since Happy couldn't have cared less, I had to get the cheese out of that stupid ball. Happy just stood by, watching to see if I could get the cheese out and where it might land when I did. I poked most of it out onto the counter with a can opener handle, then washed the rest out with hot water. I'm sure, had he been given the opportunity, Happy would have nabbed the cheese as soon as I turned my back, AFTER I got it out of the ball. Lazy Dog! If he thinks he can get me to work for his cheese...............oh......wait. Never mind.

Today She was, "Mickey the Magnificent"

Justin & Mickey Photo By: Dan Thomason



Took a walk with my neighbor this evening. Took Mickey and our shot guns. (Of course) Mickey stuck a nice one. She got real birdy, worked a few feet, and locked up tight looking down off the top bench at Platt's farm. Some of you guys know the spot. My neighbor, Justin, positioned himself on one side and I on the other. We were both ready, but when the Grouse flushed it hopped up in a Cedar tree. Normally, I do not shoot grouse out of the trees. But in this case, I asked Justin to shoot it. I believe you need to reward a dog for a job well done and Mickey deserved to get some feathers in her mouth. She was magnificent. Absolute perfection. I followed behind in the van as Justin and Blackie worked down into the creek bed. They put up a few birds but no points or shots. Altogether, we flushed 5, and got one.

Hunting With Mickey & Her Backwards Point

Photo By: Karen Thomason






I hit Fatman Mountain this afternoon with our little female Gordon Setter, Mickey. We walked a side road and took a break at the end. We found no birds on the way in but on the way out we flushed 3. Mickey got really birdy and locked up on point looking left to right, and downhill. I moved in right behind her, gun in the ready position, and eager to burn some powder. The grouse flushed about 30 ft. behind me and up the hillside. Mick was pointing in the wrong direction. She does this a lot. She'll catch the scent and freeze.....even if she hasn't pin pointed the direction. She has a super nose and holds a point forever. I believe more birds will give her the experience and ability necessary to work moving grouse. It's o.k. for your Gordon to carefully relocate if she is not sure where the grouse is. We flushed 8 this afternoon but never fired a shot. DWT

A Wonderful Afternoon With My 3 Favorite Gordons

He got a little excited!

Dan & Blackie with a nice grouse!
Photo By: KarenThomason

I loaded up our three oldest Gordons this afternoon and headed out for a hunt. I went across the river and walked some gated roads on Fatman Mt. I started out with Blackie. We made a loop through the woods and came back to the road when Blackie did a quick stop. Two beeps, and a bird flushed into the forest. I found the bird in a pine tree but couldn't get it to fly. About 50 yds. up the road the same thing happened. The wind was at our back and Blackie was right on top of the grouse before he smelled them. The wind was in our favor on the way out and and he locked up tight. I walked in and the grouse flew low across the road with Blackie right under it. No shot. Gracie was running down a road as fast as she could go and hit scent. She tried to turn and stop at the same time. The grouse flushed as she was going into her second roll. Happy got birdy a few times but I didn't find a bird. On the way out a grouse ducked off the road right next to the van. I drove 50 yds. and put Blackie out again. He locked up on the spot, then dove downhill behind the bird. The Grouse flushed my way and I got lucky. We found another on the road but it went way down the hill before it flushed. Six flushed and one in the bag. A wonderful afternoon! DWT

Puppies From 2008 Litter

Puppies from our last litter.
4 - 5 wks. old
JJ X Blackie
2008




Photo's By Karen Thomason

One Hunt - Three Generations Afield

Photo's By Karen Thomason





Gracie - top

Jack - middle

Blackie - bottom












A few days ago I went to a creek bed upstream from here a little ways. I took three dogs along that afternoon. Gracie, who will be 11 yrs. old this spring. Her son, Blackie, will be 5 yrs. old about the same time. Blackie's son, Jack, was 1 yr. old last week. I was hunting with three generations. It was fun to watch the similarities, and differences between them. Grace and Blackie are heavily built while Jack is more like his Grandsire, Freedom. Jack handles like his sire Blackie, but is much more elegant in his approach compared to Blackie's bull of the woods attitude. Grace is a veteran, Blackie has just come into his own and Jack looks like a great bird dog in the making. It was very exciting. I'm looking forward to hunting with the next generation. DWT