AINSWORTH - 99 7/28/99 - Well 12:00 rolled around and we were pretty well loaded but it was already unbearably hot - predictions of well into the 90's. We had 8 horses, 21 adult dogs - 9 little pups - 1 12 wk old pup, & 125 chukkar plus 75 quail. Had 4 rigs with us, Bob along with Amy & the package, Phil hauling our other horse trailer with Luke & Jenny with her mom Sue and Owen & Corrine. Quite the crew but everyone had a great attitude and we made a run at it, leaving at 12:40 and driving straight to our rest stop west of DesMoines, IA at about 5:30 or so. Just fuels stops ( more for Bob G. than anyone) and fast food. We got the dogs out and the humidity was just as bad as you can imagine with tempertures well into the 90's. Everyone needed a break. Made reservations in Norfolk, NE and arrived about 11:30 real good time considering the heat. We stayed up till about 1:00 with dogs staked out and letting it cool down( plus we - bob, phil & I needed a little stress relief) and the pups nursed. Back outside at 6:40 in the morning with dogs out it was already 80 degrees out - very hot day coming. Packed up and moving we were on the road at 8:00 a very hot crew hit Ainsworth at 10:30 - Robin had all the barrels out and water ready and got animals out quick. Not quick enough for the birds 30+ dead chukkars and the rest very stressed. We knew it was a potential problem but we did the best we could - sure hope the rest make it. Horses were turned loose in the big pasture - it just turned out to be a little bigger than I remember. Didn't check the south gate and it didn't take long for them to start roaming the flats -- got Amy & Robin to help and Buddy jumped the gate to get back in - no scars just hot as we rounded them up and got them to where they belonged. Plenty of excitement and some serious sweat. Robin had snacks ready for lunch - sure hit the spot as we were a road weary bunch. Linda & I stayed in camp and the crew hit the cool stream at Long Pine - had a great time. Very nice quiet dinner ( marinated chicken and roasted on the grill potatoes w/a great salad - just what the docter ordered along with some good wine and we started to unwind. Didn't cool down much but at least the sun went down and that helped some but we were back home and set up and felt good to be here. 7/30/99 - Friday - still hot, even early in the morning but at least the weather forcast said a cool front was on the way. Worked on getting the rest of camp set up and the office. Had our annual 1st run to the vet - seems we forgot to lent Clint know that Patty wasn't going to get bred this season and we found them tied this morning - he just did what he was supposed to. Oh Well - Patti got her shot and an extended time in season but at least we caught it. Fun in the sun !!! Whole day was spent just getting things done w/most of the crew in town all afternoon. Had a great dinner and just took it easy. 7/31/99 - Helped Robin & Bob get the gang going to the hills they headed south-just road to triple gates and ran from there. Have to get them write the dogs up! Road: Rita-Lightning-Kelsey-Clint: 25 min Clancy-Dolly-Willie 25 min Patti: 25 min Hills: Betsy-Sunny Rubitu-JJ Jamie-Delva Bo-Zooka Linda and Ken made the trip to Norfolk supposed to meet Alex w/dogs but they got cancelled out on their flight but we still had to be at the dog food feed shop. We made the trip plus shopped for supplies and some produce and headed back. Had a good mexican lunch ( very lucky with that) and headed back to camp. Phil, Jen, Sue and the kids all headed to Burwell and the big rodeo. We got back and went to dinner with Robin, Bob , Steph & Brooke in Long Pine and I had the worst meal I'd ever had in the sandhills. The chef wouldn't even come out and talk - never will I go back to that joint. 8/1/99 - What a great morning - cool, overcast a light chance of rain. Great dog weather with full crew saddled and ready to hit the hills. We went south. Road: Mojo-Dolly-Clint: 27 min Glory: 24 min Hills: Clancey W. & Star(supposed to be Sunny but low and behold she was in season: Star gave Robin fits and a strong desire to hit the rear. Clancey just flowed - a very solid time down - front all the way with very little effort and tons of eye appeal. Making game at 7 - acted a little like a turtle - pushed him through and he stf on a single chicken - both out faults on that one. Hit the front and really reaching 1/4 mile plus and stood tall on a distant hill - moved up as we approached and the covey started to flush - he stood as a 15+ bird covey got out - a bump but not real bad- then off and to the front. A stand at 25 with a move up as bird flushed behind him. Nothing perfect but no violent errors just getting back in the flow. No known turtles- 30 min. 3 -4 chickens & 15 grouse. Willie & Hud - not a pretty picture - Hud had no idea what a horse was and he decided he liked trucks better. Amy & I went back to the trucks and Phil lead him out and we took him on a short loop- just giving him the confidence that nothing bad was happening. He did ok and we ran him for 15. Willie didn't make Robin happy - he just didn't get the job done. 23 min. Clancy N & Sunny - Sunny in season and it showed a real fart in the wind but we kept her front and she backed Clancy - not too bad considering. Clancy - not huge but a real solid front running hunt with very acceptable gun dog range. A np at 15 that had grouse droppings in the area but no birds. She was real strong for 22 and only slowed slightly the last 8. V/good job down with speed and tail crack. 30 min. CRP: Rollie & Delva - thick stuff at Salzmann's - saw several mule deer and a pheasant but the dogs were just overwhelmed - not what we wanted to achieve. Bo & Rosie - ran across the road and this was a better spot but no birds. Rosie - ok but not real independent. Bo had a v/nice time down- hunts hard and to the front, great carriage and speed and just goes the way you want a young dog to go. Chased plenty on dinks. 15 min. Spent the afternoon doing chores w/birds going out, barrels getting ready and atv getting set up w/water tank. Amy & Steph made the long trip to Norfolk to meet Alex & Karen and get the dogs. The trip was long but good and they got back about 7:00. Chad & Paula arrived late afternoon and had a good trip. We had a fun afternoon - ( Robin & Bob - reached for the gusto) - a great dinner by Jenny and the weather was cool the entire day. Things are starting to roll along. 8/2/99 - Robin m.i.a. this morning but not for long . Took 7 horses to the hills and a bunch of people. Went way south for the view and to check out these pastures. Just a neat ride - and stopped on top and took in the view. Great morning for seeing birds and saw 2 antelopes at separate times. One was a trophy buck- ponds still have water but more mud around them as the water level is down considerably from the last couple of years. Road: Rita-Patti-Lightning- Glory - 31 min Clancey W - Clancy N- Dolly - 33 min Hills: Clint & Rubitu - the most independent I've seen Rubitu - definitely out hunting on her own and moving with speed and drive - good to see but no birds for her. Clint started out moving nice - a little more lateral than I care for - got into working something w/birds getting out - couldn't see what happened to start with but he chased big time - caught him and told him what I thought. On we went and he worked a spot then pointed stylishly and had a very well handled chicken find w/perfect manners. Onward we went - Clint was reaching better in the bottom and caught scent and worked through a large area stopping and pointing - a little unsure but than solid as some birds flushed to the side of him, he started to go than the whole covey left over 20 more and he left the area - had to ride him down and he understood. That was our last contact of the brace. 40 min. - 25 + chickens. Betsy & Kelsey - they started out with good speed and hunting - both independent with Kelsey having a STF on a big covey of chickens and then left them - scenting just isn' t right. Both of them were in the area of other birds we saw but couldn't find the birds. They slowed some at 25 and I picked up Kelsey at 30 and the harness on her-Betsy went to 36 with nothing happening the last 5 or 6 min. 25-30 chickens. Flats: JJ & Rosie - J J found birds and pointed while Rosie ran with happy style. Jamie, Rollie & Sunny - Jamie lumbered his way to chase birds and caught.. carring the bird half way around at the start with the other two in hot pursuit. V/ good point for Sunny & better hunt. Birdwork: Glory - dragging a cord - she pointed and jumped in - yelled at we led her in on a cord and she wanted to move. Did some corrections and worked her again - had a soft point w/manners at end. Dolly - plugged in - let go and she worked in and dove onto the bird- corrected w/gusto- 2nd bird she pointed a little soft & styled up to 12 o'clock w/good manners. Rollie - checkcorded and worked in on a single v/tentative and spooky - tried another and he barked at it - then chased some. Rosie - worked in on a single chukkar - pointed and then chased to the fence. Rubitu - worked on 1 - soft point to start with & than Robin styled up and she looked good w/manners. Willie - worked on a single - good style - little step after flush. Lightning - worked on leftover - v/stylish point in thick cover- never could produce - tried to relocate - wouldn't move - shot over and took on - than work a plant that walked over and finally one that we shot over - good style & manners - plugged in. Went to the hill that night and Phil masterminded a great meal on the hill - we sat and enjoyed the night till total darkness hit. Just a nice relaxing night. This has really become a special place to us - really enjoy our ability to get in touch with nature. Listen to some great music and mellow out. Aug. 3,1999 - clear and cool morning - we hit the flats with tons of dogs to road. Roading: Patti,Lightning,Jill: 38 min Clancey W, Betsy, Rubitu: 33min Glory, Mojo: 34 min All set to add Riley to the list but he still has a flat tire and we need to be careful with him. Flats: Decided to work a certain string of dogs on the flats and see where we're at. Flash II & Hud - Hud just was a lost soul out there and his tail was way down - Flash II had a decent find but wanted to go after the shot so I lit her up - corrected and onward we went - very serious left hand loop right now - will need serious work if that keeps up. Willie & Mac - Mac did a little looping but a better overall race w/ a non-productive in the quail pen area - not bad but weak on stamina but very early in program.. Willie a better pattern today had 2 chukkar pieces w/the second one with good manners. Zooka & Kelsey - Zooka's was a little better than Hud but not much in the way of hunt - does show a desire to back the other dog almost too much at this point. Kelsey a little better pattern to- day but not totally sure with it - nice find w/ok style on single chukkar - manners perfect on bird that flushed right at her head. Just a nice cool morning - went back to do chores and birdwork later today. A bunch of the crew went over to Roger's and helped them take down some all wood fence. Going to be some sore bones tomorrow - they had to remove all the nails with a sledge hammer. Got all of our dogs done with ' front line' and 'Ivormec' for the month. Bob cooked a great chicken dinner and we had very nice meal rushing off to do birdwork before dark. Birdwork: Dolly - worked her on a single and she pointed v/nicely - I went to style her up and she went - caught her before the grab and correct- ed then styled up and she handled it just fine. Went to work a- nother single and she ran over it from the wrong side and ended with a pretty decent STF w/manners. Glory- dragging a cord and got her to point a single but not too sure of herself and tried to leave the situation - got her to stand for the shot. 2nd one about the same and I grabbed and put her back - flushed and she handled. Just going through the program. Rosie -worked a single and showed good desire - flushed and chased some. Rollie- more confident tonight - got a very good point and showed good enthusiasm. Progress being made. August 4, 1999 - Wednesday - a little on the humid side today - got to get going early. Loaded up the whole crew and we were off. Went to the N. pasture at triple gates. Hadn't run that one - just had dinner on the hill and 2 of us put up birds while driving. Roading: Patti - Lina - 12 min. Dolly - Clancy N - Kelsey - Willie - 35 min. Mojo - 30 min. Mac - Flash II - 27 min. Hills: Rita & Rubitu- Rubitu decided to get Robin today and for the first time on the trip just kind of hung with Rita and totally ticked Robin off - she picked her up at about 15. Rita - well a touch slower with age and the way we've been roading her but she got right down to hunting and had a stylish NP @ 6 working on for a long time she pointed again only to Ruby come through well in front and then well in front of her I saw a badger leaving the area - lucky to get the dogs out of there. Rita went over a rise and part way down a hill and pointed , moving up slightly and then tightened up solid- about 40+ yards away and slightly left a huge covey of mature dark chickens - at least 20 - left the area - just a nice piece w/ style to burn. Onward she got into some water and than hunted hard w/moderate range for her, working a rise she made game and stopped lowering her head and 2 sharptails left - not the best piece - going on she pointed well and had a single sharptail well handled followed by another one well handled that left as I ap- proached. She never quit hunting but slowed some as the brace wore on - picking up a few turtles here and there but dropping them and going on. Good job of the old girl. 41 min.- 35+chicken and sharptails. Betsy & Clint- good speed but short at the start for both w/Clint making a huge move 1/2 mile away that Bob G. had to go get - a little hot after that - brought in on a spot where a covey of sharp's left and pointed and moved on a single - stood on command - sent on he hunted ok but hot - watered some - Betsy working on a hill side, scented but only could be scored w/stf. She was making game on another hill and birds flushed way across the valley without her ever getting them. She went on and pointed at 16 and had a well located single mature bird. Clint then went into an area where a single had left and swapped ends movinghis head as if to bump but stopped - I then got off and a nice covey of v/young sharps were all around him 8-10 birds well handled. Both dogs slowed some - got them in water and went on w/Betsy stronger at the end but neither one as spritely as they were at the beginning. 33 min. - 25+ Clancey W. & Bo - Clancey good speed and decent hunt - pushed down the big hay meadow along small edges - mainly front w/some v/nice reaching moves - took the one fence all the way and than had to hack him back - could've hunted the flats better but ok and showed some tiredness as the brace went on but still had desire and moved on the edges. Ok job for him - no turtles or birds. Bo - had the best body carriage of Lee's young dogs - not as good of a pattern as last time out but did an ok job for 10 - 12 min - pretty independ- ent but got pretty tired - no birds even at callers. 24 min. We went in and got some of the others to run some pups as I had a haircut and work planned for the rest of the day and the crew was going north to swim in the river. Phil submitted the following: Flats: Jamie & JJ Jamie bumped and chased after JJ almost the entire time. He didn’t seem to have any idea what he was out there for. I tried catching Jamie and letting JJ get ahead, but it didn’t help. Maybe we should run him by himself next time and release some birds in front of him before we start. Despite harassment from Jamie, JJ ran around and seemed to be hunting. JJ is pleasing to the eye and responded well to ‘yo’ to keep to the front, was independent, and won the race in my eyes for the session. JJ pointed a clump of grass in the middle of the field early on. She looked good(raised paw and all), but there wasn’t anything there. Delva & Sunny Sunny is in season, but ran a nice race, was independent, and did a great job of keeping to the front, finding the edges, and ranging well for a young dog. Delva spent most of her time close to the horse. I put her on an objective and she had a beautiful point on about 6 chucker. She held them for about 15 seconds. As I got close on the horse, they flushed and she watched them fly. After the find, she didn’t care as much about keeping close to the horse and kept to the edges, but didn’t get very far away. The rest of the afternoon saw the whole crew going to the river to relax and work on their suntan. Everybody had a real nice day & the pace at camp has been great - steady and getting work done but not killing ourselves. Linda handling the whole roading program has made a huge differance. We talked to Robin F. and wished her a happy birthday. Birdwork: Lightning - just worked her right out of the box on a single - a little soft at first but than styled up and handled a bird that ran all around her and flushed over her w/very good manners. Time to kick it up a notch. Dolly - she's getting this down -acted like she knew what was coming and pointed about 20+ from the bird w/very good style. Good manners and style during flush - let up a little after the shot but perfect manners - v/positive session. Glory - Phil worked her dragging a cord and she pointed on her own w/level style but broke manners on the board - good session for this greenie! Hud - a little insecure and a gait problem right now - not driving at all - need to watch his rear end - tail low - pointed bird and chased a little. Rollie - a little more confidence each time - found bird, pointed and knocked - watched flight after a few steps. Rosie - worked in , pointed and chased enthusiastically. August 5, 1999 - Thursday morning was another clear morning with a birthday trip for Robin to Valentine planned. Tubing and dinner - what more can you ask for? SENT WRITE UP TO DOG CAMP LIST! Decided to drop the fence at Richardson's S. pasture and run from there. Roading: Dolly - Glory - Kelsey - 31 min. Lightning - Betsy - Rubitu - 38 min. Lina - 13 min. Hills: Jill & Willie - Willie just isn't into the hills but giving Robin fits with his attitude. Jill a v/handy gun dog to start with - had her plugged in and she just was a quartering machine - had a np at 9 min w/Willie not backing proper - lots of correction and up the big hill- saw a single but no dogs around- no range on either dog but Jill having nice speed and a good way of going - started reach a little- both made a lot of game in the SW corner and as they were ground scenting an area behind me - 10 chickens left from in front of me - they went through the area and never indicated anything - Willie's feet full of cactus and Robin full of Willie - put the hook on him at 22 or so - Jill stretched out the next 7 or 8 min and looked good- running big but checking in - then tired for last couple of minutes- ran her through a flock of geese and she listened when I called. 33 min. - 15+ chickens in a field that never produced last year. Jill: After the brace I had a single chukkar planted and went out and worked her to let her know what we're here for. She went out and pointed very nicely - no talking to her and had a very nicely done single. Sunny & Rosie - had a chukkar down that Sunny pointed, chased and caught - took 10 min to catch and than not much happened - needs wild birds - Rosie followed Sunny around and then Robin took her off and flew another bird for her right past sunny and off they went - I just took one look and figured I had enough - picked her up and called it a day. Rosie just got exposed. Riley & Flash II - Riley feeling better, we ran him on the flats & concentrated on Flash's left had loop problem - that is going to take some serious work- pushed her down lines and hacked her when she looped - made progress but it will take time - Riley hunted and had a point that he broke w/covey flush - Flash standing in area and left - I shocked her and put her back and we went on. Loosening up for Riley - patterning for Flash. 24 min.- covey of quail. Mac & Zooka - Mac's patterin inconsistant but better than Flash w/ a real good way of going and tail crack - Zooka all over her - good for the greenie to have to put up with a pup - Zooka needs steady work - Mac had a point while we hunted singles in the woods and knocked it - I lit her up and made an impression - concentrated on the basic rules of the game with her - just getting w/the program. 23 min. Birdwork: Star - had on a checkcord - let loose and she ran over bird that got away. 2nd bird was pointed and knocked - but she never saw it flush - shot at it but not hit. 3rd one checkcorded in, very stylish point - stood till flush and broke with shot - went for retrieve and picked up bird - carried around and reeled in - did what we needed. Mojo - worked on 1st one - v/solid point - broke w/shot and perfect retrieve. Hunted Star's 1st bird and got a good point - didn't see flush - or kill - took some to get him to hunt dead but he retrieved well. Jamie - 2 birds out - walked arounded and marked it - slight point- bumped and chased then 2nd ran over it and caught. Hud - pointed one w/no style - chased but still hurting Rollie - pointed w/good style and chased some - getting it together. Change in plans - going to state wildlife area N of Valentine then dinner. A little overcast and cool for the river. Dinner still on in Valentine. Linda, I, Steph & Lucas all went to Valentine refuge and took the driving tour. Saw a great herd of elk, bison and even a few prarie dogs. Just fun - then met the crew at Pepper Mill. Stan &Brooke got the message and they made dinner too - had 18 for RB's Birthday. A really good dinner and birthday party. Back to camp, we sat around and had a great view of the milky way as the moon wasn't out early - very clear night. August 6, 1999 - Friday morning dawned very overcast and shortly thereafter it began to rain - slow at first than it got fairly heavy. Planning for the dinner tonight, we decided to do the shopping and chores and work first and see if the weather improved. Chad & Paula packed up and headed out of camp about 7:00 am off to the badlands and then home for work on Monday. They had a fun time in camp and we sure enjoyed having them. Rained most of the mornng - .6 of an inch - we did chores and then Mary Ann G. & Jim Baker came by to visit. The rain had stopped so we decided to run a few dogs at triple gates. Hills: Clancy N & ( mary ann's )- Clancy not as fast as the last time but a solid GD with a beautiful well broke find on a big covey. She hunted the entire time but lacked the drive of her past time as it heated up - the other dog ran through a bunch of birds. 29 min. 35 + birds. Clancey W. & Eddie( mary ann) - Clancey ran ok but got into turtles early - picking up and carrying several than got to pointing them and after he met the famous boxing turtle( sonny liston) he decided to call it a day and was roaded home. 25 min-run & road. Kelsey & Jimmy( jim baker's ) - got real warm ( 1:00 in afternoon) Kelsey hunted some and needed to get on her to keep her going but didn't over hack her - trying to build confidence and she did a decent time and never quit - 34 min. - 18 birds - 1 covey of chick- ens and 1 covey of sharptails but no dog work. The rest of the day was cooking dinner and getting ready for the Painter clan tonight. Dave Tompkins arrived just before dinner. We had a super dinner - tenderloins, cornish hens, Joe's potatoes & dessert. Just a nice time and a great meal and a bonfire to finish the night - clear night. Rained hard during the night. August 7, 1999 - Phil & Sue Lloyd are due to head home today - rained hard during the night but clear this morning. Roading: Patti - Rita - Glory - 44 min. Mojo - Lina - Mac - Flash II - 33 min. Riley - still on the injured reserve just don't want to put any weight on his rear leg. Hills: Ran over at the place west of the highway. Had cattle in both spots but in good condition. Rather foggy, cool - almost a mist in the air. Betsy & Clint - these two ran a nice brace - good speed and modest range but always front and hunting - Betsy had a NP up along the N fence - wind picked up and we finished into the wind which knocked Clint down and he looped twice and I put the hook on at 40 min - Betsy finished hunting at 43 min. No birds. Willie & Lightning - ran the N. pasture and this was a mess. Both dogs plugged in and they didn't want to range at all - we did all kinds of things but to no avail - had a borderline stf on a single with a couple getting out over the hill and then Robin & I split up. Robin said Willie was just plain ugly and never would get going. I took the collar off Lightning and that helped some - she was being chased by Bob G and I and came across and pointed v/stylishly - as I dismounted a single sharptail flushed and flew 10 yds. I went in front and saw a whole covey running - put up 14 birds. Worked around where we knew a single went down and the best we got was a STF - w/good manners. She than spent the last 15 min doing a v/decent job - not big but at least going somewhere front w/speed and style. 45 min. - 20+ sharptails. Jill/Rubitu - ran these 2 for 35-40 min and Rubitu did an about face and ran a solid race & more importantly an independent one. Jill much better than last time - have kept her plugged in and she flowed more wide than front but a good job overall. Flats: back at camp we had some young dogs to run. Delva & Rollie - ran these two around and got them into the covey - they chased a little but it's just plain hot. Delva has been slow to show her stuff & Rollie is just learning the game. We called it a day and just did chores, had a nice dinner . August 8, 1999 - Sunday was foggy and cool early but it was going to warm up today. We picked the flats and saddled up and were set to run when it cleared up. Roading: Glory & Lightning - 41 min. Jill & Mac - 35 min. Clancy N. - Patti - Lina - 33 min. Roxie & Flash II - 36 min. Flats: Rosie & Lightning - ran these two around the course w/Lightning a little slow(already roaded 41 min this morning) going and the pup just going along with her - a little bit of hunt showing up - Lightning a nice find on chukkar -pup got in there and chased and Lightning took a couple of steps but overall a good job. Sunny & Delva - just ran these two around on the flats, Sunny showing a little more hunt and Delva just not right. JJ & Zooka - JJ good body carriage and a little bit of hunt but not a lot for Zooka yet. Rollie & Clancy W- ClancyW. rolling around the edges and looking damn good doing it - Rollie along for the ride at this point. Kind of a lazy day with plenty of naps and a few chores. Spagetti dinner for the crew & some nice wine than off to do a little bird work at dark. Birdwork: Glory - ran through the first one and corrected - had taken off the cord - put it on and worked her in on one which she did ok on. Dolly - cut loose and stuck the 1st one w/plenty of style - v/good job on single - worked a 2nd one real good and then ran over one as she went in - had to correct her and put her back but overall a good session. Roxie - just getting into the program- had a rather flakey session on her bird so we didn't push the issue. Ended up on positive note. Lightning - did a good job on a single - not her typical high style but we pushed her hard today. Called it a day and back to camp to watch the stars. August 9, 1999 - Monday morning dawned sunny, clear and quite windy. The heat is back, we need to get going early. I was having trouble with my heel and decided to pass on riding this morning and did my office work instead. We also made plans to build our own covey house and see if we can make it work like the one we bought. We have had reasonable success with it so far and have tried not to overwork it. Also needed to modify the ATV so Linda could road dogs off the back and the front. Roading: Willie- Kelsey -- 43 min. Clancey W. - Rita -- 41 min. Dolly - Mojo -- 46 min. Hills: Rubitu & Clancy N Clancy pointed birds at 10 w/Ken handling the action - legit piece of work w/good style and manners but her race was on the slow side - pattern mainly front but a GD today. Rubitu farther reaching and decent pattern w/good speed but no birds. 16 birds - 30 min. Betsy & Roxie Not much reported on this brace with Betsy having a so so day and no birds, Roxie (Betsy's daughter) moved forward as a medium GD with no birds. Flats: Hud - Bo - Jamie Bo hooked the camp with Jamie and Hud going on a little romp together - not much going on here yet. Getting real warm so called it a morning and went to town to get supplies. Got back and Dave & Bob worked on the recall pen. A real warm afternoon with temperature around 90 but a good breeze. Dave's been working Star on come and a couple of horses on ground exercises. He's very patient with the horses and it appears it helps the horse bond with people. We planned a light dinner - Caesar Salad, grilled chicken and some great wine so we decided to eat late and get our birdwork done. Devin's been over helping or living here and really a big help with everything. He understands the program. Birdwork: Roxie - wanted her out 1st to get her reaction and she seemed happy and went over to the area of the bird but wasn't very intense again and as Dave went in front, she stepped back and sat- he went back- set her up and went to flush - she sat on flush - Dave fired - Had Dave go out to the hay bale and flush again as I made her stay standing and we flushed again and fired - need to fine tune this - could have something to do w/false pregnancy or just the pressure of camp. Mac - she's out of the box working the cover but not the tail set as I remember last year - tail is just so so running and not cracking - showing the pressure of breaking. Hunted the edge ok - hit bird or area from long way away - had to make sure bird wasn't there and then move her up- pointed with just above level style - stroked up a little but not real solid either - moved w/flush and had to correct - need to take it a little slow with her until the confidence is back. Went past truck and pointed along edge w/better style but a non- productive - my guess she's got used to this ground game and is just point situations- have to think about that. Flash II - looping pattern - needs serious attention - solid point with 10:30 tail - solid for flush and shot - seems more sure of her- self around birds. Pattern is the issue. Dolly - worked on a single that she banged - good style and manners -stood well through whole situation and shot - on to the area of the covey, she ran through 2 in the grass and STF - legit - went out in front and flushed another bird - she stood - making v/good progress. Glory - worked loose on a single - pointed w/fair intensity -styled up only slightly but manners were good. Went on to edge and let her work where one landed - she pointed ok but level and soft - stood for bird - manners good - needs to gain in confidence. Rollie - showing more animation and confidence - moved well and much more definite in his point - straight tail and solid - dove in and had a good going bird - 1st good chase from him - made real progress while in camp. Rosie - she's in high speed out of the box - pointed, dove and caught - getting this down to well - enough of the game for her - need to real let run but v/good progress for young pup. We called it a night and back to camp - good dinner and just visited a lot. I'm off to Phoenix on business, Robin & Bryon are heading home so he can make it to 1st grade on Thursday and Jenny, Lucas, Corrine & Owen are leaving to do some sightseeing on the way home. Sure was fun having all the kids together. I think we got some next generation trialers in camp. Lucas did great riding Eb - just showing a good seat - time to give him some real riding lessons I think. His other horse ( atv) he's really getting good on - shuttling people around the pasture -he follows the rules and does a real good job. We 've had our crew and the Painter kids together alot and they've had a good time - typical young kids learning to get along but overall just great. The girls all took Sonya for a hair styling session - we need them to talk about it. Making plans for Amateur Handler day on Friday - we'll see who they pick. All the adults moved our lawn chairs to the south yard and sat around talking and watching the stars - Perseid is due to start the night of the 11th and we're already seeing a pretty good number of shooting stars. The milky way couldn't be clearer w/no moon at this time so a real dark sky and unbelieveable amount of stars. A real pleasureable night. This first part of camp has really been great - a nice pace to it with the dogs making good progress. Our focus has changed over the years and we really separate the dogs quite well. The older ones that have birdwork and pattern down get mainly roadwork( big plus having Linda in charge of the roading program - she's up at the crack of dawn - giving the dogs bones - looking them over, medicine when needed and then roading them). The dogs love it and her and can't wait to hit the ATV. About 11 days into camp - (a little more for Robin's crew) and you can see the muscle popping up - the sleakness of their coat and the battle scars w/cactus. All part of camp - Only a few injuries: Riley just real sore in that rear hip joint - have to be real patient w/the old boy - his heart is there but the body needs patience. Bo - a scratch on his head but not too major if we can just keep the flys off it. Clint w/an abscess in a front foot - clean it out and have him on antibiotics-- probably cactus, give the kid a couple of days off. He's so tough and nothing bothers him. I don't believe I've ever seen a dog with his brain - the only one close is Rita and we'll see if he can match up to her with birdsense. So far so good!! Delva we need to watch - she just doesn't seem to be feeling well - no signs of false pregnancy but something not right - gotta watch. Clancey W. a sore eye - not real bad but rather red although no blue film over the eye itself so not too serious, put ointment in the eye and we'll watch closely. Lee's dogs all came w/some matted eyes but this has cleared up - probably weed seeds from the tall cover in Wisconsin. Clint also had a small puncture wound( barb wire probably) on his front upper thigh but that's heeled. It's just worth noting who has gotten injured. Sunny full bloom in season - Patti about out - camp goes on. Horse wise the crews pretty stable - Bob G. tried a sliding stop w/Frankie and ended up on his gun - a little sore for sure. Ben's been a gentleman - even had him on the hills for a brace. Doc looks like a million bucks - Robin's RB a little sore for a couple of days but not too major. Red our of gait for Phil one day and we had switched his head set to fit Jet and forgot to put it back - a little thrush on Red but coming along good. Everyone loves Ron's horse Buddy - can put anyone on him and he just does the job - they like Jet too but he's along way up there - good horse. Traded the white( formerly red) trailer back to Roger and bought his 20' goose neck so we could haul more horses - working out real good and it doesn't need a paint job. Had 8( 7.5 really) in it the other day and had room for more - should be nice to go to the National's w/ATV, hay, etc. Camp will thin out pretty dramatically this weekend with Stan, Brooke, Steph, Bob & Amy, Dave T. all heading home - will be real queit. Bonnie should be here for a few days and then Lee S. will be here with Alex coming on the weekend. A really nice balance. So far we continue to find birds in record numbers - good for what we're trying to get done. The ability to find chickens and handle them along with the ability to go front and to show stamina is what's going to keep improving this program. It's good to be away from the DNA issue for awhile and get back to the basics of what this is about - making the Irish Setter a class all breed competitive bird dog - all that come to this camp want the same thing. We want to win but we're working on improving the breed without shortcuts - the old fashioned way - hard work and learning from what the dogs are giving us. We might not make quantum leaps forward but you can see that we are moving steadily forward and camp helps us understand that whether we take home trophies or not. The string in camp this year would put a 1970's or early 80's Irish Setter trial to shame- not that some of those dogs couldn't still win but these dogs would make them kick it up a notch - or 5 or 6 notches more likely. August 10, 1999 - Tuesay dawned and I was on the road with Robin scheduled for this afternoon. Stan & Dave reporting!!!! Roading: Patti - Mac -Flash -- 37 min Clancy W. - Dolly - Lina -- 36 min. Glory -Lightning - Clint --43 min. Hills: Kelsey & Rubitu - at 3x gates ran w/good speed and some turtle pointing but no birds and decent pattern - seems pretty fit. Rubitu had better speed & range with mostly a forward pattern. Pointed, roaded in and bumped that chased w/Robin hollering whoa. She's in trouble, chased ducks and tweety birds around the pond before Robin got her stopped and corrected. 35 min. no birds. Sunny & JJ - young dogs learning the hill on horseback w/both chasing butterflys and meadowlards. No game birds and worked back to camp w/Devin driving the rig. Flats: Roxie & Bo - Roxie's enthusiasm is high, shown by spinning and barking off the line. Had a nice covey find on quail with good manners for - Bo ran around open field and back to cam p. Riley & Star - Riley did not run well in the heat and bumped quail at the feeder and chased several around until he was caught and collared. Star had fun running but no birds. Bob, Stan and Dave did a variety of projects and it was too hot to birdwork so it was cancelled to Wednesday. Jenny had left w/the kids in the morning and Ken was gone early with Robin and Bryon leaving in the mid afternoon to meet Tom in Grand Island. Later that night it was discovered that the Robin had left w/Kelsey instead of Rubitu and by this time she was a considerable distance S. of Grand Island - she drove back and met the girls ( Amy, Steph & Brooke) who drove all the way down to make the exchange. The girls were exhausted and had to spend the night in a Holiday Inn but they made it back to camp the next day. A rather hectic night trying to contact Robin before she reached the point of no - return. I think this is probably why pilots have printed checklists, we get so used to loading things up that sometimes things slip through the cracks - just a little tougher to fix if it's a dog. Anyhow, it became quite an adventure for the girls who once again showed how help they are to dog camp. We sure appreciate them running down to do the big SWITCH now's it's up to Rubitu and Kelsey to show us all they were worth the effort. August 11, 1999 - Wednesday Roading: Clancy N & Rita - 41 min. Lina & Clint - 41 min. - here's Lina w/5 week old pups and already able to road well for this long - amazing how fast she's in shape- is it the outcross breeding or genetic athleticism - something to watch in future generation. Hills: Jill & JJ - very good race for Jill and nice pattern-- handles easily and always to the front but no birds today. JJ ran well early but got tired and recovered at the waterhole to finish hunting but no birds either. 30 min. Roxie & Bo & Zooka - Roxie moved forward well w/medium range, gaining experience & confidence in open hills, finishing well. Bo found atsingle bird at 5 and gave chase then returned to the front was seen using the wind working up the hill but didn't see any- more birds. Zooka didn't find anything but went to water, barked at the cows and finished fine. 30 min. - 1 bird. Flats: Clancey W & Delva - Clancey ran a v/good race running the lines to the end w.nice head and tail. Pointed a few times but released him- self without bird contact. Finally locked up on point w/quail flushing from all around him - perfect manners and finished strong. Delva handled well from horseback w/some patterning in the mead- ow then chased some quail without catching. Interesting young dog 20+ min. Hud & Star - young dogs learning to handle to the front. They both go to water and use the wind. Finished the session running the east line back to camp. No birds - 17 min. Birdwork: rescheduled from Tuesday and after a long afternoon of powerwashing for the guys at Gerald's place. Riley - w/coller , he handled one chukkar w/excellent manners & decent tail. put him away w/some "good dog" compliments. Flash II - w/collar, handled chukkar w/exc. manners and high tail. Classy looking dog. Mac - w/collar, handled chukkar similar to Flash but slightly lower tail. Dolly - Stan w/collar, worked 2 chukkars w/out error. 1st ever broke dog work for Stan, it has been a long time getting to this point. August 12, 1999 - Thursday - weather is reported as still nice and cool. Bonnie had arrived in camp w/dogs, quail and pigeons and always willing effort to work. Good to have her if it's only for a few days. Roading: Patti - Lightning - Glory -- 48 min. Dolly - Mac - Flash II -- 42 min. Hills: Cali & Pal - strong race for Cali & handled well w/3 picute perfect points on turtles, no birds. Pal got into cactus problems early that slowed him some but he recovered and ran a good race w/no birds. 30 min. Roxie & Bill - Roxie had nice ground speed but failed an honor w/ a medium race and no birds. Bill more in tune w/his brace mate for the first few minutes opened up some then and did a couple fo np's and an excellent point on a turtle. 30 min. Flats: Riley and Hud - Hud with a little help kept moving and stayed in front while Riley was hurting. Just can't put any weight on the rear. Will try just letting have R & R plus maybe an occasional bird to Alex arrives. Birdwork: Flash II - class point on quail w/high head and tail w/excellent manners. Quit on a positive note. Mac - pointed on line where we had not planted, worked corner & couldn't produce, sent on worked around area and pointed the planted quail spot. Worked but couldn't produce. Relocated twice & she gave up on the handler's ability to flush and grabbed it. Sounds like handler error here - slight correction given to dog - handler probably plugged himself in- sent on she went as 2nd bird flushed wild and she was lit up than worked a 3rd bird like the 2nd- so just did the whoa, throw something, shoot and try and end on a positive - not a good session. Dolly - worked into quail at feeder and a bird popped, she tried to leave. Stopped her, flusehed a bird and sent on. Worked a planted bird w/exc manners and ended session. Thanks to Stan, Dave & Bob for providing the info for the report and of course to the girls for keeping them in a straight line - maybe with just a little curve her and there. Another big day for the crew powerwashing up at Donnie's so we've got plenty of fence ready to paint - paint should be here next week. I arrived back late at night with the girls waiting up to do the drawing for tomorrows amateur handler event. The girls were to select 6 dogs and then we draw the handlers for the dogs, should be exciting. August 12, 1999 - Friday - well the girls are ready - very nice cool morning and they've got the list for the event. We let them run and had the handlers discuss the dogs and place them 1-6 with 5 & 6 being the toughest to place. Got to say that Brooke, Amy & Steph all know how to ride the front and how important to keep their dogs up there with them. They weren't afraid to get after them when they needed - it shows they really do understand what it takes to win. We had a fun morning. Roading: Patti acted real prime this morning so Linda kept her off the rig - good sign that the shot worked. Clancey W & Lina - 48 min. Cali - Pal - Bill - 23 min. Hills: Dusty w/ Amy handling & Jill w/Stephanie at the controls - took off at right angles w/Jill coming around for Steph settling into a nice forward pattern. It was reported that Dusty hooked the trailer and Amy needed to round him up and got him back to the front - Jill really rolling nicely now w/Dusty working the front and pointing and taking out some chickens, took awhile to get him back but she did it. Jill got a little handy into the wind and knocked herself out of 1st by knocking a chicken- not good for a broke dog. Pushed her to 3rd w/Dusty getting the nod for 2nd on power and range. 40+ min. 30+ birds seen. Rita w/Steph & Clancy N had Brooke doing the driving - these 2 just hunted w/Rita not quite as quick as in the past but still getting the job done. Clancy a bit more lateral and Steph letting Rita reach her objectives in a nice flowing way - 1 turtle contact but no point- Clancy crowded a covey and got credit for a STB - moved her to 4th because she didn't have the range of Jill - Rita never quit and while not huge, just did her job although birdless. She won on class. Kelsey had Brooke in the drivers seat while Mojo took Amy along for his ride. Mojo wanted to be a independent duck dog today - said he was going swimming 1st then decided to hunt the next pasture going the other way and then lost the war to cactus and made the trip in on Bob's horse. The old boy had fun and earned himself the # 6 spot since he rode in. In the meantime, Kelsey started out pretty serious w/good hunt and pop but a bout w/cactus got her distracted and she shook her head a few times to get it out of her mouth than worked up a hill scenting birds than stopped and tried to remove the cactus as about 12 chickens left the scene. Dave & Brooke removed the cactus buried deeply in the roof of her mouth plus several spines from her tongue. A rough outing for the little girl but she finished hunting at a somewhat restricted pace -not really her fault. Best they could give her was 5th. A fun morning w/the girls showing the experience in handling and what the dogs were supposed to do and we sure had fun watching them. Last day on the hills for this part of the team as the Geddeis's & Nobles are planning an early exit tomorrow morning. Flats: Dolly & Roxie hit the meadows w/Dolly showing that grace and drive that makes her just fun - got too close and had weak stf- - corrected - Roxie a little shakey but an ok session. Roxie pointed out in the field and as we stopped Dolly birds were leaving and she thought about doing the same - again Roxie a little soft but clean. 21 min. kept these 2 going w/the flats where they both belong for now. Progress being made. Lightning by herself, popped around the course w/nice moves while not huge by any means she dug into the cover mainly front and looked good doing it but never could score on birds. 23 min. Birdwork: trying to get a photo session tonight. Dolly - worked out of the box and just stuck a single w/good style and only slight head movement. Perfect for flush & manners - she is on the move. Jill - worked down a line and stuck a single that would be every pointing dog person envious. Gorgeous w/straight 12:00 style & not a quiver. Stood tall through shot. Glory - went out and let her handle a single w/good manners and almost 10 or better style - good progress here for a dog just 2 a month ago. Star - worked on the come command and let her point dragging a cord - great style but I got wrapped up in the cord on the flush and was unable to shoot. Worked another - great style, clean kill and she picked it up and carried, someone caught the cord and then she headed back to me for a nice retrieve. Dusty - 1st breaking session, just threw 4 birds and encourage him to stand still - didn't much like this at first but he got the hang of it. That was it for the day, went back to camp and planned a steak cook out for our departing team. Gerald & Mildred came over followed by Roger, Janet and their crew and we all visited till dark. The gang said their goodbyes for another year w/Bob planning a trip in April for branding - we'll see. Time sure went by quick - hard to believe how much had been done already w/camp extremely organized and everyone pitching in to get chores and needed projects done. Dave organized the building of the quail caller and fixed both the pens and Linda's 4 wheel attachement - he sure has been a big help. Stan & Bob had all the fence powerwashed and Bob and Robin had helped Roger & Devin tear down fence and rebuild. The Painters sure appreciate the help - that's for sure. 2 Weeks into camp and the dogs are as settled in and as fit as I've ever seen this early. Linda has the majority ready to jump to the 50 minute range and their feet are in good shape and the muscles starting to bulge. Heard from Robin and she made it home safe and sound although a little weary after the 31 hr adventure -w/the return to change dogs. Hope we're getting dogs ready to kick butt in Booneville - and a few other places too. August 14, 1999 - Saturday - the Noble's and Geddeis were gone by 6:30 and we headed to the Richardson place on Hitchcook road. Down to 27 grown dogs, 3 young puppies and 9 babies in camp. Roading: Patti - Dolly - Clancy N. -Glory -- 51 min. Mac-Flash II - Bill-Pal -- 45 min. Hills: As we headed down the road, saw a chicken and we stopped and got Cali out of the box, a single flushed down the way and as she went into the edge, she pointed v/stylishly and intense, Bonnie looked along edge and then they started flushing 20 yds ahead, she remained stylish throughout. Good work. Delva & Bo - we pulled in quietly and Delva & Bo out w/Dave & Bonnie on foot towards the birds while Devin and I got the horses. When we arrived both had found and chased a chicken and had burned up some energy but we road with them and they showed good hunt w/Bo the more stamina although they said Delva chased hard -a good session for these dogs. Clint & Cali - ran these 2 w/an strong wind developing and although they hunted wide and mainly front they could have used more range. A little hooking on Clint's part, we worked on it - no birds 25 min. Flats: Kelsey & Roxie - Kelsey a solid point w/a weak back by Roxie, corrected and mannerly for shot. Good for Kelsey - pretty good hunt as we went around, had good speed from both of these, got separated as Kelsey dug into the woods hunting then went down the edge w/stylish point. Stood for wild flush as bird flew at her but got confused as another one tried to run under her - not a major problem but not corrected and sent on - finished hunting but not as quick, she doesn't like to make mistakes. Roxie good speed and starting to pattern on the flats. Hud & Zooka - both seem to be progressing w/Hud a v/stylish find on chukkar and both independent. JJ & Clancey W - JJ plenty of eye appeal moving - just a nice way of going and showing more hunt as camp goes on, Clancey big moves and left us in the wind, just couldn't get him going with us today, a stf that he left as I rode to him, corrected and sent on, went up Sidell's side of the fence and got way front, pointed & chased a chukkar - caught him and corrected, his first big mistake. Back in camp, Bonnie packed up and hit the road about noon with promise to return in a couple of weeks. Good, we need her help. Dave was heading to Omaha for an early Sunday morning flight home. Devin took off and Linda and I had a v/quiet camp all except a 38 mph wind from the south and the heat returning. Upper 80's today!! Went to town and ate the golden onion and it just was rather so-so today although Linda and the crew had a decent meal during the week. August 15,1999 - Sunday - a day of rest - that's right we took the day off, I slept in ( too late to admit to) , Linda took a nap and zero dog work other than chores. Back at it tomorrow!!! SECOND WEEK - E-MAILED