Event: Don Didcoct Memorial Amateur Shooting Dog Classic
Result: Chippewa Valley Grouse Dog Association

Location: Augusta, Wisconsin

Post Date: Apr 23, 2025

Submitted By: Roger King

Didcoct Amateur Shooting Dog Classic: Larry Davidson (judge), Lindsey Saetre with Northwoods Cedar, Ed Graddy with Northern Slopes Bell, Ben Mergens with Over The Hill Morgan, and Roger King (chairman).

One would never think that a watershed could significantly impact a field trial. It is believed that Woodcock migrate after dark along highways called rivers. We are blessed and cursed to have our trial grounds along the banks of the North and South Fork of the Eau Claire River, converging at the southwest end of the trial grounds. The Eau Claire River provides the backdrop for excellent grouse and woodcock cover. The challenge is gauging the level of the river, as snow melts, the spring showers can make the rivers rise quickly. A high river can easily cause us to lose two entire courses and impact others. After multiple discussions, revised potential course orders, and many trips to check the water level (thank you, Rod Lein), all worked out just fine--"80% of the things you worry about never happen."

Don Didcoct was a proponent of class grouse dogs and the important role that the amateurs play in the success of cover dog trials. Don exemplified what it takes for an amateur handler to compete on the cover dog circuit: Passion, hard work, talent, dedication, and class dogs. Don Didcoct died way too early--July 7, 1988--and will long be remembered as an educator, dog trainer, leader, field trialer, grouse hunter, and friend.

The Open Shooting Dog started promptly at 7:40 a.m. Thursday morning, 33 degrees, a little snow in the air, and northwest winds 6-10 mph--one might say perfect field trial weather. Judging was Alex Anderson, a young and very active member of CVGDA who has a nice string of pointers and spends an enormous amount of time in the woods. His partner was Ben Mergens, a highly sought-after judge on the entire cover dog circuit. His experience is vast, and his decisions are well-received. Ben stepped in at the last minute for Bill Holtan of CoverDog Message Board. A pending snowstorm in Northern Minnesota (12 inches of snow) prevented Bill from coming. A trip down memory lane, on April 6, 1997, Bill totaled his pickup truck (with dogs) returning from the Didcoct. All ended well, however, we jointly agreed not to push our luck.

Jordan Pharris's Big Big Energy ("Lotto") ran in the very first brace on the Wilson Park course. If there were ever a perfect name for a dog, Big Big Energy is right on. He literally attacked the course with power, speed, and momentum, and hunted the appropriate cover with maturity beyond his two years. Lotto had a perfect woodcock find at 20, and he was exciting to watch the last 40 minutes. As they say, "He made you sit up in your saddle," except we had no horses. Lotto is no fluke; his dam is Clover Valley's Millie (Jerry Furnish), the 2024 Didcoct winner, and sire Northwoods Atlas (Greg Johnson). Atlas would have been at the 2025 Grand National Grouse Invitational but passed prematurely. Second place went to Rod Lein and Over The Hill Morgan, who also qualified for the Grand National Grouse Invitational. Morgan had two well-spaced woodcock finds running on the Diablo Jake-King course. Judge Alex Anderson's quote: "Beautiful finds- consistently forward race." On one find, there were four grouse flushed walking to where Morgan stood; she handled that with perfect manners! Lake Effect Ali, run by Jordan Pharris and owned by Tim Kaufman, ran on the Crash course. Jordan did an outstanding job of handling her, but it was apparent she was looking for owner Tim. Ali was a tad erratic the first 30 minutes, then settled in to have two woodcock finds worked around a nice grouse find. Needless to say, a well-deserved placement. Ali is also heading to the National Grouse Invitational. To answer the question--Was this a competitive stake? Two of the three placements are qualified for the National Grouse Dog Invitational--Yes, it was!

The Don Didcoct Amateur Shooting Dog started Friday morning, running concurrently with the last braces of the Open Shooting Dog on fresh courses. Larry Davidson and Chris Bye were our judicial team. Larry is a two-time winner of the Didcoct in the earlier years 1990-91 with much experience judging grouse dogs. Chris Bye is the president of the Minnesota Grouse Dog Association and a very experienced judge. He was part of the reporting team for the 80th Grand National Grouse Championship run on these grounds last fall. These two complemented each other very well, and the placements were very well received. Northwoods Cedar, handled by Lindsey Saetre, bested the field of 28 entries. Cedar ran the last brace on Saturday on the Diablo Jake-King course. It is a course steeped in tradition (ask Jim Tande, Legend of the Cover Dog world). It offers multiple opportunities on both grouse and woodcock. Cedar would not disappoint. Early in the brace, Cedar had a stylish woodcock find. At about the halfway point, Cedar's bell went silent along an old oxbow of the Eau Claire River well to the front. Scout Eric Saetre went looking and found her standing. Judge Davidson arrived as the grouse exploded in front of Cedar. Shortly later, Linsey arrived; an incredible grouse find in the books! Cedar was off to the front through a stand of gigantic, nearly century-old White Pines and across the Callahan bridge. The judges were impressed with the bond between Cedar and Lindsey. At one point, at the bottom of a small hill, Cedar's head appeared just over the top. She looked as if she were saying, "Hey, Boss, I'm here, heading to the front. See ya." Her last find was between a recent Aspen clear-cut and the river, a perfect spot for a woodcock. Cedar stood with style, all in order. Cedar and Lindsey are now off to the National Grouse Invitational Championship in New York. Good luck! Second went to past winner Northern Slopes Bell, handled by Ed Graddy (a three-time winner of the Didcoct). They ran on the very consistent "H" course. Both Bell's points were classy woodcock finds. The judges remarked that she floated around the course with very little need for handling. Over The Hill Morgan, handled by Ben Mergens, was the third-place dog. The judges noted, "She's a speedy, classy little pointer." Morgan had two woodcock finds. The first was early in the brace and the second at 31--both excellent! Morgan is also headed to the National Grouse Invitational Championship. Good luck! With two of the three placements going to the Grand National Invitational Grouse Championship and the other a past winner of the Didcoct, I guess that says it all for the competitiveness of the 33rd annual Don Didcoct Memorial Classic.

What can you say? We had two excellent derby judges with tons of experience, and to top it off, "Best Friends." Scott Anderson and Brett Edstrom are a joy to have at a trial, in addition to all the work they do. Thank you both from the bottom of our hearts! The Derby started on Saturday at noon, running concurrently with the Didcoct Amateur Shooting Dog. We were fortunate to have Greg Johnson, a club member and officer, ramrodding the Derby. We strive to have continuous course Derby stakes, which adds tremendously to the logistics, but as always, Greg was up to the task. Nick Sisterman and "Endee" followed up their Derby placement at the North Country Championship by winning the Blue. Endee ran in the very first brace on the H course and led the field the entire way. Endee immediately made big moves to the front, negotiating the Oxbows left by the changing course of the river. These areas are excellent cover (Aspen-Alder mix) for birds. Endee pointed a woodcock in a wet thicket between the course and the river. She stood statuesque while Nick excitedly fumbled a bit to find his blank pistol and shoot. As it turned out, this was certainly enough for her to carry the field. Second place went to Mathew Acker and "Tess," a German Shorthair pointer. Tess ran well and pointed a grouse in a small swamp along the North Fork of the Eau Claire River on the Diablo Jake-King course. Third Place was Greg Johnson with Northwoods Rip Roy, who's one of the leaders for Derby of the Year. Rip ran on the second half of the Gasline Course, breaking away very strongly, which he carried the entire brace. After he crossed the opening for the gas line, he immediately was birdy and pointed at the edge of a small slough. Greg shot, and Rip took to the front, where he stayed the remainder of the brace.

At the winners' announcement on Sunday, special recognition was given to Ben Mergens by CVGDA for Outstanding Effort in preparing for and hosting the 80th running of the Grand National Grouse Championship in the fall of 2024. Ben provided leadership, hard work, talent, and positive energy to supervise a motley crew of CVGDA dog people. A 40+ year old shelter at Wilson Park was renovated with new metal siding, windows, doors, and lights. A new shelter was built at Knights Pool in a stand of Red Pine overlooking Knights Pool, which some call a "million-dollar view." Both shelters were used at the Grand to host coffee, lunches, and evening meals. CVGDA will benefit for years to come, having these two shelters to better host future cover dog trials. Ben was instrumental in all aspects of finishing construction on these two fine additions to our grounds. In recognition of his efforts, Ben was given a framed original painting of his runner-up champion, "Lucy." This piece of art was painted by club officer Greg Johnson's daughter, Addy. She is a very talented, aspiring young artist. Needless to say, Ben was at a loss for words with emotion--a moment to treasure.

For many years, Purina has supported pointing dog field trials, in fact for some five decades. We are most appreciative of the support Purina gives CVGDA, which makes it possible to host a premier cover dog event. Thank you, Greg Blair and Purina, for your long-standing, wonderful support! We appreciate the excellent products you so carefully develop for our dogs.
It's heartwarming to see the continued success of the Don Didcoct Memorial Amateur Grouse Classic. Judi Didcoct (Don's widow) is happy to see the positive impact that she and Don had on cover dog trials and that it is still healthy and growing today. Many trialers have "winning the Didcoct" on their bucket list. It is truly an honor to have that bronze William Koelpin Grouse casting adorning your mantle for one year.

See you next year!

Open Shooting Dog: Roger King (chairman), Ben Mergens (judge), Jordan Pharris with Big Big Energy, Rod Lein with Over The Hill Morgan, Tim Kaufman with Lake Effect Ali, and Alex Anderson (judge).

Augusta, Wis., April 3
Judges: Alex Anderson and Ben Mergens
OPEN SHOOTING DOG [One-Hour Heats] - 5 Pointers and 16 Setters
1st-BIG BIG ENERGY, F1705733, setter male, by Northwoods Atlas-Clover Valley's Millie. Jordan Pharris, owner and handler.
2d-OVER THE HILL MORGAN, F1699010, pointer female, by J T H Scion-Over The Hill Patty. Robert Zielke, owner; Rod Lein, handler.
3d-LAKE EFFECT ALI, F1688438, setter female, by Northern Lights Sirius-Lake Effect Tilly. Tim Kaufman, owner and handler.
Judges: Larry Davidson and Chris Bye
DON DIDCOCT AMATEUR SHOOTING DOG CLASSIC [One-Hour Heats] - 8 Pointers, 18 Setters, and 2 German Shorthairs
1st-NORTHWOODS CEDAR, F1691883, setter female, by Erin's Prometheus-Northwoods Carly Simon. Eric & Lindsey Saetre, owners.
2d-NORTHERN SLOPES BELL, F1682006, setter female, by Ponderosa Mac-Out of the Shadows. Ed Graddy, owner and handler.
3d-OVER THE HILL MORGAN, F1699010, pointer female, by J T H Scion-Over The Hill Patty. Robert Zielke, owner; Rod Lein, handler.

Open Derby: Roger King (chairman), Nick Sisterman with Silvershot Snowball Express, Mathew Acker with Cedar Creek's Pointing Upland, Greg Johnson with Northwoods Rip Roy, Brett Edstrom (judge), and Scott Anderson (judge).

Judges: Scott Anderson and Brett Edstrom
OPEN DERBY - 13 Pointers, 12 Setters, and 2 German Shorthairs
1st-SILVERSHOT SNOWBALL EXPRESS, F1704893, pointer female, by Crosswind Jim-Silvershot's Lil Fancy Pants. Nick Sisterman, owner and handler.
2d-CEDAR CREEK'S POINTING UPLAND, F1711522, German Shorthair female, by Kimber Tactical-Covey Up's Snake River Latte. Matthew Acker, owner and handler.
3d-NORTHWOODS RIP ROY, F1711135, setter male, by Woodville's Yukon Cornelius-Northwoods Redbreast. Greg Johnson, owner and handler.

Past winners with Didcoct Vest welcoming Linsey Saetre to the fraternity.

Ben Mergens receiving an Outstanding Achievement Award from CVGDA.