Result: National Amateur Pheasant Shooting Dog Championship

Location: Lacey Township, New Jersey

Post Date: Dec 23, 2021

Submitted By: Lloyd Miller

The Winners. Front row: Kevin Joyce with Hightailing Maggie and Roger Dvorak with Nottingham's Storm Warning. Standing: Ronnie Rogers, judge; Frank Henderson and Mike Mullineaux, judge.

The English Setter Club of America hosted the National Amateur Pheasant Shooting Dog Championship with a tremendous field of 43 top shooting dogs. It started Thursday, October 21, and concluded Sunday, October 25. The weather was excellent throughout.

The club would like to thank Purina for their support of this event. Their backing is always most welcome.

We also like to thank Joe Cincotta for getting this Championship for all the field trailers in the Eastern part of the country.We all appreciate his effort in doing so and it turned out be a great success.

Others who helped were Matt Basilone who planted the pheasants throughout the trial, Muriel Primm, John Frank, Karen Lordi, Louise Wilcox, Marcus Ramseur and others who worked behind the scenes to get things done that were needed to make this event run smoothly. We thank you all.

Our judges were Ronnie Rogers of New Market, Tenn., and Mike Mullineaux of Atlantic, Va. We thank Ronnie for coming at long way and Mike for stepping at last minute after our original judge stepped down. We thank them also for their time in the saddle and attentiveness throughout. Their decisions were well received.

This year we utilized a counter-clockwise course for the hour stake taking in the extreme southern limits of the grounds and then switching to the inner north and south loops before starting over on a continuous course layout. It provided a nice flow for dogs and handlers and plenty of bird work for all, including a lot of the expected pheasants plus many large coveys of quail left over from the Brittany Championship a week prior.

THE WINNERS

After a short discussion Sunday afternoon, the judges made their decision and Chairman Joe Cincotta after all the thank you made the announcement.

The winner was Hightailing Maggie, owned by Kevin and Maureen Joyce of East Northport, N. Y. The white and black pointer female rendered an excellent performance in winning this Championship, according to the judges.

Running in the last brace on Saturday afternoon, she traversed the course with excellent range of good proportions and scored on seven stylish stands on pheasant, all accurately located and put to flight by Kevin in short order.

Per the judges, her race was always forward of the 10 to 2 variety, and strong to the front, where she might disappear for a short time, but always show again in the right place. It was a very good hour.

Taking the runner-up laurels was Nottingham's Storm Warning, white and orange pointer male, owned and handled by Roger Dvorak of Elkton. Md. Storm ran in the first brace Saturday morning. He ran a big classy race and had four pheasant finds at 9, 35, 41, and 44, coupled with a quail find at 54, plus a nice back and one unproductive. It was a very good effort. Details of his performance are also noted below.

THE RUNNING

Fluid Drive (Lordi) and Springflow's Backcountry Bruiser (Catanzarite) were off at 8:09 a.m. Thursday morning, action started at top of the course with Bruiser pointing in mowed strip, Drive backing. This turned out to be an unproductive at 8. Bruiser had a nice pheasant find on outer south at 20 and another in field to right short of Hunter's cut at 30. Final action occurred coming back on inner north with Drive pointing a pheasant at 48 and Bruiser with a back. Bruiser took a small step at flush as handled whoa'd him. Both dogs ran a strong ground effort.

Thomas Adirondack Tripp (Thomas) and Limbsmoke Skeet Rock (Miller). This brace was off at 9:15. Tripp grabbed the front early but suffered unproductives at 28 and 37 in his route and was up at 50. Rock pointed to right short of Hunter's cut where Bruiser had a pheasant in the first brace and got an unproductive out of it. Taken on, Rock scored with a nice pheasant find in path of breakaway field short of sand road and another nice stand on edge along cable road going to top. Turning north out of outer south Rock suffered a second unproductive near mound at 55.

After a coffee break, Bella Bull (Saniga) and Guard Rail's Little Rock Annie (Casale) were off north from sand wash field at 10:28 a.m. Both went the hour with not much action. Bella had an unproductive at 12 at northeast corner turn and one nice stand on a pheasant with a good finish on ground. Annie also a find but on a single quail at 11 and an unproductive at horseshoe mound after breakaway sand road at 26. This finished the morning braces.

Hoo's English Ivy (Creagan) and Smoke and Mirrors (Goodie). Starting back at 1:30 p.m., Ivy was up at 5 with a mishap on big covey in horseshoe mound area west from breakaway field. Mirrors did an excellent job. After suffering an unproductive early, she scored pheasant finds at the top of breakaway, another in Rocky's field on left pine row, another in outer south, and one on the inner north, plus two quail finds on the southwest and southeast corners of course. She finished the hour at north 2 road. A good race of medium proportions.

Storm Rider's Shadow (Dvorak) and High Tailing Penny (Joyce) started at north 2 road heading south at 2:38 p.m. Penny was up early at breakaway field course crossing. Shadow had one quail find at horseshoe berm, then after a long section of hunting and back out the breakaway turning left into Rocky's field, Shadow scored on a pheasant followed shortly by a good quail stand. He finished the hour at the inner south loop center road crossings. A good race but on the shorter side. A total of three quail finds at 34, 38, and 46 and one pheasant at 44.

BK Iron Clad (Sanchez) and Navajo Cody (Lordi) were off at 3:34 p.m. Clad had one quail find at 20 and was picked up at 4:18. Cody was lost at 30.

Heard Hill Rebel Polly (Buck Heard) and Waybetter Brute (Bishop) were Friday's first brace at 8:03 a.m. Polly had a nice back of Brute early, followed by a good pheasant find at the center of south loop at 8:28 a.m., but chased a pheasant before Hunter's cut at 8:40 a.m. and was picked up. After his find Brute was lost somewhere on outer south course and tracker was called for. He had one pheasant until this point.

North Country Girl (McKay) and All American Honky Rock (Mamounis) started at 8:50 a.m. north from breakaway field. Girl ran the hour nicely of medium proportions with five pheasant stands and one back and to front. She had nice style with ten o'clock tail. Rock had a nice pheasant find, coupled with an unproductive and two quail stands in quick succession in Rocky's field. Rock also had one back. Brace ended at center road on inner south loop.

Deerfield Game (Ramseur) and Heard Hill Tom Cruise (Buck Heard) were the last brace of the morning, off at 10:08 a.m. Game, or Diva as she is called, backed nicely Tom's pheasant find in field just past north 1 road at 19. Tom followed with a nice back of Diva on the quail covey in northwest corner of inner north loop at 32. Tom followed with a pheasant find just before horseshoe berm at 39. Diva initially backed but then took some steps and was picked up. Tom made a nice cast along right edge of shoot field and turned right at end. Shortly while scouting Lynn Heard called point and a pheasant was dispatched by Buck in good order at 44. A nice piece of work. Crossing the center road, Tom pointed his final pheasant in field just past the second pine strip at 58. Castoff he finished going up cut toward the sand wash field as time was called. He ran a fairly good hour being classy a foot with good bird work to boot.

Miller's Unbridled Forever (Sanchez) and Springflow's Backcountry (Catanzarite) started after lunch at 1:30 p.m. The retrieval device was called for Forever at 5. Country started with a nice pheasant find at 4, a good quail find in Rocky's field at 11, followed shortly by another quail find in which he took steps at flush and was up at 20.

The second brace after lunch began at 1:55 p.m. Backcountry Missy (Catanzarite) was gone early. Ravenwood Gemstone (Cincotta) had two pheasant finds and two coveys of quail, plus a stop to flush on pheasant but was ordered up before the hour after a mishap on birds. Backcountry Missy (Catanzarite) was gone early.

Guns and Roses (Smith) and High Tailing Pearl (Joyce) were away at 3:00 p.m. Guns and Roses was lost at 15. Pearl had pheasant find at 10 in field along cable road going up to top of course. She scored three more pheasant finds at 15, 20, and 47 during her run coupled with a good race on ground. She ran big, going here and there. This concluded Friday's running.

Saturday's running started at 8:04 a.m. with Nottingham Storm Warning (Dvorak) and Ravenwood Throwing Smoke (Cincotta). This brace was a good one with both dogs taking their shots with the edge to Smoke on the ground as he flowed nicely with course. Action started at the center sand road with Smoke with a pheasant find with Storm backing. At the top in high cover strips, it was a reversal with Storm a pheasant find and Smoke the back. This followed with both dogs having separate pheasant finds near Hunter's cut, Smoke in the field and Storm in the woods. Ahead just crossing the breakaway field going north, Storm was found pointing with Smoke backing. A pheasant was dispatched by Dvorak. In next field, Storm had another pheasant with Smoke again on a nice back. Here, when released, Smoke went directly to the front, while Storm swung left and back a little going into the woods. Crossing through the mudhole and into the field before the center road, Smoke pinned a quail covey in good order. Storm showed up shortly in same field and pinned a pair quail in path. A good find all in order. In next field Smoke pointed to left. During flushing attempt the pheasant ran too close to the dog and Storm moved and was picked up with only four minutes left. A real good performance and was probably winning the Championship until then. At same time Storm was pointing to right in tree edge but ended with an unproductive. Taken on, Storm finished strong to the front as time expired at north 2 road. It was the top performance so far.

B K Red Solo Cup (O'Brien) and Thomas Adirondack Turbo (Thomas) were loosed at 9:09 a.m. south from north 2 road, Turbo pointed a pheasant to left of path about 50 yards up. Cup stole point and was ordered up. This action was just about one minute after the dogs were loosed. Turbo scored a quail find at 6 in the south loop but was lost at 35.

Urban Fantasy (Ramseur) and Heard Hill Golden Eye (Buck Heard). Off at the normal breakaway at 10:10 a.m. going west Fantasy pointed at berm and suffered an unproductive as Golden Eye backed nicely. Eye scored a nice pheasant find off cable road edge to left going to top. Next Fantasy scored a nice pheasant find in Rocky's field going south. He was lost at cable road crossing and tracker was pulled. Meanwhile, Eye scored a pheasant find in southwest field, a covey find in southwest corner on outer south loop, a pheasant find in field after sand wash, a single quail find in pine strip on middle of inner north loop, and finished the hour at the horseshoe berm. He had a good classy race of median race. Per judges he had one of the best for the first 30 minutes. His total was four pheasant finds at 5, 12, 27, and 52, plus two coveys at 14 and 41. He had also one nice back at 3 and an unproductive at 41.

Off at 1:31 p.m., Jubulee (Saniga) had a good quail find at horseshoe berm at 4, an unproductive in top field strips, and a second unproductive going left at end of Rocky's field and was up at 15. Lilyan Creag (Creagan) also had an unproductive near Jubulee's stand and bumped some quail in middle of the inner north loop at 50 and was up.

The Secret (Sanchez) and Springflow's Backcountry Girlfriend (Catanzarite) were away was at the northwest corner at 2:30. Secret had a nice quail stand near horseshoe berm but got lost at 30. Girlfriend knocked bird at north 2 road and was up at the 3-minute mark.

High Tailing Maggie (Joyce) and Bull Finch (Saniga) were the last brace of day beginning at 3:15 p.m. Maggie's performance is reported above. Bull had only a back of bracemate during the hour.

Calico's Over the Top (Smith) and Tin Man's Heat (LeVasseur) were off at 8:09 a.m. Sunday morning. Over the Top scored on two pheasant finds at 16 and 25 and two quail finds at 34 and 44, chased at 56 and was picked up. Heat ran the hour with four good pheasant finds, plus a stop to flush on one quail and one pheasant.

Heard Hill Jaybird and Great River Yellowstone (Sanchez) were away at 9:16 a.m. Lynn Heard handled Jaybird nicely and had two nice pheasant stands at 16 and 35, but ended the effort on a second unproductive. Yellowstone was gone early, retrieval device employed.

Limbsmoke Urban Lullaby (Miller) and Little Wing Inked Up (Mamounis) were away at 10:38 a.m. Lullaby ran a real nice classy, searching race and finally pointed a pair of quail standing on south 1 road at 35 just before Rocky's field. Inked Up didn't back and ran up on Lullaby's rear as bird flushed and both chased. Before this mishap, Inked had one unproductive and two mannerly stands, one on a pheasant at 6 and another on quail at 8.

Ravenwood Charlie (Cincotta), as a bye, scored a nice quail find in Rocky's field just after breaking loose at 1:00 p.m. Continuing on the outer south loop she had an unproductive at 6, plus two real stylish pheasant finds at 11 and 14. Her hour ended early with a second unproductive at the southeast corner.

This concluded the Championship running as all rode back into parking area to hear the judges' decision.

Lacey Twp, N. J., October 21 -- One Course

Judges: Mike Mullineaux and Ronnie Rogers

NATIONAL AMATEUR PHEASANT SHOOTING DOG CHAMPIONSHIP

[One-Hour Heats] -- 37 Pointers, 5 Setters and 1 Irish Setter

Winner--HIGHTAILING MAGGIE, 1674283, pointer female, by Bail Me Out--Walden's Ridge Liz. Kevin & Maureen Joyce, owners; Kevin Joyce, handler.

Runner-Up--NOTTINGHAM'S STORM WARNING, 1662154, pointer male, by Game Strut--High Value Special. Roger Dvorak, owner and handler.