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

Location: Augusta, Wisconsin

Post Date: May 5, 2026

Submitted By: Roger King

Don Didcoct Amateur Shooting Dog Classic: Roger King (stake manager), Scott Anderson with Planet Queen, Ben Mergens (judge), Lindsey Peterson with Berg Brothers Hatchet, Kyle Peterson (judge), and Ed Graddy with North Slopes Allie.

The 33rd running of the Didcoct is now history. You often hear, "Never know what to expect when running a Spring field trial." That turned out to be an understatement! A spring storm delivered wind, rain, snow, and ice, which forced us to cancel day two of the Open Shooting Dog. Factors in our decision included weather, safety of the handlers and dogs, birds, judges, and just plain common sense. It was decided to end the Open Shooting Dog at 14 of the 28 entries. Never an easy decision, but given all the options, this was the best we could do. Believe me, there was much discussion with the officers and the field trial committee.
Don Didcoct would be proud to see how the Chippewa Valley Grouse Dog Association has flourished since his untimely death in 1988, some 20 years after the CVGDA was founded in 1968. Currently, there is an abundance of "Positive Energy" and new blood in our membership. His wife, Judi, keeps in regular touch and is always happy to hear of the impact this trial brings to our sport in many ways. She and Don have much to be proud of for having the influence it has had on our cover dog sport. In addition, the collaboration and cooperation between CVGDA, Minnesota Grouse Dog Association, and Moose River Grouse Dog Club are at an all-time high. Hosting the very successful 80th Grand National Grouse Dog Championship in November of 2024 at the Eau Claire County Forest grounds certainly played a large part in this.
Our judges were Jordan Pharris, a very successful young professional from Brainard, Minnesota. Jordan always has a smile on his face, he's willing to help in any way he can, and he won the 2025 Grand National Grouse Championship--one of his many impressive wins. His judging partner, Scott Luther, blessed us with his presence from Marshall, North Carolina. Scott has been successfully trialing dogs on the East Coast circuit. He always finds time to spend a week or two in Northern Wisconsin hunting grouse and woodcock. They complemented each other well and gave each dog their undivided attention.

[Note: The following are comments assisted by the judges and course marshals.]
In the Open Shooting Dog, North Slopes Allie, owned and handled by Ed Graddy, put forth a "Big" forward race; however, she remained well connected with her handler. She was often to the edge of bell range, then back. Allie ran on the Highline course, which starts in mature aspen with small pockets of swamp, surrounded by an alder/aspen mix along the Eau Claire River. This course ends in a 10-12-year-old aspen cut, perfect for migrating woodcock. Early in the brace, Allie's bell went silent with a nice find on woodcock. To make this find special, Allie stood tall with a huge distraction. One of the judges commented, "Rarely do you see a dog stand through incredible temptation of the bracemate running around Alli." She stood it all!! Allie moved forward alone, and prior to crossing under the highline, she had another woodcock find left near the river in a flat area dotted with aspen/dogwood and thick brush. Allie finished the last 20 minutes forward and was responsive to Ed's occasional guidance--job well done! Second- and third-place dogs ran on the Davidsons Culvert course, which also meanders along the Eau Claire River. It has a nice mix of alder and areas of hardwood ending in a 7-8-year-old aspen cut. The course is very diverse and a good place to show a coverdog and most importantly to find birds.

Second went to Northwoods Fallset Hope run by Josh Matel and owned by Mark Fouts. Hope also had a far-reaching forward race. Early in the brace, both bells were silent 75-100 yards forward. In walking to the dogs, unseen at this point, the handlers and judges flushed a grouse. Handlers were instructed by the judge to shoot; the dogs were still ahead. As the handlers and judges moved ahead, they found both dogs standing in dog hair popple facing each other. Hope was buried in a slight dip and was hard to see. Josh flushed a woodcock in front of his dog. Both dogs did a nice job.

Third was Single Note Run ("Petra"), owned and handled by professional Paul Cook. 10-15 minutes later in the brace, Petra was standing to the right on the course with Hope backing. Paul flushed a woodcock in front of his dog, and both dogs stood tall. The dogs finished the brace well to the front and ran hard.

Other dogs to mention, in no order
Lindsey Peterson and Berg Brothers Hatchet had two woodcock finds and an excellent run. (Hatchet would go on to place second in the Don Didcoct Memorial stake). Mark Smith with Blue Ridge Kobe had an outstanding grouse find, requiring extensive searching, only to find him forward standing a pair of grouse. Holden Baker ran the only Brittany of the stake and had a classy, energetic run, only to crash on his fourth woodcock. The judges said he would likely have been in the placements had it not been for the last woodcock find, with less than five minutes to go. The words "broke my heart" came from one of the judges. A shortened, but very competitive, high-quality stake, to be sure!

The featured stake of the weekend, the Don Didcoct Memorial Classic, and the coveted William Koelpin ruffed grouse bronze casting, waiting to be awarded to the winner, started Friday morning. This traveling trophy has been the cherished goal of many handlers over the years. This stake is one of the premier events for cover dog amateurs in the Midwest. There have been 21 winners who have adorned their mantle with the traveling Didcoct trophy for a year; several have won it multiple times.

Our judges were Kyle Peterson from our neighboring club, Minnesota Grouse Dog Association, and Ben Mergens from Chippewa Grouse Dog Association. Kyle has been very active and successful in trials for 10 years and is well respected as an arbiter for these events. We are fortunate to have him look at our dogs. Ben Mergens needs no introduction in the cover dog world. His judging assignments are far and wide across our sport. In addition, he has been very successful with his dogs over the years. His quiet wisdom and leadership contribute to the success of CVGDA's and our events. He touches on all aspects of CVGDA and always reminds us that "have fun" is high on our desired list. "Rhonda," the first-place dog owned by Scott Anderson, would run on the gas line course on the morning of the second day. As usual, she ran with purpose and hit all the right spots out front, and at 25, she was buried on the right side of the course. Scott approached her and flushed to no avail. He then attempted a risky relocation on these wary birds. Rhonda showed her experience and ultimately pinned a running grouse. The judges reported that this was an "outstanding piece of bird work," which is hard to accomplish without putting the bird to air. After the turn on the east side of Hamilton Falls Fireline, she pointed a woodcock at 45 along a swampy alder-circled section of the course. She had a minor blemish at 50 with a nonproductive; however, this would not detract from her winning run. Scott usually has a smile on his face. Who wouldn't? This was the fifth time the trophy garnered his mantle. Berg Brothers Hatchet, owned by Colin and Lindsey Peterson and run by Lindsey, was the second-place dog. Hatchet ran on day one on the "H" course. Hatchet is a beautiful tri-color setter that runs with purpose and power. He had an unproductive at 25; the judge noted that there were plenty of woodcock splashings in the area. On the second half of the course, Hatchet was buried in a wet alder swamp, a perfect hiding area for ruffed grouse. It took quite a while for Lindsey and the judge to get to him. In that time, it could be surmised that the grouse took the opportunity to move on a bit. After the initial flushing, Lindsey commanded that Hatchet move up. The result was that Hatchet pinned the wary grouse, and the judges were again impressed to see this quality bird work. Hatchet then moved to the front to end the brace with notable style. North Slopes Allie, owned by Ed Graddy, winner of the Open Shooting Dog stake and previously the 2022 Didcoct, would be awarded third place. Allie would secure third place running on day one on the Diablo Jake-King course, a rolling course dotted with pockets of alder thicket, through what used to be called "Woodcock Haven" back in the day. The course then proceeds through a 6-year-old aspen wildlife cut perfect for woodcock and grouse on the perimeters. Allie had an unproductive at 20 in likely woodcock cover along the left side of the course in a dense alder thicket. Just past the picnic table at the halfway point, she was pointed deep on the left side just past the 2024 wildlife cut. Ed would produce a woodcock in front of her in excellent style.

The Open Derby ran Saturday on continuous courses. For whatever reason, this Derby stake was smaller than most this spring, but it was very competitive. Ed Graddy and Colin Peterson judged the Derby stake, and there is no need to mention their qualifications; just read the placements for the other stakes run at the Didcoct. Ed has been very successful in the cover dog world for a long time and is always a joy to have around. His answer is 100 percent "Yes" when asked to give back to our sport. His accomplishments are many: numerous championships, multiple winner of the Didcoct, and an invitee to the Grand National Grouse Dog Invitational. Colin is a tireless young worker and officer for CVGDA, and his dogs are well recognized for doing a great job. We are fortunate to have him as a member of our team, and he is well qualified to judge. The first- and second-place dogs were bracemates on the Crash course. A circular course starting in thick brush dogwood mix and moving to a 10-year-old aspen cut notorious for holding numbers of grouse and woodcock; today would be no different. Kenzie's Cookies & Cream ("CC"), owned by Brian Vander Maazen, would get the blue. Rib River Best Bet, owned by Roger King, would get second. Both dogs were fast and fancy, starting strong and racing through the heavy cover. Betty showed some signs of immaturity at first, but soon settled in. At the 6-minute mark, a small creek crossing that was usually easily crossed was now a small river with boiling eddies that made you think, "Where's my trout rod?" This author, a nearly 75-year-old, took a header into the cold water, resisting the temptation to look back to see the smiles on the faces of the gallery behind. Both dogs literally flew across the water and up the hill, dove into the aspen cover. CC scored a nice woodcock find to the right side of the course with excellent derby manners. At about 20, Betty was out front, right in the aspen, and stopped and pointed a grouse. Needless to say, both dogs were charged and hunting hard. CC had another woodcock find before we headed back, crossing the water again to finish the brace. Judges commented, "They were the cream of the crop".

Lead Belly ("Wayne"), owned by Scott Anderson, and most likely leading the Minnesota/Wisconsin Derby of the Year competition after a big win in Minnesota the prior week, ran on a portion of the Culvert course. Judges commented, "Wayne was more workman in his application but settled in nicely and hunted the right cover throughout." Scott's dogs usually handle well, and with little effort, Wayne was no different.

It's always hard to thank everyone involved in hosting a successful trial. Josh Pederson, Parks and Forest Director, Eau Claire County, and Jody Gindt, Supervisor, Eau Claire County Parks and Forest, deserve our overwhelming gratitude for being our partners for many years. These grounds are recognized as among the top venues in the nation to show our dogs. The list is long on what we have: beautiful courses along the scenic Eau Claire River, an abundance of native grouse and woodcock, roads that make logistics easy to navigate, an outstanding new shelter at Knights Pool, access to lodging and restaurants/bars, and a local culture that welcomes our members and participants with a smile. We are blessed and grateful for it.

Purina has been a sponsor for many years (maybe five decades), providing us with certificates and monetary support. We thank Greg Blair and Purina! Many club members add to the success: Rod Lein, Colin Peterson, Denny Baumann, Greg Johnson, Ben Mergens come to mind; however, there are certainly more. Course marshals are an integral ingredient--thanks to Jeremy Moore, Josh Patel, Brett Edstrom, Eris Saetre, Scott Anderson, and Ed Graddy. I apologize in advance to anyone I may have missed. The 2026 Didcoct is history, the 33rd rendition, and despite Mother Nature throwing us a few curveballs, a resounding success. See you next year!

Open Shooting Dog: Jordan Pharris (judge), Ed Graddy with North Slopes Allie, Roger King (stake manager), Josh Matel with Northwoods Fallset Hope, and Scott Luther (judge).

Augusta, Wis., April 1
Judges: Scott Luther and Jordan Pharris
OPEN SHOOTING DOG [One-Hour Heats] - 5 Pointers, 22 Setters, and 1 Brittany
1st- NORTH SLOPES ALLIE, F1683547, setter female, by A Keystone Kid-Signature Ridge Cody. James Graddy, owner and handler.
2d-NORTHWOODS FALLSET HOPE, F1694804, pointer female, by True Confidence-Northwoods Comet. Mark Fouts, owner; Josh Matel, handler.
3d-SINGLE NOTE RUN, F1698250, setter female, by T's Nickleback-Hidden Jasmine. Paul Cook, owner and handler.

Judges: Ben Mergens and Kyle Peterson
DON DIDCOCT AMATEUR SHOOTING DOG CLASSIC [One-Hour Heats] - 4 Pointers and 18 Setters
1st-PLANET QUEEN, F1702708, setter female, by Rufus Del Fuego-Stumbo's Scarlet. Scott Anderson, owner and handler.
2d-BERG BROTHERS HATCHET, F1691718, setter male, by Berg Brothers Easy Glide-Berg Brothers Rory. Colin Peterson, owner; Lindsey Peterson, handler.
3d-NORTH SLOPES ALLIE, F1683547, setter female, by A Keystone Kid-Signature Ridge Cody. James Graddy, owner and handler.

Open Derby: Ed Graddy (judge), Brian Vander Maazen with Kenzie's Cookies & Cream, Roger King with Rib River Best Bet, Scott Anderson with Lead Belly, and Colin Peterson (judge).

Judges: Ed Graddy and Colin Peterson
OPEN DERBY - 5 Setters and 5 Setters
1st-KENZIE'S COOKIES & CREAM, F1717431, pointer female, by Bluestem's Blackhawk Frank-Lee's Yellow Rose. Brian Vander Maazen, owner and handler.
2d-RIB RIVER BEST BET, F1710626, pointer female, by Toth's Tornado Reloaded-Grouse Trails Warrior Cat. Roger King, owner and handler.
3d-LEAD BELLY, F1713001, setter male, by Ponderosa Mac-Snyder's Josephine. Scott Anderson, owner and handler.

For 33 years, handlers have strived to have this Bronze casting to adorn their mantles.

Rod Lein Enjoying conversation with Lindsey Peterson Lindsay Saetre and Rachel Furnish.

Family-friendly atmosphere at the Didcoct.