Result: Keystone Open Shooting Dog Championship

Location: Petersburg, Pennsylvania

Post Date: Dec 27, 2019

Submitted By: Ernie Saniga

Keystone Championship Winners. From front left: Joe McHugh with North Country Girl and Bob Reed and Jeanette Tracy with Steel City Karen. Middle: R. B. Powell, Bart Hastings, Merv Eisenhart, Chris Catanzarite, Marty Zukovich, Karen Strausbaugh and Steve Boyer. Back: Mike Tracy and Cody Fisher.
PETERSBURG, PA. -- The Indiantown Gap Club ran its three stake program November 5-9 at the Keystone Bird Dog Trust grounds near Petersburg, Pa. The stakes were the Keystone Open Shooting Dog Championship, the Indiantown Gap Yankee Open Derby Classic and the Indiantown Gap Amateur Shooting Dog Classic.

At the Gap we always expect "a hard rain's goona fall," as Dylan sang because it usually does. This year it didn't, and the weather was good for running dogs, albeit very cold a few days.

We didn't have the bad weather but we had horse wrecks; R. B. Powell, Cody Fisher, this reporter and Daren Boyer were the victims. Fortunately, there were no injuries other than a few bruises.

This was the 29th running of the Keystone Championship on these grounds and for the first time George Tracy was absent. A horse rolled on him at a trial earlier in the fall in Connecticut resulting in broken bones in his leg. He will be back soon.

We missed his wife Mary Tracy as well because she runs the all-important kitchen. Greg Strausbaugh's fianc e Karen filled in for her and did a great job here.

The Gap has free meals and dinners, donated by Ted Foust, Karen Saniga, R. B. and Brigit Powell, and Muriel and Bill Primm. Cody Fisher's mom sent chicken while Brady Fisher brought potato soup. We ate well!

Larry Suwak was here for one dinner. We cross his land which we call the hundred-acre farm during the running.

The Keystone Championship was won by North Country Girl, white and liver pointer female owned by Dave McKay and Joe McHugh and handled by Mike Tracy. Joe was here to watch her run. Girl ran in the second brace with runner-up Steel City Karen, white and orange pointer female owned by Betsy Archer and Bob and Karen Reed. Bob rode the brace as Jeanette Tracy handled.

One of our open stakes judge was R. B. Powell, who has over fifty years of experience handling and training bird dogs. He assisted Harold Watson with the Indiantown Gap Bird Dog Club starting in 1968 when the club's trials moved to Troxelville. He has been an avid bird hunter and judged many prestigious events including the Ontario Open Championship, the New England Open Championship, and a myriad of events in his long history. He has supported field trials by providing horses to field trial clubs in the Middle Atlantic region for over thirty years.

R. B. has campaigned setters successfully with some memorable dogs such as Powell's Beta Wilma, Sonic Boom, The Welshman, and recently White Spider.

He has also reported the Pheasant Championships when they ran for many years in Baldwinsville, N. Y.

Joining R. B. was Bart Hastings, also quite long in experience.

From southern Delaware, Bart has been an active participant in the sport for decades and has always had a few good dogs in his string that double as hunting dogs when the trial season is over. Bart often sends a dog or two to the prairies with Robin Gates for summer work but he trains and campaigns his outstanding dogs on the Middle Atlantic circuit and is a sought after judge.

These two rendered a very popular decision.

R. B. wrote a report of the Open Championship and it is included here.

The Open winners. North Country Girl, the champion, and Steel City Karen, the runner-up, ran in the second brace on a cold Tuesday morning. Both circled the breakaway field in classic fashion by hunting the edges and then turning to reach the top fields. Heading into the back country, North Country Girl was found ahead pointing along the hedge with style high and intensity at 9. Both dogs went through the creek bottom and disappeared beyond the corn field and were next seen ahead with Girl pointing and Karen backing at the edge of the lower wheat field with all correct and picture perfect with 24 minutes used.

At 28 Karen pointed at top of hedge line with Girl backing. At release they toured the large bottom of the Suwak wheat field along Shaffers Creek, which we call the hundred acre farm, and appeared as faraway dots as they disappeared into the grove. They were pointing as the handlers and judges arrived. Both handlers flushed and both dogs had birds in an impressive double find at 34. On the way back, Mike Tracy called point at the top of the hill along a fencerow. Girl was intense and several yards off the birds as Mike flushed far ahead. Karen continued on to the front with Jeanette Tracy riding quickly to keep her in sight as the hills often limit visibility. Along the top and back on Keystone property, Mike called point along the sorghum strip at 43. Both dogs toured around the creek bottom field and headed up the gully. Karen pointed in the ditch at 57. Both completed the hour reaching into the breakaway field and the handlers picked them up.

The owners were riding to watch their dogs, Joe McHugh from Georgia to watch his North Country Girl, and Bob Reed to see Steel City Karen. Girl is co-owned by Dave McKay and Karen is co-owned by Betsy Archer and Karen Reed.

Backcountry Tornado, handled by Chris Catanzarite, was the closest to the winners with four finds and an easy handling and hunting style that displayed her history of trial experience.

Waybetter Rocky carded four finds with ideal style but was often difficult to locate on this course. Sand Mountain Icy presented a commendable effort with three finds and a back running in the last brace.

Petersburg, Pa., November 5 -- One Course

Judges: Bart Hastings and R. B. Powell

KEYSTONE OPEN SHOOTING DOG CHAMPIONSHIP [One-Hour Heats] -- 20 Pointers and 4 Setters

Winner--NORTH COUNTRY GIRL, 1654212, pointer female, by Great River Joe--Richfield Silver Belle. Joe McHugh & Dave McKay, owners; Mike Tracy, handler.

Runner-Up--STEEL CITY KAREN, 1649013, pointer female, by Burning Edge Sinbad--Tin Soldier's Bev. Bob Reed & Elizabeth Archer, owners; Jeanette Tracy, handler.

Yankee Open Derby

First in the Open Derby was Miller's Extreme Heat, also owned by Joe McHugh and handled by Mike Tracy who also handled the second place winner. Heat is a stylishly gaited dog that moves attractively and was a handful in this big county but handled three finds with style and all in order.

Erin's Big Casino, second, is an attractive and large setter. He handled and hunted nicely and had two broke finds with style. Backcountry Girlfriend handled easily, hunted sensibly and was stylish on point with two broke finds and one not so broke for Chris Catanzarite.

YANKEE OPEN DERBY CLASSIC -- 17 Pointers and 5 Setters

1st--MILLER'S EXTREME HEAT, 1685698, pointer female, by Just Irresistible--Miller's Bring The Heat. Joe McHugh, owner; Mike Tracy, handler.

2d--ERIN'S BIG CASINO, 1682928, setter male, by Erin's Hidden Shamrock--Three Stripe's Livewire. Paul Berdiner, owner; Mike Tracy, handler.

3d--BACKCOUNTRY GIRLFRIEND, 1682667, pointer female, by Waybetter Rocky--Backcountry Polly. Chris Catanzarite, owner and handler.

Open Derby Classic Winners. From front left: Joe McHugh with Miller's Extreme Heat, Cody Fisher with Erin's Big Casino and Chris Catanzarite with Backcountry Girlfriend. Middle: R. B. Powell, Bart Hastings, Mike Tracy, Bob Reed and Greg Strausbaugh. Back: Marty Zukovich and Steve Boyer.

AMATEUR SHOOTING DOG CLASSIC

The Amateur Classic was judged by veteran hunters and trialers Lee Long from Ohio and Marty Zukovich from northeastern Pennsylvania. Their decision met with applause. All of us who competed thank them for their effort.

The winner was Chris Catanzarite's Backcountry Bruiser, pointer male which ran a strong and classy hunting race and scored four times with style and finished manners. He is the current Region 2 Amateur Shooting Dog champion and showed why here.

Joe Lordi, Jr. got the red ribbon with Sal Morelli's pointer male Navajo Cody which ran a fast classy race to the front, pointing five times with high style.

Birds were produced four times, the unproductive stand having birds seen by the gallery but not the judges. A strong finish capped a fine performance Third was Bad Bourbon, pointer male owned and handled by Gunner Boyer. This was Gunner's first attempt in an hour stake and his third attempt overall. He won second in the York trial with the dog which he calls Big in his handling debut and now he is two for three.

The young man spent five years in the Army. He is now working a job and also working toward a college degree.

Gunner's dad, Daren, and his granddad, Steve, are experienced dog men and are Gunner's mentors. They were here to watch, although Daren sat this one out after a horse wreck handling the day before.

Gunner looked calm like his dad and granddad taught him to look as the very strong and classy pointer male toured the limits of these long lines, a handful requiring some hard scouting. Bourbon had a covey find early and then had four finds in places we did not see birds anytime during the trial. His style and manners were topnotch.

Judges: Lee Long and Martin Zukovich

INDIANTOWN GAP AMATEUR SHOOTING DOG CLASSIC

[One-Hour Heats] -- 18 Pointers and 2 Setters

1st--BACKCOUNTRY BRUISER, 1672645, pointer male, by Erin's War Creek--Backcountry Tornado. Chris Catanzarite, owner and handler.

2d--NAVAJO CODY, 1668520, pointer male, by Great River Ice--Blaze's Isis. Camille Masiello & Saverio Morelli, owners; Joe Lordi, Jr., handler.

3d--BAD BOURBON, 1662012, pointer male, by Billy Bragg--Summerhill Bella. Gunner Boyer, owner and handler.

Amateur Shooting Dog Classic Winners. From front left: Chris Catanzarite with Backcountry Bruiser, Joe Lordi, Jr. with Navajo Cody and Gunner Boyer with Bad Bourbon. Middle: Lee Long, Marty Zukovich, Steve Boyer, Greg Strausbaugh, Karen Strausbaugh. Back: Dave McKay.