Red Setter Shooting Dog Championship!

It's time to call in your entries for the Red Setter Shooting Dog Championship... for details, check out our trial ad at http://www.nrsftc.com/PDF/TrialAd.pdf

Grousing in northern NY

I just got back from the inaugural Ruffed Grouse Society habitat benefit bird hunt in northern New York. Two days chasing grouse and woodcock on commercial timberland in the vicinity of Malone, NY. I carried camera and compass and worked the dog while two hunters did the shooting (a total of 14 hunters and 7 huntsmen participated).  Weather was mild, no major flights of woodcock yet, but we moved 20+ birds (mostly grouse) per day. Nice habitat and plenty of it.
The red dog, Brody, is a 3 yr old male out of Bearcat and Saturday Night Ed lines (sired by Chaparral). Sunday afternoon was particularly nice as Brody was finding a few woodcock along a transition of mixed hardwoods/spruce & fir lowlands to alder swale. He had a bit of a limb find at the edge the alders and it took a few minutes to get the guns in place, so we were a little surprised when a grouse finally rocketed up.


Brody with tired tail pointing a ruffed grouse, Rick coming in from the side to flush. John had it sandwiched from the left side.

  Rick cleared a couple alders with the first two shots before his third shot wing-tipped the bird. Brody hunted "dead", finally pinning the running bird 80 yards farther out in the alders and grass near the edge of a beaver flowage. That bird had its running shoes on. I don't think I've ever been happier to recover a downed bird as I was with this one.


Third shot was a charm. Rick and Brody tracked the running bird down in the alder swale

On the way back to the truck Brody pointed another grouse and a few more woodcock -- two of which the guys shot and Brody retrieved. This was my first time hunting in the St. Lawrence/northern Adirondacks region - now that I know, I'll be making a habit of it.

Happy Birthday Finnagen!  Finn was 4 years old on Sept. 26 2012.  He lives with Mary Cornely in Ohio.  Finn is out of King Cormac x Flushing Whip Flash Edition.

PA Senate Bill 1527

The PA Federation of Dog Clubs opposes SB 1527 andHB 2409. Our opposition is based on your Due Process Rights and how this legislation will impact them. Basically, this legislation will allow a court to order you to pay for the care and upkeep of your animals seized by the government in an alleged abuse situation. If you fail to pay as ordered, the court could force you to forfeit them. The legislation also provides immunity for shelters against future lawsuits to recover such funds should your charges be thrown out or you are found not-guilty. The problem is a person who cannot pay may lose the rights to their animals even though they are found not guilty at trial. The forfeiture provision prior to a declaration of guilt is a significant Constitutional issue. If an animal is siezed and a case cannot be proven in court, the owner should get their animals back. The state (or siezing agency) should pay the care costs. Second, a single opportunity to access the animals prior to the hearing to preserve evidence is inadequate. They must have access within 24-48 hours after seizure to be able to document the condition of the animal at the time of seizure. Access later precludes a reasonable opportunity to provide a defense since the condition of the animal may have changed without an opportunity to obtain independent contemporaneous veterinary inspection. This type of pre-conviction seizure of property was held to be Unconstitutional in a Federal Court considering similar legislation in the City of Louisville, Kentucky. It is hard to imagine how it could be Constitutional here. Responsible dog owners should contact the PA state legislators immediately to oppose these Bills!