Rusty the grouse dog

[Tom Flanigan]

This is Stoney, perhaps my second best grouse dog. I’ve had some good one’s so the second spot is a tough call. I bought him as a two year old finished dog from a trainer on Tilghman’s Island in Maryland. He came up to speed on grouse in a relatively short period of time (one season) and was probably the most cautious grouse dog I have ever owned.

I’ve used him hard on sharptails and huns on my annual trips to Saskatchewan. He also became a great duck retriever which allowed me to only take one dog to Canada. When I moose and bear hunted up there, the aboriginal people watched him for me. The dog was a real character and my aboriginal friends loved him and also all the ducks and geese I gave them. The called him “reprobate” which is a funny story in and of itself.


When I did some quail hunting in Maryland, Bill Murphy would sometimes go with us and bring along his dog. We had some great times. I miss Bill and Kevin McCormack. I’d like to see those boys again.