Gun Dogs from the Past

[TARNATION !!!]

Dug around a bit for some old pics. Here’s TAZ on the hunt. Always fun to watch. Not too many GSPs with tail intact. He was a rescue. Folks who had him could not manage the boundless energy. Took me a while but eventually we were a team.

Another pic found

[mobirdhunter]

My first bird dog, Prairie Sage, was a fireball. She was from horseback trial breeding and was a covey dog extraordinaire. She was a willful dog, and would nip me after a retrieve just to say, "I'm doing this on my terms." She hated to back another dog and would hide behind a bush when her bracemate went on point. She could find birds and placed in field trials against white dogs, much to the chagrin of their handlers. She was a great bird dog and found lots of birds in her day, especially quail. I could keep up with her back then. Oh, to be young again.

[Steiner]

My first Springer Belle. She was an incredibly classy bitch and a stone cold killer in the field. Our family hunted rabbits with beagles when I was growing because the pheasant population in NW OHIO had largely disappeared by mid 60’s when I started hunting. Belle and I made about 10-12 trips to South Dakota from about 2000 to 2010. She was an amazing pheasant dog and we won many tournament hunting trials over the years. This picture was after a big group had a great day near Plankington, SD. I’ve had great dogs since, and still do but I sure miss that old girl. [/ATTACH]