By Robert Tomczak
October 10 marked an important milestone in vizsla history and for the National Vizsla Association. It was the start of our first ever all wild bird trial on sharp-tailed grouse. This is not new to some of the other breeds, but all vizsla events and Championships have been run on pre-release birds.
What better place to have this event then on the very challenging Namekagon Barrens. Anyone who chases, trains, and hunts sharp-tail and has come to the Barrens, knows that this is not the typical habitat that most people would associate with to pursue this magnificent species. The Barrens are a very rare pine/oak ecosystem globally and this uniquely beautiful 7000 or so acre tract of land sits nestled in the hardwood forests of upper northwest Wisconsin. It is rich with diverse prairie flora and fauna and is home to the largest Wisconsin population of sharp-tailed grouse and many other wildlife species.
I’ve always believed when competing or doing anything of worth, that it needs to be a real challenge, for after all, what fun is there and where is the growth in being easy. The vizsla breed has been making great strides and growth in the last 10-15 years, much due to the efforts of the NVA, and this event this author believes will help take us to the next level.
In the long history of this special property only two trials, the North Country Shooting Dog Championship and the Region 19 Championships, have been allowed to run an event here. The National Vizsla Association and this author is extremely grateful to site manager, Nancy Christel, and the WDNR for allowing one more event to be held here. I have worked with many property managers around the country and Nancy Christel is the best, bar none. She is very hands on and extremely passionate about this property and sharp-tail grouse. We were very thankful that she found the time to join us for lunch and share her insight about the Barrens, sharp-tails, and the future projects they are working on to expand the prairie. She also explained the extensive burn program that is utilized to maintain it and the purchase of additional acreage. We are also thankful to the 20th Century fund which has granted monies in the past for these grounds and the Friends of the Namekagon Barrens for the work they do.
Special thanks to some important people with our corporate sponsors, Greg Blair and Purina Pro Plan dog food, Jim Morehouse and Sport DOG, and Alan Davidson and Dogs Unlimited. We appreciate all that these people and companies do for the support of field trialing and are thankful for there support of the NVA.
The judges for our first sharp-tail classic are two men that have been involved in the sport for a good many years and have trained, competed, won or judged on these grounds before. I think it is important to have individuals who are familiar with the terrain, courses, and species of bird while judging, especially in this challenging environment. Dan Voss from Minnesota is a longtime Gordan Setter man and has had a few nice ones in his career. Dennis Lutynski with Skydance Setters has been producing some very nice English setters and has competed and won at the Shooting Dog championships held here. Both men road in some very cold, wet, windy conditions and gave each dog and handler their full attention.
Thank you to all the competitors that came out to our inaugural running of this event and to those that helped. Thanks to my co-chair Bill Stapleton for helping me with the marshalling and running the dog wagon during the derby, although that was the best place to be that day with very cold winds, rain and snow. Ryan Martin did an excellent job running the dog wagon for the shooting dog classic, especially being very new to these grounds. Lastly to Nancy Brown for giving a helping hand with setup for lunch.
We lost some dogs due to scratches and foal weather but for those that braved the elements, a good time and great learning experience was had by most. The conditions made things tough not just on people but for dogs and horses alike. Add to this, challenging courses, spooky birds, and a brand-new environment to run on for many individuals and it clearly showed what one was made of. Dogs had a hard time finding and getting birds pointed but we had some nice performances. We had 18 dogs in the OSD with 16 coming to the line.
The Winners OSD
First place in the Shooting Dog Classic went to Laura Miller of Iowa with Millstar’s Lion Rampant or “Sawney” for owner Mike Chowning of Nebraska. The Barrens are not new to Laura as she was here for our Region 19 ASD the week prior and won the Region 19 a few years back with her vizsla Lundy’s Red Bull who happens to be the sire of Sawney. Millstar’s Lion Rampant ran in the first brace on day two with light winds and a light rain. His efforts were rewarded after the first road crossing when he made a swing to the left down toward an old glacier pond that has been slowly transforming to marsh and went on point at 26. Simultaneously as point was called by Miller, a scattered covey of sharp-tails erupted with all in order. Sawney continued to hunt hard at a consistent range and finished the hour to the front.
Second place went to Pennys Wiki Another Mai Tai Please or “Ty” for owner/handler Chad Chadwell and wife and scout Nancy Brown. He ran in the second brace on day two. Ty also hunted hard but got a little lateral at times and was not as smooth as our winner. He made some nice casts disappearing for short periods. Just before time he carded a find on a separated pair of sharp-tails.
Third place went to Rockwoods Little Nutsy or “Skippy” for owner Lee Doiser of WI and was handled by Mike Northwood and scouted by Robert Tomczak. Skippy was placed on his race and application. He had some long ranging casts where the course allowed and hunted hard. Skippy was absent for a period but was found front and finished going away at time.
Derby Winners
All placed derbies were based on race and application as the weather started to turn for the worse with cold winds, snow, sleet, and rain. Winner was Reve’s Royal Hawaiian or “Aly” owned and handled by Chad Chadwell of Illinois and scouted by wife Nancy Brown. Second place went to Shiloh’s “Roscoe” handled by Robert Tomczak for owner Ryan Martin of Wisconsin and scouted by Mike Northwood. Third went to CK “Ozzy” handled by Robert Tomczak for owner and scout Mike Northwood of Wisconsin.
