ONE LAST HUNT

Chapter members Ed Coon, Ken Wigen and Tom Healy gathered to close out the season on Chukar in Idaho.

Lunch and water break on the top.  Ken with Spins: Goobs, Shemie, Nona and Garibaldi. Griffs: Fast Eddy, Sideswipe and Boogie, and Bracco Italiano Liege.

 

 

Sideswipe inspects the landscape.

Ed heads out with Spinone Piper - Fast Eddy in the foreground.

Griffon Diesel, with a well-earned retrieve.

ENGAGING OUR YOUTH

Ryah Young, age 15, with Kruz

By Jane Wigen, Originally appearing in "The Versatile Hunting Dog" magazine.

 Some of the greatest conversation hours I ever had with my father were in a duck blind.

I also endured countless and incredibly long foot-hunts for grouse off dirt roads lined with a palette of colorful Wisconsin deciduous trees. This is not the same landscape of my Southwest Montana mountain life today, but it is because of those experiences that I insist on living in an area with a “backyard” that offers abundant outdoor opportunity.  I am well aware that those early moments set the stage for a deep-seated love for dogs and   hunting. The secret to my participation was that it started early in my youth, my father made it easy, and it created quality time between the two of us in a life where a father and his young daughter were always seeking common ground. He didn’t have to compete with Facebook or XBOX, but neither would many of us if started early and our youth found it fun, important, and fulfilling.

I am quite passionate about getting our youth outdoors and it begins with the same kind of insistence my father had on those duck hunting days at 3:00AM.  He would have the decoys and gear in the truck, snacks my mother would never approve of on hand, and all I would need to do is wake up, slip into my hunting garb, put a hat on, and away we would go. 

What we need to understand is that our chapters will always have a few youth members that enjoyed early experiences outdoors that cause them to seek out chapter events. Although we should be cognizant of that group of youth and their interests when developing chapter programs, we also need to find ways to entice the youth that don’t attend with their parents and the very young children that are present that have nothing to participate in. Our chapters need to develop programs that are easy to implement and execute based on varying attendance. The content must appeal to youth with different ages, interests, and skills. Unfortunately, outdoor activities will continue to compete with the lure of down-town fun with friends, the ease of internet gaming, and other various ball-and-chain computer addictions as our youth get older. It is my belief that we need to start young and have a venue for youth available for those that want to participate at every event.

Make Chapter Youth a Priority

From the very beginning, the Montana Sharptail Chapter of NAVHDA has viewed youth membership as a priority. The chapter mission states that we will ensure that young people receive not only ample opportunity, but quality mentoring and leadership in the values of   stewardship, sportsmanship and the training and care of "Versatile Hunting Dogs.”            As we move into our chapter’s second year, we decided to put that mission into action. The 620 mile door-to-door distance between our Youth Program Directors is representative of the distances are chapter Board, Officers, and members drive for tests and training camps. These great distances present an enormous challenge when trying to coordinate youth    activities for both consistent youth curriculum and attendance.  We decided to not be        deterred, to focus not only on the existing youth interested in youth membership, but to also create programs for the youth that show up unexpectedly that will be educational and enjoyable enough to desire to return for the next scheduled event.  This tag-a-long group of youth will become our future youth members. Other chapter members will see these activities and find value in bringing their youth that previously stayed at home.  That is not to say that we don’t need to be sensitive to the members that take delight in a venue  without youth. The programs must be organized and sensitive to all chapter members in attendance.

  

Define Chapter Youth Needs & Find Your Focus

For the 2012 year, our chapter decided to focus on cultivating our youth membership with spontaneous group activities suited for the ages and skill level of the youth present at each event when possible, and offering a scheduled Youth Member Training Camp in the late summer. We worked with the International Office to make sure that all of our youth activities were appropriately insured and determined the training camp event could provide a broad series of scheduled activities based on youth ages, skills, and needs of those in attendance.  As a budget restricted new chapter, we are utilizing our chapter members for instruction. The training camp will offer various stages of training dogs, NAVHDA test preparation, handling birds, gun safety, emergency veterinary care, and the like.  It will also involve additional fun outdoor activities to engage our youth in this incredible landscape we are fortunate enough to experience.  We have scheduled instruction on fly fishing and have one of Montana’s blue-ribbon trout fisheries available to the chapter.  We have a chapter friend who ties flies and one who is a falconer and both will provide demonstrations. There will be camping and campfire time and hopefully a venue for new friendships and experiences that will ignite a passion for the outdoors and a desire to return to chapter youth events in the future.

Solicit Participation & Use Social Media

Historically, Montana Sharptail has utilized a website and member weblog as the chapter communication vehicle. With the need to cultivate a youth membership, we are now working on a PDF email flyer about chapter youth activities and looking to social media through Facebook.  The flyer will be sent to all members, posted on the website, and a link will be provided through Facebook .  Our hope is that the flyer will be printed and shared with other new and youth member prospects. Our chapter has also discussed the launch of a youth member newsletter in 2013 that will be emailed to chapter members to share with their youth, including those that are not involved. It will highlight a wide variety of topics from dog breeds and NAVHDA test tips to bird habitat and even games or methods to entice chapter youth to participate on a future Montana Sharptail youth member Facebook page.

Reflect on What Interested You

As you embark on your chapter activities this year, if you do nothing else, find some time to plan some content for spontaneous youth activities for interested youth in attendance at your chapter events.  Reflect a bit about who and what created the opportunities and        exposure for you in the sport you now enjoy, and duplicate opportunities for that to occur in your chapter membership. And lastly, make it easy for the youth in attendance to participate and make it fun.  After all, that one day outdoors when that special dog retrieves and places a bird that child’s hand, it might change the course or path of that child by igniting a passion we are all quite familiar with.

UPDATED BILLINGS TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Saturday April 20th training day

Location will at John's place in Laurel from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Focus will on Natural Ability preparation, handler testing tips and field work.
Chukars will be available. Contact John Arkins to reserve birds.


Saturday April 27th training day

Location will be at the Billings Test site near Acton, MT from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
This will be the only opportunity for folks to run on the test grounds prior to the test.
Chukars will be available. Contact John to reserve birds. 406-628-2881 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 406-628-2881 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Directions to test grounds.
From Billings take MT highway 3 northwest toward Acton. Acton is 17 miles from Billings Airport.
As you reach Acton, (just past mile marker 16) turn north on Buffalo Springs Rd.
Follow Buffalo Springs Rd north 3 miles. Buffalo Springs Rd turns east, follow for 2 miles to test site.
Test site is on the south side of the road.

BILLINGS TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

April 20 or 21 and April 27 or 28.

Training assistance and Natural Ability test overview at Spruce Creek Farm Laurel.
Please contact John at 406-628-2881 or arkins2004@hotmail.com if interested in attending. Dates and times will be set based on demand and John's work schedule. A limited number of Chukars and Homers will be available. Focus will be on NA prep and how the test works. Note: A full mock test will not be available.
Members interested in volunteering for the Billings NA test please contact John.

Training, Mock Tests and NA / UT Seminars

Fast Eddy, starting "Hold."
 

More dates and locations are yet to come, but here are a few to get us started:

March 24th - NA and UT/UPT Seminar - Whitefish, MT
(I originally published March 27, which was a typo....However, if that is a date you were planning on, I can make that work for whoever was planning on coming the 27th.)
NA - 10:00 am
UT/UPT - After Lunch
Location:  Stillwater Mountain Lodge - 8 Miles North of Whitefish (Directions forthcoming) -

April 5,6 & 7 - Training Camp - Three Forks, MT
Starting Friday Afternoon, and rolling through Sunday Noon.
General "Hunt Training" and all elements of Testing....
Join us for all three days, or just a portion. (Directions forthcoming)

April 26, 27 & 28 Training Camp - Whitefish, MT
Starting Friday Afternoon - through Sunday Afternoon.
General "Hunt Training" and all elements of Testing

June 1 & 2 - Mock Test and Training - Whitefish, MT
UT/UPT and NA Mock Tests Available, as well as General Training

Billings Mock Test/Training and other opportunities forthcoming.

A COUPLE HELPFUL LINKS:

Orthopedic Exam Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yihpOUnJ9ww

Itchy Dog Allergies: http://drtims.com/itching-to-learn-about-allergies/

SPRING HEALTH CHECK

Diesel and Sideswipe take Tom for a winter ride.

As we near the training an testing season, its a great time run a spring "health check" on your dog(s). Parasite control (de-worming) and Bordetella (kennel cough) vaccine should be considered as we start to gather dogs for training and testing.

 

Check with your vet if you are uncertain about an appropriate de-worming protocol for your dog.... I use Safeguard (fenbendazole) for spring and fall de-worming (in addition to any potential bouts of giardia). From Spring through Fall I use Ivermectin for Heartworm and general worming.

 

For Bordetella, you can find an "intranasal" vaccine that is simple and requires no injection at most farm/ag stores...This is generally considered to be good for about 6 months. Injectable bordetella vaccine is usually also available there, but requires confidence in giving your own shots. Certainly, the injectable will be available from your Vet......... Don't assume that just because a pup has had "all its shots" that bordetella was included. It is often not part of the regular protocol...... Check with your vet if you are unsure.

 

Rattlesnake Vaccine: If your pup is at least 4 months old, you might consider a rattlesnake vaccination program. For dogs with potential exposure from spring through the hunting season, 2 injections per year are recommended (3 the first year.) A typical vaccination schedule would be something like this:

 

First Year of Vaccination:

Injection #1: March 1

Injection #2: April 1

Injection #3: August 1

 

Following years:

Injection #1 April 1

Injection #2 August 1

 

Not all vets carry the vaccine, so you may need to call around. More info is available at www.redrockbiologics.com .

 

If your pup hasn't had a regular winter exercise program, now is a great time to start getting your dog in shape. A well conditioned, lean dog is the best way to "beat the heat" when the hot summer days arrive. 

 

We are in great shape for birds, and tests are starting to fill and we have the majority of our judges lined up for the season. Feel free to call Tom with questions. 406-212-0602.

AUGUST IN "THE BIG HOLE"

A link to the Google Docs to print the map is here: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6jRybCWDKXJTGw5NWF5SHZaUVE/edit

AUGUST 2012

August 2012 is off to a great start for the Sharptail Chapter.........Starting with the cover story for NAVHDA's "Versatile Hunting Dog" magazine.........Thanks Jane for the fanastic article!  Our big week in "The Big Hole" is just around the corner........(I'll be posting directions soon, but the location is just a few miles outside of Wisdom, MT on the road towards Butte.)
Please RSVP for Training, Mock Testing, or Volunteering for Test Weekend to: montanasharptail@gmail.com
Jane and Tom are working to put the schedule for Youth Specific Activities for the event....Please let us know via email which youths are planning on attending and when.

You will be able to "Mock Test" on Saturday or Sunday prior to the test.  You could also arrange to Mock Test "by appointment" on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.  Birds will be available throughout the week, but we absolutely need to know before next week what your training needs will be.........Feel free to call Tom at 406-212-0602 if you have questions, but the following training fees will apply:
20.00 for one day of Training
30.00 for two or more days

PLUS

Bird Fees:
Mock Test NA (3 chukar, 1 pheasant)  40.00
Mock Test UT / UPT (3 chukar, 1 duck) 40.00
Extra Chukars - 10.00
Extra Pheasants - 12.00
Extra Ducks - 12.00
Pigeons - 4.00
There is a lot of coordination in getting birds to the event and keeping them through the week, then bringing in more birds for the test so we need to know in advance what your needs are.
Camping including Tents and RV's is available at the site and we will have a portable toilet availble.  Again, please let us know if you are planning on camping for either the Training Week and/or the Test Weekend.

There are still rooms and rustic cabins available at Jackson Hot Springs:
www.jacksonhotsprings.com
There is a pet fee, but the best deal is to do an internet reservation.  If the website says it is full, then call for a reservation.

Nez Perce Hotel in Wisdom also has rooms available:
406-689-3254

Request for Volunteers
The entire week will require a huge volunteer effort......part of what makes "The Big Hole" a special place is that it is close to absolutely nowhere...Hence, we'll need a lot of help to make a great week of it:  Judge transportation to and from the Butte Airport, Lunches, Bird Planters, Field Marshalls, Gunners, Bird Transport, Etc

So far, the following have been taken care of: (I will update this portion of the weblog as holes fill in)

Judge Housing:
Wigen/Melby
Judge Transportation / available vehicle during the weekend (open)

Judge Transportation Butte to Wisdom (Thursday early afternoon) - open

Judge Transportation Butte to Wisdom (Late Thursday night) - open

Judge Transportaion Wisdom to Butte (Days Inn - Sunday Night)- open

Field Marshall:
Friday - Annetta Bowman
Saturday - Tim Sharpton
Sunday - (open)

Gunners:
Friday NA - (open)
Saturday NA/UT/UPT - Arkins, Weber, Healy
Sunday UT/UPT - Arkins, Weber, Healy

Bird Planters, All Three Days:
(open)

Lunches:
(open)

Bird Transportation: To Mock Test & Training:
Healy

Bird Transportation: To Test:
McCormick

We are also hoping to find a medium sized "Event Tent" to put up for the week..as well as a few "pop-up" event tents...Please let us know if you have any connections there. So far we have 2 pop-ups and could use a couple more.

More details relative to Dinner on Friday and Saturday of the Test Weekend, Youth Events, Directions and more are coming soon...............

Stay tuned, and don't hesitate to call............
406-212-0602
Tom

TRAINING ACROSS THE STATE - JULY 21-22

Billings (Laurel), Great Falls area, and Whitefish.  We'll have 3 different opportunities around the state for the weekend of July 21 & 22.  Pheasants and Pigeons will be available at all 3 venues, with Ducks and Chukars available for Utility Test training.  Please RSVP to montanasharptail@gmail.com if you plan on attending.....Please indicate the venue AND your bird needs.  Camping will be at or near each venue....However - Please indicate in your RSVP that you plan on camping so we can appropriately accomodate.

More info will be available coming soon for the Training and Testing week coming in "The Big Hole" - Wisdom, Montana.  We'll be Training on August 4th-9th, followed by testing the 10th - 12th.  There will be a Youth Component to the training weekend on August 4th and 5th, so please indicate if you have interested Junior Members...........Mock Testing, including chukars for NA dogs will be available from the 4th - 9th.

Feel free to call or email Tom with any questions: 406-212-0602 or 862-3952

Our 3 day test is currently full, however it has already flexed a bit to get folks in from the waiting list......Please feel free to contact Annetta to get on the waiting list:
mandabowman@3riversdbs.net

NATURAL ABILITY WEEKEND SCHEDULE

JUNE 23 & 24

Volunteers and Test Participants - Please be on the Grounds at 7:00 am for a 7:30 Start Time.

Friday Evening - At the Test Grounds
6:00  "The Dog Yard BBQ" (Please RSVP to dogs.edu@gmail.com  if you plan on attending)

Saturday -
7:00 am - NAVHDA Natural Ability Test
3:00 pm - Snake Break Clinic Begins - Golden Triangle Bird Dog Club - Adjacent to Test Grounds
7:30 pm - Dinner at 'The Cattleman's Cut' Supper Club - Please RSVP to montanasharptail@gmail.com if you plan on attending dinner.

Sunday-
7:00 am - NAVHDA Natural Ability Test
3:00 pm - Snake Break Clinic Begins - Golden Triangle Bird Dog Club - Adjacent to Test Grounds
Post Event Clean-up......Leaving the Grounds better than we found them.

Volunteer Assignments posted soon.
Directions to Test Grounds: https://docs.google.com/file/d/16Pazbmq8x9zdbyQbb_HJh4Islfga_OSqqfXBggnCraTtau6Jo3z3g7-skeos/edit?hl=en&pli=1

Feel free to call Tom with questions - 406-212-0602

Calling all Volunteers

We will need several volunteers to help with the Natural Ability Test on June 23 & 24.  Field Marshall position is filled and Rae is tracking on getting folks going on food.........We will need several folks to help with planting birds, shuttling birds and the blind at the pheasant track....keeping judges hydrated and set-up / clean-up.  Please email montanasharptail@gmail.com if you can be of help...............

SNAKE BRAKE CLINIC - JUNE 23-24

Together with the Golden Triangle Bird Dog Club, the Montana Sharptail Chapter will be hosting a "Snake Brake Clinic" congruently with our Natural Ability Test.  The clinic will be in the afternoon on the property adjacent to the Girtman's Test Grounds in Vaughn on both June 23 and 24.  We will accomodate all dogs, including test participants, volunteers, judges, etc. (you'll obviously want to wait until your dog has completed running for the day.)  Fee for the Snake Brake Clinic will be $40.00 per dog.  Please pass on the word.....this clinic is open to all dogs.......pets, working dogs, bird dogs etc....please help us get the word out as funds will go to both the Golden Triangle club and the Montana Sharptail Chapter.  Please email montanasharptail@gmail.com to reserve a spot(s).........Thanks.

June 9 & 10 Mock Test and Training

We will have a general Training Day & Mock Test at Girtman's in Vaughn on June 9 & 10.  Fee for the Mock Test is 60.00 which includes Training Day Fee for that day, 3 Chukar and one Pheasant.  We will have pigeons available as well.  General training, including steadiness and lining drills will be available for folks hoping to train "Beyond Natural Ability."  Please RSVP to montanasharptail@gmail.com if you are planning on attending....please indicate what type of training you hope to do and what your bird needs are.....e.g. mock test, general training, lining, etc.  Hope to see you there!

APRIL 21 & 22 TRAINING - VAUGHN, MT

The Training in Three Forks was a success....Thanks everyone for pitching in on training and clean-up.  Please RSVP to montanasharptail@gmail.com if you plan on attending the Training Camp in Vaughn on April 21 and 22.  We will have plenty of pigeons and pheasants for the event.    We will be able to camp on the site at Girtman's in Vaughn and there will be a portable toilet, but please restrict driving to the gravel and don't pull off onto the grass.  If it gets rainy prior to the event, we may have to change that and have folks park on Newman School Road and camp elsewhere...We will keep you posted as we get closer to the the Training Weekend. 

We are also working on putting together a Training Event in Whitefish, either on the last weekend in April or the first weekend in May.....We will couple this event with a "Utility and Utility Prep Seminar".....Similar in concept to the NA seminars we put on last month, but obviously focusing on understanding those unique tests.  Training focus will follow with opportunities for steadiness, lining drills, and other opportunities "Beyond Natural Ability."  Please let us know at montanasharptail@gmail.com if this opportunity would be of interest.

Skunk-Off

Sometime around O'Skunk Thirty, yesterday afternoon....Diesel found a prize. I thought I'd publish the "Skunk Recipe" for folks who aren't familiar with it:

1 Quart Hydrogen Peroxide

1/4 Cup Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Liquid Dish Soap

Mix together and use immediately.......scrub all over the dog.....rinse.

A second quart and application is advisable.

THREE FORKS TRAINING - MARCH 31 & APRIL 1

After 24 members attended 2 different NA seminars, its time to get training.  Directions to the Connor Ranch are posted in the Library section of this weblog (on the right).  Please note...it is a bit confusing, and a ways back in there off the highway as you pick your way to the site.  There will be a red "NAVHDA" arrow on the highway pointing you in the right direction.......after that, follow your downloaded directions, and there will be "Montana GSP Club" signs at crucial intersections.  Keith will be there Friday afternoon to set up and there through the weekend....Rae will be there all day Saturday.  I will post their cell numbers soon just in case you get lost.  Camping is available on the site, and we will have an outhouse there.....Please bring water for you and your dogs.

Please email me, as well as let folks know right away when you get there if your pup has not yet been exposed to gunfire.   We will have plenty of pigeons available.  Keith will bring rooster pheasants for tracking...Please email me or call (406)212-0602 to let me know if you would like a pheasant for track training.  (Birds are expensive this time of year....15.00 for roosters and 4.00 for pigeons).

Fees for the weekend to pay for the outhouse and facility are 20.00 per membership per day (for example, if you have a family membership, and you are all there for both days, its a total of 40.00 for your family).  Keith or Rae will have membership forms available if a friend tags along and wants to get involved.

I'm certain Keith would appreciate it if someone rallied at noon on Sunday and brought all the signs back to the ranch before everything else is all cleaned up....he has a long drive back to Bigfork.  As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions....

Tom

DIRECTIONS TO LAUREL (BILLINGS) NA SEMINAR

MARCH 24 - 10:00 AM

I-90 take Laurel/Red Lodge exit.

Go north on 1st ave 2 miles thtough town.

Turn right (east) on Laurel Airport Road, go east 1 mile.

Turn left (north) on Floral Lane.

Floral Lane is our driveway. Seminar will be in the white barn.

9155 Laurel Airport Rd
Laurel, MT 59044
406-6628-2881

Montana Sharptail Logo Idea

Greetings Montana Sharptail Members!

I thought I would post this logo idea for the chapter.

Looking forward to seeing many of you this season.

Cheers,
Jane

CHAPTER UPDATES - MARCH

We've already received enough Test Registrations to fill more than one day of Testing in the August Test. Take Note - If you are hoping to run a dog(s) - get your registration(s) in early.  "Chapter Member Priority Registration" for the first test series (June 23 & 24 Great Falls) only runs until Sunday, March 25.  "Chapter Member Priority Registration" for the second test series (Autust 10, 11 &12) runs until Thursday, May 10th.  After those dates registration opens to all NAVHDA members.

- NOTICE -  GREAT FALLS NATURAL ABILITY SEMINAR TIME CHANGE

We have rescheduled the Natural Ability Seminar for March 18th to begin at 12:00.....Not at 10:00 am.  Please make a note if you are planning on attending.

BIRDS:  We have secured all the necessary chukars and pheasants for Training, MockTesting and Testing through the Great Falls Test.......Although there is a severe shortage of gamebirds nationwide, we are on schedule for brooding our own birds for the August Test.  Please contact Tom at dogs.edu@gmail.com if you are interested in brooding any birds.

We have pigeons lined up, but are always looking for new pigeon resources.  If anyone is interested in securing some quail for training, contact John Arkins at arkins2004@hotmail.com .

THREE FORKS TRAINING - March 31 and April 1
Please rsvp to both montanasharptail@gmail.com and Rae Brown browney222@gmail.com if you are planning on attending.  Directions to the Connor Ranch are in the "Library" Section of this weblog on the right.