In all competitive sports, there are remarkable athletes. These are the men and women who we remember for decades, if not centuries later. Their stories are shared, documentaries are made, and their photos are remembered in Halls of Fame.
Bird dogs are no different. Like all competitors, the question of the best is answered on the field. These are the names we still remember, genetics we still seek, and points and retrieves we never forget. These are five legends of the fall.
Count Noble sired over 28 successful field trial dogs, making him one of the most influential bird dogs in history. (Photo courtesy of Julie Jeppsen) Count Noble Count Noble arrived from England in 1880 from the famous Richard Purcell Llewellin at the right time in history. The Civil War had just ended and as the country began to heal its wounds, with inspiration from overseas, Americans began conducting their first field trials in the heart of Tennessee, where dog kennels and quail populations continued to grow overnight. Llewellin was developing a certain type of setter, and Count Noble was the perfect representation of this emphasis on field ability without sacrificing beauty or elegance.
Upon arriving on American soil, Count Noble’s first owner, David C. Sanborn, was not very impressed with the young dog, as he was noted to be slow to mature in his ability. At one point he even discussed returning the young dog back to Llewellin. However, just a year later in 1881, he was winning trial after trial.
Count Noble was one of the most important dogs of all time, not just for his personal success but for his ability to produce competitive field dogs genetically at a time when they were needed the most. Perhaps when Americans seeking unification after the Civil War, needed it most as well.
Noble contributed to the establishment of the breed in this country by siring over 28 successful field trial dogs. In 1896, the first National Championship Field Trial was run in West Point, Mississippi and was won by Count Gladstone IV—a son of Count Noble.
Bird dog field trials were reported nationally at this time, and Count Noble became a symbol of all that was great in the field. Noble’s 1891 obituary was even run in The New York Times. He is taxidermized in his own exhibit at the center of the National Bird Dog Museum in Tennessee, eternally pointing a covey of bobwhites.
In 1959 King Buck was used on the USFW duck stamp, the only retriever to be chosen to date. (Photo courtesy of Julie Jeppsen) King Buck Sometimes the greatest dogs can come from the most unlikely of beginnings. Robert Howard bought King Buck for $50 as a puppy before bringing him to his home in Omaha, Nebraska. Shortly after, Buck came down with distemper.
Howard put some blankets in a basket next to the warm furnace in his basement, and for almost a month, he and his wife fought to save the little puppy.
And he did. Before Buck reached his second birthday, he had taken a blue ribbon, two second place red ribbons, and several third place finishes in field trials across the Midwest. Howard knew he had something special, but he also knew he was not the man to take Buck to those legendary heights.
Byron Grunwald bought him off Howard for $500 and made him a field champion in short order. Shortly after, John M. Olin, the owner of Winchester-Western, purchased King Buck from Grunwald to add him to his new world-class kennel at Nilo Farms in Illinois. There, Buck would be trained by Cotton Pershall, one of the greatest retriever trainers of all time.
King Buck continued to win trials and in 1952, he won the National Championship after giving a nearly perfect performance. He was in the flooded timber with Olin within the next few days, where King Buck shined just as bright. He was an incredible duck dog. After his win, he slept at Olin’s bedside where he stayed for the majority of the rest of his life.
In 1953, he won the national once again and by the end of his career, he had completed 63 straight series in seven National Championship Stakes. No other retriever had ever accomplished such a feat.
In 1959, he was forever immortalized with artist Maynard Reece’s painting of him being used on the 1959 USFWS Duck Stamp, the only retriever to date to be chosen.
A statue of him marks his grave at Olin Farms, where he will always reign as King Buck.
Elhew Snakefoot was the culmination of over 50 years of Bob Wehle’s legendary Elhew line of pointers. (Photo courtesy of Julie Jeppsen) Elhew Snakefood Elhew Snakefoot was the culmination of over 50 years of Bob Wehle’s legendary Elhew line of pointers. The Elhew genetics influenced pointers’ success in field trials and as wild bird dogs more than arguably any other line in history. Among this line of exceptional dogs, Elhew Snakefoot stood out. Snakefoot was described by Wehle as “the dog he worked to get at 57 years.”
For those who knew him, Snakefoot was described as having a presence about him. He carried himself in a regal manner. He was incredibly driven, yet cautious and staunch behind birds. He was campaigned shortly and retired after winning the Top Shooting Dog award in the 1994-1995 season. Wehle commented that he wanted “people to remember him at his best.”
Snakefoot was the product of Wehle’s life’s work, and you cannot talk about one without the other. All of the selective breeding, culling, and intense focus on genetics had resulted in a perfect bird dog—one that would win many titles including the 1994 Open Shooting Dog Championship and 1995 master’s Open Shooting Dog Championship. Sterility at a relatively young age of seven limited his breeding opportunities, but his genetics still passed on to create many top shooting dogs across the country.
Shadow Oak Bo was the first English setter to win the National in 43 years. (Photo courtesy of Julie Jeppsen) Shadow Oak Bo Since the inception of field trials in the days of Count Noble, pointers had dominated the circuit, winning around 80 percent of the titles.
So, when a young two-year-old setter caught the eye of heritage dog trainer, Kevin Gates, he was surprised himself. The dog ran as hard as any pointer, with grit and athleticism, hell bent on finding birds. He contacted his friend Butch Houston, the owner of Shadow Oak Plantation in Georgia. Houston was a pointer man, and long-time field trailer, just like Gates. Together, along with Bo’s new co-owner, Dr. John Dorminy, they set out to see what this setter could do.
With a lot of work and a ton of birds, Bo began to show his potential quickly. Gates knew he had something special, and it was not long before he was competing in nationals.
In 2013, Bo beat out a hard-running pointer and made history. He was the first setter in 43 years to win the National. And in 2014, he won it again. Not since 1901/1902 had a setter accomplished this in a field trial circuit dominated by pointers.
Shadow Oak Bo went on to sire many accomplished field trial champions, and to this day is used artificially to improve setter genetics across the country.
Flushingwing Annie's accoplishments included six field titles, placing in all North American Nationals, winning two Amateur Nationals, and placing second in both National Opens, all of which are considerable accomplishments in the flushing world. (Photo courtesy of Julie Jeppsen) Flushingwing Annie Annie made her way from Nova Scotia to Jim Keller’s Wildwind Kennels in Maine as a stud fee puppy. She was from the breeding between Kevin and Betsey Battistoni’s National Champion Zip and Flushingwing Flash.
I spoke with her owner, Fred Musone, who told me he saw something special in her and quickly told Jim he wanted to buy Annie. The deal was completed, and Annie was off on her journey to become a field trial prospect, with Jim, daughter Deanna, and wife Denise combining to give her the best start in training possible.
Annie was from a line of dogs started by “Doc” McCurdy from one, if not the only bitch, Talbot Radcliffe sold from the famous Saighton Kennels.
Annie was a Field Champion by three and an Amateur Field Champion by three and one half. That same year, before Annie turned four, Fred decided to attend his first National Amateur Championship, where Annie won once again. Annie went on to earn six field titles, placed in all North American Nationals, winning the two Amateur Nationals, and placing second in both National Opens. When I spoke with GUN DOG’s “Flush” columnist, Hall of Fame spaniel trainer Jerry Ray Cacchio, regarding which spaniel to include in this article, Annie was the dog that immediately came to mind. She was a competitor and a loving companion, who always slept at the foot of Fred’s bed.
Here is a list of NAFC, FC, AFC, CNAFC, CFC, CAFC Flushingwing Annie’s accomplishments:
All time High Point Spaniel Placed in all four North American Nationals, winning two. Finished Seven Nationals 24 First Place All Age Ribbons
