Written By: Dan Riley. Winslow, ME
It was early January when I received a letter from NAVHDA that my young female Brittany, Willow, qualified for the invitational after earning a perfect score on a qualifying test. This testing event is an opportunity for Willow to earn the title of versatile hunting dog champion. The test site would take place in Ohio. My dad grew up in Ironton, OH. Dick Dilley who helped me train my first hunting dog who is also a member of our chapter happened to grow up in the same exact town.
This odd coincidence along with a great trainer, Jason Carter, and supportive chapter helped me decide to test Willow in September 2023 just before the hunting season begins in Maine.
There were a group of us that trained together all summer for the invitational. There were many other people who helped me with training when I was closer to home. The amount of time, effort, and resources that I used was sometimes overwhelming. On the day of testing, Willow fell just short of passing the test. Although very disappointing, this unexpected journey created an amazing hunting season that I would like to share.
Opening day of bird season, Willow was full of energy and drive. We found a covey of grouse along a powerline in the North Maine Woods. Willow pointed a grouse in the woods briefly before I saw it coming to me from my right through an opening thirty yards away. I thought for sure I missed the bird when Willow came screaming out of the woods after I shot. As I was about to handle my dog, I heard rustling in the woods and my dog quickly appeared with the dead grouse to my hand. It was an amazing moment for me and Willow.
As fate would have it, I was able to give back to several friends with hunting dogs that were injured throughout the season. Each of these people helped me with my training. I was also able to hunt with other people that had an impact on my life as a hunter.
Clayton, who lives near me, spent many hours helping me and Willow work on her blind retrieve for the test. I was so happy to take him hunting with Willow when his dog, Duke, cut his pad. On one hunt, we saw Willow pin her first grouse of her young life. On another hunt, she had multiple points on woodcock where Clayton connected on a bird. He enjoyed hunting behind the dog that he helped train.
My friend, Robert, also contributed to Willow’s training with field work. His young French Brittany inured his leg. After work one day, we went hunting together. Willow was on point but when we got closer, she started to creep. Something was different so I let it play out. She did a small circle in the woods slowly, so I thought she was on a rabbit.
When she was headed back to us, she stopped so I said, “what you got”, she took one step and off went the grouse that she pinned between us. Robert dropped it out of the sky. I think watching Willow point, track, pin, and retrieve a grouse was better than shooting the bird myself.
My friend, Jason, is one of the reasons that I was able to benefit from a great trainer. He called my trainer to put in a good word for me before I called him to see if he would help me train Willow. His dog, Gus, broke a toenail so he was limping.
We both shot our limit of woodcock behind Willow on a beautiful Saturday in October. He really enjoyed seeing how much Willow’s training helped her find birds, with steadiness, and especially the great improvement with her retrieving. I was so happy to provide my friend a great hunting day with Willow.
My friend, Brian, is a retired teacher and colleague who is still hunting at 75 years old. He shared many stories with me about his uncle who trained brittanys for upland hunting many years ago.
Brian and I shot at pointed and wild flushes of woodcock, but we couldn’t manage to kill not one! As we were walking back to the truck talking about Willow’s great performance and our poor shooting, Willow got birdy in the field. She went on point and up goes a big ring-necked pheasant rooster that probably escaped someone’s pen. It was amazing to see her bring that big bird back to me with a great retrieve after I shot it.
After work, I was able to meet my buddy for a quick hunt of woodcock. The birds were spooky that day, but Willow did her job finding and pointing them. I was so happy when Jeremiah killed his first woodcock behind Willow on the edge of a field. It was his first-time hunting behind a bird dog.
One of the first times that I have ever hunted behind a Brittany was with my friend, Jake’s dog, Gus. Gus was wild and I loved it! I never killed a bird behind him, but it wasn’t for lack of trying especially by that nice dog.
Jake is a game warden with a search and rescue dog for the state of Maine. When I called him to see if he would like to go bird hunting, it would be his first time in 2 years that he was able to go bird hunting behind a dog because of his busy schedule. We had a blast shooting woodcock behind Willow. We killed 5 woodcock in less than two hours. We had so much fun!
On any journey, there are many people that you meet that impact the ups and downs of that journey. Dani Murphy became a good friend from our training together for the invitational. I was so happy for her when her Griff, Ember, earned the distinction of versatile champion. I was so excited when she invited me up to her camp to go hunt birds in NH.
It was great to see her Griffs, Ember and Asha, hunt. They are both amazing in the woods. We were missing some difficult shots on grouse and a few woodcock when we were working a cover on our way back to the truck. Willow bumped a woodcock that crossed a skidder trail. She found it and was on point for a really long time. She pinned it against a set of alders for an easy shot. I was able to shoot my first bird behind her in NH. This adventure ended with a lost cell phone that we were able to find with the help of a Garmin by retracing our steps back to the phone that was ringing!
As I finish typing this story about some great moments hunting with friends after an unexpected journey to Ohio to test my dog’s abilities during a difficult test, I was reminded yesterday that the most important part of this journey is my relationship with Willow. She is by far one of the greatest treasures in my life.
If I don’t get to hunt Willow again this season, yesterday was a great way to finish our season. I started the day hunting my beagle, Juno, with another retired teacher and deer hunting mentor. There was a lot of water in the low end of the cover from all the rain, so it was difficult for Juno to find a rabbit. She was able to run a rabbit for two hours when we hunted higher ground. Sadly, I missed the one chance I had to connect on that rabbit for her first hunt of the season. It was good to finally give her time in the woods since I spent my time devoted to Willow’s training and hunting.
I am so fortunate to have a wife that supports my addiction to hunting especially behind my dogs. Linda met me in Skowhegan to take Juno so I had enough time to bird hunt in the afternoon with Willow. Willow and I didn’t have any shot opportunities at our first spot. I remembered a cover that held grouse this time of year during last year’s hunting season on my way home, so I decided to try it.
As I try to become a better wing shooter, I have been trying to slow down and think about shooting opportunities. I have noticed that it has been easier to read my dog’s body language as she maneuvers through the cover. I decided to stop walking to scan the area wondering where a grouse might be as Willow was working her way back to me.
At that moment, a grouse exploded into the air. After my shot, I wasn’t convinced that I connected when I saw small feathers falling from the sky. Willow picked up the scent and before I could give a fetch command, she was running to me with the grouse in her mouth. I wouldn’t give up that moment of one grouse in my dog’s mouth for 12 partridge in a pear tree.
Willow is only a 26-pound female Brittany. Some of her retrieves on ducks and pheasants during training are amazing considering her size. Little did I know she would impress me even more. As we were finishing our hunt with darkness coming soon, I bumped a rabbit while Willow was off to my right hunting the edge of a cover. Instinctively, I shot the running rabbit. Willow came back to me when she heard the shot and smelled the rabbit. I couldn’t believe my dog retrieved her first rabbit to my hand. I usually keep rabbit hunting for my beagle, but it was a memorable moment to see her holding that big rabbit in her mouth.
I will always remember the year I took my shot at testing my dog to earn the title of versatile champion. There are many memories of training, new friendships, and the improvement of Willow’s skills as a versatile hunting dog. I will fondly remember how my dog and I were so fortunate to give back to those who supported me and Willow by taking them hunting. I will mostly remember the many adventures in the Maine woods hunting with Willow in admiration of her grace, athleticism, and passion for hunting. I am forever grateful for this unexpected journey.
