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Result: International Amateur Woodcock Championship

Location: Philipsburg, Pennsylvania

Post Date: May 9, 2025

Submitted By: Jeffery Keller

International Woodcock ChS25

International Amateur Woodcock Championship (l-r): Brian Ralph with Ralphy's Chasehill Rip, Bob Kays (judge), Doug Dix (judge), and John McKellop with Grouse Trails Bathilda.

The International Woodcock Championship returned to Pennsylvania again, this time at the Black Moshannon trial grounds. Eight courses awaited 42 dogs, one of the biggest amateur cover dog trials in many years. Handlers traveled from as far away as Maine to the north, North Carolina to the south, and Michigan to the west. Judging the event would be Bob Kays from Pennsylvania and Doug Dix from Vermont. The championship was planned for March 28-30 to take advantage of migrating woodcock through central Pennsylvania before nesting started.

Thank You
We thank all those who helped make this trial a success; Black Moshannon and Black Ash trial clubs took the lead in putting on this trial. Bruce Mueller did a tremendous job running for lunches and keeping the caravan of cars moving from one course to the next. Brian Ralph helped marshal, move cars, guard roads, and grill lunch on the last day. Dick Brenneman was on hand the first day to help move cars and cover all the road crossings. George Hetrick walked many braces, helping to marshal when the handlers were split up. And our judges, Bob Kays and Doug Dix, for walking and judging seven braces a day.

The Winners
The championship performance came on Course 5 with Ralphy's Chasehill Rip. Rip had a strong forward race, reaching the aging aspen stand first and pinning a woodcock on the edge. He stayed to the front in the open pines, then dug in once we crossed the road and into the creek bottom and hawthorns. There he had his next stand, which produced both a grouse and a woodcock. His final bird, a woodcock, was found just at the end of the hawthorns before entering the last cut of the course. He finished strong and going away. We knew this would be a performance that would be tough to beat.
The runner-up, Grouse Trails Bathilda, started off strong in the open section of Course 2, dug in, and found a woodcock in the thick section of the first cut, starting the uphill climb. She was strong and to the front, bell in and out of range. Crossing the road and into open cover, she went deep to the front. Nearing the end, both bells stopped in a thick laurel stand where grouse have been seen before. This time, a woodcock was produced on a divided find. She was released, headed to the front until time was called.

The Running
The first brace of the championship started with Grouse Trails Black Knight (McKellop) and Bang Bang's Longshot (Luther). Both dogs started strong, hunting hard through the open cover in the beginning, and digging into the laurel, which dominates the beginning of the course. Knight found a woodcock at 30 as the course transitioned to a more open cover. Unfortunately, Knight bumped a grouse at 40 and was picked up. Longshot continued strong but went birdless for his brace.

The second brace featured Hifive's Northern Gold (Miotto) and Tupelo Honey (Wheelock). Both dogs dug in hard early in the tight cover. Gold struggled with the tighter cover in the beginning, opened up at the road crossing, but had no birdwork. Tupelo Honey had UPs at 9 and again at 26.

The third brace was released at 10:35 after a short coffee break with Bell Stop Boomer (Hetrick) and Ash Creek Tug (Burke). Both dogs handled easily during the first half of the course. Tug went big and wide at 35 in the open timber, and the tracker was requested. Boomer, with the course to himself, was hunting the cut edge and was rewarded with a double woodcock find at 59.

Brace 4 was run by Double Deuce Jack (McMillen) and Wild Apple Siri (Rizza). Jack ran well to the front, but was wide at times, no bird contact during his 60-minute run. Siri had a woodcock find at 20 in the bottom cover. Siri started to get wider as time went on, without any more bird contacts during her run.

After a lunch break of pizza, Brace 5, with championship winner Rip, was released along the Airport cover. Grouse Trail Little Bud (McKellop) and Ralphy's Chasehill Bud were drawn for this favorite course. Rip struck first with a woodcock in the old aspen cut. Rip followed up with a grouse and woodcock under his nose in the hawthorn bottom at 40. His final woodcock was pointed at 50, climbing the hill towards the end of the course. Bud had a UP just past the aspen cover and suffered a mishandle on a grouse at 40 in the hawthorn bottom.
Brace 6 had Resin (Lahoda) and Snuff Mill Magnum Force (Dellinger) drawing the opposite of the airport for their run. Both dogs handled easily through the beginning of their run. Resin bumped a woodcock just after the road crossing and was picked up. Force now had the course to herself, but was unable to come up with a bird during her run.

Brace 7, the last brace of Day 1, had Doodle Ridge Elroy(Mueller) and Double Deuce Zeke (McMillen) on the ground. Zeke had a woodcock at 9 in the thick cut after multiple relocations on the running bird. Roy went wide in the open cover, and the tracker was called for at 40 minutes, ending his run.

Day 2
Brace 8 will finish the first rotation through the eight courses we currently have. Rowling's Star (Rowling) and One Acre Wood Flash (Rectory) get the honors of running this course for the first time. Star was big and fancy, but also difficult to control at times. She finished her hour without any birds. Flash was putting together a nice moderate run, with a stop at 45 just before the second road crossing, but suffered a UP as no bird was flushed.

Brace 9, back to Course 1 with Aspen Hill Bandit (Cullen) having the course to herself, and Dean Avillion had to scratch his dog, Huckleberry's Lucky Penny. Bandit ran well to the front, digging deep into the thick laurel, and had a UP on the hill where a grouse was moved the previous day. There were also three grouse moved on the first half of the course in the pine and laurel thickets.

Brace 10 would show the runner-up of the championship. Sump's Murphy's Law and Grouse Trails Bathilda drew this course. Murphy's Law struck first at 6 when the gallery called a grouse flush, but it went unheard by the judges. She pushed forward during the middle of the course, and had a divided woodcock find at 55. A few minutes later, she had a UP just before the final road crossing. Bathilda had her first woodcock find at the seven-minute mark in the thick cut at the beginning of the course. She had her second find, a divided find at 55, and completed her hour going strong.

Back to Course 3 for the 11th brace of the championship. Sudden Silence (Hetrick) and Angel's Envy (Wheelock) were drawn for this course, with Hetrick being familiar, having run Boomer here the previous day. Moving from the open timber into the cut, Sid went to the left and stopped on a woodcock at the six-minute mark. She laid easily to the front for the rest of the hour but had no more bird contacts. Angel's Envy had a back on Sid's woodcock, but the tracker was requested at 25 shortly after the road crossing as they transitioned into more open cover.

After a lunch break of pulled pork sandwiches, Brace 12 was released at 1:39 with Mulberry Fields Molly (Meeder) and G J F Jax (Fried) called to run as the temps started warming up. Molly was handling easily to the front; her only stop was at 43, but no bird was flushed. Jax started off strong, but started to slow from the heat and was picked up at 33 at the second road crossing of Course 4.

Brace 13 was back on Course 5, where the championship was eventually named. Grouse Hill Pepper (Capocci) and Seldom Rest Jack (Ralph) were given the chance to run this course on Day 2. Both dogs handled easily and showed to the front to start this brace. As the brace wore on, Pepper started to reach more forward after the old aspen cut. Jack stopped in the young aspen cut along the airport fence, was sent on for a relocation, but no birds were seen. Both dogs were picked up at 45 after moving through the best part of the course from the previous day, starting to slow from the heat.

Brace 14, the last brace of the day, had Mountain Top Ryn (Keller) and Double Deuce Sage (McMillen) for their chance on Course 6. Ryn stopped at 4 with a woodcock find, suffered a UP at 8, and was ordered up. Sage had a woodcock find at 5, 100 yards from Ryn, but went with a woodcock two minutes later, ending his run for the day.

Day 3
Brace 15 was released at 7:52 to start the last day of the championship. Kelly's Rainbow Roy (Shepard) and Coal Creek Annie (Luther) were first up for the day. Roy ran a strong race, showing well to the front, but coming from behind several times. Roy had an unproductive at 50, then finished his hour strong. Annie was digging in deep just past the turn on the first cut on Course 7 when she finally stopped at the 26-minute mark, and the flushing attempt produced a pair of woodcock. Heading into the open cover, she was well in front when she stopped in the cut aside of a creek at 50; unfortunately, no bird was produced and was picked up.

Grouse Trails Warrior Cat (McKellop) and Caliber Peak Storm Warning (Gomes) were drawn for Brace 16 on the hilly Course No. 8. Storm Warning stopped at 32 in a bottom along the road but was moved on. She handled easily to the front the rest of the brace with no birds. Warrior Cat had a back at 32, then dug up a woodcock in the same creek bottom. Crossing the road, she slowed because of the heat.

Back to Course 1 and Brace 17 with One Acre Wood Bandit (Rector) and Hifive's Sweet Basil (Rizza) getting the nod. Bandit worked easily to the front but was slowed by the heat and picked up at 33. Basil reached the halfway point and was climbing the hill when Rizza put her on the leash to walk her out.

Brace 18 was back on Course 2, which showed three woodcock and a grouse the day before. Grouse Hill Rambo (Capocci) and Blue Ridge Kobe (Smith) were tasked with finding birds, and the day was warming up. Rambo was strong in the young cut but started to slow near the road crossing and was picked up at 34. Kobe was digging hard into the young cut, but soon tired and also picked up at the road crossing.

After a lunch of grilled hot dogs and burgers, Brace 19 had Boxwoods Wildfire Blaze (Mason) running alone as Lanny Dellinger was a scratch with Snuff Mill High Caliber. Blaze had his first woodcock find at 11 in a rocky section of the course. He stopped again at 23 and 45, but Justin elected to move him on and not attempt a flush. Blaze moved well to the front and handled easy in the open section of the course. His final stop was at 56, but no bird was produced.

Brace 20 featured Blue Ribbon River (Festa) and newly qualified County Line Rain (Chelednik) running on Course 4. River was running strong to the front, but occasionally hard to keep in contact. She had a woodcock at 22, with no further birdwork. Rain was running and an easy-going race, but tiring in the heat, and eventually picked up at 50.

The last brace of the trial had Double Deuce Miles (McMillen) and Hoppy's War Bird Farmgirl (Hopkins) running on Course 5. Both dogs went birdless on the first part of the course and were picked up just past the bottomland hawthorn thicket, thus concluding the trial.

Philipsburg, Pa., March 28
Judges: Douglas Dix and Bob Kays
INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR WOODCOCK CHAMPIONSHIP [One-Hour Heats] - 32 Pointers and 19 Setters
Winner-RALPHY'S CHASEHILL RIP, F1697746, pointer male, by Panola Bacon-Chasehill Little Izzy. Brian Ralph, owner and handler.
Runner-Up-GROUSE TRAILS BATHILDA, F1701059, pointer female, by Toth's Tornado Reloaded-Grouse Trails Warrior Cat. Patricia McKellop, owner; John McKellop, handler.