Result: North Country Open Shooting Dog Championship

Location: Augusta, Wisconsin

Post Date: Jun 18, 2026

Submitted By: Jeremy Moore

North Country Open Shooting Dog Championship (l-r): Chris Bye (judge), Tim Kaufman with Lake Effect Ali, Mitch Anderson with Northwoods Homer, and Alex Anderson (judge).

The Chippewa Valley Grouse Dog Association hosted the North Country Shooting Dog Championship over the expansive Eau Claire County Forest grounds, drawing a competitive field of 42 entries, with 41 dogs taking to the line. Judges Alex Anderson and Chris Bye handled their duties on foot, logging many miles alongside dogs and handlers in a trial that demanded endurance, determination, and composure.

The four-day-long championship will be remembered for both its dramatic weather and deeply competitive field. The running began under two days of unseasonably warm temperatures nearing 80 degrees before severe storms with rain, hail, and a confirmed tornado swept through the region. In stark contrast, the following days brought sharply cooler conditions, with cold winds and even light snowfall greeting the early Sunday morning braces. Through it all, the grounds held strong, and birds were available, with both grouse and woodcock contacts recorded consistently throughout the stakes.

Rarely have I seen a field of dogs defined by such exceptional depth and competition. Several dogs produced performances worthy of admirable recognition before the final decisions were rendered. But at its conclusion, the champion prefix was both earned and awarded to Lake Effect Ali, handled and owned by Tim Kaufman, with Ed Graddy assisting. Northwoods Homer, handled and owned by Mitchell Anderson and scouted by Josh Matel, was named runner-up champion following his thrilling performance.

We would be remiss if we didn't thank some of the critical elements that made the North Country Shooting Dog Championship a success. Thanks to Roger King and Denny Baumann, long-time stalwarts of the club and endlessly gracious and supportive, who provided lunches, helped move trucks, assisted with road marshaling duties, and generally kept the trial moving behind the scenes. Their assistance can't be overstated! Additionally, Jeremy Moore and Josh Matel walked nearly every championship brace, keeping law and order, serving as field marshals. Their knowledge of the courses, coupled with a consistently watchful eye, was immeasurably helpful in making this trial a success and ensuring all competitors and spectators made it out of the woods in one piece. Rod Lein was kind enough to bring doughnuts and coffee on a couple of the mornings, which was very much appreciated, especially by the judges, who needed their caffeine fix mid-morning! We would also like to thank Scott Roberts, whose Tree Town Ranch Leather Works provided two beautiful leather leashes for the champion and runner-up. Finally, we would like to thank OnX for their continued support and Purina for their commitment to making these bird dog games possible, including providing several bags of dog food to the winners.

The Running
Brace 1 paired Blue Sugar ("Lilly"), handled by Ryan Hough, with Grouse Trails Northern Thunder ("Reggie"), owned by Brian Stichter and handled by Rod Lein. Lilly's effort concluded at 50 after a lost bell and her handler's request for the locator. Reggie maintained a forward race to finish. Two grouse were foot-flushed during the hour just off the gallery, and drumming was heard across the course.

Brace 2 saw Ruffed Country Sweet Lily, handled by Jordan Pharris, and Meridith Grade Corky, owned by Dennis Keysor and handled by Tammy Chaffee. Lily was credited with a stylish limb find on a grouse at 26 following a strong search effort from her scout. Corky later showed at 30, with a stop-and-relocate. An infraction tempered Lily's run after moving with a wild flushed woodcock and the inability to stop to flush cleanly. One final wild flushed grouse came at 35, adding interest.

Brace 3 featured Northwoods Cedar, owned by Eric and Lindsey Saetre, and Over The Hill Morgan, owned by Robert Zielke and handled by Rod Lein. Running the highline in warm conditions, the pair produced two-pointed woodcock contacts between road crossings. Morgan carded another clean woodcock find at 40. Both dogs continued searching wide through the remainder of the hour.

Brace 4 brought out Clover Valley's Millie, owned by Jerry Furnish and handled by Jordan Pharris, with Snyder's Big Nose Kate, owned by Steve Snyder and handled by Tammy Chaffee. Both dogs handled the heat with determination, showing forward, workmanlike races without bird contact.

Brace 5 matched Northwoods Sir Gordon, owned by Ben McKean and handled by Ryan Hough, with OPA Johnny Ringo, owned and handled by Paul Bukovich. "Gordie" was picked up after being found standing with early movement after a flush attempt. Ringo continued forward, later coming to a stop in a young cut before a bird less infraction also ended his bid.

Brace 6 saw Planet Queen ("Rhonda"), handled by Scott Anderson, on the crash course running in the hottest temps of the day. After a long, hard, and driving race, she was found standing at 53 by her scout, Ryan Hough. Her handler plowed his way through brambles and blackberry canes, evident by the blood streaming from his forearms afterward, producing a woodcock cleanly and finishing in good order. It should be noted that the challenging conditions did not affect the race and determination of Rhonda, who has a knack for always coming up with a bird.

Brace 7 paired Snyder's Sadie, owned by Steve Snyder and handled by Tammy Chaffee, with Blind Faith ("Cece"), owned by Ben Fleischacker and handled by Jordan Pharris. Cece flew through the cover with remarkable speed and maintained a forward race but went birdless. After a lengthy, quiet stretch through mid-course, there was late action, which included a grouse flush near the final swamp edge. Sadie finished with a point at 58, producing a woodcock at time following a short relocation.

Brace 8 featured North Slopes Allie, handled by James (Ed) Graddy, and Northwoods Cedar Edge ("Enni"), handled by Lindsey Saetre. The brace ran smoothly through the early going. Just shy of the last road crossing, both bells fell silent, and the two were found pointing a woodcock. Enni provided the highlight with a well-timed pointed grouse find at the close and perfect manners to finish the brace.

Brace 9 saw Snyder's Fireside Ed, owned by Steve Snyder and handled by Tammy Chaffee, with Paco Northwoods, handled by Josh Matel. Both dogs delivered strong, forward races, covering ground effectively, though birds were not contacted.

Brace 10 paired Grouse Trails Black Knight, handled by John McKellop, with Woods R Callin Apollo, handled by William Frahm. Both ran with strength. Knight made game but failed to maintain manners and was set down early. Apollo continued without bird work, and the handler requested the tracker shortly before time.

Brace 11 featured Grouse Trails Little Bud, handled by John McKellop, and Moss Meadow Distant Belle, handled by Bert Benshoof. Bud recorded two unproductive stands early and was leashed. Belle showed a controlled application before her handler opted to pick up as approaching storms moved in.

After a few-hour delay, Brace 12, the final brace of the day, proved one of the trial's highlights, featuring Big Big Energy ("Lotto"), handled by Jordan Pharris, and eventual Runner-Up Champion Northwoods Homer, handled by Mitchell Anderson. The pair drove hard to the front. At 45, both were found standing in a young aspen cut where a grouse was produced, both dogs steady. Homer with the find and Lotto with the honor. Homer added a second find at 48 with a well-handled woodcock, displaying exceptional manners. Lotto contributed again at 58 with a fantastic grouse contact, steady and standing tall through Pharris's shot. Homer's consistency, finish, and polished bird work secured runner-up honors.

Brace 13 matched Little Hawk, handled by Paul Cook, with Fireside Sally Forth, owned by David Phillips and handled by Tammy Chaffee. Little Hawk showed reach early, and the tracker was called for at the halfway point road crossing. Sally was found standing at 37 but could not produce after a lengthy relocation. Sally completed the hour at the final road crossing.

Brace 14 saw Grouse Trails Bathilda ("Tillie"), handled by John McKellop, with Christys Kaylee Girl, handled by Christy Helmes. Tillie impressed with animated groundwork and had a nice stand on a grouse at 29. Kaylee also caught the judges' eyes with her speed, pop, and unwavering tenacity. At 47, Kaylee was found standing with Tillie honoring, and a well-mannered woodcock was produced. Both finished strongly.

Brace 15 featured Northwoods Rip Roy, handled by Greg Johnson, with BBS Doc, handled by Paul Bukovich. Doc ranged wide early. A shot was heard at 22 after a woodcock was pointed and produced. Doc later showed briefly to stand before continuing forward. Both dogs hunted hard through the hour.

Brace 16 delivered a strong bird-finding performance with Clover Valley's Mulak ("Mack"), handled by Jerry Furnish, and Springpond Rockin Sidney, owned by Leeann Parnell and handled by Tammy Chaffee. Sidney opened with a woodcock find at 12. The pair went on to produce multiple well-handled woodcock finds at 46 and 54, both dogs backing with style and maintaining composure throughout an impressive effort.

Brace 17 paired Kasida ("Z"), handled by Paul Cook, with Grouse Trails Warrior Cat ("Kitty"), handled by John McKellop. Both dogs hunted forward and to the limits of the bell. A late stand by Kitty resulted in an unproductive relocation.

Brace 18 saw Northwoods Fallset Hope, owned by Mark Fouts and handled by Josh Matel, with I'm Easy Money, owned and handled by Kyle Peterson. After an early joint stand and a lengthy search for the dogs, no bird was produced, and both dogs hunted on. Hope's bell was lost on the backside of the course, and she was found standing tall, but again, no bird produced. Shortly after, her bell fell silent just off the course, and a woodcock was flushed with a shot at 54. She then added another contact near time but took a small hop with the bird, ending a determined performance.

Brace 19 featured Little Rolling Baby Momma, handled by Jeremy Moore, with Meredith Grade Penny, owned by Dennis Keysor and handled by Tammy Chaffee. Momma showed a strong forward race, while Penny hunted methodically. After a very lengthy search for Penny (whose coat was a perfect camouflage for the skiff of snow and the abundant light brown foliage that morning), a grouse was eventually located, and the dog was credited with a find at 49. Momma hunted wide and forward but finished without any bird contacts.

Brace 20 reported running with Single Note Run ("Petra"), handled by Paul Cook, and Clover Valley's Evans ("Evy"), handled by Jerry Furnish. Early action saw Evy stop at 12, but no bird was ever produced after a lengthy relocation with flushing attempts in a very likely location. Late in the brace, both dogs came to attention near a road crossing. Each handler attempted to flush on both sides of the course, and Evy's handler produced a woodcock, but the temptation was just too much for the young dog, and a short hop before stopping was more than could be allowed. Cook found his dog and relocated to no avail.

Brace 21 proved to be exciting. Lake Effect Ali, owned and handled by Tim Kaufman, was braced with Hypointe Sharpshooter ("Zeke"), owned by Nick Mellon and handled by Tammy Chaffee. Zeke and Ali proved their mettle as they drove forward on the High Line course. For much of the brace, likely cover was sparse, but the dogs never lost focus. After the final road crossing, the dogs made their way into thick cover. Shortly thereafter, point was called, and Ali was found standing on a well-executed woodcock find. Zeke had also made his way into the thick cover and appeared to have stopped, but proved more difficult to find. He would ultimately finish the hour without bird work to his credit, but it was an impressive showing, nonetheless. Knowing that dogs had finished clean with grouse finds, Kaufman was determined to move Ali on as quickly as possible. She did not disappoint. With just minutes to go, Ali was sent forward again and was found standing at 58. As the handler and judge approached the dog, three grouse erupted around her, and her manners remained impeccable despite the commotion. At that point, it was clear a champion had been named.

Augusta, Wis., April 16
Judges: Alex Anderson and Chris Bye
NORTH COUNTRY OPEN SHOOTING DOG CHAMPIONSHIP [One-Hour Heats] - 9 Pointers, 31 Setters, and 1 Brittany
Winner-LAKE EFFECT ALI, F1688438, setter female, by Northern Lights Sirius-Lake Effect Tilly. Tim Kaufman, owner and handler.
Runner-Up-NORTHWOODS HOMER, F1701801, setter male, by Snyder's Pioneer Scout-Northwoods Cedar. Mitchell Anderson, owner and handler.

Derby Stake
By Brent Sittlow
Thirteen braces of competitive derbies were brought to the line over two days of running. Continuous 30-minute courses were used to test each contestant's desire, will, application, and bird-finding ability. Judging the stake were club members Brent Sittlow from Hudson, Wisconsin, and Keenan Foley from Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

By far and away, the clear winner of this stake was Grouse Trails Ginger Sunshine (McKellop), who competed on the first day. She ran the northern portion of the Gasline course. Ginger was flashy, forward, and had a perfectly broke grouse find along the river edge that could have won many a championship. Beautiful style punctuated the effort.

Northwoods Peregrine (Chris Bye) jumped up into second place from the last brace of the stake. Peregrine was also on a portion of the Gasline course, but on day two. She ran with a snappy and forward application, showing good potential as a shooting dog. Contact with a woodcock helped her cause.

Rounding out the placements was Aspen's Edge Dwight (Mitch Anderson), who came off the Wilson Park course on the first day of the stake. There were numerous dogs in the stake with good independent application, but Dwight's was just a hair more refined in the judges' eyes.

Judges: Keenan Foley and Brent Sittlow
OPEN DERBY - 10 Pointers, 15 Setters, and 1 Irish Setter
1st-GROUSE TRAILS GINGER SUNSHINE, F1712855, pointer female, by Ralphy's Chasehill Rip-Grouse Trails Firestorm. John McKellop, owner and handler.
2d-NORTHWOODS PEREGRINE, F1723767, setter female, by Cold Creek Hank-Northwoods Stardust. Roberta Scherf & Christopher Bye, owners; Chris Bye, handler.
3d-ASPEN'S EDGE DWIGHT, F1723290, setter male, by Northwoods Homer-North Star Ash. Mitchell Anderson, owner and handler.

Open Derby (l-r): Brent Sittlow (judge), John McKellop with Grouse Trails Ginger Sunshine, Roberta Scherf, Chris Bye with Northwoods Peregrine, Mitch Anderson with Aspen's Edge Dwight, and Keenan Foley (judge).