Hello gang! Well, that is likely an ambitious statement theses days since I have not been regularly making blog posts for a while now. I do hope to correct that moving forward, and possibly win your hearts and minds back.

We recently returned from a bit of a whirlwind tour of Montana for some "early season" birds. This trip we were accompanied by Sam and Sage, with the intent to show them the ropes of hunting Montana. I think we did our jobs right. We got Sam and Sage on Sage Grouse, Huns, Sharptail, and mass of pre-season Pheasant, and contact with Blue Grouse. It is hard to shake a stick at that!

We dealt with some extreme weather, high winds, and poor shooting - yeah. It seems our shooting mojo got left in the garage... Seriously, never omit that from your packing list. Ever. Additionally, and rather regrettably, I failed to pack my good camera. Temperatures were surprisingly cool for this trip. So much so my phone case hardened up, which made the "quick camera launch" feature impossible to use.

Fortunately for me, Ila and Rye can and will hold a point. I'm standing there like a fool trying to capture images, gloved hands, camera not activating... at a certain point a guy has to come to terms with losing the photos for the attempt to bag a bird. Hence the dearth of photos from what was otherwise a good trip.

Rye and Ila worked well together, and backed one another with very little or no intervention - that work is starting to pay its dividends! Sage hunted very well, and for what was essentially her first "big girl" hunt, she did fantastic! She was field trained entirely in-house as well. She hunted her own hunts, she made solid points and backed/co-hunted like a much more experienced dog - this was exciting to see as her breeder and trainer.

We'll be getting back out there with the whole horde soon - maybe we'll see you?

​Jenna and I would like to take a quick moment to tell you a little bit about the American Drentsche Patrijshond Association. 

Despite our previous relationship with the other domestic Drent organization, we stopped being heard, or valued some time ago. Now we no longer feel represented by their mission, vision, or conduct. 

We aren't alone. The ADPA was envisioned by some Drent enthusiasts who thought things could be better and in short order all active Drent breeders, and those seeking to breed in the near future, came together and left the other organization to found the ADPA.

The ADPA is about building a supportive community of Drentsche Patrijshond fanciers who wish to celebrate, promote, preserve, and advance the breed through education and mentorship, continuous improvement of thoughtful breeding practices, and enjoyable community events and exhibitions. The ADPA is recognized by the American Kennel Club, and is a legal non-profit entity. 

If you are interested in joining a breed Association that is interested in working together to create synergy and community, or even if you just want a place to share your silly Drent photos and stories, then look no further than the APDA!

Friends of the ADPA (FaceBook)
AmericanDrentAssociation (Instagram)
AmericanDrentAssociation (FaceBook Official)

The ADPA is currently accepting applications for charter memberships (help us ensure the organization is set up for success and get a super cool limited edition t-shirt) as well as regular annual single and family memberships!

As always, if you have questions, comments, feedback, or would like to chat - we are here, please just reach out.

​With that all being said, what does it mean to you having a puppy or dog with a limited Registration? If you have no intent to show your dog in an AKC show ring or breed him/her, then it means very little as all performance events are open to you and there isn’t a negative impact with non-conformation AKC events, NAVHDA, IABCA or UKC participation.

What if you decide you would like to start participating in Open Shows and your puppy went home on a Limited? A Limited registration can always be changed to full later on if you decided you wanted to try the Open Show thing. You have to initiate the paperwork with us and the AKC will charge you what amounts to a nuance fee to make the change (currently $25). The only difference with limited is that you cannot show in open shows and puppies can't be registered out of the dog, but you still get the pedigree, registration number and all official documentation from the AKC. You can participate in every AKC non-conformation venue. 

What if you would like show and/or potentially breed and want those options open? Well that is between you and your breeder (us). For those wanting to show, there is a very easy solution -- we enter into a co-own arrangement with you. Co-ownership with us means that one of us goes on the AKC paperwork along with you. As far as the AKC goes, the only venue in which full registration is required is to enter Open Shows and win Certificate of Merit points. As mentioned, you can do AKC hunt tests and all the other titling sports without full registration. So for this, it allows our clients that want to show to have the ability to do so, while allowing us to manage rights regarding reproduction/breeding, to include mentoring when it comes time to find a partner for your dog. 

If breeding (or providing stud service) becomes something you would like to explore, we want to ensure the dog is what we hoped & expected, that the basic health testing has been accomplished (is passing) as well as hunt testing, and show ring exposure in particular if/when breeding (made available for stud) becomes something you would like to pursue. To help us with evaluation, with co-owns, we have a higher expectation of getting regular photos of the dog as it matures. Ultimately, there is no downside. For us, co-ownership doesn't involve any of your day to day with the dog. It only provides a method of  having some say over what gets bred.

We hope that all makes sense!

The breed standard of the Drentsche Patrijshond doesn’t state it outright, but the Drent is a “head breed”.

So, what does that mean, being a “head breed”? The details of the head are what defines a Drent. It is these details individually, and in summary that separates the Drent from the German Longhaired Pointer, Small Munsterlander, French Spaniel, or other somewhat similar white and brown piebald continental hunting dog from western Europe.

Another element not mentioned in the breed standard that all true fanciers can and will go on and on about is the “expression of the Drent”.

The expression of the Drent is the summary of all the details of the breed standard referencing the head; eye set, shape and color, ear set, muzzle length and proportion to skull, stop, nose bridge, and so forth all coming together in balance to create the classic look of the Drent; calm, warm, inviting and intelligent. A correct expression is defining of the Drentsche Patrijshond, much in the way that correct coat defines a German Wirehaired Pointer. Once you know what the correct expression of a Drent is, you cannot unsee it.

​Here is Bono Cooper v. d. Bezelhonk for reference.

​I learned that temperatures in the low 100’s for over a month straight caused any early season chicks to perish from exposure, since they would have been incapable of regulating their body temperature. Additionally, due to the high heat, hens will not lay eggs. Then there was the “heat dome” itself, which caused the vast majority of the much-needed monsoon storms to skirt around the areas most needing them to create food and cover. Then there is this other massive complication, the ranchers and the Forest Service itself.

​The winter rains of ‘22/’23 created a bumper crop of prairie grasses. It was incredible! So the ranchers brought in record numbers of cattle to eat all of this grass. In sixteen seasons of hunting the same region, I honestly can’t think of a time where I saw so many cattle. Then the heat dome sat in, and warded off the summer rains, aka monsoons. With that grass production halted and the huge herds acted like cancer of the prairie and consumed tens of thousands of acres of Forest Service land down to rocks and dirt. Many areas simply looked as if a bomb had gone off. The cattle were even eating young mesquite shoots, and old yucca leaves. It was surreal. Ranchers aren’t always the stewards of the land that they oft claim they are, and the U.S. Forest Service gets and F- for their management efforts.

As you might imagine, it all made for a tough year for the quail. With ground cover either being non-existent or in fairly rough shape, the Mearns, famous for holding tight, were acting a lot like desert birds and running like track stars. It was hot, mid-70’s, no cloud cover, and no air movement. Basically, it was tough, but there were birds. Some areas coveys weren’t healthy, maybe two or three birds – no shooting, and we never went back. In other areas, coveys were healthy, the typical six to eight birds and in select places there were large coveys, twelve or more birds. The trick was to find places where the rain managed to sneak in, where the terrain and cover created cooler micro-climates where the birds could thrive.

​With all that being said, was it really that bad? Well sort of, but also not at all. Thankfully word got out, and the army of hunters who normally find their way to the region flagged off and went elsewhere. So, hunting pressure overall was much lighter, basically COVID levels. Still people figured out some of the bigger easier to get to areas and turned the screws, sadly decimating the quail populations that were there… We continued to explore new to us areas… We certainly found our share of birds and Ila turned out to be the hero of the trip. Despite tough conditions, she managed to come through over and over for us. Everyone else did well, and even little Rye started to figure out how to work in the hot, dry conditions.

​In fact, the dogs did such good work overall, I had several days my shooting (hitting) was 100%! I don’t know that I’ve ever had a day of quail hunting where I hit everything, I shot at let alone several of such days! When the dog has the birds dead to rights, and you have the opportunity to walk up slowly and calmly, consider your shooting lanes, or on many cases, windows. Release the dog for the flush and pick your bird(s) in a quiet Zen state, wow, just wow. Of course, I had a few days I didn’t do so well, but that is rough shooting for you, and Mearns quail hunting is oftentimes some very rough shooting!

All in all, we had a solid season, and made a few new friends. We can only hope the monsoons are good this coming summer, the ranchers scale their operations accordingly, and that the Forest Service does their job to protect the land.

We are proud and excited to share with you Dr. Pieter Oliehoek's report on the Genetic Diversity of the Drentsche Patrijshond. The report was commissioned by three European Drent clubs (VDPH, DPHCN, and SDPK). Dr. Pieter Oliehoek manages Dogs Global and is recognized as a leading expert in genetic management of rare breeds, is now available to the public.

Since my retirement from the Air Force in 2018, I dedicated myself to researching population management from the prospective of Zookeepers who manage breeding programs of endangered species kept in captivity, and to a lesser extent herd management practices of ranchers. Surprisingly, there are very few differences in approach - meaning many common threads abound!

Here is what is really exciting about the report; first and foremost you do not need to be a scientist to read, process and understand the report. It was originally written in English and uses plain language. Two the concepts are not rocket science, perhaps, rather surprisingly common sense, and really don't require any "gymnastics" to execute. The report discusses all major challenges and the simple measures that would bring balance to each situation.

In fact the report simply codifies what Jenna and I have been doing with our breeding programs and working towards achieving since we began collaborating on breeding Drents back in 2013!

​Ingredients
1 Pheasant or Ruffed Grouse breast (chicken could be substituted)

Marinade/brine
1 cup Buttermilk
¼ cup Pickle Juice
1 Egg
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
 
Dredge
1-1/2cups Flour
¼ cup Cornstarch
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
½ Tbsp baking powder
½ Tbsp course ground black pepper
3 tsp mustard powder
2 tsp Smoked Paprika
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp MSG
Sprinkle of Cayenne Powder
 
Other
Peanut or other high smoke point frying oil
 
Serve with
Brioche Bun
Mayo, Mustard, Honey Sauce
Sliced Pickles
 
Method
Carefully remove the tenderloin and gently pound out breast fillet to a mostly uniform thickness, approx. ¼”. If you are using chicken, slice breast in half into roughly bun size pieces. Now using that knife thin out, butterfly the upper portion of the breast so it’s a little thinner which will promote even cooking. Optional, lightly score fillets on one side, this helps the brine, and give you more surface area for the Krispy.

To a bowl, add milk, egg, and pickle juice and whisk together. Carefully pour your marinade/brine into a 1-gallon zip lock bag. Toss meat in, seal, shake gently. Carefully remove air from bag and let rest in the refrigerator for 45 minutes to several hours. (note: this could be brined overnight if you would like).

Get your fryer ready and use as directed or fill a pot or wok with 2 inches of peanut oil and place over medium heat. Slowly bring to 350 F while we prepare the chicken.
For the dredge, add flour, cornstarch, smoked paprika, and seasonings into a shallow open container. Whisk together thoroughly.

Once you are ready to fry, splash some of the milk brine into the flour to create little clumps which will stick to the chicken breading. Take the breasts out of the brine and gently add to the dredge. Sprinkle some brine on the top surface and carefully cover with the dredge and gently press. You can repeat this sprinkle and cover an additional time if you are careful. Make sure to coat them thoroughly and press the dredge onto the exterior so it sticks. Allow to rest a few minutes.

Verify the oil has reached 350 F, then gently place the pheasant into the oil and let fry for ~5 minutes until golden brown and delicious. Carefully turn the meat pieces around in the oil as they fry so the oil doesn't have any cold spots and the meat cooks evenly. Take your Krispy fillet out of the oil when it reaches an internal temp of 155 degrees. Add a sprinkle of salt.

Toast your brioche.
​
To serve, place your honey, mayo, and mustard sauce on a bun along with some pickles. Place the chicken breast on the bun, and you are ready to dig in.