This is something we are very excited for and proud of! Ila (age 6) is the mother of Curie (age 4) and the grandmother of Caper (10 months). There is no doubt, versatility runs in the TGK family!! We are proud to announce that our Ila is the 1st ADPA Versatility Awardee, followed by her Granddaughter Caper, and Daughter Curie! For more information on the ADPA Versatility Award program and how to apply, please check out the ADPA website HERE.

MBIOS Two Gun's Sky Island Manzanita Rush CM SWN SWA CGCU CGCA, STR, FDC, MASD, NAVHDA NA 110 P1
Owner(s): Brian & Jenna O'Connor
Breeder(s): Brian & Jenna O'Connor
has earned the VERSATILITY (V) Award

MBIOS High Desert's Coronado Scotch Triple at Two Gun CM CGC STR, NAVHDA NA II
Owner(s): Brian & Jenna O'Connor
Breeder(s): Jesse Egbert
has earned the VERSATILITY (V) Award

Two Gun's Into The Wind CD BN RN JH CA BCAT SWE SCM SHDE CGC ATT
Owner(s): Alexis Weinstein & Brian O'Connor
Breeder(s): Brian & Jenna O'Connor
has earned the VERSATILITY (V) Award

We are so happy to have our beautiful Ila featured in the Feb/Mar 2026 issue of Covery Rise Magazine!

We participated in Central Oregon NAVHDA testing rently, running three dogs: two in Natural Ability, Caper and Birdie, and one in the Utility Test, Ila.

The CaperTot had great field and water portions but let her excitement during the track get the better of her, veering downwind off her track and following those of the dogs run before her. She earned maximum scores in everything else to finish with a 108/112 points Prize II! What is noteworthy is only three Drents have passed the NA test at 7-months of age, and Caper’s score happens to be the highest! We are very happy with her enthusiastic performance!!

​Ila and I ran the UT test, my first ever. Long story short, she and Fizzy both sync'd up their heat cycles, and both decided going "all in" on full blown false pregnancies the week rolling into the test was the thing to do. Sadly, this one turned out to be one of the worst she has had. In all honesty, we thought about scratching her several times. But I had paid, no refunds available, and I needed the experience. With Ila's work ethic in the toilet, constant whining and her belly covered and matted in milk crust, we threw caution to the wind and did it.
 
Tightening up her story here, where/when she performed, she did some really nice work! Her Field phase received nearly perfect marks, and the "steady by the blind and retrieve of shot duck" sequence received top marks. Unfortunately, the wheels came off on her duck drag, normally a favorite of hers. While she managed to get out there and followed the track nicely, she then spooked at the judge hiding near the duck for observation and refused to return with it. This is not where I had expected to find trouble, but Ila does become spooky in a false pregnancy…

​Her duck search is one of her most favorite things in the world to do. Her swimming exploits, and love of harassing waterfowl are the kinds of things tall tales are made of. Yet, for Ila, being started with gun fire has resulted in a 50/50 shot of either going out like normal or her more or less not going and looking confused. This is what I was worried about, and this was the side of the coin I got on the day.
 
Naturally, after the test was over, she was allowed to go swim, and she did her normal thing – swimming, crashing through the tule, and getting her mouth on two ducks…how desperately I wanted the judges, who were relaxing at their trucks, to see her then!

​I couldn’t have hoped for a better judging panel. I was treated with respect and was never made to feel worse than I already was. Brandon Smith is a judge for others to aspire to emulate. He gained a tremendous amount of respect from me that day.
 
Ila managed to scratch out a 165, no prize. Which all things considered, speaks volumes to the quality of work she did do for me. Onwards and upwards! Had a few things gone just enough better, she could have really surprised us with a better-than-expected result.

​The real star of the day was Birdie, and her run has a fun story to go along with it. Birdie did not have to do the pheasant track portion of her test because the judges were able to observe her track during the field search part of the day. During her field search, she had pointed a chukar, which then proceeded to visibly run out ahead of us (we could see it, she could not). After a few moments, her point softened and she moved forward with purpose, clearly tracking the scent of the chukar moving through the grass and sage brush. It stopped in a big brush pile, where she attempted to go back on point, before being a typical puppy and pouncing the bush.
 
We were informed after the judges' meeting that she would not need to do the pheasant track because they had seen enough to give her a score in that area. Without outright saying it, that essentially means that she didn't need improvement in any of the her other scores that the track could possibly have provided (use of nose, desire, cooperation, and even pointing, because they can actually get pointing credit for finding and pointing the pheasant at the end of the track!)

So needless to say, we are really proud of the not-so-little dog and very happy to report she earned herself a 112 Prize I! She was happy and confident throughout the day, enthusiastic to do the thing she loves, and cooperative during the exam of her coat, teeth, eyes and general conformation. If her retrieve comes along, I have no doubt she will be killing it in the GDT or UT test in the years to come…we also came home to her AKC Puppy of Achievment Certificate in our mailbox – Giddyap!

​I was extended an invitation to join an Oregon Controlled Sage Grouse hunt a few months ago by an old friend, and naturally I jumped on the chance and submitted my application for the chosen areas. Then the waiting began… and I was lucky to be drawn for the area we were all hoping to get!
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A little bit of background on Oregon’s controlled Sage Grouse hunt: Oregon has the most conservative hunting season on Sage Grouse out of all the states which allow hunting of the species. All areas where the birds may be found have been broken down into units, each with their own limited number of tags to be drawn. A unit may allow as few as 25 tags, or as many as 100, or something in between. The limit for the entire season is only two birds! With that, Oregon is allowing their Sage Grouse to be hunted, but only at a level well below what the area can support. Of interest, it is assumed up to 30% of those drawn don’t even get out to hunt! 

​With that all being said, getting out to hunt Sage Grouse in Oregon is amazing, and the number of other hunters you will encounter is very limited, as you might expect with a Controlled Hunt. These locations, in general, are also well off the beaten path, with very limited service, or none at all. This goes well beyond cell service, to fuel, food, and supplies – so if you don’t have it, don’t plan on getting it.
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Nick, Dominic, and I assembled near Burns, OR and convoyed to our camp location, situated deep within Oregon’s Owyhee country. With a long trundle over some rough BLM roads, we quickly tossed together camp and deployed Nick’s side by side UTV to scout the area we were most interested in. The trail was incredibly rough, the country so big, the vistas stunning, and Dom’s expired Gardetto's snacks tasted better than ever.

​We investigated several likely spots for sign and weren’t disappointed. We even spied a covey of Chukar close to the trail. Shortly after turning back towards camp, feeling satisfied with a half-baked plan for the morning, the check engine light on the UTV began to shine brightly. No additional error codes shown. We checked the fluids and even cleaned a surprising amount of moon dust out of the air filter. The warning light cleared for a moment, then returned for good… We parked the rig just off the trail and began the long walk back to camp with the sun in a hurry to retire for the day. For the moment the storms, off in the distance held their stance, but the air temps dropped as the wind picked up. Nick was the most prepared, but in the big scheme of things, it wasn’t much. Thankfully he shared his jacket with me, since I run cold! Dom had brought a puppy along, and that was it. A long walk, what we estimated to be a solid six miles, perhaps as the crow could fly to camp, but not as the trail ran. 

​Spirits remained high as we walked as rapidly as the trail would allow, marveling over Dom’s little pup zipping to and fro non-stop. After about an hour, Nick pulled up his OnX and declared we still had five miles to go. I have to admit, I felt a little bit defeated, I want to think Dom did as well. We had the glow of the sun reflecting off the clouds, and each other…we walked. After what felt like a long time, in the last remaining glow of the sun, Nick pulled up his OnX and updated us. Only five more miles to go! Now wait just a minute! We checked our own OnXs and we were on the correct track and had been making progress. I didn’t have the heart to measure – just walk. It was dark, the winds blustering, and on occasion we were given a few light drizzles of rain. This was getting interesting.

​We made it to the one area on the trail that had cell service, and Dom texted the last remaining member of the party our situation, and Aaron knew to head our way versus get comfortable at camp. In the end, he found us about half a mile from camp.  Still, it never felt so good to catch that ride! The wind continued to pick up, it was late, and that was a wrap. Over 700 words in, and we haven’t even hunted…
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Hunting the next morning we were gifted with dramatic skies, which only served to take what was already beautiful to a whole new level. I love days like this. We picked a totally different area to hunt from what we had scouted, several miles away no less. A super interesting area that looked like Sage Grouse. Aaron and Dom took one loop, Nick and I the other most likely loop. Nick and I found sign here and there, but nothing as fresh as what we were hoping for. Nick and I spread out a bit more to cover more area. As it goes, within a short while, he was able to get a nice point, lots of photos, and a shot! At about this time, I’m watching grouse fly from the hilltop in front of me in fits and spurts. Aaron, had taken his two grouse via .410 in short order – giddyap!

​We explored more and made more contact. I’m now of the impression hunting Sage Grouse on the high desert is much like hunting Pheasent in thin cover. They either flush well outside of range, hunker down and let you pass, or run like hell then pop smoke and disappear like some kind of mad David Copperfield trick even with multiple dogs in pursuit.
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Nearly 1,000words in, and I have yet to even shoot, and the Can-Am rescue operation has yet to take place… oh, my. Getting to the point isn’t always my strongest suit, but hey if you have made it this far, I’ll try to be a little more succinct.

​We had all agreed that once it became too hot to run the dogs to hunt, we would mount the recovery operation for the UTV, and so we did. As we trundled and bounced along, Aaron indicated he had seen grouse from the trail. They flew, some left and some right. I dropped Ila without a collar, wearing my sneakers, we took off on a trajectory that if I guessed right, would put her under the grouse. It worked! She became birdy and began stalking. Before she established a point, the grouse flew. It was in range of my 28, and I shot. It rocked and dropped a leg but continued – shit! The double tap, it rocked again. Its friend came along side, and it redoubled its effort instead of crashing to Mother Earth. I was panicked. The two  flew a good 100 yards or so when the hit bird suddenly quit, and his buddy landed nearby. Moving towards the birds had Ila and I moving with the wind, so I had to be mindful of where I thought they went down to be able to move her back into favorable winds. Without Ila, the downed bird would never have been found, let alone recovered. They look like any one of a million rocks strewn about the landscape. Now for the long walk back to the trucks in the broiling heat.

​Rather inadvertently, I watch a fair amount of Matt’s Offroad Recovery on YouTube, which comes up frequently between my investment and cooking shows. We got the Can-Am rigged up and safely towed back to camp and would have made Matt proud! We settled in for dinner and talked about what we had seen thus far. In short, lots of Sage Grouse and not a single walk ended with a zero for contact. From one to a few dozen, pretty incredible. They were beginning to make me think more and more of hunting pheasants but out in the open desert; you might be gifted with an opportunity, but more than likely, you are going to have to work for your opportunity. They run, they hide, they get up out of range to either fly only a short way, or head off to a new zip code and they fly way faster than you think. It was dark, and I thought it was bedtime, and that is when Dom announced it was time to visit the geezers he had met earlier in the morning at their camp – sure why not?

​We packed our chairs, a few snacks, and a couple of beers and headed out. We shared hunting stories and bad jokes with Griff, Jim, and John. They were a hoot to spend time with. Poor John took a ribbing for his 12-gauge Ruger Red Label. I mean everyone loves a Red Label, but many need a pack mule to schlep one around due to the weight. Not John. Despite his age and smallish stature, he’s tougher than woodpecker lips! Hats off to you sir It was a late night, and I think we all slept well. The night was calm, and the morning came far too quickly.

​I took a few days off from writing as I wasn’t exactly sure how to wrap this story up. I think hunters might get it… We had a great crew of guys, we hunted a spectacular area – really a tiny subsection of the unit we had drawn, yet there were plenty of places to hunt, and plenty of Sage Grouse to hunt. Every hunt produced at least one bird, and in most cases many more regardless of time of day or heat. I learned a lot about Sage Grouse and their habitat. The difference between what is right, and what is a long walk, is subtle. But, once you know the difference, it does tend to stand out. We saw huge Boomers, mature males, and young of the season. It would be worth going out in the spring when they are on the Lek to watch their ceremonial dancing.

​I think I became a Sage Grouse hunter on this past trip and taking one bird is plenty enough. They are mediocre table fair, and heaven forbid you take a fully mature adult! The few I have taken over the years didn’t match the toxic sage storm produced by a mature hen Nick described in his kitchen! A Sage Grouse hunt is as much about the land and the company as it is about these amazing prehistoric native birds.
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For more information feel free to reach out, to book a hunt look no further that Bachman Bay Outdoors for your very own Oregon Sage Grouse adventure.

​Even with this 17th Mearns season of mine being the 2nd most challenging I’ve had to date; it doesn’t change my love for the area or chasing these special birds. If anything, it only motivates me to learn even more about them.

​Here is a little breakdown, with what may possibly be a few handy tips and tricks to get yourself, and your pup ready to test.

​In Summary:
The NA Test is about having fun with your dog and to have the most fun, your team should be prepared. If you are having to force anything during your preparation, simply put, you are doing it wrong. For the NA you should be focused on creating a lasting bond and partnership with your dog, some good memories, and ultimately a nice hunting dog that you can live with. 

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?