Bird Hunters dressed up like Eskimos!

Just home from a week at Dos Jefes with friends, a bunch of bird dogs, and more quail than this man could have ever dreamed of seeing in such a short time. Our friends the Hoffmans (Jerry & Julie) from Dallas join us each year at the ranch for Deer and Quail hunting and trips to the shopping meccas of McAllen and Kingsville's "King Ranch Store" and some place named the "Cactus Flower". Too bad the 'world famous King's Inn" closes during the holidays!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....Jerry and I and our combined 6 dogs, my son Eric and daughter in law Sarah and their 3 Brittanys, along with two of the finest quail shooters I have ever witnessed, Austin's Gareth Cook (with 1 tremendous Brit) and Ed Small (with 1 terrific Lab), challenged 20 foot tall sunflower loaded with state of the art Tritronics, DT Systems, Dogtra and Garmin technology and found, and even pointed, a world of quail. The most impressive thing about the weekend was the 'size' of the covies...I know, I've been accused of 'overcounting' in the past, but these covies were HUGE! Many 15 plus birds and Ed Small even claims to have seen the largest covey (or a convention of multiples) containing 0ver 30 (!) birds. Thursday afternoon in two hours, we moved 21 covies and flushed numerous more as we drove out of the Mill Pasture area.

The cover is still very tough and Gareth's incredile dog "Annie" kept pulling us into some very difficult country with multiple finds that we could never have seen had it not been for the Garmin Astro Collars (3 of them at work at one time!). Riding along in our VW "Boss Buses" became more like sitting in 'mission control' with beeps and squeaks from all the electronics that are now a must in running bird dogs.

Oh well, it was a great weekend (in spite of a horrid case of allergies on my part). Jerry, Gareth and Ed are real gentlemen and fine sportsman....Gareth's Lamb chops and Ribs and Jerry and Julie's Nebraska "Scotch Pheasant" made the evenings very special.

Happy New Year guys and thanks for the memories!

The "Other" Jefe! (The Smart One!)

Dick Nelson, and wife Phyllis, spent this past weekend at Dos Jefes Ranch and filed this 'report' last night. What a neat partner the Nelsons have been! They are so much fun to be with and the two of them can keep a roomful of guests mesmarized with the many stories of their worldwide travels and from years in the top echilons of some of the world's most important corporations!

"We just spent a wonderful weekend at DJ. Perfect weather, ice on the dog's water buckets Sunday (at Falfurrias, TX!). Richard Solomon, our new foreman, has our camp in tip-top shape . Grandaughter Caroline and pal Chris joined us. He wanted a deer, his first. We put them in Guajalote Blind about 10 AM and Phyllis and I had no sooner gotten back to camp when the walkie-talkie announced- "8 point buck DOWN." He had made a perfect shot and got a huge bodied buck. An old battler, mossy horns and a broken brow tine, would guess about 125 B&C. Much too easy. But my pursuit, even at 81 in Jan. remains quail. And God has blessed us with a HUGE crop this year. The problem is Mother Nature also blessed us with a ranch full of thick 3 foot weeds and an unbelievable crop of 16 foot tall sunflowers. Earl Campbell in his prime would have a tough time busting into position for a covey rise. You have to see the weed growth to believe it! We are praying for a 2 inch rain followed by 30 mph winds to lay the weeds and sunflowers down. Maybe by the end of January. You cannot get to the birds and can lose your dogs in the cover in the twinkling of an eye. When we bought the ranch in 1989, there was very little cover. I have hunted So. Texas since 1966 and have never seen cover even remotely approaching what we have this year. Think Congo! The magnificent thing is that the bird numbers are astronomical. So when Caroline left on Sunday, Phyllis consented to hunt me an hour or so. It was a very strange hunt. Bill Young (the other Jefe) had reported many unexplained wild flushes, and that happened. Huge coveys, short flights but into impenetrable sunflowers. The birds then held, sort of, but you just try a smooth swing in a sunflower jungle. Miss and another miss! But just before I wore out (which was quickly) I made a beautiful shot on a high left quartering cock and went back to camp with my bird as proud as Punch. Believe it, for me it was as pleasurable as one of those bygone days limit hunts. Maybe next time?"

Thanks Partner....great report and would love to include more stories of your most memorable hunts here on the 'blog'!

Checking in

Dos Jefes without Sunflower!!!

With temperatures of 91 degrees and winds of 25+ mph, it was not exactly quail hunting weather this past weekend in Falfurrias, Tx. In spite of the heat and sunflower stalks dense enough to misplace a small city, the quail were everywhere! So much so that we lost count quickly. Our friends (Jim Brown, Gareth Cook, and Dalton Tomlin) estimated 80 to 100 covies moved in the 2 1/2 days of hunting...most birds located without thrilling dog participation.

One very bright spot however...Gareth Cook held tutorials on use of the new Garmin Astro GPS and I love it! In fact, Dolly De Lamont might still be lost some 900 yards away had we followed my instincts and gone 'South' to find her, when the Astro said she was 'Northwest'! I'm a believer!

Insomnia

With temps predicted in the mid 40s tonight in Falfurrias, Tx but in the mid 80s by Friday, it is easy to get a bit depressed about being here in the city! But one thing is keeping me awake in spite of the forecast...the bird population is phenomenal this year! Richard, the man on the scene at Fal, rode the fence last Thursday evening and called with an estimate of 'driving up 40 plus covies of quail". Now Richard has lived in this country most of his life and is not known for 'exaggerations" so sleep is battling with visions of bird dogs on point "as far as the eye can see".

Regardless of the numbers, I have trouble sleeping before most hunting trips anyway, a trait I first discovered at the age of 7 when dad took me on my first squirrel hunt with my brand new Christmas gift, a 22 calibre single shot. Its still in my gun case! And the passion dad and I shared still lives in my dreams!

Every day is a 'training' day!

In one of the many 'dog training seminars' and 'best training secrets' books, someone said "you are always training your dog'! Whoever the author was, he is so right. Even in 'non formal' moments, the dog is learning something and sometimes, its not all 'good'.


I learned so much from the late Stephen Harwood about starting puppies. From the moment they were weaned, the 'training' began. Just getting them acclimated to the new world is the first step...jumping over bushes, chasing butterflys, staying with the owner on walks...every new experience becomes part of their future. My wife Sharon is one of the best 'puppy trainers' in the world.

Bird contact came early at Sundown Kennels (Stephen's wonderland home and training facility). Puppies on 'chain gangs" with someone throwing pigeons in the air, all of them barking, thrashing, going bird crazy. Walking with puppies, letting them chase squirrels and meadowlarks, learning how to stay with the handler, discovering things full of 'wonder'...all of this takes 'time'...and for many of us, that time is why we do this.

Our new pup from the latest litter is Daisy Mae De Lamont. My dad's last dog was "Daisy Mae", a yellow lab he loved and talked to like she was a human. Our Daisy is my tribute to his gentle and loving spirit. Our 9 week old Daisy is already pointing, retrieving live birds....but nothing she does is 'wrong' at this point...and we are also teaching her english. NO PRESSURE! Just the joy of discovery. Plus she sleeps each night at the foot of our bed and, so far, all night long without a trip outdoors!

Come to think of it, that 'joy of discovery' is the reason I still love this game!

The Joy of Puppies!

Funny how 'important' writing your 'blog' can be, until you get really busy with other stuff. Sorry no posts lately, but with a new pup at home and a few projects that seem to be 'dragging' me out of retirement, I've been a bit snowed! The puppies are all in their new homes and we could not have chosen better owners.

Bunny Brown is a quality dog trainer and owner of HighPoint Kennels in Grandbury, Tx http://www.highpointkennels.com/ She has been around Brittanys all of her life and chose this endeavor because (1) she is good at it, and (2) because it is what she always wanted to do! GO GIRL! Bunny chose the only male in the litter "Highpoint Blazen De Lamont". He's already retrieving, and sleeps inside!!! Bunny lost her superb stud dog "Tejas Iron Mike" RU National Champion and 2 time US OPEN Champion this fall and Blaze will someday, hopefully, carry the standard for her successful breeding program.



Robert Barksdale is a successful developer in the DFW, Tx area and a consummate gentleman. An avid quail hunter, he has owned Brittanys for years but admits to having his hands full right now with "Lady De Lamont" who ruled the kennel and her litter mates for 7 straight weeks. Robert reports that he hopes to recoup from her "playful puppy bites" before the season opens. She's a handful, but one of the most exciting pups we have ever whelped. She's already flash pointing and retrieving birds!

Friendship

One of the greatest joys of chasing bird dogs is the time spent with special friends. Sharon and I met the Nelson's in the mid 70s when we came together as part of a group of hunters to lease some country just west of Yoakum, Tx. Most of the members were employees of Shell Oil...Ken Cloninger, Dan Roe, and the Nelsons, Richard and Phyllis. At the time, Dick was the head of Natural Gas at Shell and later became President & CEO of United Gas Pipeline. We were drawn to the Nelsons, primarily because we both owned Brittanys and enjoyed the successes of the dogs more than the bird count at the end of the day. Not to suggest that the bird count was compromised. Dick and wife Phyllis are two of the finest wing shooters I have ever seen, even to this day. In fact, I once saw Phyllis down 4 birds on one covey rise!

The Nelsons have a great family and share lots of time together at their other homes in Kerrville and in Montana, alongside a world class trout stream.

After hunting on leases together for a few years, we purchased our own place is South Texas...a friendship that became a partnership and has been one of the best relationships of my life. From many of the litters of pups we raised since our original breeding of Buck and Rose, the Nelsons have taken one of the Lamont Brittanys. In fact, they have been the only dogs he has run since the late 80s. Dick has a special 'touch' with these dogs and they are real joys to hunt over. The pix above is "Buck"...taken in January 2007.

Here's to the Nelsons! We love you guys!!!

Cheap Web Tricks!

They say there is no better way to 'spruce' up a webpage than with a warm and fuzzy "PUPPY PICTURE"! Since I have never been accused of missing such an opportunity... here goes!

This is "Blaze"....son of National Champion "Bean's Blaze" and "Hello Dolly De Lamont" Born August 14th. He is headed to Granbury, Tx soon to become a 'stud dog' at Bunny Brown's highly regarded "Highpoint Kennels" http://www.highpointkennels.com/
I think Blaze just hit the lottery!

"Range"

Dolly De Lamont 2/07

Had a wonderful chat last night online with Jim Brown about the ideal hunting "range" of a class bird dog. "Jim Bob", as he was once known to our group of running buddies, was a member of my graduating class in 1957 at Hudson High School just outside Lufkin, Tx. We reconnected recently at our 50 year (!) class reunion and discovered we shared a passion for bird dogs and quail. We had not talked in that 50 years. Jim went into law enforcement and more recently 'security' while I became a Rock and Roll DJ and later a producer of commercials and music videos.

Jim owns and runs dogs that are decendents of the famed Elhew line, developed by Robert Wehle, which became the most recognized line breeding program in Pointer history. I started running and breeding Brittanys, back when they were still called "spaniels'. The Elhew breeding program became the line breeding template to which I still adhere.

"Range" to me would be loosely defined as the distance in front of the hunter that a hunting dog runs. Having competed with some degree of success for a number of years in horseback and walking stakes in both "gun dog/shooting dog" and "all age" stakes, I have to admit that its not a clear cut distinction. To me, a 'shooting dog' would be a dog that aggressively hunts the existing cover whereas an "all age" dog would push the boundaries of range, independence, endurance and desire to excel. Regardless, both types should recognize winners that 'hunt the country"...if its open, reach for the limit but if it's tight, adjust accordingly. Having said that, I am aware that not all breeders and trialers will agree.

Actually, I believe a good bird dog can be both and sense which one is called for by the cover and conditions...on horseback, from vehicle, or on foot. I had both 'all age' and "gun dog" wins with the same dogs. In both stakes, I wanted the dog to run to the limits of the cover we were hunting at the time. A dog that simply quarters a few yards in front of the hunter will find only birds that one would probably 'walk up' anyway.

A pointer we named "Lamont's Tex", given to me at 6 weeks by my friend Stephen Harwood, won the Oklahoma Derby Classic with one spectacular find a mile to the front, visible to the entire gallery during the long ride on horseback...but three weeks prior had won a 'junior gun dog' stake at a local Irish Setter club trial while handled "on foot" by my 12 year old son Eric. Incidentally, "Ten" (his call name) would also retrieve ducks, although not exactly with classic 'style"!

I still love to see a dog run...somewhere 'out there' near the limits of what the cover allows. Today, I hunt mostly from vehicles at a pretty good pace. The cover varies from tall thick sunflower in flat terrain to medium grass in 'sand dune' country. Same dogs, same hunt, and they stay with me in both while running the limits. I love seeing a find 'out on a limb'...one that requires the dog to stay on point for some time while we reach him. The adrenaline is running and it is the most beautiful site to see a point out two or three hundred yards to the front...the ride to the covey and completion of the flush is why I have stuck around this sport since I was in high school, back at Hudson.

This year, I will be able to push the dogs to range even wider thanks to the new Garmin Astro 260, a gps dog collar that allows the handler to position himself in relation to where the dog is at all times. Even tell when he goes on point! A wonderful gift from a valued friend and hunting partner! This new technology may change my concept of 'range'.

Great to renew our friendship! Jim, lets chase some bird dogs this year!

South Texas Update

Wonderful news from South Texas! Our ranch manager spent a few hours this weekend shredding the ranch roads and called with an enthusiastic quail report. On the initial 1.2 mile drive down the main caliche road, 9 covies of quail crossed in front of his pickup. After hooking the shredder to the "Deere", he called again and reported birds "everywhere" from what appears to be three different hatches. With recent rains and warm weather, it is possible that some hens may still get off another hatch. I can remember hunting at my friend Joe Coleman's ranch north of Hebronville in 1987 and moving what literally were 'hundreds' of quail! We could run only one dog at a time because we would have multiple finds in different directions. The sunflower is very thick this year at Dos Jefes and, even though we are doing some shredding this week, will still impede access to some of our best territory until late December. Looks like there will be plenty of birds to keep the puppies busy untill then however.

Spoke with two of my favorite hunting partners this week...
Gareth Cook and wife Janie stopped by Saturday to see Dolly's new litter of pups. He also brought along the new Garmin Astro "dog" GPS that will sure come in handy this year with all the birds and cover. Check out the story of Gareth's world class brittany female at: http://www.lamontbrittany.com/OurHistory.aspx?id=13

Also a visit from Jerry Hoffman from Dallas, who joins us at Dos Jefes every Christmas-NewYears, and he is raving about his new Astro GPS also. Jerry is the best equipped quail hunter alive with every new gadget ever produced. We kid him that, if he ever stumbles and falls while in the field, it will look like a tornado hitting Cabela's! Jerry runs a couple of fine GSPs and stopped by to see the pups recently after taking a dog to Pete Thuman at Pecan Hill Kennels.

PUPPIES!!!!!

It's a small but quality litter for Hello Dolly De Lamont and the late National Champion/Hall of Famer "Bean's Blaze" ! All are doing great and Dolly is a world class mom!

"Dolly & "Blaze"

The male is going to Bunny Brown, a very successful Professional Trainer from Grandview, Tx http://www.highpointkennels.com/index.htm
One female is going to Robert Barksdale in Fort Worth and we are keeping the other female.

Bunny trained and owned "Tejas Iron Mike" the 4X American FC and FC/AFC RU-National All-Age Champion,Winner of the U.S. Open Brittany Championship for 2003 and 2005.
Mike was her popular stud dog who passed away recently. Bean's Blaze had a significant role in his pedigree so Bunny will develop this new "Blaze & Dolly" pup to become her 'chief stud'! This pup just hit the lottery...what a great home and professional trainer!

Stopped cleaning birds one evening this past February and grabbed the camera....WOW!
Already getting my gear ready for fall 2007!

Remembering Bud

I have owned lots of dogs in my lifetime...my first was named 'Carlo", a mixed breed male my dad gave me at age 4. We lived in Hollister, Ok and my grandparents lived on a farm outside Tipton, about 27 miles away. Just prior to summer vacation one year, we took Carlo to stay with my grandparents and I cried as we drove away from their farm. Amazingly, the next morning we woke up and Carlo was on the back porch! We never understood how he found his way and so quickly, but I came to believe that these so called 'dumb creatures' are not so dumb after all!

DJ Bud De Lamont taught me much about dog 'intelligence'. He was picked because of his sheer beauty, clear white with deep orange coloration from a litter by Hall of Famer Rimarda's Trademark and Val De Lamont (daughter of another HOF and Natl Ch., Bean's Blaze) . He was a large pup and, well....'lethargic' is the only word. He was definitely a slow starter, and spent most of the runs on our 'puppy grounds' just standing near the "boss bus' staring at me. I had just about given up on him but one morning turned him loose in our 'thicker country' with an adult hunting dog. Amazingly, he ran, and within the first 50 yards he slammed on point, chased when the birds flushed, then commenced to find and hold two more covies that morning, and he ran with range and class. Bud had just made the team!

He gave me 13 wonderful years and sired, at age 11, one of the finest litters we ever had, which included Austin Annie De Lamont and Hello Dolly De Lamont. Within the last year however, Bud developed a weak heart. His 'desire' when he saw the dog trailer hitched to the Suburban was still there and we determined that as long as he wanted to go....he could go. I ran him very short periods and was able to capture his final point in February '07 on camera (see pix above).

On a rainy morning in April, 2007, I took Bud on his final trip in the Suburban to my friend and caring Vet, Michael Godin . They say the 'good ones never outlive us'...Bud was a good one.

Website is up & running!

The Lamont Brittany website is up and running! http://www.lamontbrittany.com/
It's a site with additions and daily 'tweaking", so check back frequently. Plus, we would love to hear from you, so there is an easy contact page to email me. Thanks to my son Eric (owner of Emmy Lou De Lamont and a couple of young up and comers) for the excellent design of this and the home page and to Sid Farbstein with Bill Young Productions of Houston http://www.billyoungproductions.com for web hosting!

Quail Hunting with a Camera!

I enjoy taking bird hunting pictures! In fact, a Canon EOS 20D increasingly replaces the Winchester 101 as my preferred weapon, although it certainly doesn't do much to fill the 'bag'! Above, my friend and long time Dos Jefes partner Richard Nelson, over "Hello Dolly De Lamont" in February, 2007. (click pix for larger image)

My wife Sharon took this one of Bo Nose De Lamont. It's won it's share of photo contests and even appeared in the American Brittany Magazine. (I learned a lot from Delmar's book, after Bo let me read it!)

Apple De Lamont...one of my favorite head shots. Apple is owned by Dr. & Mrs. Daniel Roe of Pearace, Arizona. She is a small, bundle of energy...a very animated bird dog that has the run of a large ranch in Southern Arizona!

I love this shot of L&M Ramblin Rose, taken 'pre-digital' in 1997 while hunting with George Tilley near Kennedy, Tx. We lost Rose for awhile and spotted her on point, 250 yards across a fence in a neighbor's pasture. Thank goodness for the long zoom. There's something very 'cosmic' about this moment!

Bust to Boom

Population and farming practices aside, “rain” has always been the key to quail populations. It is the ingredient that initiates the entire process…..It’s a simple formula but one which man has (unsuccessfully) been trying to control for decades! This much we 'think' we know....
No rain, no new plant growth (forbs),
No forbs, no insects,
No insects, no food for baby quail!
As I write this, much of Texas and the midwest are being bombarded with enormous rains. The Trinity and Brazos Rivers are above Flood Stages.

The Palmer Drought Severity Index is used by most scientists to gauge ‘drought’. A look at the latest 2007 Palmer Index map is good news for many of us. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/prelim/drought/zimage.html

“Last summer was about as tough on most wildlife as it can get” according to a quote from a TPWD biologist in today’s (6.28.07) Houston Chronicle by outdoor writer Shannon Tomkins. In the article “What a difference a year makes”, one landowner was asked “…when was the last time you have seen this country as green and in as good a shape as it is right now”? The rancher’s one word answer, ”Never”! http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/outdoors/tompkins/4926776.html

The countryside around Falfurrias looks good right now with a world of sunflower, which is normally our signal for a good quail year. So keep your finger’s crossed…’mother nature’ is unpredictable’, but there is good reason for optimism.

Incidentally, a good way to keep up with monthly precipitation levels in our area is by checking in frequently on the Mariposa Ranch's (a close neighbor) website and click on the ‘precipitation’ link. http://www.mariposaranch.net/

Dog Training 101

Stephen Harwood was an amazing man. I had started field-trialing Brittanys around 1977 and was forced to use ‘loaner’ horses to handle the dogs. Borrowing horses is not something an inexperienced, and admittedly fearful, rider wants to do too often! Someone said that a Pointer man living north of Richmond, Tx by the name of Harwood usually kept some good “walking horses’ and might help me find one. I called him and we wound up talking bird dogs for an hour or more. He invited me out to ‘train dogs with him”. Over the next ten years or so, I was the one who ‘got the training’!

Stephen and his wife Lynn lived on 2000 acres or so just west of Houston. Today, much of this country is being developed into fancy houses with immaculate lawns. But back then, it was a dog training ‘Mecca’. With dozens of ‘johnny’ houses full of quail, chucker or pheasant, multiple flight pens for conditioning, and manicured objectives, it was without doubt, the finest dog training facility I had ever seen! My first drive onto “Sundown Kennels”, as it was named after Stephan purchased Ch Elhew Sundown from Robert Wehle, was like a kid’s first visit to FAO Swartz! WOW!

We worked dogs together for a couple of hours that morning. He was gracious and particularly complimentary about my FC Beauregard De Lamont, a large, beautifully-marked Brittany with ‘a good nose and lots of bird sense’. He invited me back….double WOW!

In time, our families became the best of friends…we became Godparents when his two sons were born. We traveled together to trials all over the state of Texas, from Paris to Nixon to Sweetwater. We took training trips to Packsaddle Ranch in Western Oklahoma and to Joe Coleman’s abundant ranch in South Texas. He introduced me to some of the best trainers and amateurs in the game and men who had become legends for their methods… John Killingsworth, Gordon Hazlewood, Harold Ray, and others. Stephen ran a large string of high-tailed pointers with surnames like Elhew, Miller’s, and Sundown and I tagged along with a couple of Brittanys with names like ‘Beau” and “Sis”. But driving into trial grounds with “Mr. Harwood” was like instant credibility and the usual jokes about ‘what happened to that dog’s tail” remained unspoken.

I was like a student at the temple of the guru! Learning how to ‘read’ what a dog was thinking, how to break a dog without breaking its spirit, how to show a dog at the right time, how to communicate to the dog through subtle movements of the horse…even learned how to stay ON a horse!

I had become accustomed to repeating “whoa” a couple of hundred times when my dog had a bird find in a trial….he taught me to have confidence in my dog, to keep my mouth shut, to walk out with my back to the dog, flush birds and fire the blank 410 as if I was downing birds and then slowly and dramatically unload, never looking back at my dog…..that took a confidence level I had never seen before, but boy did judges remember it! He could see when I had ‘overtrained’ and a dog was beginning to look stale, and he would suggest taking the dog squirrel hunting or for a ride to town together to share a burger in the front seat.

He also introduced me to Pete Thuman, who taught us both new ways of doing things. Julian Weslow, a trainer north of Houston, had met Pete on a Nebraska training trip one summer, hired him and started promoting him in the area as the ‘new guru’ of dog training. Stephen called one night and asked me to ride along to watch Pete the next day but I had to work. When I got home, he had called and said simply…”Young, we don’t know “nothing” about dog training!” He hired Pete as his full-time resident trainer and changed everything we had learned about training bird dogs. Pete was a master of the electric training collar, years ahead of the way most of us used them at the time….not as a “correction” tool but as a ‘training’ tool! To watch him yard work dogs was the most amazing, and redundantly boring, thing I had ever seen. Today Pete owns the Pecan Hill Kennels just outside Brookshire, Tx and, in my opinion, he is still a master!

I recall driving in one afternoon and seeing a young pointer male on point in a draw, just west of the main house. A pheasant was tied to a limb nearby and this high-tailed pointer was standing in a majestic, high head, high tail stance. I shut off the engine and watched for 10 minutes or so and finally saw Pete sitting alone a few yards away on a log. I walked over and asked how long he had been there and Pete said ‘about 30 minutes’. Each time the dog’s intensity would even subtly start to relax, he would silently activate a low-level stimulation from the collar and the dog would tighten up again….after another 30 minutes, I walked away shaking my head. This just wasn’t in Delmar’s book!

Stephen had recently come to the decision to quit trialing and return to his earlier passion of Team Roping and all dogs were being sold. In spite of regional successes, he never totally received the national recognition he deserved. Stephen Harwood was a giant of a man whose influence in dog circles is still being written. The dog that Pete was working that afternoon was sold a few weeks later and became a 13 time American Field “All Age” Champion, 1997 inductee to the Field Trial Hall of Fame, 2X winner of the William F. Brown Award, Purina Dog of the Year, winner of the rigorous 4 hour (total) National Free For All Championship and one of the most exciting dogs of our time…his name was “Rebel Wrangler”.

Stephen Harwood passed away September 5^th, 1995.

I still see a bird dog through his eyes.

What a ride!

At our ranch outside Falfurrias , we hunt out of two modified VW buses (a "Magic Bus"according to The Who). In our soft 'sugar sand', we run a bit less air in the regular street tires, fill 'em with goop and can go virtually anywhere. Best of all, the ride is very 'smooth', like floating on air! Meanwhile, those bouncing along behind a running dog in an expensive, customized one-ton dually pickup with stainless dog crates and mile-high vantage points will be dragging out the 'BenGay" by the end of the day. While surfing the net this morning, I found this site built by John Howe of Kingsville with a picture tutorial on how to customize a VW bus for hunting! http://www.quail-hunter.com/Quailmobile_Project1.htm

Now, you just have to find a good mechanic to keep the darn thing running!
UPDATE! We DID find a good mechanic...probably the best, thanks to John Howe's recommendation...

Dale's Import Volkswagon Parts & Service

(361) 991-0100
7001 Road B, Corpus Christi, TX 78414

John Dearman

A few years ago, we commissioned John Dearman from Livingston, Texas to paint two of our Field Champion dogs, Beauregard De Lamont and Ce Cher Femme De Lamont. We were very pleased with the painting and it hangs prominently in our home.

John has built a very impressive career. He was awarded the Best of Show for watercolors at the Kansas City Wildlife Show, Best of Show at the Oklahoma Wildlife Show and First Place in the Southeast Waterfowl Exposition. John's art has also been featured in Ducks Unlimited, GCCA and other conservation organizations. His work has created the art featured on a Texas Quail Stamp Print, two Texas Turkey Stamp Prints, and two Texas Saltwater Stamp Prints.
http://www.collectorscovey.com/johndearmanbio.html

Why we're here

Hi Everyone....this Lamont Brittany blog site is about the line of bird dogs we have been associated with since 1977. We did not 'invent'...nor did we 'create' the Lamont line of dogs....in fact, we don't even know who did! We just know that our first stud dog was from a breeding that contained a couple of dogs named "Lamont" in the pedigree. We wanted to preserve the things we liked about AFC Buck De Lamont, his enthusasm, his looks, his bird sense and most of all his abilty to do it all...win field trials, bench shows, find worlds of quail, water retrieve Ducks & Geese, and to be a wonderful family pet. Buck's father was a RU National Champion and his maternal Grandfather was a National Champion ... a pretty good place to start huh? As we became more active in trialing and associating with top pros and amateurs, we discovered outstanding qualities in other dogs that we liked...NC Perry's Rustic Prince.....NC Bean's Blaze....Hall of Famer Rimarda's Trademark. The influence of Blaze and Trademark particularly, both from the HOF/NC Ban-Dee lineage, have been frequent 'go to' outcrosses that have strengthened the qualities we want to achieve. A look at recent pedigrees will confirm this influence. Other owners have achieved success with the progeny of Lamont dogs and have found them valid producers in their own breeding programs, with multiple Dual Champions, Field Champions and both AKC and American Field hour Championships. This blog, and our website http://www.lamontbrittany.com/ are designed to aid the serious breeder, hunter and trialer in making decisions about the future of the breed. Thanks for visiting.