Virginia squirrel dogs in the works (Spring/Summer 2011)

Gray's Prairie Daisy was bred to Gray's Six Shooter Simon and is showing quite a bit. Won't be too long now before the pups are here. Check out the PEDIGREE of this upcoming litter.

Also, Gray's Lone Ranger is scheduled to be bred to Minnie this evening. She is a good, 4 year old, local feist female that hunts out to about 200 yards. Around 25 pounds. Barger stock bred. Will share additional information about this cross as it becomes available.

Thinking about starting a dog or two this spring/summer (making use of the June season) to have available in time for the Regular Squirrel Season if anyone is interested.

Grandson of Gray's Prairie Daisy in Alabama

Just received this report from a man (in Alabama) that recently got a pup from Roy Smith in TN. Roy got two mountain feist and one treeing feist from me. One of his mountain feist, he named Doodle Bug. Doodlebug is out of GRSQCH TRCH Banjo Joe's Squirt x Gray's Prairie Daisy. Roy had a litter out of DoodleBug a few months ago and here is a report on one of the pups. Writing to Roy and myself:

"Here is your grandson and great grandson at 8 weeks. (Smith's Bo X Smith's Doodle bug who was from Marc Gray). We came home from church and a squirrel ran up the pecan tree in the front yard. My 11 year old ran in and got his BB gun with his pup Indian Scout. He shot the squirrel out and crippled it and the pup ran over and the fight was on. The squirrel bit him on the front leg and he sqealed a second then dove back in. He finally chased him over to the edge of the woods and ran him in a stump hole. He dug him out and got after him again untill he ran into a hollow tree. My boy swelled up like a frog and said "Daddy this is a huntin dog" I have to agree!!!!!"

Find Gray's Mountain Feist on FACEBOOK!

Gray's Feist on FACEBOOK!

Check out the link above to find my feist facebook page. Hope you "LIKE" it!


-Marc

Squirrel dogs I have trained.

Gray's Trigger - Foundation Male

Gray's Annie Oakley. Annie was a female I kept out of GRSQCH TRCH Banjo Joe's Squirt x Gray's Prairie Daisy. She was born in 2009 and went to TN in late 2010.

Gray's Cricket (Jack Russell Terrier) - I bought her from the farm in South Dakota (in 2007) where her ancestors worked for generations. She went to Dinwiddie County, VA in late 2010.

Gray's Kit Carson - My 4th generation of feist squirrel dogs.

Gray's Prairie Daisy - My main female.

Gray's Calamity Jane. Bought her as a pup from Ohio in 2009 and she went back there in early 2011.

SQCH CH Kentucky Jody LONG before her first competition hunt...This picture is from 2005, I believe.

Gray's Lone Ranger as a pup in 2008. He is now my main male.

Gray's Mustang Sally (owned by Beth Kintz). Littermate to Gray's Prairie Daisy.

Gray's Six Shooter Simon. I got Simon in Kentucky in late 2010. Went to North Carolina. Simon is the dog listed that I worked the shortest amount of time. He made great handling improvements while I had him.

Where have I placed pups?

I have placed pups in Virginia, West Virginia, Missouri, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York and Massachusetts.

2008 litter - Gray's Trigger x SQCH CH Kentucky Jody. My main male, Gray's Lone Ranger is the pup with the I.D. tag

Involvement

I try to be as active as possible in "The Squirrel Dog World" by being a member and forum moderator on Squirrel Dog Central (SDC) as well as serving on the Board of Directors for the Old Dominion Squirrel & Coon Club (World Tree Dog Association) and the American Feist Breeders Association (AFBA). I am also a member of the American Treeing Feist Association (ATFA) and subscribe to Full Cry Magazine.

Additionally, I post on several other web forums that can be found on my LINKS page of my website.

Gray's Kit Carson as a young pup



  

Hunting

I have "pleasure hunted" (traditional, hunting squirrels for meat) in Missouri, Virginia, Maine and South Dakota.

Short hunt in Farmville, VA (October 2010).

Leafy, early season (2009) hunt as guests of the Flagtail Hunt Club in Sussex, Virginia. The dogs on the left belong to J.D. McGee of Sutherland, VA. We were able to bag 4 squirrels.

Gray's Prairie Daisy after a SNOWY hunt at Lake Poinsett State Park, South Dakota.

Groundhog Day 2009 - Lake Poinsett State Park, South Dakota. Pictured is Beth Kintz with SQCH CH Kentucky Jody and Gray's Mustang Sally (her dogs) and Gray's Prairie Daisy and Gray's Lone Ranger (my dogs).

Good hunt in 2008 near the Big Sioux River south of Sioux Falls, SD. Dogs are Daisy, Ranger, Sally and Jody (their mother).

Gray's Trigger and SQCH CH Kentucky Jody (pictured is her owner Beth Kintz) after a good hunt by the Big Sioux River.

Yours truly with Gray's Lone Ranger after a good hunt in Missouri (December 2010).

Yours truly with Gray's Prairie Daisy in Missouri (December 2010). 4 squirrels, 1 coon.

Myself with eldest nephew, Parker after we hunted Daisy and Ranger in the wind out in Missouri (December 2010).

Gray's Lone Ranger after a short hunt at Amelia WMA, Virginia (2009).

Competitions

GRAY'S MOUNTAIN FEIST HOLD THEIR OWN IN VARIOUS CONDITIONS AND TERRAIN: AGAINST STIFF COMPETITORS

I have "competition hunted" (field trials for points toward titles where no game is harvested) in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio, Georgia and Virginia. I finished the Foundation Female  of my breeding program, Kentucky Jody, to Squirrel and Bench Champion with the National Kennel Club (NKC). Jody is owned by Beth Kintz of South Dakota. Her Squirrel Champion title was completed in a single competition year and Jody was in the Top 10 for the 2008 NKC's Squirrel Dog of the Year Standings.

I have hunted Gray's Prairie Daisy and Gray's Lone Ranger in World Tree Dog Association (WTDA) and NKC hunts and will continue to do so. Both dogs are out of NKC SQCH CH Kentucky Jody and my Foundation Male, Gray's Trigger.

GRAY'S LONE RANGER has points toward WTDA Squirrel Champion and Bench Champion titles as well as points/win toward his NKC Bench Champion title!!!  

GRAY'S PRAIRIE DAISY has points toward WTDA Squirrel Champion and Bench Champion titles as well as points/win toward her NKC Bench Champion title!!!

Gray's Prairie Daisy, 5th Place - 1st Annual Battle in the Blue Ridge (2009)

Gray's Lone Ranger at the 2011 Georgia AFBA Hunt (NKC) - Best Male and Overall Best of Show. He beat his sister Daisy (Best Female) for Best of Show!

Gray's Prairie Daisy on the bench at the 2011 VA State Hunt (WTDA)

SQCH CH Kentucky Jody at the 1st EVER AFBA Hunt (NKC) in Ohio in 2008. She won Best Female and Best of Show!

Gray's Prairie Daisy, Best Female - 1st Annual Battle in the Blue Ridge, 2009 (WTDA)

2nd Annual Battle in the Blue Ridge, 2010 - Top 5 Dogs in the Squirrel Hunt. Gray's Lone Ranger was 5th!

SQCH CH Kentucky Jody wins the Open Class during the squirrel hunt at the 1st EVER AFBA Hunt (NKC) in Ohio, 2008.

Gray's Trigger wins Best of Class at the Iowa Treetop Cur & Feist Club (NKC) in the Bench Show, 2007. Trigger also won the Bench Show at the club in Minnesota.

Gray's Feist Videos!

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEOS!!!

The current video featured is of our trip to Missouri between Christmas and New Year's 2010. Hope y'all enjoy it and the old videos as well!!!

GRAY'S PRAIRIE DAISY

Daisy treed, 1st June Squirrel Season in VA allowing dogs (2010).



Snowy hunt in South Dakota at Lake Poinsett State Park.



Daisy on the bench at the 2011 VA State Hunt (WTDA)

5th Place in the Squirrel Hunt, 1st Annual Battle in the Blue Ridge (WTDA). 2009.



Daisy with her first litter (2009) out of GRSQCH TRCH Banjo Joe's Squirt. The pup you can barely see on the left is Gray's Annie Oakley (now lives in TN).



Best Female - 1st Annual Battle in the Blue Ridge (2009)

Standing in the yard in South Dakota.

Treed during the 2010 June Squirrel Season in Virginia.

Gray's Prairie Daisy has come a long way since this picture of her (and yours truly) was taken at McCrory Gardens in Brookings, South Dakota.



Daisy's first gray squirrels in Virginia. Up until that point, she had only hunted fox squirrels.



Foundation Female - SQCH CH Kentucky Jody

SQCH CH Kentucky Jody, attained her Squirrel Champion title in a single competition season by placing high in just 5 events. Jody was at the 2008 US Championships in Iowa, the 2008 Iowa State Hunt, A Double Squirrel Hunt in Wisconsin and the 1st Ever American Feist Breeders Association Hunt (NKC Sanctioned) in Ohio. She made it into the Top 10 for the 2008 NKC Squirrel Dog of the Year Standings!!!

Jody has treed both gray and fox squirrels in various weather conditions and locations (Virginia, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Missouri, South Dakota, Ohio, Wisconsin and Iowa). Jody hunts toward the deep end of “medium range” for squirrel dogs and her best assets are her “winding” and “timbering” abilities. She hunts as deep as necessary to locate game and is a reliable, stay put tree dog. If Jody opens her mouth, there IS a squirrel there.

She hunts in a circular pattern and checks in every 5 to 10 minutes. Jody is 23 pounds and 15 inches tall at the shoulder. Handles like a dream and treed her first squirrel at 6 months of age. Jody also finished her Bench Champion title in 2008.

Jody is owned by Beth Kintz in South Dakota.

Foundation Male - Gray's Trigger

Gray’s Trigger, was a good squirrel dog that was unfortunately taken from me before his time at 2 ½ years of age. He was the SMARTEST dog we have ever owned. Trigger was a finished squirrel dog that ranged on the close end of “medium” but adjusted his hunting style to the conditions and could “wind” lay ups and could flat timber a squirrel. An accurate, stay put tree dog with a good chop voice that barked at a good rate. Handled like a dream.

Trigger treed his first squirrel at 6 months of age. He was 30 pounds and 18 inches tall at the shoulder. Trigger was tri-colored and passed on his physical structure to Ranger. Trigger was entered into two bench shows (conformation). The first one in Iowa, he won Best of Class. The second one in Minnesota, he won the entire show: Best of Class, Best Male of Show and Overall Best of Show. Trigger could tree squirrels (gray and fox squirrels) in various weather conditions and locations (Virginia, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Missouri and South Dakota). He hunted in a circular pattern and checked in every 5 to 10 minutes.