Read 2 books this weekend, Snakefoot and Wing and Shot

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duckn66
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Read 2 books this weekend, Snakefoot and Wing and Shot

Post by duckn66 » Sun Mar 02, 2014 5:54 pm

"Snakefoot the Making of a Champion" was so interesting that I read the entire book in one day while the snow and cold wind blew out of the North and I had my EP's inside enjoying the house and getting in from the cold weather.

I'm sure this has been asked in the past but here it goes. This book was so interesting in the thought processes and selection of dogs to continue his program that I just couldn't put it down. I didn't realize he was at one time or another involved in breeding everything from chickens to race horses trying to improve upon lines.

I'll ask a few question here since this seems to be THE place for those in the know to answer. Does Elhew Kennels still do such a selective breeding process as what Whele was involved in? How did the guy who now has the kennel come into possession of it?

All of the other kennels who are breeding Elhew dogs now, are they campagning any? Is their selection on who to breed and not to breed as selective as Wheles was?

Or are some of these kennels just riding the shirttail of a popular line of pointers and not really caring to improve the line as much as make money off of it? I would guess that the majority of the kennels may have popped up after Wheles death??

Anyway, I thought the book was a good read and he certainly did good things for the breed and was a fine steward of the land and game. I guess the most interesting thing was that I didn't realize how many other things he was involved in such as art.

I also found it interesting that he didn't say his dogs were any better or any worse really than other. He seemed like a very ecentric (sp) person in all that he was involved in.

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kninebirddog
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Re: Read 2 books this weekend, Snakefoot and Wing and Shot

Post by kninebirddog » Mon Mar 03, 2014 1:50 am

viewtopic.php?f=69&t=28912&p=265161&hil ... ot#p265161

That link is from when I ran a ancestry report on snakefoot ..seems that spunky creek boy had more squirrel in the tree then someone would lead you to believe. :-)

my favorite part was on the foxes...

duckn66
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Re: Read 2 books this weekend, Snakefoot and Wing and Shot

Post by duckn66 » Mon Mar 03, 2014 7:20 am

Ha HA it sure does!

Anyway, who knows what was BS and what was factual in the book. I'm sure he did more outcrossing than he told us about in the book. He said it himself that pedigrees arent 100 percent all the time. Hmmm.

Was interesting how many different types of "experiments" he was involved in with the breeding of animals.

There has probably been much posted about him, his breeding program and his dogs so I will leave this well enough alone now.
Last edited by duckn66 on Mon Mar 03, 2014 8:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

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kninebirddog
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Re: Read 2 books this weekend, Snakefoot and Wing and Shot

Post by kninebirddog » Mon Mar 03, 2014 8:18 am

duckn66 wrote:Ha HA it sure does!

Anyway, who knows what was BS and what was factual in the book. I'm sure he did more outcrossing than he told us about in the book. He said it himself that pedigrees arent 100 percent all the time. Hmmm.
I would almost think the other way around plus a bunch of culling, reason for my belief there has to deal with his raising of foxes for the uniformed pelts..

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Grousehunter123
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Re: Read 2 books this weekend, Snakefoot and Wing and Shot

Post by Grousehunter123 » Mon Mar 03, 2014 9:20 am

duckn66 wrote:Ha HA it sure does!

Anyway, who knows what was BS and what was factual in the book. I'm sure he did more outcrossing than he told us about in the book. He said it himself that pedigrees arent 100 percent all the time. Hmmm.

Was interesting how many different types of "experiments" he was involved in with the breeding of animals.

There has probably been much posted about him, his breeding program and his dogs so I will leave this well enough alone now.
Did you just accuse Robert Wehle of falsifying FDSB registration papers with that "Hmmm" comment? I'll wait for you to walk that one back.

duckn66
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Re: Read 2 books this weekend, Snakefoot and Wing and Shot

Post by duckn66 » Mon Mar 03, 2014 9:33 am

Did he falsify papers? Who knows. Does it go on today? I'm sure it does. However, I bet there was more outside blood coming in than than he tells of. Whether or not these dogs ever were registered who knows. 100-150 pups whelped a year is a lot of dogs over the course of the years.

I wonder what he would think of all the kennels using his name nowadays to sell dogs? Would he be flattered or would he upset? He was a perfectionist when it came to breeding. I wonder how many "Elhew" breeders are as discriminating as he was?

Who knows. I don't. I'm just a guy who has a few pointers that likes to chase quail around the countryside. And mine aren't Elhew anything. :|
Last edited by duckn66 on Mon Mar 03, 2014 9:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Read 2 books this weekend, Snakefoot and Wing and Shot

Post by Mountaineer » Mon Mar 03, 2014 10:03 am

duckn66 wrote:... I thought the book was a good read and he certainly did good things for the breed and was a fine steward of the land and game. I guess the most interesting thing was that I didn't realize how many other things he was involved in such as art.....

That seems sufficient enough to receive on a snowy day.

duckn66
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Re: Read 2 books this weekend, Snakefoot and Wing and Shot

Post by duckn66 » Mon Mar 03, 2014 10:28 am

It was Mountaineer, thankyou. I am alot like he was now toward the end. A good waterfowling buddy and I always use to talk about how we should bring a camera to the blind instead of a gun.

There has been many many quail hunting trips this year that I never even fired my gun. Not because of lack of birds seen and/or pointed but just to make sure that they are there next year.

I know guys who really can't go or don't like to go hunting unless they kill something. They post the tail gate shots and brag on other sites about their kills. I am almost to the point now that I would rather hear about how they broke 25 for 25 on the clays range.

He was in fact a good for the breed I believe and a good steward of the land and game which continues to this day with his land. I do believe if were all like him we would have a greater appreciation for most everything.

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