Full Cry Column
March 2003

Clint Stubbe (Northern Working Airedale Terrier Association correspondent)

Howdy folks. It is January as I write this. This winter has been gorgeous so far with December being as dry as I can remember. There was one snowfall prior to Christmas, which melted, and Christmas day was dry except it did start to snow as the day wore on. I can't recall the last green Christmas here. The rest of the winter has been quite mild as well. I dropped one big dead fir tree that was 36 inches on the butt last fall and that one tree looks to keep this entire house heated right through the middle of February and that's burning twenty four hours a day seven days a week. It was a bugger to split and I generally go for smaller wood but it seems worth it now.
My wife's birthday was December tenth but it was also a nice day to go look for tracks so I went out to see what I could find. It was pretty quiet but I did cut a lynx track at about 1:30, which is kind of late to turn out the dogs since it gets dark at 4:00. The track was dusted in with snow on the road and there was very little snow in the timber to show the track but the dogs said they would take it and it was close to home so I cut them loose. Since it was late in the day I decided to just wait and see what happened, if they treed within hearing I planned to go to them otherwise I would just stay put until they returned. Generally I don't like to do this as you miss out on a lot of what happens on the trail but I had prior engagements and I still had to get my wife a present. By 7:00 that evening I thought that getting home to wish my wife a happy birthday was definitely in my best interests. I whipped home, put out a cheesecake from the cold room, had the kids sing a quick happy birthday, apologized for not having a gift then back up the mountain. I was worried the dogs might have come out and headed for the highway but my fears were unfounded as they didn't come out until 11:30 that evening, usually they get back sooner unless they have something treed. The next day I did get a talking to about birthdays and the importance of being there for them.
I cut the same lynx's track about two weeks later and put the dogs on it. He headed down to a creek and crossed over by jumping from rock to rock, unfortunately Grizz and Lulu didn't like the looks of it and came back to me while Buzz (hound) crossed over. I got all the dogs and myself across getting two soaked boots in the process and I carried on with the dogs on lead. This cat seemed intent on leaving the country or at least finding an area with more rabbit sign then was apparent here. After about three hours on the track I called it quits and headed back to the truck picking a somewhat better route then the shin tangle and 70 percent slopes he had us on. I'll tell you that time of year when there are just a few inches of snow on frozen ground are the worst. No snow is great, more snow and it kind of holds you in but with just a skiff it makes for a bruised butt before too long and is somewhat dangerous as you can pick up speed quickly and slide for quite a ways on those steep frozen slopes, hopefully stopping before getting skewered on a sharp stick. Buzz caught up to us before we got back to the truck. He may have treed the cat as we were some hours behind but I will never know.
I went out the next day to see if I could pick up where we left off but I encountered a lion track before I got to the spot I had planned to head up the mountain. This fellow took us down across the creek again but this time all the dogs crossed and I stayed dry and he treed up not so far from where I had ended the lynx chase the previous day. I had to laugh when I read Bob McClellan's report from last month, as this chase seemed to be a carbon copy of his. Down a steep canyon, across a creek, up the other side and treed on a side slope so steep I could barely stand never mind get a decent picture of the dogs on tree. It was a shame as it was a gorgeous day with clear blue skies and would have been a great shot under the right circumstances but down in that dark creek draw you could hardly tell the sun was even out. He was a nice medium tom and I jumped him out once then left him to hopefully chase another day, I did however shoot him several times with my camera. The sad part is when I went to rewind my film to take it out of the camera it snapped off the reel immediately so I figured something was wrong and my fears were confirmed when all I got back from the lab was a roll of unexposed film. I either missed the teeth on the sprocket or the film cracked at the sprocket. I can't even remember what else I might have had on that roll but it sure would have been nice to at least have a picture to show for that nasty hike.
Getting back across the creek was comical because Grizz balked at crossing the creek without the scent of a cat to pull him across. I had to literally skid him across by the collar on a snow-covered log that was about four feet above the creek while trying to maintain my own balance. He wouldn't even attempt to stand and would either skid with a front and back leg on either side of the log or draped over the log like a rag doll. I couldn't get mad at him as he really is still only a pup and has a big enough heart apparently he just doesn't like heights.

MAX SEARLS WITH BUCK AND A COUGAR THAT HAD KILLED A STEER

I have to say I am constantly in awe of wild animals and am humbled by their strength, agility and stamina. I bow hunt for deer and am painfully aware of how hard it is to get up close to a wary whitetail never mind jumping on it's back and bringing it down. How cougar manage so successfully is truly amazing especially in the heat of summer when scent is poor and every brittle leaf or branch shouts an alarm when it is stepped upon. Following a lion track that has my legs, lungs and heart aching makes me realize how poorly my human body is built to take such rigorous use yet cats, deer and elk do it day in day out. Spend one night out in the winter woods North of 49 with only the clothes on your back and you will soon discover it is no picnic even with warm boots a coat and a fire. Imagine trying it with just the equipment you came into the world with, impossible. We humans have a brain that sets us apart from all other animals but in all other respects we truly are pitifully inadequate for survival in a harsh environment. Thankfully we have the intelligence to allow us to take from nature and fashion tools and clothing that give us an advantage over the dumber beasts. Sometimes I wonder why we don't have enough sense to realize when we have taken too much.

Well January 17th and I finally got my December Full Cry, boy I wish those guys at customs would read it quicker so I could get it sooner. A week later and I got January and February???
I sure laughed at some of Glenn Overstreets jokes he prints and have printed out the one "Why dogs are better than wives" and pinned it above my desk where my long suffering wife sometimes sits when I am not at home, hope she finds it as humorous as I.

I phoned a guide I met some years ago in the interior of the province by the name of Max Searls to talk dogs a bit. Henry Johnson had given me his number some time ago and I had dropped in on him about ten years ago just to talk about his Airedales. Max welcomed me in and we had a coffee while he showed me some of his photo albums and told me stories of his Airedales and Jagdterriers. His photo albums attested to the fact that this was a fellow who had spent a lot of time in the bush trapping and hunting. He ran Skelton Valley Outfitters in McCleese Lake BC at the time and ran his pack of Airedales for cougar and bear. Max is seventy now and has mostly passed his guiding operation on to his son-in-law but he still has one old mixed Airedale and a couple Jagdterriers. I managed to coax a letter out of Max as follows:

MAX SEARLS' BUCK AND ANOTHER LION

"Clint
Here is a bear story that happened in the spring of '73 or '74. I had been trapping beaver in April and took around 100. We lived out in the bush so I dumped the carcasses down in my garden for fertilizer. The days began to get warm and breakup began then in early May we got 6 in. of snow. It had started melting when Buck my best Airedale got after a bear that had found the carcasses. Two of my sons left to take care of the bear. Buck stopped the bear several times but he was reluctant to climb but finally about two miles from home Buck was close on his butt and he finally went up a big tree. The boys had shot it out when I arrived on the scene and when I saw how big it was I decided I wanted to weigh it. It was the biggest bear I had ever seen. I cut a trail in to it and hauled it out with my tractor and trailer then I skinned it and halved it then weighed the three pieces. It was 445 lbs. and squared 7' 8". My wife rendered out and canned 27 quarts of the finest bear grease we ever had, much better than pig lard. I started guiding a few years later and have treed lots of big bears but none like that.
Buck had mostly Lionheart breeding and through the years I added new blood but always tried to maintain some Lionheart blood. Only an Airedale can make a big bear tree alone. I have seen six foot plus bears tear off their claws when treeing, they are just too heavy to climb.
Buck died before I started guiding but his Grandson Corky was my top dog. I had Corky's son Bear and he treed lots of game but if a bear turned on him he beat a hasty retreat. I had him on 28 bear races and he treed 23 by himself but he had trouble getting the big ones to tree. I also treed lynx, cougar and fisher with these dogs. They also retrieved grouse, ducks, muskrat, beaver and a coyote once.
I've spent my entire life in the bush, which is almost 70 years and I still have a guide area and guide a few hunts, when you are in the game to make money you'd better have an Airedale.
Sincerely Max Searls"

I appreciate Max taking the time to pen a letter and send it to me. The picture I have included of Buck with a bear is not the big one. The only picture Max had of that one was skinned on a meat pole and I'll tell you it looked like a hog. I've never seen a spring bear with that much fat on him. Max told me spends a lot of time now making custom knives and he can be reached at Box 4 McCleese Lake BC V0L 1P0. In trying to contact Max I accidentally called his son Max Searls Jr. who runs 10 Musket creek outfitters a 2000 sq. mile guide area in the Caribou region of BC. Max Jr. runs a pack of Blueticks for lions but has a Welsh Terrier Roy that he uses to locate and hold wounded bear. I asked Max Jr.about Roy and he wrote:

"Clint
I am a Guide Outfitter in the Cariboo Region of British Columbia, Canada. I guide big game hunters almost every month of the year and Black Bear hunters spring and fall. As you might guess some hunters lack the ability to make one shot kills on bears and due to this fact I use the help of my most loyal companion Roy. He is a registered Welsh terrier weighing only 26 pounds with teeth as large as much bigger dogs and he does use them. I use him by himself to recover wounded bears and he will fight them on the ground if they can't climb a tree and holds them in one spot until you get there to finish the job. He is pretty good-natured around other dogs and seldom starts fights. However he is very possessive of me and of game taken using his assistance. He loves playing with the kids and doesn't bother the cats so long as they're in the house. He won't leave your side for more than 10-15 minutes unless he's waiting at a bear or big cat (Cougar, Lynx). I was raised with Airedales as a kid from the mid 60's to 77 when I left home. This dog is just like an Airedale in miniature but only in size. He has not let me down in the 5 years I have had him. He takes his job very seriously. Only 1 time did a bear get hold of him and he was 3 yrs. old at the time and it only made him want them more. He averages 6-8 bears to his credit each year that otherwise might not have been found. It is truly incredible watching him do what he does best (stop bears)."
Thank You, Max Searls Jr. (250)-395-3789 e-mail bc_outfitter@yahoo.com

MAX SEARLS Jr's ROY AND A BEAR HE HELPED COLLECT

When I talked to Max Jr. on the phone he commented several times on the speed at which Roy could maneuver when working a bear. I think that is something that is lost with bigger dogs, the spin on a dime, get in get out and be ready for more speed that a small dog can exhibit but there are tradeoffs. I think a good standard size Airedale has just about the right ratio of speed and strength to size to allow it to handle anything it will encounter on the trail.

Winter is a good time for catching up on some reading since there never seems to be enough time in the Summer so I would like to recommend a couple of books that I have found of interest.
The first is entitled "Bear Attacks II - Myth and Reality" by James Gary Shelton the isbn number for ordering this book is 0-9698099-2-1by Pallister publishing. This book was first printed in 2001 and is the third book by this author on the subject of man and bear conflict.
I have read about every book on bear attacks that I can get my hands on out of personal interest and due to the fact that I work in the bush and have encountered aggressive bears. This book gets high marks for being the most common sense book I personally have read on the subject. I am not a biologist nor is Shelton but I have spent a lot of time hunting bears and working and recreating in bear country and realize that a biologists perspective may not be the best as it is sometimes skewed with a personal bias or lacks a common sense approach for folks who must make a living working daily in the woods where conflict with an aggressive bear is just a matter of time. This book debunks several myths being propagated by preservationist /environmentalists regarding the fragility of grizzly and black bear populations in BC and gives good advice for dealing with an aggressive or predatory bear. Like all books of this genre there are many true accounts of bear attacks generally related first hand through personal interviews but unlike other books Shelton's dispels a lot of the misinformation regarding bears and isn't concerned with being politically correct.. I quote from the book; "There is presently in North America a major assault taking place against people who live in the less inhabited regions. A legion of environmental groups and politicians are working on and enacting policies that damage or eliminate logging, mining, ranching, trapping, guiding, hunting and a host of other rural activities. This is a war against preservationists and those who still live and work on the land and have a more direct relationship with nature. Unfortunately, preservationists are often winning the support of those city people with middle-of-the-road values." These preservationists and even some biologists are winning that support by the use of deception and downright lies to promote their cause either for personal gain or to appease whoever it may be that is providing the research grant so it is refreshing to see a book in print that deals in a matter of fact way with the realities of dealing in a conflict situation with aggressive bear behavior. As he states in the book "Let me make one thing crystal clear: My bear hazard safety program is a safety program for people first and bears second." If this kind of thing interests you I would recommend picking it up.

The second book is "Airedales - The Oorang Story" by Bryan Cummins isbn # 1-55059-212-2 published by Detselig Enterprises Ltd. This book is long overdue and should be required reading for any Airedale owner or breeder claiming to own Oorang Airedales. The first third of the book gives background information on the origins of the breed with the remainder of the book detailing Walter Lingo's background, his dogs, kennels and breeding methods whether it was Airedales, hounds or the Lingorue (a mix of Airedale, Foxhound and Doberman) since Lingo bred all three. There is a lot of misinformation regarding exactly what is or was an Oorang Airedale and this book goes a long way towards clearing up a lot of the mystique associated with the name Oorang by laying out how Lingo bred, sold and promoted his Oorang Airedales. This is not a book filled with anecdotal hunting stories being focused entirely on one breeder and his dogs but if you wish to know exactly what constituted an Oorang Airedale and how the entire operation was run then this book might interest you.

A couple emails from Matt Thom in Arizona via Henry Johnson. Matt shipped a pup off to Martin Reinartz in Germany and Martin seems well pleased with his new Redline pup. He wrote:
"Matt:
This little pup is great. She is doing fine and I am lucky to have her with me. Outside she is very interested in everything and self-assured. She is a little worried by new things, strange people or strange dogs (normal for a pup of this age - just a pup not a super dog) but after a few minutes when everything is clear she starts exploring the "News". Her bond with me is even now in this short time very strong. She listens to her name very well and she knows the meaning of "no"... that doesn't mean she always listened to it. The Airedale-people have been interested but I think they mistrust the "slick-coated-Airedale-story". Definitely they thought Annie must be a cross! I told them what I know about "redlines" and that they are pure as an Airedale can be. They told me that it is not easy for me to get breed permission but it is possible if the dog will be a good one. They mostly couldn't believe that Airedales hunt big game like bears. Also they thought that Americans are mostly importing from Germany and not Germans from America.
Pure or not - official breed permission or not - I feel that this is the dog I searched for and I was looking for - like Henry said: Whatever they are and wherever they came from I can tell you they are damn good dogs."
Martin

MARTIN REINARTZ'S ANNIE

In another email Martin went on to say:
"For breeding in Germany we have the VDH (Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen e.V. or Dog Society of Germany) which is recognized and associated with the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale or World Dog Club). In the VDH there is the KFT (Klub Für Terrier or club for terrier breeds). The KFT is formerly know as Klub Für Rauhaarige Terrier (club for rough coated terrier breeds) founded 1894. They originally were for Airedale and later Irish breeds but now represent all terrier breeds, which are recognized by the FCI. Airedales have a long tradition in Germany as working dogs for military use and protection use but are not used much as hunting dogs. They have always been loved family companions. In Germany the Airedale people think an Airedale that goes backwards and is not willing to defend its master is not worth breeding. They test this before you get the "official" breed permission. Most Airedale breeders try to have a SchH certificates with the males. The good ones have both male and female SchH tested and can then call their litter "Leistungszucht (performance bred). Also x-raying for hips is necessary as well as two shows where your dog needs to get an "sg". Docked tails are no longer allowed in Germany and so they are not allowed at dog shows unless they are a hunting breed officially recognized by the VDH and JGHV. The Airedale is not. The Airedale is just one of the official 9 "Gebrauchshunde (working dog breeds) like GSD, Malinois, Boxer, Dobermann, Rottweiler, Giant Schnauzer, Hovawart and Bouvier. So now since Annie is in Germany we will try to add the Airedale to the official recognized hunting breeds - lets say we will work on this.
If you have something difficult - bring it to Germany and we will make it more difficult and complicated."
Martin

Boy I thought the CKC made things more complicated then they needed to be! I am of two minds on "officially" testing dogs to such a degree but this column is long enough already so lets just hope little Annie opens up a few eyes over in Germany and hopefully Martin can work with her and report back on her progress.

I got an email from Wayne Waggoner about some pups he has on the ground. He wrote:

"Clint
3 females 6 males born Jan 27th . This is a repeat breeding of Sandhill Cove McCain (Grit/ Rosita) and Stepping Stone Lil's Grit (Grit / Fergie). Some of the previous litter are Sean Cully's Zoe Bear, Keith Waggoner's Zac, Eddie and Nancy Boatwright's Lucy just to name a few. I think there will be a few hard red coats about 50-52 lbs in this litter with some leg to them. I know they will make good hunting and companion partners. Lil is a litter-mate to Henryetta (Gary Strader) and Mike Fordyce's Clown in Wy. These puppies are a strong Sandhill base.
Milton Spangler (VA) is looking to place his Toby in a good hunting home because after 3 generations he has lost a lot of his bear hunting acres to development. This is fast becoming a world wide problem for all out door hunting.

Wayne"

Well that's about it for this month, the quote of the month dedicated to the brave astronauts of the SS Columbia is: "Of all investments into the future, the conquest of space demands the greatest efforts and the longest-term commitment . . . but it also offers the greatest reward: none less than a universe."
- Daniel Christlein

As Henry Johnson always said: "Until next month, let me hear from you Airedale people and don't forget to put your arms around those black and tan dogs with the beards and the moustaches and talk to them. They are people dogs and family members.
Respectfully submitted, Clint Stubbe, Northern Corresponding Secretary for the Working Airedale Terrier Association. No rules, regulations, officers, dues or formal affiliations. It's more a state of mind.