October Setters

We are located in southeast Idaho in the forested foothills of the Centennial Mountain range. Our property is bordered on the west by a huge expanse of public land within the Targhee National Forest. The forest we live in is inhabited by numerous species of animals and birds, most importantly Ruffed Grouse. This, combined with a ready supply of Bobwhite Quail, makes it possible to train and hunt our dogs right in our backyard.

The nearby Shotgun Valley, which abuts the Centennials, has good hunting for Sage Grouse as well as a few Sharp-tailed Grouse and Hungarian Partridge. Starting around the first of August the young Sage Grouse and Sharptails are able to fly well enough to start running the dogs on, and they provide excellent training on wild birds. We also take a three week trip to Wisconsin every year to hunt Grouse and Woodcock. The balance of the season we spend in Southern Idaho hunting Huns and Chukars. We use pen raised quail to introduce puppies to birds and for creating controlled training situations but they don't teach a dog how to handle wild birds. The only way to know whether a dog has the intelligence and natural abilities necessary to handle difficult wild birds is to hunt them on wild birds.

Preserving the hunting abilities, personality, and eye pleasing appearance inherent in Ryman-Type English Setters while minimizing the occurrence of health problems is the goal of our breeding program. Our dogs are calm, affectionate companions that hunt hard with enthusiasm and flair. They range far enough to find and point birds that you wouldn't find by yourself, but not so far that they are hard to keep track of. Most importantly, they want to hunt with you. When we first started breeding we were able to do this and use almost entirely Ryman bloodlines, but those bloodlines are very limited. The only way to continue these lines while avoiding close inbreeding or known health problems is to outcross. We have recently added dogs to our breeding program from outcrosses to the Pinecoble and Smith lines. We are now combining these dogs with our original lines and we are very happy with the results.

Our dogs live in a heated building (or in the house with us) with indoor runs, its own septic system, and running water. They have access to a fenced exercise yard that gives them plenty of room to run. It is located close to our house so we can spend a lot of time with them. Puppies are whelped in our house.
 

email or contact us at:
October Setters
Cliff and Lisa Weisse
4125 Beaver Springs Road
Island Park, ID 83429
208-558-7789