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We live on a 120-acre hobby farm in Northwest/central Wisconsin where Bernie hunts and trains the dogs and we
all enjoy the great outdoors. We have three children--Morgan age 10, Maverick age 8, and Montana age 6. We
raise German Shorthaired Pointers and also have a few Havanese foo-foo dogs. We have three horses, three
outside horse-barn cats, and about 1,000 chukars that we raise each year for training.
all enjoy the great outdoors. We have three children--Morgan age 10, Maverick age 8, and Montana age 6. We
raise German Shorthaired Pointers and also have a few Havanese foo-foo dogs. We have three horses, three
outside horse-barn cats, and about 1,000 chukars that we raise each year for training.
It all started back in 1988 when Bernie's parents, Chuck and Dorothy Birkenholz, decided to turn their dairy farm into a wild game
hunting preserve called Big Rock Hunting Preserve. That's when Bernie became interested in bird dogs. Prior to that, he enjoyed
coon hunting and bear hunting with his dogs. His first German Shorthaired Pointer was a female named Whisky. She was a very
tough hunting dog and they did very well together. At that time, Bernie guided a lot at the hunting preserve, so Whisky was
fortunate to have seen more birds by the time she was one year old than most dogs do their entire lifetime. She was a great
hunter, and she was as tough as any male dog out there. They were quite a pair! I started "traveling" to tournaments with Bernie
and Whisky back in 1993, and it's been a fun ride ever since!
Whisky was the 1994 NATHA Dog of the Year Champion Puppy Pointer. And in 1995, Whisky was the NATHA Dog of the
Year Champion Top Gun Pointer.
In 1998, Whisky was the proud mother of a litter of 9, one of which was Domino, our female pick of the litter. We lost Whisky in
2001 in a farming accident. It was really hard, especially for Bernie as he had owned Whisky before we started dated -- and I was
the third wheel back in those days. And then on April 20, 2007, we lost our Domino girl -- we don't know if she got in a vehicle with
someone or ran into trouble in the woods -- very disheartening not to know what happened to her. She is micro-chipped and
spayed, and we are keeping an ounce of hope that one day she will be returned.
We bought Reggie from a breeder in Texas in the summer of 2001, and we bought Indy from a German-line breeder in Indiana the
summer of 2003, and the rest is history.
If you have any questions about German Shorthaired Pointers or the tournament hunting circuits, please feel free to contact us at
(715) 668-5783 or e-mail us at fencingplus@centurytel.net.
For more information regarding the THCC (Tournament Hunter Champions Club) and BDC (Bird Dog Challenge), go to
www.birddogchallenge.com
hunting preserve called Big Rock Hunting Preserve. That's when Bernie became interested in bird dogs. Prior to that, he enjoyed
coon hunting and bear hunting with his dogs. His first German Shorthaired Pointer was a female named Whisky. She was a very
tough hunting dog and they did very well together. At that time, Bernie guided a lot at the hunting preserve, so Whisky was
fortunate to have seen more birds by the time she was one year old than most dogs do their entire lifetime. She was a great
hunter, and she was as tough as any male dog out there. They were quite a pair! I started "traveling" to tournaments with Bernie
and Whisky back in 1993, and it's been a fun ride ever since!
Whisky was the 1994 NATHA Dog of the Year Champion Puppy Pointer. And in 1995, Whisky was the NATHA Dog of the
Year Champion Top Gun Pointer.
In 1998, Whisky was the proud mother of a litter of 9, one of which was Domino, our female pick of the litter. We lost Whisky in
2001 in a farming accident. It was really hard, especially for Bernie as he had owned Whisky before we started dated -- and I was
the third wheel back in those days. And then on April 20, 2007, we lost our Domino girl -- we don't know if she got in a vehicle with
someone or ran into trouble in the woods -- very disheartening not to know what happened to her. She is micro-chipped and
spayed, and we are keeping an ounce of hope that one day she will be returned.
We bought Reggie from a breeder in Texas in the summer of 2001, and we bought Indy from a German-line breeder in Indiana the
summer of 2003, and the rest is history.
If you have any questions about German Shorthaired Pointers or the tournament hunting circuits, please feel free to contact us at
(715) 668-5783 or e-mail us at fencingplus@centurytel.net.
For more information regarding the THCC (Tournament Hunter Champions Club) and BDC (Bird Dog Challenge), go to
www.birddogchallenge.com
| Future Big Rock Hunters Morgan, Montana, Maverick |
| though I was worried at first--didn't want Vivian to be lunch! |
| WHISKY back in 1994 with our friend Mike |
| Thanks for visiting our website! Bernie, Lila, Morgan, Maverick, and Montana Birkenholz To all of our servicemen and women, we salute you! |
Bernie and Reggie sleeping in the camper at Nationals |
| The Birkenholz's |
| Domino |
2001 NATHA Overall Top Dog Pointer Runner Up
2004 NATHA U.S. Open National Doubles Champion
2004 NBDCA National Doubles Champion
Domino produced 3 beautiful litters for us.
Domino was inducted into the Bird Dog Challenge
Hall of Fame in December 2007
2004 NATHA U.S. Open National Doubles Champion
2004 NBDCA National Doubles Champion
Domino produced 3 beautiful litters for us.
Domino was inducted into the Bird Dog Challenge
Hall of Fame in December 2007
Big Rock Von Brook
Major accomplishments at National Events:
2005 Menz Players Championship Puppy Pointer Champion
2006 U.S. Open National Top Gun Open Division - 5th Place
THCC 2006 World Doubles Pointing Champion
Brook now lives with a wonderful family in Snohomish,
Washington and gets to hunt the beautiful rugged terrain
around Lake Chelan.
Major accomplishments at National Events:
2005 Menz Players Championship Puppy Pointer Champion
2006 U.S. Open National Top Gun Open Division - 5th Place
THCC 2006 World Doubles Pointing Champion
Brook now lives with a wonderful family in Snohomish,
Washington and gets to hunt the beautiful rugged terrain
around Lake Chelan.
| Reggie as a pup pointing one of our foals |