Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/116174
dogs even threatened to bring their noses to bear on them. When Nolan Huffman's Brittanies are having a hard time of it, you know you're in a world of hurt. That morning, though, thanks in no small part to a front that delivered a spatter of rain and put some muchneeded moisture into the air, the dogs had risen to the occasion and shown what they were truly capable of. This included my little orange-speckled setter, Tina, who'd nailed a covey of Huns dead to rights in a chokecherry thicket and earned the admiration of everyone in our party – all veteran hunters and dog men – for her classy way of going and the intelligent way she searched the country. When someone with the unimpeachable credentials of Bob West, Purina's ambassador to the bird dog fraternity, tells you that you have "a hell of a nice dog" . . . well, let's just say your feet don't touch the ground for a while. Still, the dog that stood head and shoulders above all the rest that day was Teigen, a strappingly handsome English setter belonging to Lewistown sportsman Brad McCardle. I'd heard through the grapevine that Teigen, a scion of the renowned Tekoa Mountain bloodline, was something special, and seeing him in the flesh confirmed the veracity of these reports. If I had to use one word to describe him, that word would be strong. Indeed, some hunters would consider him "too much dog," and in other places he might be. But not in Big Sky country. There, you need a dog that runs big and covers the ground. You need a dog like Teigen. He's impressive in every respect – speed, style, range, stamina – but it's his bird-finding ability that ultimately sets him apart. Time and again Brad would get a "page" from his Garmin Alpha, and we'd top a rise in the tawny hills to find the black-ticked powerhouse pointing with high style, absolute conviction and defiant pride – the kind of mesmerizing tableau you see when you close your eyes to dream. The birds would be right there, too, and if they didn't always stick S P O R T I N G C 82 L A S S I C S