Antar Du Bois Courcol goodbye my old friend April 24th, 2019. Antar was my first great pointing dog and got me hooked on Epagneul Breton (French Brittany's). His son Otto will forever remind us of Antar, who was super loving in the house and a demon in the field. May you be pointing Mearns Quail in Heaven! You will be remembered fondly and forever cherished.
I remember picking you up in Lyon France when you were six months old and our first woodcock (bacasse) in France with Dominique Pozo. The first time I took you quail hunting in the desert you stepped on a cholla cactus and as I reached to help you get it off your paw, you flicked it into my cheek. Thank goodness Darren and Collin were with us to help the cholla off. I remember thinking you were a total dork until you matured at about two years old, the legendary Bill Gibbons told me to hunt you by yourself (without Lola). I have only ever been bitten by a French Brittany once and it was by Antar. We were hunting with Tony and Kelly Bua on the San Carlos Reservation for Mearns Quail and you got caught in a leg trap. You were screaming horribly and when I rushed in to rescue you, you bit me, but did not draw blood. Not: next time throw a jacket over dogs head. I remember our first Praire Chicken in the Sandhills of NB after we drove by ourselves 1200 miles from Dallas to hunt. I remember you pointing a covey of Mearns Quail less than 50 yards down the hill from where we started. I remember the days of finding and pointing 15 covies of Mearns in a day, with 27 covies found in a day being our record. I remember moving you out east and you pinning a ruffed grouse between us and you on your first trip hunting the King of the Game Bird. I remember how smart you were. We were lost in the North Woods of Maine along the Golden Road two hours after dark and became separated. I called your name and you barked once each time to tell me where you were, until we were back together again. This was the first and only time you barked when I called you. You were wonderful in the house and with the kids and the king of your domain. Every night you would get as close to me as you could without touching me and lick my hand if I was not petting you. These memories will be memories of a lifetime.
Antar Bois du Courcol, TAN, French Import, at 12 and Chip training on the northern neck of Virginia fall of 2016.
Antar Mearns Quail hunting in southern Arizona
Lola with Antar Mearns Quail retrieve.
Antar will be 13 this fall and he still loves to go. This is him pointing and retrieving a chuckar at the Chesapeake NAVHDA Training day July 8th, 2017.
Antar won the only field trail I ever entered him in. I was always a hunter and not much of a trialer. He took Top Dog at the TIBHA Fun Trail in 2007 and Lola took 2nd place. This was when we lived in Dallas Texas.