Crisp October mornings were made for following an English setter through spectacular upland grouse coverts, and no dog ever did it better than Manistee River Ghost.
From the very first day, her life centered around one thing—finding birds—and she did it magnificently. She made her first woodcock retrieve when she was 21 weeks old, and ultimately became so famous that hunters came from around the world to marvel at her phenomenal skill.
Now you can read about her joy, her pain, and the people who admired her, in Captain Tony Petrella’s book Ghost! Field Journal of a Bird Dog, a new release from Arbutus Press, of Traverse City, Michigan.
Petrella, who grew up in Niles and started his journalism career at the Niles Times, is a former sportswriter for the Palm Beach Post and the Atlanta Constitution who covered the National Football League, National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball. Currently, he writes the outdoors page for the Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune, and is a freelance writer for Ducks Unlimited, and Fly Fisherman, Fly Rod & Reel, and Florida Sportfishing magazines.
Petrella writes in his Introduction “A blue-ticked Llewellyn setter with thick silky feathering, one white-capped black ear, and amazingly expressive eyes—Manistee River Ghost—is at the center of these stories. Surprisingly enough, all of them are true.
“As your mind wanders through these pages, I’m certain you’ll recall magnificent October days when you, too, glided through squishy, golden aspen leaves in search of grouse. Or wrestled through gnarly streamside tag alders where woodcock live.
“Maybe you’ll remember the look and feel of a fine double gun; the soft, warm texture of a treasured hunting coat; the joy of good leather boots that fit just right; the unique perfume that only comes from the rich aroma of gun oil, spent powder, and saddlesoap.
“And, most important of all, I expect you’ll remember the luxury of stretching comfortably by the fire with those special friends who shared that hard day’s hunt with you. The ones who truly made the day memorable.
“ Yes, I mean the dogs. Because, ultimately, everything we do on those exhilarating October days really is about and because of the dogs. We make them. They make us. Together, we forge a bond that creates our own unique piece of heaven wherever a bird dog runs through our lives.”
