TOMKA’S SMOKIN PISTOL — AI Analysis

TOMKA’S SMOKIN PISTOL is a male English Setter carrying a pedigree built around proven shooting-dog and NSTRA competition blood, with especially heavy Tomoka influence on the top side and a strong Shadow Oak and southern bird-dog influence on the bottom. On paper, this is the kind of cross that suggests a dog bred for practical bird finding, forward hunting ambition, and the kind of handle hunters appreciate when the cover gets thick and birds start running. The sire side stacks multiple titled Tomoka dogs with repeated Smokin names, while the dam side brings in HOF 2X NC SHADOW OAK BO, CH SHAK TI, and other recognizable field names tied to toughness, style, and bird sense.

The English Setter has long been one of the finest upland bird dogs a hunter can walk behind. A good one carries plenty of range without getting foolish, hunts with a smooth, efficient gait, and shows natural class on point that makes a man stop and watch. Compared with some harder, more mechanical gun dogs, the Setter often brings a little more eye appeal and a little more feel, but the best field-bred Setters are no soft ornaments. They are bred to handle heat, cover ground, sort out wild birds, and stay useful through a long season. In hunting homes, they are valued for their noses, cooperation, and natural instinct, and in competitive bloodlines like those seen here, they often add intensity, stamina, and repeatable bird work generation after generation.

This pedigree reads like a purposeful working cross rather than a random paper stack. The top half is strongly anchored in the Tomoka family, especially through CH TOMOKA’S SMOKIN BIGRED, CH TOMOKA’S SMOKIN MIKE, 12X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN GUN, 19 X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN JR, and the older Tomokas Smokin Mike and Shirleys Tomoka Peach influence farther back. That kind of repetition usually tells you a breeder was trying to hold onto a recognizable type: bird-driven, competition-capable, and consistent in application. The bottom half adds another layer through Shadow Oak Bo, Shak Ti, and old-line southern field stock like Cooters Carolina Casey and A Tarheel Sunrise. Taken together, Pistol appears bred from two branches that both value field usefulness, but they arrive there from slightly different roads, one more tightly branded through Tomoka and the other bringing a broader field trial and hunting-dog background.

Based on the pedigree provided, TOMKA’S SMOKIN PISTOL shows moderate linebreeding rather than a close inbreeding pattern. The clearest concentration comes through the Tomoka family, especially repeated Tomokas Smokin Mike, Shirleys Tomoka Peach, and the broader Smokin branch. A reasonable pedigree-based estimate for coefficient of inbreeding is approximately 4% to 7%, with a midpoint working estimate around 5.5%, though an exact COI would require a complete verified multigenerational database with no missing ancestors. Genetically, this sort of linebreeding can be useful when a breeder wants to lock in hunting instinct, style on point, and consistency of application. The risk, as always, is that concentration can also fix faults if selection is careless, but this pedigree does not read like an accidental bottleneck. Instead, it looks like a managed concentration of field stock with some balancing influence from the dam line. No DNA health test data is supplied here, so hereditary risk for conditions seen in English Setters, such as deafness, thyroid concerns, hip issues, or autoimmune tendencies, cannot be assessed from pedigree alone.

The strongest ancestral pull in this pedigree comes from the Tomoka Smokin family. Dogs like 12X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN GUN, 19 X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN JR, CH TOMOKA’S SMOKIN MIKE, 15X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN MIKE, and 8X NSTRA CH SHIRLEYS TOMOKA PEACH suggest a line selected for repeated competitive success and practical bird work. That usually means intensity, confidence on birds, and enough desire to keep a dog hunting honestly even when conditions get rough. On the dam side, HOF 2X NC SHADOW OAK BO brings notable weight, and the Shak Ti and Tarheel-connected dogs add a more classic field-trial-flavored backbone. I would expect this pedigree to influence a dog toward good nose use, drive, point, and enough grit to stay in the hunt, while still carrying the natural setter look and style that makes the breed attractive to upland hunters.

This pedigree is packed with titled dogs for the generations shown. On the sire side you have CH TOMOKA’S SMOKIN BIGRED, CH TOMOKA’S SMOKIN MIKE, 12X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN GUN, 19 X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN JR, 3X NSTRA CH BARRS SMOKIN MACKENZIE, 7X NSTRA CH PAY PER VIEW, 1X NSTRA CH BEWITCHED SAMANTHA, CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN BLU, 3X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN MAX, 8X NSTRA CH SHIRLEYS TOMOKA PEACH, 17X NSTRA CH PETES SECOND CHANCE, and 15X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN MIKE. On the dam side, the titled and notable names include HOF 2X NC SHADOW OAK BO, CH SHAK TI, CHPR SHAK TI, CH A TARHEEL SUNRISE, CH CAROLINA COOTER MAN, CH PINNACLE 10-62-292, CH SMOKE RISE BUCK, HOF HICKS RISING SUN, and CH AMOS MOSLEY 16-99-531. In practical terms, this is a pedigree with deep competitive and proven field credentials, especially through NSTRA and established shooting-dog families.

From a hunter’s standpoint, this dog should have the genetic ingredients to be a serious upland prospect. The repeated Tomoka Smokin blood points toward a dog with hunt, speed, bird desire, and enough natural ability to make training worthwhile rather than a constant uphill push. The Shadow Oak and Shak Ti influence on the bottom side may help steady the package with toughness, style, and practical field sense. I would expect strong pointing instinct, a forward race, and above-average stamina, especially if conditioned properly. This pedigree suggests a dog that could suit a hunter wanting an all-day quail, woodcock, or grouse dog, and it also hints at enough competitive fire to interest someone running NSTRA or similar venues. Range will likely depend on the individual and the way he is brought along, but the blood says ambition and bird application should be there.

The first key insight is that this is not a soft, purely decorative English Setter pedigree; it is a working pedigree with repeated field credentials. The second is that the top side is heavily linebred on Tomoka Smokin stock, which usually means a breeder was trying to preserve a known type rather than gamble on extremes. The third is that the bottom side is valuable because it prevents the pedigree from becoming too one-dimensional, adding Shadow Oak and older field stock that may help maintain athletic balance and hunting sense. For buyers, that means Pistol is the kind of dog you would study if you want field-bred English Setter blood with title density and recognizable bird-dog families behind him. For breeders, the pedigree suggests enough concentration to predict type, but still enough variation to build from if matched thoughtfully.

The pedigree supplied does not list littermates, full siblings, half siblings, or offspring for TOMKA’S SMOKIN PISTOL directly, so those specific relatives cannot be confirmed from this data alone. The best-known close family influences visible here are HOF 2X NC SHADOW OAK BO, 12X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN GUN, 19 X NSTRA CH TOMOKAS SMOKIN JR, CH TOMOKA’S SMOKIN MIKE, and CH SHAK TI. If a breeder were researching market appeal or producing power, those are the names in the pedigree most likely to draw attention from hunters familiar with field-bred English Setter lines.

Given the concentration of Tomoka Smokin blood, a sensible outcross would usually be to another proven field-bred English Setter family that offers strong wild-bird application, biddability, and health without doubling too tightly on the same Tomoka ancestors. Good outcross candidates in principle would be hard-hunting grouse and woodcock Setter lines, established shooting-dog trial stock, or modern field families known for nose, pattern, and trainability. The goal would be to keep bird sense and style while opening the pedigree enough to protect vigor and reduce stacking the same Smokin dogs too hard. Without a full modern database and production records, no single named outcross can be guaranteed, but the pedigree suggests this dog would likely cross best on quality, proven females that are not already heavily saturated with Tomoka Smokin blood.

As breeding stock, TOMKA’S SMOKIN PISTOL looks most useful as a dog for preserving field instinct, point, and competitive hunting character. The heavy Tomoka influence gives him value when a breeder wants to stamp a recognizable type, especially if the individual proves to have brains, a good mouth, and clean movement. I would be cautious about doubling too close on the same Tomokas Smokin Mike and Shirleys Tomoka Peach branches unless the mate is exceptionally sound and the breeder is deliberately linebreeding for a reason. In most programs, he would be better matched to a female with complementary field sense, good conformation under work, and a pedigree that brings fresh but proven bird-dog blood. If he himself showed balance, bird work, and a sensible handle, he could be a useful sire for hunters wanting practical English Setter pups rather than just pretty paper.

TOMKA’S SMOKIN PISTOL is the kind of English Setter pedigree that catches a bird hunter’s eye for the right reasons. He is bred from stock that looks built for the field, not just the page, with a strong Tomoka Smokin backbone on the sire’s side and proven Shadow Oak and Shak Ti influence on the dam’s side. There is a lot of title power in this pedigree, including multiple NSTRA champions, hall-of-fame caliber names, and dogs that have clearly been part of serious hunting and competition programs. What stands out most is the concentration of Tomoka blood. That usually means a breeder was trying to hold onto a dependable kind of dog, one with drive, nose, and enough natural point to make him enjoyable behind wild birds or in competition. The dam side adds grit and field character of its own, especially through HOF 2X NC SHADOW OAK BO and CH SHAK TI, and that keeps the pedigree from reading too narrow. Instead, it feels like a cross designed to blend proven bird-finding instinct with style and staying power. For anyone researching English Setter bloodlines, this pedigree suggests a dog with strong upland potential. I would expect good hunt, a forward pattern, natural bird sense, and the kind of mental toughness that matters when the cover is thick and the day runs long. The estimated coefficient of inbreeding appears moderate at roughly 5.5%, which fits the look of a linebred but not tightly inbred field pedigree. For hunters and breeders alike, TOMKA’S SMOKIN PISTOL offers a pedigree with real working depth, especially if your interest leans toward field-bred English Setters that can back up their papers in the bird field.