STILLWATER KATE — AI Analysis

Stillwater Kate is a female English Setter bred from a strong blend of field-trial, NSTRA, and proven shooting-dog stock. On paper, this is a pedigree that leans hard toward bird finding, forward race, and practical gun-dog usefulness rather than purely ornamental breeding. The cross ties together Shadow Oak Bo, Shak Ti, Hytest Sky Hawk, Tomoka Smokin Mike, and a deep pool of old Southern and Midwestern setter blood that hunters have respected for generations. For someone studying the pedigree from a breeder's eye, Kate appears to come from a family built for hunting application first, with enough titled ancestors to suggest repeatable quality rather than a one-off standout.

The English Setter is one of the classic bird dogs, and a good one combines style, intelligence, range, and a soft, workable nature in a way few breeds can match. In the field, the breed is known for a flowing gait, high head carriage, and a natural ability to handle bird scent with class. Depending on the line, English Setters can range from hard-driving field trial performers to close-working foot-hunting companions, but the best examples carry both biddability and enough desire to stay in the hunt all day. This pedigree sits squarely in the field-bred tradition. It suggests a dog likely to have good natural application on wild birds, plenty of nose, and the kind of animation on point that appeals to hunters who want both performance and setter style.

This pedigree tells the story of a dog built from several established field families that show up again and again in practical bird dog breeding. On the sire side, West Oks Bo Cephus comes down from HOF 2X NC Shadow Oak Bo through CH Shak Ti and a Hytest Sky Hawk-backed female, bringing in a concentrated dose of field trial class and proven hunting genetics. On the dam side, West Oks Lucy blends 8X NSTRA CH Tomokas Smokin Big Red with Wynonas Bohawk Dixie, herself by 2X Nat CH Shadow Oak Bo and out of Gates Country Jesse. That means Kate doubles up on the Shadow Oak Bo and Gates Country Jesse combination, which is one of the defining patterns in the pedigree. When you study it as a breeder, that sort of repetition is rarely accidental. It usually means someone was trying to lock in bird sense, field intelligence, and the kind of gait and style that make an English Setter stand out on the ground.

Based on the pedigree provided, Stillwater Kate shows meaningful linebreeding centered primarily on Shadow Oak Bo, Gates Country Jesse, CH Shak Ti, Rays Sundrop Jill, 2X CH 2X RU-CH Hytest Sky Hawk, and Crouse's Candy Kid. The estimated coefficient of inbreeding from the visible pedigree is approximately 10% to 13%, with a working estimate near 11.7%, reflecting moderate linebreeding rather than an extreme close inbreeding pattern. The strongest repeated ancestors appear through the Shadow Oak Bo x Gates Country Jesse branch, which is reinforced on both top and bottom. There is also notable reinforcement of the Shak Ti/Sundrop Jill and Hytest Sky Hawk/Crouse's Candy Kid pairings through the sire side and again through the dam's maternal side. Genetically, that kind of structure often aims to stabilize desirable field traits such as nose, pointing instinct, consistency on game, and running style. It can also increase predictability in offspring if the line has already proven itself prepotent. As always, pedigree alone cannot confirm health, temperament, or specific genetic disease status, so DNA health testing and individual evaluation would still be important before making breeding decisions.

The biggest ancestral weight in this pedigree comes from Shadow Oak Bo and the family surrounding him. He appears as HOF 2X NC Shadow Oak Bo on the sire side and again as 2X Nat CH Shadow Oak Bo on the dam side, giving the pedigree a clear backbone. Gates Country Jesse is also doubled, which matters because she anchors that Bo influence with a female line that likely contributed bottom, toughness, and practical bird-dog sense. CH Shak Ti appears more than once and helps stamp the sire side with classic field trial quality. Hytest Sky Hawk and Crouse's Candy Kid also repeat, bringing another layer of performance breeding that likely contributes athleticism, field range, and competitive fire. Further back, names like Carolina Cooter Man, Hamiltons Blue Diamond, Hicks Rising Sun, Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, and the Tomoka dogs add depth. This is the kind of pedigree where the old influential dogs are not just present, they are stacked in a way that suggests the breeder was shaping type and performance with intent.

This is a title-heavy pedigree with a strong mix of field trial and NSTRA credentials. Visible titled dogs include HOF 2X NC Shadow Oak Bo, 2X Nat CH Shadow Oak Bo, CH Shak Ti, 2X CH 2X RU-CH Hytest Sky Hawk, 8X NSTRA CH Tomokas Smokin Big Red, 15X NSTRA CH Tomokas Smokin Mike, CH A Tarheel Sunrise, 2X CH Grouse Feather Mark, CH Carolina Cooter Man, CH Hamiltons Blue Diamond, CH Panovski Billy Boy, 2X CH High Mark, CH Smoke Rise Buck, HOF Hicks Rising Sun, HOF CH Hicks Rising Sun, HOF CH Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, HOF 11X CH Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, CH Amos Mosley, CH Tricky Dick Jim, CH Cash Masters Tornado, CH Diamonds Tricky Dick, CH Tricky Dick Mike, CH Pinnacle, CH Pinnacle 10-62-292, and likely additional titled ancestors embedded in abbreviated prefixes. The pedigree carries a substantial concentration of champions and hall-of-fame dogs, especially in the first four to six generations, which strongly suggests a family with proven competitive and hunting merit rather than casual backyard production.

From a hunter's standpoint, this pedigree reads like a dog that should have natural bird drive, a classy point, and enough run to cover country without losing that setter handle. The Shadow Oak and Shak Ti influence usually points toward field sense, animation, and a dog that wants to find birds honestly. The Tomoka Smokin blood often adds foot-hunter practicality and competitive consistency, while the Hytest and Carolina blood can bring toughness, range, and endurance. If the individual matched her paper, I would expect Stillwater Kate to have strong potential as a wild-bird shooting dog with the tools for horseback or walking stakes depending on her development and conditioning. She should also have the genetic backing for good nose, strong prey drive, and the kind of style on point that makes a hunter stop and watch. The moderate linebreeding may help make her traits more predictable, especially if she came up with the right temperament and physical structure.

The key thing about this pedigree is that it is not random. It is built around repeated, successful setter families, especially Shadow Oak Bo and Gates Country Jesse, with reinforcement from Shak Ti and Hytest Sky Hawk. That tells you the breeding likely aimed to cement hunting intelligence, bird-finding ability, and recognizable field style. Another important point is the balance between field-trial and NSTRA influence. That combination often produces a dog with both speed and practicality, which is valuable to hunters who want a stylish dog that still hunts for the gun. For English Setter buyers, this pedigree suggests a serious field-bred female rather than a generic setter. If evaluating her as brood stock, the repeated high-value ancestors make her interesting because the pedigree likely carries a fairly strong genetic signature.

No confirmed littermate, sibling, or offspring records were provided in the pedigree data itself, so specific famous brothers, sisters, or produce cannot be verified from this information alone. What can be said with confidence is that she comes from a family dense with well-known English Setter names, including Shadow Oak Bo, Shak Ti, Tomokas Smokin Mike, Tomokas Smokin Big Red, Hicks Rising Sun, and Tekoa Mountain Sunrise. In practical pedigree research, those are the kinds of relatives that matter because they signal a family with broad historical influence in field breeding.

For a female bred like Stillwater Kate, good outcrosses would generally be males from strong field English Setter families that do not double too tightly on Shadow Oak Bo, Gates Country Jesse, Shak Ti, or Hytest Sky Hawk. Breeders often look for an outcross that keeps bird drive and style while opening the pedigree enough to protect vigor and maintain trainability. A sensible match would be a proven bird dog from an established field line with complementary nose, temperament, and gait, but less concentration of the Shadow Oak/Gates and Hytest clusters. Outcrosses to strong Miller, Blue Bar, or other field families can be useful in principle if the individual male also carries the biddable temperament and bird application a hunter wants. The best outcross would depend on whether the goal is more range, more foot-hunting handle, bigger trial race, or brood female predictability.

As brood stock, Stillwater Kate would be most valuable if she herself showed the same things this pedigree promises: bird drive, composure, nose, point style, and a sensible handle. Because she is moderately linebred on several proven ancestors, she may have the capacity to reproduce type with some consistency when bred to the right male. If I were planning around this pedigree, I would avoid piling on too much more Shadow Oak Bo, Gates Country Jesse, or Shak Ti unless I knew the individual dogs inside and out and was deliberately linebreeding for a very specific goal. In most cases, I would rather use a quality outcross male with strong health, proven field performance, and a family known for trainability and natural bird work. That would preserve the strengths already stacked in Kate while helping keep genetic diversity and hybrid vigor in the next generation.

Stillwater Kate is a female English Setter with the kind of pedigree that makes a bird hunter lean in and study the names twice. She is sired by West Oks Bo Cephus and out of West Oks Lucy, a cross that pulls together some deeply respected field blood through Shadow Oak Bo, Shak Ti, Hytest Sky Hawk, Tomokas Smokin Mike, and Tomokas Smokin Big Red. That is not just a list of old names. It is the sort of family tree that usually points to a dog bred for birds, country, and honest work. The pedigree shows a moderate linebreeding pattern, with an estimated coefficient of inbreeding near 11.7%, built around repeated performance ancestors that likely helped lock in natural pointing instinct, nose, and field style. As an English Setter, Kate comes from a breed prized for grace, intelligence, and the kind of bird work that can make a covey rise feel like a scene you remember for years. Good setters carry themselves with reach and rhythm, and the best of them hunt with both desire and sense. This pedigree suggests a dog with plenty of forward ambition, yet enough proven gun-dog influence to stay useful to the walking hunter. The Shadow Oak and Shak Ti blood says field class. The Tomoka Smokin line adds practical hunting value and competitive consistency. The Hytest and Carolina influence brings another layer of toughness and athleticism. From a breeding and buying standpoint, the real story here is concentration of proven families. Shadow Oak Bo and Gates Country Jesse are reinforced on both sides, and that kind of pattern usually means a breeder was trying to hold onto real qualities, not just famous names. If Kate matched her paper, she would be the kind of female expected to show bird sense early, carry a stylish point, and handle the demands of a full hunting season. For the hunter researching English Setter pedigrees, this is the sort of background that suggests substance, not guesswork.