field trial re8ie9 - mid-south horse review

ReviewReviewFIELD TRIALFIELD TRIAL118th National Championship

Ames PlantationFebruary 13, 2017

Covering the National Championship since 1986

Scout Nick Thompson with 2016

National Champion Whippoorwill

Justified (photo by Nancy Brannon)

2. 2017 Field Trial Review

The Field Trial Review is an annual publication of the Mid-South Horse Review, afree monthly newsmagazine published in Arlington, TN. Yearly subscriptions to the Mid-South Horse Review are available by first class mail for $35 annually. To subscribe, send payment to P.O. Box 594, Arlington, TN 38002. Phone: (901) 867-1755.

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EDITORIAL POLICY:The opinions expressed in articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policy of the Field Trial Review. Expressions of differing opinions through manuscript submis-sions are welcome.

Equus Charta, LLC Copyright 2017

Field Trial Review About The Field Trial Review

Started by the late Don Dowdle, the Field Trial Review has been published annually

since 1986. We have continued Don’s legacy of covering the National Championship,

paying tribute to the dogs, owners, handlers, and Ames Plantation at this prestigious

event. We hope you are pleased with this year’s issue!

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gize. We express our sincere appreciation to all who contributed articles, photos, and

information for this publication. Articles have been edited to fit available space.

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Contents © 2017

Scouting The Bird Dogs

(above) Hunter Gates, 2010 Manitoba Championship. (below left) Mazie Davis, 2011 Manitoba Championship. (below right) Ray Warren, 2015 Masters Open Quail

Championship (all photos by Chris Mathan) See article p. 30

2017 Field Trial Review 3.

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A Justifiable WinnerBy Dr. Nancy Brannon

The 2016 National Champion Field Trialing Bird Dog is Whippoorwill Justified,

who simply outpaced all the other dogs in the 117th National Championship,

completing the three hours with a record of eight finds. The three-year-old pointer male

is owned by Ronnie Spears of Jacksonville, Arkansas and handled by Larry Huffman

of Whippoorwill Farm in Michigan City, Mississippi.

Whippoorwill Justified, called “Patch” because of a liver colored spot over one eye,

is from a litter by 2008 National Champion Whippoorwill Wild Agin and Sparkles, with

Bob Walthall as the breeder. Patch made his rookie appearance in the 2016 National. As

a youngster, Patch had five placements in qualifying trials in his first all age year: first

in the Benton County (Miss.) Open All Age, second in the Tootsie Hurdle, second at

Kentucky Lake, third at the Sunflower Classic, and first at the Prairie Open All Age.

The winning run in the 2016 National came in the Eighth Brace on Thursday after-

noon, February 11, 2016. The day was sunny; the wind out of the NNE at 11 mph; and

the temperature was 52°F at the breakaway. Some may say that those were very favor-

able weather conditions for a successful run. “Patch” was paired with Dr. Fred Corder’s

Cole Train. Cole Train had two finds, but the tracker was called for at 1:33, and that was

the end of his run.

The official record shows that “Whippoorwill Justified’s first find was at :13 in

Buster Graves food plot just east of Jim Miller. His second find was at :32 north of

George Kemp food plot; his next find was at :57 in the last Demonstration food plot next

to Sam's Field. Another find at 1:51 in the Junk Pile food plot at Wolf Crossing was fol-

lowed by a find at 2:05 in a food plot east of Caesar's Ditch field. Justified's sixth find

was at 2:32 on top of the terraced field out of Fason bottom just east of A.T.'s. His sev-

enth find came at 2:48 in the south most food plot in Morgan Swamp next to L.B. Big

Oak Field. His final find came at 3:04 in the west end of Morgan South Clear Cut.”

2016 National Champion: Whippoorwill Justified

Patch gets some much deserved affection at the Winner’s Ceremony.

(photo by Nancy Brannon)

“Patch” on point. (Vera Courtney photo)

Close-up of “Patch.” (Nancy Brannon photo)

(back row) Judges of the 117th National Championship Doug Vaughn, Charles

F. Bryan, and Dr. Rick Carlisle, with (middle row) Handler Larry Huffman, son

and wife of owner Ronnie Spears. (front row) Scout Nick Thompson with Patch

and his Championship trophies. (photo by Nancy Brannon)


Larry Huffman had five Whippoorwill

dogs in last year’s National Champi-

onship. When Patch made his amazing

run, Huffman had already handled Whip-

poorwill Wild Assault in the Third Brace,

and he later ran Ken Blackman’s Whip-

poorwill Foto Op in the Tenth Brace. Then

he handled Whippoorwill Blue Blood in

the Twelfth Brace. That left Peg Fornear’s

Quester to be run in the Fourteenth Brace.

But none of the other dogs matched or ex-

ceeded Patch’s performance.

The 2016 National Championship

ended on a rainy Monday, February 22,

having had only one weather delay this

year, and with all 47 dogs having their go

at the Championship. As Dr. Rick Carlisle

read the name of the 2016 Champion from

the front porch of the Ames Manor House,

an extended Huffman family, who had

been waiting in a light rain on the grounds,

made their way to the steps for the pho-

tography session. As the large family

group filled the steps and spilled over onto

the lawn, Vera Courtney quipped, “This is

all Dr. Huffman’s fault,” referring to Dr.

J.D. Huffman and his legacies of winning

Whippoorwill bird dogs and a family of

bird dog breeders, trainers, and handler –

Larry.

Speaking with Commercial Appeal re-

porter Larry Rhea after the awards cere-

mony, Huffman and owner Ronnie Spears

commented that this was something they

had both worked for; it was a good day.

“I'm not sure how many (family mem-

bers) were on the steps, but it was a lot,”

Huffman said with a laugh. “It was a great

day for all of us. It's good to celebrate with

family.”

Of the five dogs that Larry had running

this year, he said, “I thought they all had a

good chance. He (Patch) was ready and he

had been doing well the last two weeks

prior to the National.”

Huffman had high praise for the dog.

“Patch tries to work with you. The dog

likes to do right. He is not outlawish in any

way. He runs enough and he comes back.

He handles well, and if he got pointed,

[scout] Nick [Thompson] would find him.

He was always in front of me. He’s a

classy dog.”

Owner Ronnie Spears had praise for

Huffman: “Nobody could have done a bet-

ter job than Larry. Larry worked with this

dog for two years, and dogs just seem to

pick themselves out. They come to the top

pretty quickly”

Huffman continued, “This is what my

dad breeds dogs to do. Whippoorwill Farm

is a great place to work the dogs, and it’s

only eight miles from Ames Plantation.”

What were his thoughts as he moni-

tored his competitors dogs’ performances?

“I didn’t want to wish anyone bad luck,”

but of course he wanted his dog to win.

“The weather was a big factor this year.

When it’s hot and windy, there’s not much

chance of finding birds.”

About the brace: “The last hour is the

most important, and Patch was just as

strong in the last hour. He had four finds

that last hour.”

Owner Ronnie Spears said he has “been

doing this for 30 years. This is what every-

body wants to achieve. But some never

do.”

Huffman was previously on the steps of

the manor house in 2008 with National

Champion Whippoorwill Wild Agin, and

in 1999 with Whippoorwill Wild Card.

Nick Thompson with Patch, Piperand Larry Hufman, and Dr. J. D. Huff-man proudly looking on.

(Nancy Brannon photos)

Winning Handler Larry Huffman

Whippoorwill Justified: 2016

National Bird Dog ChampionBy: Brad Harter

From its initial beginning in 1896, the National Bird Dog Championship held near

Grand Junction, Tennessee, has always been a field trial a little bit different from

all the others held in North America. Much of that difference stems from the fact that

the yardstick for selecting the champion over most of the trial’s history is based on what

has become known as the “Amesian Standard.”

Hobart Ames first hosted the National Championship on his beloved plantation in

1902, and that was also the first year he sat in the judicial saddle. He went on to judge

the National for 31 years. During that span of time, Mr. Ames would sit in his study and

share his thoughts on what he felt were the most important qualities in a bird dog. Clarke

Venable often sat with Mr. Ames and was the first one to commit to paper, and coin the

term, Amesian Standard.

Did Mr. Ames approve of this standard which bears his name? Did he help to write

this standard? The answers to these questions may be lost to history. What we do know

is that this “standard” is relatively unique to this championship when compared to the

standards on which many other all-age field trials are judged.

It takes a dog of great intelligence to adapt to different country and to different judg-

ing standards, and that is exactly what is required to win this “Kentucky Derby” of the

bird dog world. Whippoorwill Justified, call name Patch, met these standards to a tee last

year on the afternoon of February the 11th in the eighth brace.

When Patch was turned loose shortly after 1:00 in the afternoon, the temperature

stood at 52 degrees. A youngster just turning three years of age, he was first on the score

board at the 13-minute mark. At 32 minutes, he was found pointing again by his scout.

Both of these early finds had been in feed strips, and once again the intelligence of this

youngster came into play.

At the 57-minute mark and near the two-hour mark, Patch added two more finds on

coveys also in feed strips. Three more finds followed at 2:05, 2:32, and 2:48, all in food

plots. When the call came to pick up Patch at the three-hour mark, he had vanished,

making a bold swing through the birdie cover in the New Basin. Four minutes later

Larry Huffman, his trainer and handler, spotted him pointed, buried in heavy cover. Ad-

jacent to a feed strip, the birds had gone to roost and Patch had them pinned perfectly.

During his three hours, he had never shown any signs of fatigue. His range had al-

ways been to the front. His connection to his handler was evident with every move Patch

made. The location of his birds was always precise, exactly where he indicated they

were.

Patch had met the Amesian Standard to perfection. The 31 dogs that were to follow

over the next eight days were unable to best Patch’s performance. This youngster, owned

by Ronnie Spears of Arkansas, was crowned the 2016 National Champion on February

22nd, fittingly on the front steps of the Ames Manor House.

Now, a personal observation: There are strong feelings throughout the bird dog world

that an All-Age dog is just an outlaw running almost totally out of control. Many believe

that breeding to this kind of dog will rarely produce what most people want in a top-

flight hunting dog.

On the same note many people feel strongly that having dogs qualify for the National

Championship based on one set of standards, and then having those same dogs judged

in the National on a different set of standards makes little sense. I disagree.

To me one of the big separating factors becomes the intelligence of the dog and the

dog’s ability to adapt. I have personally watched 29 dogs win this title over the last 29

years, and what has always amazed me in almost every case was how the winner demon-

strated intelligence and the ability to adapt.

THE AMESIAN STANDARD

The dog under consideration must have and display great bird sense. He must show

perfect work on both coveys and singles. He must be able quickly to determine between

foot and body scent. He must use his brain, eyes, and nose to the fullest advantage and

hunt the likely places on the course. He must possess speed, range, style, character,

courage, and stamina—and good manners always. He must hunt the birds, and not the

handler hunt the dog. No line or path runner is acceptable. He must be well broken, and

the better his manners the more clearly he proves his sound training. Should he lose a

little in class, as expressed in extreme speed and range, he can make up for this, under

fair judgement, in a single piece of superior bird work, or in sustained demonstration

of general behavior. He must be bold, snappy, and spirited. His range must be to the

front or to either side, but never behind. He must be regularly and habitually pleasingly

governable (tractable) and must know when to turn and keep his handler’s course in

view, and at all times keep uppermost in his mind the finding and pointing of birds for

his handler.


Daniels Creek Whitehawk

Dogs Running In The 118th National Championship

Cassique’s Boss Coldwater HammerChinquapin Reward (Chris Mathan photo)

Coldwater Thunder Cole Train

2017 National

Championship

Contestant

Profiles43 Dogs in this year’s

runningBy Amy Spencer and “Steeple” Bell

Cassique's Boss: Boss is the most senior of the seven

contestants in Steve Hurdle’s string this year. He will be

returning for his fourth year, having never gone birdless

in this competition. Some may remember his 2014 run

when he was a serious contender completing the three

hours with four finds. Boss is a nine year old, white, liver,

and ticked pointer male who was bred by Tim Moore. He

is by Elhew Fibber McGee out of Magic Carpet. This dam

has produced a number of shooting dog champions. She

is by Class Act Solution out of Bridges Lake Dot, and she

too produced shooting dog champions. Boss is owned by

Rick Stallings who has campaigned him to many victo-

ries, three championships and five runner-ups, both shoot-

ing dog and all age. Boss returns this year with four

qualifying placements: 1st at the Lynn Taylor OAA Clas-

sic, runner-up champion at the United States Open Ch.,

1st at the Fitch Farms - Galena Plantation OAA, and a 3rd

at the Buck Tuck OAA.

Chinquapin Reward: Pete is a six year old, white and

black pointer male who returns this year for his second

attempt for this title. Handled by Slade Sikes, he was

picked up last year after a failed re-location at 1:02, hav-

ing previously scored a find and a back. Bred by Fred C

Robinson III, he is by Solid Reward out of Chinquapin

Well Liz. This line descended from T Jack Robinson’s

dog Evolution. Chinquapin Well Liz is a daughter of

Chinquapin’s Bisco Bull (of Paladin’s descent) and out of

Judy Shadow (a grand-daughter of Joe Shadow, she was

the dam of Chinquapin’s Andy). Pete has twice won the

Florida OAA Championship, in 2013 and 2016, for his

owners Ted and John Baker. This year he has re-qualified

to run here with a 1st at the Sunshine (Florida) FTC OAA.

Coldwater Hammer: Joe has earned his debut at the

National Championship by winning last year’s Georgia

Quail Championship and this past summer’s Alberta OAA

Classic. He is a white, orange, and ticked pointer male.

He was sired by Coldwater Warrior, a previous contestant

here, out of Gary McKibben’s bitch Mattie. Coldwater

Warrior is a son of Whippoorwill War Dance out of Cold-

water Flirt. Mattie is by Grishom’s Elhew Bud (a son of

Elhew Phantom) and out of Coldwater Katey (who was

also the dam of Coldwater Flirt when she was bred to

Miller’s Date Line). Joe will be just shy of five years old

at the time of the competition. He will be handled by

Mark McLean for his owners, Mark’s daughter Katie, her

husband Cole Summerlin and Howard Brooks.

Coldwater Thunder: Lulu is a white, liver, and ticked

pointer bitch making her rookie appearance this year.

Ever since her runner-up at the National Derby Champi-

onship last spring, she has been hot, scoring four first

places in the qualifying trials this season: at the Sunflower

OAA Classic, the Tootsie Hurdle OAA, the Buck Tuck

OAA, and the Hobart Ames Memorial OAA. She will

turn three years old the day before the drawing for this

year’s National Championship. She will be handled by

Steve Hurdle for her owners Doug Arthur and Rachel

Blackwell. Bred by Gary McKibben, Lulu was sired by

Coldwater Warrior (Whippoorwill War Dance ex Cold-

water Flirt) out of Thunder Bess , a sister to Thunder

Snowy who was a previous contestant here and also

owned by Doug Arthur. Thunder Bess and Thunder

Snowy are daughters of Lester’s Snowatch.

Cole Train: Cole has re-qualified for this year’s com-

petition winning the Kentucky Open Championship. This

white, black, and ticked pointer male will be just days shy

of five years old. Cole is owned and handled by Dr. Fred

Corder, an amateur, and they put down a respectable per-

formance here last year. Braced with the winner, Cole had

two finds prior to being lost at 1:33. Cole was bred by

Ray Hamilton and was sired by Lance’s Last Knight and

out of Quinton’s Pretty Baby. Lance’s Last Knight is a

son of Erin’s Bad River and has sired a number of con-

testants here. Quinton’s Pretty Baby goes back to House’s

Rain Cloud on the top of her pedigree and Nell’s Ram-

bling On on the bottom. Cole’s past performances show

him to be a versatile competitor, in addition to his many

placements in the mid-south trials, he has won on the

prairie and in the pheasant championships.

Daniels Creek Whitehawk: Rich is a rookie contest-

ant who comes having won the California Chukar and

Northwest Chukar Championships this season. While that

may label him as a chukar specialist, he is also qualified

and will compete in this year’s National Open Shooting

Dog Championship. His Canadian handler, Travis Gel-

haus will be busy, and his owner, Terry Reinke couldn’t

be prouder as very few dogs have accomplished the abil-

ity to crossover in these venues. Rich is a seven year old,

white, black, and ticked pointer male. He was bred by

Francis Brown and was sired by Rockacre Blackhawk out

of Brown’s Northern Light. This dam is a daughter of Is-

land Grove Brute out of Erin’s Rockin Robin.


Dazzling

Erin’s Muddy River

Dunn’s Tried ‘N TrueDominators Rebel Heir (Chris Mathan photo)

Erin’s Hidden Shamrock


Erin’s Redrum

Dazzling: May is the middle sister of the quartet of

competitors who are from the Whippoorwill Wild Agin -

Sparkles knick. To remind everyone about this knick, it

has produced eight all age champions so far, five of which

have qualified for the national championship. Four will

run this year: Whippoorwill Blue Blood from the first lit-

ter, Dazzling and Skyfall from the second litter, and

Whippoorwill Justified from a third litter. The other

champions produced are: three from the first litter, Texas

Wild Agin, the late Dr Guthries’ dog who re-qualified to

run this year winning last spring’s Texas Open Ch. has

now retired; Ransom, who was half qualified, now retired,

and the sire of a few of this year’s contestants; Whip-

poorwill Red Rage who is also half qualified and now

running in Andy Daugherty’s string; and finally Whip-

poorwill Mayhem from the fourth litter who was a derby

champion and is also half qualified. Reviewing the line

to national champion Whippoorwill Wild Agin we find

that Miller’s Silver Bullet was the sire of national cham-

pion Whippoorwill Wild Card, who was the sire of Whip-

poorwill Wild Jack, who was the sire of Whippoorwill

Wild Agin. Sparkles lineage is equally stellar; the famous

blue hen Hanna’s Elhew Lou with Elhew Snakefoot pro-

duced Elhew Sunflower who when bred to Erin’s South-

ern Justice produced Southern Sunflower, who when bred

to Rockacre Blackhawk produced Sparkles - and all three

of those sires are in the Hall of Fame. Dazzling is a five

year old, white, orange, and ticked pointer bitch who was

bred, and co-owned by Bob Wathall with Thorpe McKen-

zie. This is her second year of competition at Ames Plan-

tation, she went bridless on a cold morning in the 2015

renewal. May returns this year, garnering a runner-up at

the U.S. Chicken Championship. She was the Purina Top

Derby Award winner of 2014. May is ably handled by

Steve Hurdle who brings a string of seven contestants this

year.

Dominators Rebel Heir: Reb is a three year old

pointer male who kept us waiting to see him compete at

the National Championship. He qualified last year as a

derby winning two all age championships, the Master’s

Open Quail Ch. and the Continental Ch., but did not run

here. Reb has notched two more championships this past

season, the Missouri Open Ch. and the Florida Open Ch.,

and two runner-ups, the Georgia Quail Ch. and the All-

American Prairie Ch. This white, liver, and ticked

“Rebel” dog is owned by J W Hamilton Jr. He was bred

by, and is handled by Jamie Daniels. Reb was sired by

Riverton’s Funseekin Scooter (who was by national

champion Funseekerr’s Rebel out of a national champi-

onship contestant dam, Riverton’s Blackeye Pea) and out

of Pearl Again (she was by Elhew Sinbad out of Cuivre

River Daisy, who was by Double Rebel Sonny out of

David Suitt’s notable producing dam Swingabout).

Dunn's Tried N True: Jack is a four year old, white

and orange pointer male who will be making his third ap-

pearance here this year. He ran as a derby in 2015 and

went birdless, picked up at the 1:36 mark, but was a sea-

soned competitor last year, completing the three hours

with four finds. Jack, despite his name, is a blue-blood

“Miller’s…” dog. Sired by national champion Miller’s

Dialing In out of White Royal Pain (she is by South’s Late

Night out of Henley’s Becky Lynn - both grand children

of Miller’s Silver Bullet), he was bred by Chris George.

Luke Eisenhart has handled him for his owners, Will and

Rita Dunn. Jack was a prodigious derby winning four

derby championships and the Purina Top Derby Award in

2015. He has nearly equalled that success in this season’s

competitions, winning the prestigious Quail Champi-

onship Invitational, the United States Open Ch., a 1st at

the Lee County (Georgia) OAA, and a runner-up at the

Florida Open Ch.

Erin's Hidden Shamrock: Jack is a rookie contestant

who is much anticipated by the setter fanciers for several

reasons. One is that he is owned, handled, and was bred

by Sean Derrig, who is known more for his pointer com-

petitors. Another is that Jack was sired by Ridge Creek

Cody (and out of Erin’s Skydancer who was a grand-

daughter of Tekoa Mountain Patriot and Havelock Black-

smith). The last Amesian competitor of Jack’s sireline was

Momoney who ran in 1912, a mere fifteen generations

ago. Jack got his toes wet in qualifying competition with

a third place at the West Tennessee OAA trial in 2015. He

has since done well at the pheasant trials, winning the In-

ternational Pheasant Ch. and taking a runner-up at the Na-

tional Pheasant Ch. His second qualifying win was at the

Benton County (Mississippi) OAA. This white, black, tan,

and ticked setter male is just shy of five years old.

Erin's Muddy River: Pete is the third generation of

the “Erin’s (fill in the blank) River” named dogs - his sire

was Erin’s Stoney River and his grandsire was Erin’s Bad

River. He was bred by Sean Derrig and is out of the bitch

Thoman’s Miss Annie. This dam shows a lot of Miller’s

Silver Bullet and Miller’s Chief in her pedigree. Pete is an

almost seven year old, white, orange, and ticked pointer

male who will be making his second appearance here. He

was picked up at 1:48 last year with one find and a back.

Having always done well on the prairies, his first quali-

fying win was at the Dominion Chicken Ch., he scored

twice there this past summer with a runner-up at the

Saskatchewan Chicken Ch. and a win of the Manitoba Ch.

Pete is expertly handled for his owner, Tommy Hamilton,

by Robin Gates.

Erin's Redrum: Rex is a four year old pointer male

who is owned, handled, and was bred by Sean Derrig. His

sire, Erin’s Whiskey River, is also a contestant again this

year, and his dam, Erin’s Wild Rose is familiar, too, since

Erin’s Redrum is the second contestant that she has pro-



House's Buckwheat Hawk

Lester’s Jazz Man

Erin’s Wild Justice (Chris Mathan photo)

Lester’s Sunny Hill Jo (Chris Mathan photo)

Erin’s Whiskey River

Just Irresistible (Chris Mathan photo)

duced (her first was Erin’s Braveheart who ran in 2014).

Erin’s Wild Rose was by Elhew Sinbad out of Hoffman

Hill Deuce and this breeding also produced another dam

of a national championship contestant, Sweetbriar Sue

(who produced Three Rivers who ran in 2014 too) Rex

has qualified for this year’s competition with a win of the

Southland Ch. in 2015 and a first at the Missouri Open

All Age last spring. Rex has run successfully in amateur

trials and is a champion there also. Rex is a large dog,

white, orange, and ticked.

Erin's Whiskey River: Will is returning for his eighth

attempt to sit on that porch. In his seven previous years,

he has only gone birdless once, when he was lost in 2014,

and he has completed the three hour run twice before.

Will is now nine years old. He has re-qualified for this

competition with a 1st at the Rend Lake OAA. His past

record shows eight championship placements, five wins

and three runner-ups. Will is a white, orange, and ticked

pointer male who is owned by Sean Derrig’s daughter

Maeve. He was sired by Erin’s Bad River and was out of

Erin’s Gypsy. He was bred by Sean Derrig who will also

handle him. Erin’s Bad River was the product of a

brother-sister mating (by Erin’s Southern Pride ex Erin’s

Rockin Robin - both by Erin”s Southern Justice ex Erin’s

lacy J). Erin’s Gypsy was a product of the grand children

of Miller’s Silver Bullet (she was by Thoman’s Silver Bud

out of Thoman’s Silver Talon)

Erin's Wild Justice: Dan is a five year old, white,

liver, and ticked pointer male who is making his third run

in this competition. He has not been lucky here in the past,

having been picked up birdless twice before, but he has

accumulated quite a record elsewhere. He returns this

year with wins at the National Pheasant Ch. and Georgia

Quail Ch., and a runner-up at the Quail Championship In-

vitational. In total Dan has garnered six championship

wins and four runner-ups in four field trial seasons. He

was bred by Mike Moses, and is by Whippoorwill Wild

Agin out of Sparrowhawk (she from the famous knick of

Rockacre Blackhawk and Elhew Katie Lee which pro-

duced numerous champions, mostly in the shooting dog

venues). Dan is handled by Luke Eisenhart for his owner

Allen Linder.

House's Buckwheat Hawk: Hawk is a four year old

rookie contestant who has had an interesting journey to

qualify here. He gained his first winning placement at the

2014 American Derby Invitational Ch., which is remark-

able alone, since he had a November birthday. In 2015, he

had a bridesmaid placement, runner-up at the Manitoba

Ch. Finally this year he got that second qualifier with a 1st

at the D E Hawthorne OAA Border Classic. Hawk was

bred by Keith Wright and was sired by House’s White-

hawk (a son of Miller’s Dateline who died young) out of

Quinton’s Flying High. This dam is by House’s White

Ashes (formerly known as Southern Prodigy) out of

Quinton’s Pretty Baby (who was the dam of another con-

testant this year - Cole Train). Hawk is handled for Bruce

and Karen Norton by Mark McLean. He is white, liver,

and ticked.

Just Irresistible: Stud is a six year old, white, orange,

and ticked pointer male who returns for his fourth year.

He has been picked up the previous three years, each year

with a progressively better performance than the year be-

fore. Stud has re-qualified for this year’s competition with

a 2nd at the Kentucky Quail Classic and a 3rd at the Sun-

shine FTC (Florida) OAA. His scorecard shows two

championship wins and two runner-ups in his previous

four years of competition. Stud is owned by Mary Devos

and handled by Jamie Daniels. He is sired by Riverton’s

Funseekin Scooter out of Jack and Tracey Haines bitch

Just Wait Bess. She is another daughter of Cuivre River

Daisy, this time with Just Wait as the sire (see more under

Dominator’s Rebel Heir).

Lester's Jazzman: Sam is a returning contestant who

has ran well here before. In 2015 he finished the three

hours with four finds, and in 2016 he was picked up at

2:13 with three finds. Sam is a five year old, white, or-

ange, and ticked pointer male. He has re-qualified this

year taking 1st at the Region 8 Championship Associa-

tion’s OAA, another 1st at the Prairie OAA, and a win at

the Oklahoma Open Ch (his second win of this champi-

onship). Bred by W M Harkins, Sam was sired by national

champion Lester’s Snowatch and was out of High Point

Jesse (she was by Miller’s White Powder out of Native

Missy who was a daughter of Miller’s Silver Bullet and

Native Class - these girls from the mother-daughter line

that produced the national champion bitch Native Tango).

Randy Anderson handles Sam for his owner, Dan Hens-

ley.

Lester’s Sunny Hill Jo: Jo is the latest contestant to

enter the fray, winning the Alabama Ch. just a few days

ago to qualify. His other placements in the qualifying tri-

als are a 1st at the Kentucky Lake OAA and two 2nds at

the Sunflower OAA Classic and the Hell Creek (Missis-

sippi) OAA. This white, orange, and ticked rookie con-

testant is a four year old pointer male. He is by Ransom

out of Miller’s White Wall. (see the entry for Dazzling for

more about Ransom, Miller’s White Wall is a daughter of

national champion Lester’s Snowatch out of L G White

Lily - she is the sister of Phillip’s Silver Star who pro-

duced national champion Miller’s Dialing In). Jo was

bred and brought up by Chris George and was handled to

a runner-up at the American Derby Invitational Ch. by his

co-owner David Thompson. Gary Lester will be handling

him in this competition.

Mega Blackhawk Progeny: Hawk is a six year old,

white and black pointer male. This will be his third year

of competition, having run last year and in 2014. He was

picked up early both years. He has re-qualified to run this


Mega Blackhawk’s Progeny


Oakspring Bigtime Warrior

Miller’s Happy JackMiller’s Creative Cause (Jamie Evans photo)

Salem's Annie OakleyProdigy's Bonfire

season with a 3rd at the Hell Creek (Mississippi) OAA,

and a runner-up at the All-America Quail Ch. He has one

previous championship win, the 2013 Saskatchewan

Open Chicken Ch. He is by Rockacre Blackhawk out of

Mega Ruby (she is a daughter of Whippoorwill War

Dance out of Whippoorwill GMA - this mother-daughter

line goes back to Bar Lane Dot). Steve Hurdle handles

Hawk for his cartel of owners: Bob and Sarina Craig (his

breeders), John Sayre, and D Raines Jordan.

Miller's Creative Cause: Bo returns this year, his sec-

ond, with a new owner, Tommy Liesfield. Last year he

ran to 2:29 and was picked up after an unproductive, he

had two prior finds. He has re-qualified this year with a

3rd at the Kentucky Lake OAA. Bo is a five year old,

white, orange, and ticked pointer male. He is a son of this

year’s veteran contestant, Miller’s Happy Jack, and is out

of Muddy Water Kate. This dam is by Muddy Water Ben

(a brother of the memorable contestant here, Sir Lancelot)

out of Kiestler’s Doll (who has a pedigree of mostly un-

familiar names, mostly bred by Hoyle Eaton, the mother-

daughter line going back to a sister of Doctor I J). Bo is

handled by Gary Lester, who was also his breeder.

Miller's Happy Jack: Jack is the oldest pointer com-

petitor and he is making his eighth run here this year. His

most memorable past performance was perhaps in 2012

when he completed the three hours with six finds. He has

re-qualified with a win of the Dominion Chicken Ch. and

a runner-up at the Border International Chicken Ch. Jack

has now won eight championships and nine runner-ups.

Jack is nine years old, almost ten as he has a May birth-

day. He is white, orange and ticked. Randy Anderson han-

dles Jack for his owner, Scott Griffin. He was bred by

Alvin Bryson and was sired by Lester’s Bandit and is out

of Bryson’s Powder Twist. It is hard to express how thor-

oughly blue-blooded Jack is in the Miller’s… line. Every

leg of his pedigree goes back to a son or daughter of

Miller’s Silver Bullet. And there are no distant relation-

ships here, rather the most familiar names as sires,

Miller’s Date Line, Miller’s On Line, Miller’s White

Powder, House’s Line Up, and House’s Rainwater, and

the girls are all sisters of the famous dogs, too. (For ex-

ample, his dam Bryson’s Powder Twist is a sister of

Miller’s Date Line).

Oakspring Bigtime Warrior: Fred is handled and

was bred by Allen Vincent, and owned by Jeff Miller. He

was sired by Oakspring Big Time (he was from the first

of the Whippoorwill Wild Agin - Sparkles litters, see the

write up for Dazzling for more information) and is out of

Barshoe Eclectic (she was by Hey Two Pete out of

Barshoe Epiphany - this mother-daughter line belongs to

the family of the famous producer Barshoe Fly). Fred is

a five year old, white, orange, and ticked pointer male

who will be making his second attempt at this title. Last

year he was picked up at 1:27 with one find and two

backs. He has re-qualified for this year with a 1st at the

Kentucky Quail Classic, a 2nd at the Inola OAA, and a

3rd at the D E Hawthorn OAA Border Classic.

Prodigy's Bonfire: Bonnie is a white, orange, and

ticked setter bitch who is just a few days shy of seven

years old. She is perhaps the most calamity prone of any

of this years contestants. She survived a near fatal staph

infection while a pup; being lost for five days and an en-

capsulated abscess prior to qualifying for the 2014 Na-

tional Championship, when she was scratched the day of

her run having come into heat for the first time. Since then

she has had her handler retire and has suffered a broken

radial carpal bone (broken ankle). She is one tough little

girl who has re-qualified for this year with a 3rd at the

Fitch Farms - Galena Plantation OAA, now with Steve

Hurdle as her handler. Betty Shearhouse is Bonnie’s

owner. She was bred by Martin Smith and Wild Wing

Kennels. She is by Wild Wing Warrior out of Wild Wing

Ripper. Her pedigree shows an assemblage of descendants

of Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, with three legs of the pedi-

gree going back to Stardust Nick who was a son of

Skidrow Joe. The remainder is made up of descendants

of the Smith setters.

Salem's Annie Oakley: May will celebrate her sev-

enth birthday during this year’s competition. She is a

white, liver, and ticked pointer bitch who will be making

her second run for this title. Last year she was picked up

at 1:10 with one find. Only first places are seen in May’s

qualifying record. This year she re-qualified with a 1st at

the Inola Open AA, previously she qualified with wins at

the Texas Open Ch., the Missouri Open Ch., and the Do-

minion Chicken Ch. May was bred by Dr. Dan Bloom,

and is by Smokey Knight (a son of Sir Lancelot) out of

Good Knight Tramp (who was a product of the brother-

sister mating of Poncho and Silver Spectacular, they were

by Jed Pinto out of Kodak Candy - this is a mixture of

Miller’s Showcase, Whippoorwill’s Rebel, House’s Rain

Cloud, and Dunn’s Fearless Bud). Andy Daugherty han-

dles her for Jim Santarelli.

Shadow's Full Throttle: Cutter returns for his third

year having been picked up early the in his two years of

prior competition here. He is a six year old, white, liver,

and ticked pointer male. Cutter returns this year with two

runner-up placements, at the Kentucky Open Ch. this fall

and the Masters Open Quail Ch. last spring. His other

championship wins were both at the Continental, as the

winner in 2014 and runner-up in 2016. Cutter is handled

by Robin Gates for his owner, Larry Lee. He was bred by

John Neely, and is by Erin’s Stoney River out of Twin

Lakes Wishbone (she is by Twin Lakes Boss out of Twin

Lakes; this mating shows close breeding to Bly Spy Mas-

ter).

Shadow's Next Exit: Pat is a three year old rookie

contestant who qualified in his derby year. He was the



Shadow's White WarriorShadow's Next Exit

Skyfall Sleepless in Sacramento

Shadow’s Full Throttle (by Ross B. Young)

Stardust Chaz

2016 Purina Top Derby Award winner, having won both

the National Derby Ch. and the Continental Derby Ch.,

and a runner-up at the American Derby Invitational Ch.

Robin Gates will handle this white with orange tick

pointer male for his owner N G “Butch” Houston III. Pat

was bred by Jason Loper - Osceola Kennels, and was

sired by Exit Lane out of Weber’s Little Snowball. Exit

Lane is by Exit Wound (a son of national champion Cy-

press Gunpowder) out of Time Line Lane (by Miller’s

Date Line out of True Freedom Lane, a daughter of

Miller’s White Powder). Weber’s Little Snowball is by

Weber’s Little Bullet out of, you guessed this, a Lester’s

Snowatch bitch - Bentley’s Snowy Bess.

Shadow's White Warrior: Bo is the first of the 2010

national champion In The Shadow’s get to qualify to run

here. He is owned by Carl Bowman, who is In The

Shadow’s owner. Bo is a six year old, white, orange, and

ticked pointer male. Bo has qualified for his rookie year

by winning the Broomhill OAA for the past two consec-

utive years. He was bred by Cecil Rester and is out of

Rester’s Whistlin Dixie. This dam is by House’s Line Up

out of Rester’s Cajun Cookin, and from the mother-

daughter line that goes back to Barshoe Barfly. Bo is han-

dled by Robin Gates who also handled his father to his

national championship win.

Skyfall: Pete is a five year old, white and liver pointer

male from the knick of Whippoorwill Wild Agin and

Sparkles (see the entry for his sister Dazzling for more

information). This will be his third year to run here. He

was picked up early the past two years having run bird-

less. He has re-qualified for this year with a 1st at the Hell

Creek (Mississippi) OAA, and all of his previous wins in

qualifying competition have been in the south. Pete is

handled by Steve Hurdle for his owners, Bob Wathall and

Thorpe McKenzie. Bob Wathall is recorded as the breeder

of this litter.

Sleepless in Sacramento: Meg is a three year old,

white and orange pointer bitch who qualified last year but

was not drawn because she was considered to be too

young. She won the Pacific Coast Derby Ch. and the Cal-

ifornia Chukar Ch. in 2015, and she has re-qualified with

a runner-up in the California Chukar Ch. this year. Shel-

don Twer is her handler. Meg is the first contestant to run

here that hails from the Yastremski line of dogs who have

been so successful on the west coast. She was bred and is

owned by Jim and Cami Wolthius. Meg was sired by I B

Ironhorse (by Wells Fargo First Dude ex Wells Fargo

Mollie) and was out of Super Express Nash Begone

(Super Express William ex Amazon Express Bullett).

Wells Fargo First Dude was a grandson of Yastremski.

Amazon Express Bullett was a great-grand-daughter of

Gwinn’s Little Gal.

Stardust Chaz: Chaz returns for his third year having

run well on Ames Plantation in the past. He completed

the three hours with three finds his first year, and last year

he was picked up at 1:45 with two finds and a back. Chaz

re-qualified with a 3rd at the SoLaTex Cajun Classic and

a 2nd at the Fitch Farms - Galena Plantation OAA. His

past record in the qualifiers shows a dozen or more place-

ments, mostly second and thirds, so perhaps he is overdue

to win a big one. Steve Hurdle handles Chaz for his team

of owners, Scott Kermicle, Bob Craig, John Sayre, and D

Raines Jordan. Scott Kermicle was his breeder, and he is

by Wild Wing Warrior out of Stardust Coco. Wild Wing

Warrior is by Covey Rise King out of Nicky Stardust, he

goes back to Double Dog Dare a son of Tekoa Mountain

Sunrise, and she is the product of a half brother-sister mat-

ing from children of Stardust Nick. The dam Stardust

Coco is by Angie’s Dogwood Doc (a grandson of Hamil-

ton’s Blue Diamond) out of Grouse Point Star (a grand-

daughter of Brick Church Sundrop).

Strut Nation: Jake is a white and orange pointer male

who has just turned three years old. This will be his rookie

year to run at the Ames Plantation. He has qualified by

winning the Georgia Derby Ch. last winter and the United

States Chicken Ch. this past summer. Jake was bred by

Tommy Davis, and is by Game Strut out of High Value

Special. Game Strut is a grandson of Rockacre Black-

hawk, he was by Strut out of Pineknoll’s Pepper. High

Value Special is a daughter of Elhew Sinbad and Hanna

On Line. Scott Jordan, his owner, will be handling Jake.

Thunderbird Jaxinabox: Jax will return this year

after a too long absence. He last ran here in 2013 and was

lost at the :35 mark then. Handled this year by Travis Gel-

haus, he has re-qualified by winning the Cascade OAA

Ch. and taking a runner-up at the Northwest Chukar Ch.

Ajax was sired by Jetsetter (High Definition ex Barnhill

Lacy) out of Skyview Iron Time (Grid Iron ex White Van-

ity), and was bred by Jason Patty. Jetsetter was a former

contestant here back in 2009 and 2011. Dave Anderson

owns this white, orange, and ticked, seven year old setter

male.

Touch's Adams County: Bo is a white and lemon

pointer male who will turn eight years old during this

year’s competition. This will be his fifth year to compete

and he has always done well here. In the previous four

years he has never gone without finding birds and has fin-

ished the three hours twice before, last year with five

finds. Bo has re-qualified winning the Southland Ch., and

taking two 3rd places, at the Pelican State OAA and the

Prairie OAA. Bo was the Purina Top All Age dog of 2014,

which also happened to be the only year in his career that

he did not won a championship. He was bred by Mason

Ashburn and was sired by House’s Line Up and his dam

was Line of Beck. This dam is by Cherokee Gunfire out

of Fly Line who was a grand-daughter of Cherokee Gun-

fire. Randy Anderson handles Bo for Richard Peterson.



Thunderbird JaxinaboxStrut Nation Touch’s Adams County

Touch’s Game Point Touch’s White Knight (Vera Courtney photo) True Confidence

Touch's Game Point: Buster returns this year with

new owners, Dr Reuben Richardson and Tony Gibson. He

is a six year old, white, orange, and ticked pointer male

who will run again for the third time. He completed the

three hours with birdwork in 2014, did not qualify in

2015, and last year he got off to a bad start and was picked

up at the :20 mark after two unproductives. Buster has re-

qualified this year with a 1st at the Blackbelt (Alabama)

Classic and a 2nd at the Kentucky Lake OAA. He was the

2013 Continental Champion. Buster was bred by Gary P

Baird, was sired by Miller’s Happy Jack, and his dam was

B C Angelina (by Lester’s Snowatch ex Beaucoup’s

Daisy). Mark McLean is his handler.

Touch's White Knight: Bo has had a winning streak

in this year’s qualifying trials; winning the National

Club’s Free For All Ch. and the Masters Open Quail Ch.

last spring, winning the Border International Chicken Ch.

on the prairies last summer, and recently was named the

top qualifier at the Florida Ch. He is a five year old, white,

orange, and ticked pointer male who will be returning for

his second national championship run. Last year he was

picked up after an unproductive. Mark McLean handles

Bo for his owners, Eddie and Carole Sholar. He was sired

by Lance’s Last Knight (by Erin’s Bad River ex Wildfair’s

Solution) out of Prairieland Lucy (by national champion

Law’s High Noon out of Shelly Rae, this mother-daugh-

ter line comes down from Jerry’s Runaway Bandit), and

was bred by Dwight Grace.

True Confidence: Bob is a seven year old, white and

orange pointer male who is returning for his second year.

Last year he was picked up at 1:32 after an unproductive

point, he had two prior clean finds. This year he has re-

qualified with a 3rd at the Lee County (Georgia) OAA

and was recently runner-up at the Georgia Quail Ch. Bob

is campaigned by Frank and Jean LaNasa with Luke

Eisenhart as his handler. He was bred by Robert J Saari

and was sired by Two Acre Bulldog (by national cham-

pion Funseeker’s Rebel out of Rester’s Tiny Dancer) out

of Bar P Annex (by Bar P Shadow out of Bar P Xena, a

daughter of Hard Driving Bev).

Walnut Tree Fred: Fred hails from the mid-atlantic

region and all of his qualifying wins have been made

there. He returns for his second year with a 1st at the

North Carolina FTA OAA. He was lost at last year’s na-

tional run, which was the first time he and his amateur

owner/handler, Steve Mills had run on these grounds.

Fred is a six year old, white, orange, and ticked pointer

male. He was bred by Dr Don Lineberry, and was sired by

Walnut Tree Highline (by Miller’s Date Line ex Suits Me

Gold Dust) out of Suits Me Playmate (an amateur cham-

pion bitch who was by Gold Rush’s Millenium out of

Suits Me Tiny, Gold Rush’s Millenium was a son of the

Y2K national champion Marque’s Gold Rush).

Whippoorwill Blue Blood: Blue is the veteran mem-

ber of the Whippoorwill Wild Agin - Sparkles siblings.

He is seven years old and this will be his fifth year to

compete here. He has been picked up early all four of his

previous years, but has never gone without a find. He has

re-qualified this year with two 2nd places, at the Benton

County (Mississippi) OAA and the Prairie OAA. This

white and orange pointer male is owned by Keith Wright

and Dr Jack Huffman, who was the breeder of this first lit-

ter. He will be handled by Larry Huffman. See the entry

above for Dazzling for more information about this breed-

ing.

Whippoorwill Foto Op: Jill is a five year old, white,

orange, and ticked pointer bitch who is returning for her

second year of competition at the Ames Plantation. Last

year she was lost at the :56 mark. Jill won the Mississippi

Ch. recently and took a 3rd place at last spring’s Missouri

OAA to re-qualify for this year. She was bred by Dr Jack

Huffman and is handled by his son Larry for her owners,

Heath Barnett and Ken and Sue Blackman. Jill was sired

by Ransom and was out of Whippoorwill Wild Wing.

Ransom was from the first litter of the Whippoorwill Wild

Agin-Sparkles knick. Whippoorwill Wild Wing was a

daughter of Rockacre Blackhawk and Wild Agin Sue who

was a sister of Whippoorwill Wild Agin. This pedigree is

basically a double up on the success of the Whippoorwill

Wild Agin-Sparkles mating.

Whippoorwill Justified: Patch was last year’s na-

tional champion, and is the only former national cham-

pion returning this year. He is automatically re-qualified

this year, still he took 1st at the Pelican State OAA and a

3rd at the Hobart Ames Memorial OAA this winter. Patch

at four years old is the youngest of the Whippoorwill Wild

Agin - Sparkles siblings (see the entry for Dazzling

above). His litter was bred by Bob Wathall. Ronnie Spears

owns this white, liver, and ticked pointer male and Larry

Huffman handles him.

Whippoorwill Wild Assault: Salt comes to this year’s

contest with new owners, Jim and Stephanie Bickers. Salt

is a six year old, white, orange, and ticked pointer male

who is making his second run here. Last year he was

picked up at 1:17 without any birdwork. Salt has recently

re-qualified with a runner-up at the Mississippi Ch., he

was not run much in this fall’s trials. Salt was bred by Dr

Jack Huffman, was sired by Whippoorwill Wild Agin, and

is out of the dam Boxwood Bang. This dam was a daugh-

ter of Miller’s White Powder and Holly Hunter. Larry

Huffman will be handling Salt.

White Dollar: Top re-qualified for this, his fifth year,

with a 2nd at the Broomhill OAA. He has done well here

in the past four years, finishing the three hours once and

he was down 2:45, 2:55, and 1:50 the others, scoring two

or more pieces of birdwork each year. In his previous

years of competition, he has won four championships and

has been runner-up twice. He is owned by Scott Griffin



Walnut Tree Fred Whippoorwill Blue Blood Whippoorwill Foto Op

Whippoorwill Justified White Dollar

Zorra

Whippoorwill Wild Assault (Vera Courtney photo)

Send Us Photos of

Your Dogs!Every year the Field Trial Review publishes photos of

all the dogs running in the National Championship. It is

our goal to showcase all dogs looking their best! Print

media requires high resolution (300 dpi), high quality,

large photos. Please send us photos of your dogs to show-

case in next year’s publication any time throughout the

year. Email them to: [email protected].

We would also like photos of the owners and handlers,

i.e., “family,” of the dog, for next year’s issue. Send us

your best shot!

Be included in the 2018 Field Trial Review! Deadline

is February 5, 2018.

and Randy Anderson is his handler. Top is by Miller’s

Total Eclipse out of Blue Collar Lady, and was bred by

Wade Griffin. Miller’s Total Eclipse was a brother of

Miller’s Date Line who was killed by a tornado while still

young. Blue Collar Lady is a daughter of Sir Lancelot and

Blue Collar Baby (a daughter of national champion Whip-

poorwill Wild Card).

Zorra: Zorra is a six year old, white and black setter

bitch who has been sort of a sensation on the west coast.

For the past three years, she has been working toward a

California Championship grand slam. Of the five cham-

pionships there, she has won the California Open Ch.

twice, the California Pheasant Ch,, and the California

Quail Ch.; and she has taken runner-ups in the other two,

the California Chukar Ch. and the California Bird Dog

Ch. twice. Zorra is on her third year of competition here.

She was drawn and scratched in 2015, and was lost at

1:09 last year. She is by To The Point, out of Iron Mis-

tress, and was bred by Jeff Gilbertson. To The Point was

line bred to Tekoa Mountain Sunrise; he is by Tekoa

Mountain Patriot (a grandson) out of Tekoa Mountain

Lassy (a daughter). Iron Mistress is by Grid Iron out of

Max’s Black Silk, a daughter of Pine Cone Max Jr.

(Zorra’s pedigree is remarkably similar in it’s origins to

the pedigree of Thunderbird Jaxinabox). Zorra is owned

by Harold Meyer and handled by Sheldon Twer.

The Field Trial Review expresses great appreciation to

Amy Spencer and Stephen “Steeple” Bell for compiling

and sharing the profiles of this year’s National Champi-

onship contenders.


Wishing all the contenders the best of luck ...from Whippoorwill Farm-- Larry, Piper, Wyatt, Lindsey & Ty --

Handler: Larry Huffman

CH Whippoorwill Justifiedowner: Ronnie Spears

CH Whippoorwill Foto Opco owners: Ken & Sue Blackman

Heath Barnett

CH Whippoorwill Wild Assaultowners: Jim & Stephanie Bickers

CH Whippoorwill Blue Bloodco owners: Dr. Jack Huffman

Keith Wright

A special THANK YOU to all our owners for all they do for us, and for their support for us - always

© FTR


Photographs

Capture

Precious

MomentsBy Britain Lenz, step daughter of the late

Don Dowdle

Aphotograph captures an image of a

fleeting moment in the numbered

days of our lives. Photographs were once

so rare in homes that they were scheduled,

planned, and costly. In my lifetime, these

pictures have transferred from relatively

easily accessible to nearly instantaneous.

The need of a paper photograph is nearly

lost. And, even more noticeable, photos

are even more constant – taken as often as

one pleases, whether significant or mun-

dane. We are able to document any part of

our lives, but this wasn’t always the case.

I remember my father and stepfather

had “good” cameras. When I define

“good,” I suggest they had the ability to

zoom and focus. Between the two, they

had a very different eye for what they de-

cided was photo-worthy. Both were rarely

in front of the camera, but they were in-

credibly interested in capturing what their

eyes saw. For my father, art, architecture,

and flowers were notably the subjects,

whereas my stepfather (who made his liv-

ing this way) found landscapes, people,

and animals as his focus. Although they

were both observers and created beautiful

images from what they saw, I’ve found

myself loving the photos because they

took them. I appreciate that they decided

to take photographs of the world around

them. But for me, I love the few that in-

clude them within the frame.

And now, as I don’t remember witness-

ing my father or my grandfather at the Na-

tional Championship Field Trial, these

photos take me there. For me, photographs

introduce me to the men who rode, wrote,

photographed, and observed the events of

the many National Championship Field

Trials.

Before I was on this Earth, my grand-

father and grandmother were very active

in field trialing, and it was an exciting

time. A history of their involvement is

made solid in my mind by the evidence of

photographs of it. I was able to watch my

stepfather work on the Field Trial Review.

His eye for catching a unique moment dur-

ing National Championship always

amazed me. But, then, there was also

something familiar and heart-warming

that happened when the same type of

photo was taken at the conclusion with the

winner crowned. The staff at Ames, the

winners and their families, the trophies all

stand for a group photograph on the Ames

Manor House to document it. It helps us

(and me) stay connected to what was and

is another milestone. It’s grounding, tradi-

tional, and marks time.

As I remember and connect to my own

history, I look to the photographs them-

selves for research sake. I use my own ex-

perience to remember what it is like to be

there. I feel fortunate that this is my his-

tory. It’s personal, which always seems to

be the way my articles turn out. I was

struck by a few photos, and I thought I

would include them. But first, I became a

little nostalgic – lingering in images of

these moments of the people whom I love

captured only in an instant in their lives at

Ames Plantation. I hope some of your

own photographs will carry a little some-

thing more than just the mundane. It’s

often enlightening when we take the ordi-

nary and make it more. I cherish the fact

these few forms have survived time, al-

lowing me to contemplate them. Photo-

graphs help connect us to present and past.

And, we mark time by taking the final

photo each year of all who gather on the

Ames Manor House steps – who’s won,

who was there to witness it, and their fam-

ilies – because it’s tradition.

Order from: Pleasant Hill Productions4842 Pleasant Hill Road • Athens, OH 45701by phone: (740) 593-8546 • (740) 591-6456online: www.pleasanthillproductions.com

DVD available for $45, priority shipping included

Previous National Championships also available

2016 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DVD

Barry Saunders, my grandfather.

Saunders designed the commemorative

hat pin that is given to the owners, han-

dlers, and officials each year at the Na-

tional Championship. Saunders is also

the only man ever to report and judge

the National, although he did not judge

and report in the same years. Saunders

passed away in 1991.

The late Don Dowdle and my mom.

My father, Barry Sterling, with my

mom, Sissy Dowdle looking backward,

riding at Ames.

The author, riding at Ames.


By Nancy Brannon, Ph.D.

Alexandra Horowitz’

latest book, Being

A Dog, gives a gread deal

of insight into how dogs

smell. Her research may in-

terest field trial enthusiasts,

whose sport is dependent

on the ability of bird dogs

to find the Quail. Horowitz

told us by email: “I don't

focus particularly on bird

dogs. I do follow a Lagotto

hunting truffles. But all the

detection-dog work holds

for hunting dogs as well.”

Horowitz was interviewed on NPR’s

Fresh Air, October, 2016, and following

are some highlights from her book.

In Being a Dog Horowitz explains her

research on the mechanics of canine smell

and how dogs use their noses to under-

stand the world around them. Dogs are

particularly drawn to “smell-rich environ-

ments,” such as fire hydrants and tree

trunks.

Horowitz says that all dogs have the

ability to create “a picture of the world

through smell,” primarily because of the

way their noses are designed. A canine’s

nose is “stereoscopic,” she says, which

means that each nostril is controlled sepa-

rately, allowing the dog not only to detect

a particular smell, but also to locate it in

space.

The dynamics of how a dog breathes

are different from the way humans

breathe. Dogs inhale through the nostrils,

but exhale through the side slits of their

nose. That process allows odors that

they’ve inhaled to stay in the back of the

nose a little longer. Humans can exhale a

smell with a single push of air. But dogs

don’t push all the smell out with a single

exhale. “It’s like a circular breathing of

smelling. It also creates a little puff on the

ground, a puff of air that might allow more

odor molecules to come up toward their

nose to be sniffed,” Horowitz explained.

The musculature of the dog’s nose also

allows the dog to get a dif-

ferent odor sample with

each nostril, especially up

close, which might be why

they bring their noses close

to things. Many dogs have

a long snout, which humid-

ifies and filters the air and

rushes the air to the back of

the nose. Humans have a

similar, but less complex,

apparatus.

At the end of the nose,

between the eyes, both

dogs and humans have a

patch of tissue called the olfactory epithe-

lium, which has receptor cells that “grab”

the odors and send signals to the brain.

The difference is that the dog has hundreds

of millions more receptor cells than hu-

mans do, which may explain their in-

creased acuity.

The types of detection work that dogs

do is really stunning. Dogs can be trained

to find explosives, drugs, missing people,

and even particular types of diseases, e.g.,

melanoma. There’s a budding research

program in training dogs to detect various

cancers on the breath, in urine, blood, and

on the skin.

Smells tell time, too; strong odor is

likely a newer odor. A weaker odor is

something that was left in the past. So

being able to detect the concentration of a

smell, dogs determine not only what it is,

but also how long ago it was left. Thus,

foxhunters have a term for hounds who are

particularly good at detecting older odors

– “cold trailing.”

About the author: Alexandra Horowitz

is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the

Department of Psychology at Barnard

College in New York City, since 2004. Her

research is on dog cognition. She is cur-

rently testing the olfactory acuity of the

domestic dog, through experiments in nat-

ural settings, and examining dog-human

dyadic play behavior. See her TED Ed les-

son on “How dogs see with their noses” at:

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-dogs-

see-with-their-noses-alexandra-horowitz.

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By Ken Blackman

For most readers of this paper, the un-

derstanding of the Stakes is clear. There

are other casual observers who are only in-

terested in the trail ride on a nice day at

Ames, and may not really care about the

difference. To others who have more than

a passing interest in the sport of Competi-

tive Field Trialing, we reach out with a

friendly grip and explain what all this

“stuff” is about. Invariably, whenever I’m

judging, attending, running a dog, just rid-

ing in the gallery, or waiting in the lunch

line, I often overhear this question, and it’s

usually a matter of too little time to take

the questioner aside and explain the dif-

ference.

Regardless of the type of dog you see

in Pointing Breed Field Trial competition,

i.e., Pointer, Setter, GSP, Brittany, etc.,

there are differences of opinion as to what

constitutes All Age (AA) or Shooting Dog

(SD). So you go to the source: the book-

let titled, “Guidelines to Field Trial Proce-

dure and Judicial Practice,” published by

the Amateur Field Trial Clubs of America

(AFTCA). Herein, I’ll limit the discussion

to Field Trial stakes for Horseback han-

dlers, because the All Age world just isn’t

appropriate for the foot handled or walk-

ing field trial.

Quoting the historically significant

trainer/handler James Avent, in the late

1890s, “…he (i.e., the dog) is a dedicated

hunter of upland game birds which runs

off – but not quite.” Combined this de-

scription with the Amesian Standard, and

that’s how judges apply the standard to se-

lect the winner in an AA stake, especially

at Ames.

Regardless of the size and the configu-

ration of the course, the All Age competi-

tor should utilize the entire length and

breadth of the grounds. If you were a spec-

tator riding in the vast expanse of the Mis-

souri Corteau of North Dakota, this

application would be somewhat contained

in the phrase “an aspirin on the far hill.”

With no real objects (trees, bushes, fence

lines) to draw the dog to a gamebird or

covey of birds, the dog courses the coun-

tryside and relies on its scenting abilities

to sort out the scent of the game bird

(Sharptailed Grouse, Hungarian Partridge,

Ringneck Pheasant) from other birds or

animals. When the dog finds the scent of

the game sought, the dog instantaneously

stops and “points” out the location for the

handler. Very often the ride to the dog can

be nearly a mile in that type of country. At

this point (pun intended), the difference in

AA and SD ceases. Each class is expected

to remain on point until the handler dis-

mounts and begins a search to put the

quarry into flight. At that moment, the

handler fires a blank, collars the dog, and

transfers the dog to the person (the scout)

who holds the dog until the handler is re-

mounted and ready to begin the quest

again.

As the trials move south, the terrain

varies from the plains of Kansas to the

cornfields of Iowa and Ohio; then onto the

farmlands of the Midsouth and into the

piney woods of Alabama and Georgia.

Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California

and Idaho each offer a unique geography

to challenge a “true” AA competitor.

Along with a change in terrain, a change in

the gamebird to one of many species of

Quail and Chukar further challenges both

handler and canine.

But there are nuances in the AA game.

We again refer to the AFTCA and Ame-

sian Standard, with a dash of Avent on the

top. As you ride in an AA stake, don’t ex-

pect to see a lot of the dogs in each brace.

First, the dogs shouldn’t be following one

another (that’s called head trailing). Each

dog should hunt independently. Some-

times when one dog finds and points game

and the other dog comes upon its brace

mate pointing, it must stop and point be-

hind its brace mate; that’s referred to as

“honoring” or “backing.” The dogs may

even be out of sight of their handlers.

This inherent need to seek out game is

in the DNA of these canines. This drive is

a basic building block that savvy trainers

identify in a championship caliber dog

when they are but a few months old. It

drives the searching mechanisms in the

brain to run to find a food source. As

Avent said, “runs off – but not quite.”

These canine athletics can, in a three hour

brace at Ames, travel as much as 30 miles

in all types of cover to find Quail. These

dogs combine conditioning with the train-

ing to listen and keep the handler in sight

and sound (you’ll hear the handler

“singing” to his/her dog) as the course

makes its way though fields and woods.

The scout assists the handler in finding

the dog when it’s been absent for an ex-

tended period of time. The length of time

the dog has been “out of pocket” will

weigh in on the judge’s decision of the

dog’s satisfactory performance. When the

dog is found “on point,” having been out

of pocket for a period of time, the dog’s

performance is highly rated. If gone too

long (the judges keep a rough time clock)

and appears “to the front” without game

contact, a judge may note that and take it

into consideration later when the judges

rate each dog’s performance.

Weather and course conditions weigh

highly in the dog’s evaluation. These af-

fect everything from scenting conditions,

to movement of the game, to the dog’s

ability to endure a broad spectrum of high

to low temperatures. This introduces an-

other key element in the dog’s eventual

road to success.

One of the important factors is the

trainer’s background as a hunter. Under-

standing the mechanics of a hunting dog

and its relationship to quarry can make a

difference in the strategy employed by the

handler during the stake. On a “perfect”

weather day, game will be active and scent

will be left for the dog to find and point

game. If the weather is foul, then directing

the dog to areas where game might be

seeking a refuge may gain an advantage in

the brace. Frankly, there are times when

hunters “just don’t want to go out and

hunt.” There are days when the trial can,

and should, be postponed to ensure the

safety of the participants. But rain, snow,

heat, and humidity are not reasons to delay

a stake.

In my opinion as a judge, AA dogs run

big; are frequently out of sight; show

themselves at intervals that indicate they

are keeping the handler’s position on the

course in mind; find game and handle it

with style; and are conditioned to ensure

that they are able to keep a consistent pace

throughout the stake.

What standard do we expect from the

SD in competition? Again, refer to the

AFTCA booklet, and remember: at the

point where the dog finds game, the exe-

cution is identical to that of the AA. The

judging standard for the SD “…seeks to

glorify the ideal hunting dog which works

indefatigably in the interest of the gun, a

dog with character and courage which dis-

plays all essential qualifications, plus re-

finements of expert training.” Considering

the grounds to be used, the SD must adapt

to all the same kinds of geography as the

AA, but the SD must be under a greater

degree of control of the handler when the

course traverses fields, woods, or moun-

tains. Even with a quick, snappy gait,

combined with style and conformation

that seeks to wind the game and secure it

for the handler, the SD is expected to hunt

at a shorter range and be much more bid-

dable during the brace. Scouting is used

much less to locate a dog that’s out of

pocket. When necessary, to find a dog lost

on point, the scout must be dispatched by

the handler, rather than riding out of the

view of the judge and gallery.

When all the reports are completed, if

someone asks how many finds the dog

had, judges MUST NOT use the “bird

count” as the differentiator in selecting the

winner. The reason we “play this game” is

that the dog must find game. But the dog

with the most finds should be rarely used

to determine the outcome. Other impor-

tant factors considered are: how the dog

finds its game (independently or directed

to the spot). Did the dog’s style indicate it

was happily doing its work? When the dog

found game, was the style of a class that

showed quality in its training? When en-

countering its brace mate on point, did it

honor the other’s work on game? Judges

who have hunted and owned dogs, and

competed in the sport, should be capable

of staying to the front of the course and

being observant to the competitors, both

human and canine.

I hope casual observers of our sport will

find out more of the history, culture, and

the rules and practices that we expect to be

applied, almost to a passionate level, in

fairness and sportsman(woman)ship.

Co-ownersHeath & Ana Barnett,

Altus, Oklahoma

Ken and Sue Blackman,

Williston, Tennessee

Thanks to: Larry & Piper Huffman,

and Nick Thompson on the success of

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Cemeteries at

Ames

PlantationBy William Smith

If you have ridden the field trial courses

on the Ames Plantation very many

times, you are probably aware of the two

cemeteries located in the Marshal Jack Har-

ris field and in the Jack Harris Cabin field.

But did you know there are seven other

cemeteries located on or near the field trial

courses? These cemeteries date to the early

and middle 1800s. Here is some insight to

keep in mind as you ride the field trial

courses this year – they all can be a history

tour.

Senior Research Associate, Jamie Evans,

came to the Ames in 1981. He is passionate

about the history of the Ames. He has spent

the last thirty plus years researching and doc-

umenting the home sites, cemeteries, and

other sites of historical significance on the

lands that evolved into the Ames Plantation.

Have you ever wondered what the white

metal poles with the red reflectors at the top

scattered across the plantation signify? They

represent the location of houses and other

structures that have long since succumbed to

nature and man. By using land deeds, census

records, newspapers, diaries, tax records,

wills, trust deeds, eyewitness accounts, and

property plat maps that go back to 1824, Mr.

Evans has ferreted out much of the history

of the early land owners, their homesteads,

and their cemeteries. His exploration has

taken him throughout the 18,000 plus acres

of Ames and to other locations, as he

searched for the proofs that verified his dis-

coveries. Even after thirty years he will tell

you that he doesn’t know all the answers to

his questions, but he is still searching.

Every year there are archeological digs on

the Plantation, one at a historic site and an-

other a pre-historic site. This year the historic

archeological dig will return to the site of a

house that was once occupied by slaves on

what was the 400-acre Fannie Dickins Plan-

tation.

There are 26 cemeteries that have been

documented on the Ames. According to Mr.

Evans there are probably others, but they

have not been discovered because of the ab-

sence of markers or any other evidence of in-

ternment. Some of the identified sites have

no gravestones, but have been identified be-

cause of the Periwinkle growing there. Peri-

winkle is a domestic evergreen ground cover.

It is an old world plant with five-petaled

flowers and glossy leaves. It was common

practice in the early 19th century to plant

Periwinkle in cemeteries in the eastern

United States. Common periwinkle was first

introduced into North America in the 1700s

as an ornamental. It is still commonly sold

as an ornamental ground cover, although

there are several different varieties today.

Why so many cemeteries? Many home-

steads had family burial grounds. There were

no laws or restrictions in this time period that

prevented burials in a home plot. These plots

were generally located close to the main res-

idence. Some chose to inter at an existing

burial ground. These grounds would most

likely be associated with a church, but many

chose the family cemetery. Perhaps distance

to the church yard was a factor or maybe it

was just personal preference.

Mr. Willis Person bought land on the east

end of what is now the Marshall Jack Harris

Field in 1834. All that is left of the house is

a jumble of bricks that once was a chimney.

His wife, Lucy, died August 4, 1852 at forty-

four years of age and is buried close to where

the house once stood. This is the Person

Cemetery, and Lucy is the sole identified oc-

cupant. However, there is evidence of at least

three other unmarked graves. Willis sold his

land in 1855 and moved from the area.

On the west end of the Marshall Jack Har-

ris Field is the Thomas Gilliam Cemetery.

Mr. Gilliam bought the land in 1829 and sold

it in 1837. There are as many as six graves

here, but there are no markers and the occu-

pants have not been identified, although

Periwinkle is present. This site is hard to see

because of the undergrowth, but the field

trial course comes within twenty yards of the

cemetery. In the late 1980s some longtime

employees of Ames said they remembered

seeing gravestones at this location around

1970, but did not know what became of

them.

The Elisha W. Harris Cemetery #1 is lo-

cated on the east end of the Marshal Jack

Harris Cabin Field. It is approximately 400

yards west of the Thomas Gilliam Cemetery

and serves as another indication that family

burial plots were favored during this time pe-

riod. It is also within one half mile of the

Willis Person Cemetery. Mr. Harris was the

brother-in-law of John W. Jones, who built

the house that is known today as the Ames

Manor House. The land was opened for set-

tlement in 1820 and Mr. Jones purchased

land in the area in 1824. Mr. Jones and Mr.

Harris married sisters who were the daugh-

ters of Micajah and Ester Moorman. Ester

Moorman is buried in the cemetery adjacent

to the Ames Manor house. Mr. Harris’s wife,

Ann Eliza, is the sole occupant of the Harris

#1 cemetery. She died in childbirth on March

29, 1828 at 22 years of age. There are no in-

dications of any other graves here, and the

cemetery is no larger than what was required

for the single grave. There are two house

sites located within 200 yards of the ceme-

tery, but there is no clear indication that the

cemetery is associated with either house site.

At some point after the death of Ann

Eliza, Mr. Harris remarried and relocated to

the eastern edge of the Tom Hert Field. That

land today is now on the western edge of the

Ames Plantation adjacent to the LaGrange-

Somerville Road. Mr. Harris built his house

on the crest of Govan Hill. Two rubble piles

of bricks that once served as chimneys on

each end of the house are all

that remain of the structure.

The E. W. Harris Ceme-

tery #2 is located near the

house site. There is a single

gravestone here, marking the

grave of Celestia A. Harris,

second wife of E. W. Harris,

who died February 27, 1844.

The cause of death is not

known. There is a mystery

associated with this ceme-

tery. Although there is only

one marker, there are four names on the

marker. The other three names identify Mar-

garet Chisholm Harris, William Taylor Har-

ris, and Margaret Ann Harris as triplets and

all three being 3 months of age at their pass-

ing on December 14, 1834. There are no in-

dications of any others graves other than

Celestia, but it is possible that the three chil-

dren were interred here. After Mr. Harris was

widowed for the second time, he sold his

land and moved to north Mississippi – never

to be heard of again.

There is an old pond levee in the Water

Truck Field just south of the Agronomy

Demonstration Fields. Just west of the levee

about one hundred yards in the first tree line

is an unnamed cemetery. There are no grave-

stones located here, but Periwinkle is profi-

cient and identifies the site as a grave yard.

The occupants are unknown and their histo-

ries have been lost in time.

John Fason Bottom is traversed during the

third hour on the afternoon course. The Elrod

Cemetery is located just north of the course

after crossing Fason Bottom. It is one of the

most scenic places on the Plantation, sitting

atop a hill that overlooks the bottom. There

is a single headstone that identifies Hattie

Elrod, who was born in 1885 and died in

1906, at only 21 years old. There are at least

twenty-five other unmarked graves here.

Periwinkle grows in abundance and has

spread outside the boundaries of the ceme-

tery, estimated that it originally encompassed

an area 35 yards by 26 yards. It is believed

that this site was probably a community bur-

ial parcel used by several families in the sur-

rounding area after the Civil War. The

cemetery may have served as a slave ceme-

tery prior to the war.

Just west of the Elrod Cemetery is a house

site that was once located on the Binberry

Walton Plantation. There is no evidence of a

habitation there except the remains of an

earthen cistern and a sunken roadbed. Dur-

ing Mr. Evans interviews of local residents,

some of the older interviewees told of a

rumor that two children were buried in the

yard of the old house. However, because of

the lack of official notification of death and

the absence of any evidence of the burials,

the rumor could not be substantiated.

The Turner House and 600 acres of land

was a wedding gift from John W. Jones to his

daughter. The house used to sit just north of

Turner Road, but many years ago the house

was moved to LaGrange and restored. It now

occupies a site on Highway 57 just west of

the antebellum house known as Woodlawn.

There is a cemetery located north of the old

house site about one quarter mile back in the

woods – again identified by Periwinkle.

There are several graves, but none are

marked, leaving more unanswered ques-

tions. Who are the people buried there?

Prospect Church was founded in 1870. In

his April 1995 paper, “In Regard For The

Cause of God,” Bryan Dye wrote: “The Col-

ored Methodist Episcopal Church was or-

ganized in 1870. The reasons for the

existence of the denomination are varied.

The M.E. Church, South was losing many

black members to the Northern Methodist

and African churches immediately following

the Civil War. Initially, the black Methodists

were induced to remain within white con-

gregations. From 1866 on, however, M.E.,

South members concluded that the most ef-

ficient means of maintaining contact with the

freed slaves was to form a separate, but af-

filiated, denomination. The C.M.E. churches

would be composed of those blacks who had

made deliberate decisions not to join African

churches, and wished to remain linked to

their former masters.” This was a time in his-

tory that was not pleasant, but nonetheless, is

a part of our past. The current church build-

ing stands several hundred yards from the

original site. The cemetery was used by the

surrounding community.

Andrews Chapel was located on the east

side of Ellington Road across from the Ed-

ward Clark Pasture. Martha Turner Carter,

who was in her late eighties at the time, re-

layed to Jamie Evans that her mother told her

of the location of Andrews Chapel and that

the building had burned. Prior to that con-

versation, Mr. Evans had discovered a ceme-

tery in that general location. An

archeological dig later confirmed that a

building had indeed burned at that location.

Based on Ms. Carter’s information, the site

was confirmed as Andrews Chapel. There

are two broken headstones in the cemetery

and evidence of at least twelve unmarked

graves. The profusion of Periwinkle makes

it impossible to definitely define the number

of graves in the cemetery.

Robert Cotton owned a two thousand-

acre plantation, which Rube Scott Road di-

vided almost in half. Eighteen hundred of

those acres became part of Ames. A portion

of the land is known today as Edward Clark

North and Jim Braddic. An article in a local

paper told of a horse accident that caused the

death of one of Mr. Cotton’s sons. Mr. Evans

searched the old Cotton holdings that had

been purchased by Mr. Ames and the local

cemeteries, but could not find any graves

pertaining to the Cotton family, although he

knew there had to be. His quest to find the

Cotton cemetery lasted several years. In a

conversation one day, someone mentioned

Cemetery Hill that was just north and west

of Ames. After enlisting the help of a local

resident, Mr. Evans was able to interview the

owner of the land where Cemetery Hill was

located. The land turned out to be part of the

200 acres of the Cotton Plantation that was

not sold to Hobart Ames. The elderly current

owner (at that time) reluctantly admitted the

existence of the cemetery and also admitted

that the headstones had been removed,

placed in a cistern and buried. This most cer-

tainly was the missing Cotton Family Ceme-

tery. Mr. Evans’ persistence had finally

solved the mystery!

So as you tour the historic sites at Ames

while enjoying the bird dog action, you can

thank the diligent research of Jamie Evans.


By Tommy Brannon; photos by Nancy

Brannon

If you see more birds on the course at

Ames Plantation this year, it may be

because of the hard work and planning by

Dr. Rick Carlisle and the staff at Ames,

who planted 430 feed plot strips on the

course, which totals approximately 200

acres. New feed strips and plots are

planted each year and several are left fal-

low to carry over from previous years. In

addition to food, ground nesting Quail

need a safe, inviting habitat to raise their

young. This is accomplished by giving

them sufficient grass land for cover and

forage. Rick said that the first two weeks

of a Quail’s life require a lot of protein,

and the right density of grass is critical for

that. If the grass cover is too thick, the

young birds get hung up in it, and cannot

touch the ground to forage for bugs and

nutrients from the soil. They starve to

death. If the cover is not thick enough for

them to hide, they get eaten by predators.

To accomplish this critical mix of

grasslands, controlled burns are used, as

well as mowing and the removal of hard-

wood saplings. In West Tennessee just

about any upland ground will become a

hardwood forest if left fallow long

enough.

The soil at Ames has a good seed base.

Partridge Pea and ragweed, which make

ideal Quail habitat, will germinate after a

burn off. Native grasses are encouraged

and non native grasses are removed. Japan

Grass (Microstegium vimineum) is the

number one enemy! As the name implies,

it is non-native, and at 125 stems per inch,

it grows so thick that the young birds are

not able to touch solid ground. Bermuda

grass and fescue, although grown else-

where at Ames for hay and forage, are not

wanted on the field trial course because

their turf is too thick as well. Crops are ro-

tated in and out of production, two years

in production and two years left fallow.

Some crops are planted for research in

specific soil conditions unique to this lo-

cation. Any cotton one sees on the course

is planted there for just that purpose.

Rick personally mows the field roads

and lanes into the release sites on the

course so that he can count the number of

wild Quail broods. In past years, the count

was six to eight broods. The count this

year was 16!

Ames Plantation is a 6,000 acre re-

search farm managed by The University

of Tennessee, with a mix of row crops and

livestock. It is home to the third oldest

Aberdeen Angus cattle herd in the U.S.

Hobart Ames brought the original stock

from Scotland in 1913. Some of the same

blood lines are in the 2017 herd, consist-

ing of 440 head of cattle including 200

breeding stock. Matt Backus, who re-

ceived his B.S. and M.S. at the University

of Tennessee Knoxville, has been the

herdsman at Ames for about five years.

There are also thirty head of horses on the

plantation, both field trail horses and quar-

ter horses for cattle management. All of

the hay for the livestock is grown and har-

vested on the plantation.

In addition to farming and field trials,

Ames is home to the annual Ames Her-

itage Festival that takes place each Octo-

ber. This is a fun for all ages gathering,

and displays how rural folks lived in the

past. The 2016 festival had record atten-

dance of 6,014 people. Ames is also the

classroom each summer for the Rhodes

College and The University of Memphis

summer archeology field schools.

Happening at Ames Plantation

Ames

Heritage

FestivalArticle & photos by Nancy Brannon,

Ph.D.

On October 8, 2016, the Heritage

Village at Ames Plantation was

once again transformed into a 19th cen-

tury community, with approximately 175

artisans and crafts people demonstrating

the necessary skills for life and survival

on a rural farmstead. With sunny weather

in the upper 70s, the beautiful fall day at-

tracted the

most visitors

ever to the

festival –

6,014! Over

75 volun-

teers helped

run the festi-

val; most

were through

the Ames

P l a n t a t i o n

H i s t o r i c a l

S o c i e t y ,

which plays

an important

role in documenting preserving the history

– and educating the public – at Ames Plan-

tation. Read about the work of the Ames

Historical Society at: http://www.ames-

plantation.org/historical-research/ames-

plantation-historical-society/

The 19th annual Ames Heritage Festi-

val featured folk artists, demonstrators, re-

enactors, and musicians for a day of

entertainment and education. There was

gospel, blues, and string band music,

mainly in the front aisle of the Mule Barn,

but also at other locations in the Heritage

Village. There were plenty of 19th cen-

tury skills demonstrations as well as

hands-on activities for visitors, such as

picking cotton or greens and goat milking.

There was blacksmithing, brick making,

dark fired tobacco in the smoke house,

quilting, weaving, tatting, soap making,

basket weaving, broom making, tradi-

tional pottery, making shakes (or wooden

shingles made from split logs), story-

telling in the one-room school house, and

a demonstration by draft horses Big Star

and Kroger on how logging with horses is

done.

The Civil War re-enactors brought his-

tory to life at their encampment on the

Ames Manor House grounds, with a can-

non firing demonstration every hour. Ear

plugs were helpful!

There was a wide selection of art and

crafts available for purchase from some of

the best folk artists in the region. There

was stone ground corn meal and a variety

of cooked

food, plus

some home-

made ice

cream for

d e s s e r t .

Tractor en-

t h u s i a s t s

c o u l d

b r o w s e

through a

line-up of

antique trac-

tors. Chil-

dren could

have their

faces painted, pet the champion bird dogs,

watch a goat milking demonstration and

pet the goats, and ride The Lit’l Train

around the grounds. Visitors could learn

about the National Championship for

Field Trialing Bird Dogs, held every Feb-

ruary on the Ames Plantation, meet (and

pet) some fine bird dogs, and see quail and

pigeons up close. There were several

breeds of chickens on display. And on

their way out, folks could pick up a home

grown pumpkin to take home for pies or a

jack-o-lantern.

Find out more about the annual Her-

itage Festival at the Ames website:

www.amesplantation.org, and on Face-

book. The 20th annual Heritage Festival

will be on Saturday, October 14, 2017.

Alan Smith drives logging horses Big

Star and Kroger.

Youngsters get up close and personal

with the bird dogs.

Inside the Brick Barn at Ames

Sean Derrig


Randy Anderson Dr. Fred Corder (handler & owner)

Luke Eisenhart

handlers Competing In The 2017 National Championship

Andy Daugherty

Robin Gates (Chris Mathan photo) Travis Gelhaus

Jamie Daniels

Scott Jordan

phoNe: 901-294-3400

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Please note: some of the owners are also handlers, so their photos do not appear in both sections.


Ruthann Epp, from Marion Junction,

Alabama, is the daughter of Hall of

Famer and professional trainer Freddie

Epp. She grew up in the dog world, scout-

ing for her dad and winning her first field

trial at age 13. She has long been active as

a handler and has won national amateur

championships, regional championships,

and club trials. As the owner of dogs on

the major circuit, she has been in the win-

ners’ circle with them as well. One of her

best dogs was Updated Keepsake, who

was run for three years at the Nationals,

handled by Billy Wayne Morton. Ruthann

regularly judges and reports for field tri-

als, from the local level to international

championship trials. She is an officer for

the National Field Trial Club, which hosts

the National Free for All and National

Derby Championship, the United States

Field Trial Club, The Border International

Field Trial Club, and The Cahaba Bend

Field Trial Club.

Ruthann loves to start young dogs and

field trial horses. She usually competes

three or four dogs each season and raises

two liters of puppies. Her training includes

spending late summer at the family’s

“camp” in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan

Canada. She likes to tell the story of how

all of this got started.

In the early 1970s her father had gone

to western Saskatchewan near Maple

Creek and found an abandoned home-

steaders’ shack that no one had lived in for

30 years. It did not have electricity or run-

ning water. The first year, he brought the

whole family up, her mother, her two

brothers plus four additional kids, the cat

and 70 dogs. They had to learn to live on

the prairie, cooking on a wood stove and

washing clothes in a washing machine

made from a barrel that they rocked by

hand. Today, there are several houses at

the camp, with all of the modern comforts.

Her love for bird dogs and the field trial

and hunting sport is shared with her

brother Ed Epp of Tallahassee, Florida and

two of her nephews, Dillon and Wyatt

Epp, who all manage hunting plantations,

as well as her niece Caitlin Epp Lee who

trains field trial horses.

Dogs she has campaigned include:

Champion Updated Keepsake, Champion

Just Denver, Champion Sharpshooter, RU

Champion The Storyteller and RU Cham-

pion Just Colorado.

Successful Field Trial

Women Handlers (part 2)

Focus on Ruthann Epp

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118th National Championship!


Modern Era

ScoutsArticle & photos by Chris Mathan

Much has deservedly been written

about field trial scouts and the job

of scouting all-age dogs. The last Christ-

mas edition of the American Field featured

a story “The Era of the Scout,” by Robert

J. Franks. Strideaway has published sev-

eral stories and podcast interviews on the

subject, covering the great scouts of past

eras and today’s scouts, who in most cases

are also handlers. Gone are the days when

all-age dogs were scouted by the famed

men who worked for trainer/handlers ex-

clusively and were also responsible for

much of the dog training. This meant they

were more closely familiar with their ca-

nine charges than today’s scouts can be.

Despite lacking this advantage, I am con-

vinced that most modern day all-age

scouts are as gifted at their craft as their

predecessors.

As a professional photographer of field

trials, I am often watching performances

unfold from the back of the gallery on the

dog wagon, with mere glimpses of the

dogs and handlers far to the front of the

scene. Having attended many all-age

championships, I discovered I could tell

much of what was transpiring in a brace

by watching the scouts. If a dog’s per-

formance is smoothly flowing to the front,

the scout isn’t riding hard while weaving

back and forth through the back of the

gallery as the dog crosses from one side of

the course to the other. If a dog’s race is

erratic — and perhaps too lateral — watch

the scout ride hard and wide in an attempt

to round up the dog and put him back on

course. Scouts never take their eyes off a

dog, knowing how easily it can become

obscured by the heavy cover at Ames

Plantation or the piney woods of South

Georgia. If a dog is lost on point, both han-

dler and scout go searching, and the per-

formance slowly deteriorates if the dog is

not quickly located. An exciting limb find

by the scout turns everything around when

handler, judges, and gallery gallop to a

staunchly pointing dog and the sound of

gunfire rings out!

It’s been said many times. A field trial

performance is a “show” and in the all-age

game, put on by a team made up of dog,

handler, and scout who, conversely, adds

to the show by being mostly unseen. The

recent Continental Open All-Age Cham-

pionship, contested on the beautiful Dixie

Plantation in Greenville, Florida, pre-

sented a perfect of example of what is

looked for. The Winner and Runner-up

winner come from the last brace of call-

back dogs on a gorgeous January morning.

Both dogs put on a riveting “all-age

show,” with handlers confidently pointing

them out far to the front and scouts quietly

working their magic to help make it hap-

pen.

Visit Strideaway for past articles and

podcast interviews with scouts and han-

dlers on this and other topics of interest to

the field trial community at: www.stride-

away.com

We wish all the handlers, scouts, and

owners of the 2017 National Champi-

onship contestants the best of luck!

Tommy Davis at the 2015 Southeastern Open All-Age Championship

(above) Judd Carlton at 2017 Continental Championship

(below) Mark McLean at the 2016 Blackbelt Open All-Age

Luke Eisenhart at the 2016 Blackbelt

Open All-Age

(above) Mark Haynes at the 2015 Continental Championship

(below) Nick Thompson_2012 National Championship


owners of Dogs Running In The 118th National Championship

Heath Barnett & family

Maeve Derrig (Vera Courtney photo)

Butch Houston

Sarina & Bob CraigHoward BrooksCarl Bowman

Mary Devos

Ken & Sue Blackman and JillDave Anderson

Scott Griffin

Scott Kermicle

Will & Rita Dunn

Doug Arthur & Rapheal Blackwell

Tony Gibson

Dan Hensley Dr. J. D. Huffman Raines Jordan

Frank LaNasa Allen LinderScott Jordan


Bob Walthall

owners of Dogs Running In The 118th National Championship

Eddie & Carole Sholar John Sayre

Martha & Jeff Miller

Betty Shearouse

Jim Santarelli

Bruce & Karen Norton

Dr. Ruben Richardson

Steve Mills

Rick Stallings Cole & Katie Summerlin

Photos Not AvailableWe deeply regret that we could not obtain photos of all the owners by press time. Please send us your photo for the 2018 Field Trial Review. If you do not like the photo we

have published, please accept our apologies and send us another that you prefer. Deadline for the 2018 Field Trial Review is February 5, 2018.

Richard Peterson

Ronnie Spears

Keith Wright

Doug White & Terry Reinke

Thorpe McKenzie


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By: Brad Harter

There is no topic that is more dis-

cussed and debated, and yet re-

mains somewhat of a mystery, than the

impact that weather can have on a dog’s

performance in the field. Bird hunters,

from the first day anyone ever carried a

gun behind a pointing dog, have always

known that weather plays a role, not only

in the ability of their dogs to smell their

quarry, but also in the habits of the birds

themselves. The role of weather is studied

by every game biologist, and certainly

thought about by every handler before

they turn a dog loose in the National

Championship.

While many beliefs and theories

abound, there are a few basics that have

held true over the years. While there are a

few basic premises to which almost every-

one will agree, just about the time you

think you have a few answers figured out,

a dog will come along and blow the best

theory out of the water, as evidenced by

what Whippoorwill Rebel did in 1989.

Weather, which takes into account

everything from temperature, to relative

humidity, to wind speed, wind direction,

atmospheric pressure, and precipitation,

can, without question, influence two dis-

tinctive factors that affect a dog’s per-

formance. The first is how weather

influences the birds’ activity and behavior,

specifically feeding activity. It has long

been observed that approaching weather

fronts are sensed by wildlife hours and

sometimes days in advance. Exactly how

this happens is still a mystery. An ap-

proaching cold front bringing a drop in

temperatures and harsher weather is

known to trigger feeding activity. The

number of times that a dog has rendered

an outstanding performance resulting in a

National title in a brace preceding an ap-

proaching cold front is evidence of that

theory!

Once harsh weather settles in, espe-

cially when temperatures drop severely,

birds tend to seek heavy cover, become

less active, and stay on the roost huddled

together for longer periods of time. A lack

of activity may also result in a lowering of

metabolism. And, it is believed that less

scent is given off. Humidity and moisture

in the air can also compound this issue. It

makes sense that birds, inactive and on the

roost, will not give off the amount of scent

over a large area that birds will when they

have left the roost and are scattered about

actively searching for food.

Last year’s winning performance by

Whippoorwill Justified, Patch, provided

more evidence to support many of these

weather-related theories. Drawn to run on

the afternoon course in the 8th brace,

Patch had the weather factors to his ad-

vantage. The day had started out below

freezing at 27 degrees F. By the 1:00 p.m.

starting time, the temperature had warmed

to 52 degrees and the sun was out. Winds

were out of the northeast, mild, but just

enough to move scent, especially for a dog

that knew how to use the wind to his ad-

vantage. The barometric pressure was

holding steady, as was the relative humid-

ity. A front was predicted to come within

the next 24 to 48 hours, bringing with it

falling temperatures and temperatures

below freezing. It was a perfect afternoon

for birds to feed, and that is what they

chose to do!

In the first half hour Patch scored on

two coveys, both scattered out and feed-

ing in feed strips. Using the slight breeze

that existed, Patch seemed to focus on feed

strips, scoring five more times on birds

that were leisurely spending the warm,

sunny afternoon filling their craws. Patch’s

last covey came late in the afternoon as the

sun was fading in the horizon. These birds

had gone to roost, no doubt with a full

belly. Patch had located them roosting in

heavy cover to help protect them from

predators for the night. These birds were

wadded up in a tight bundle and Patch was

on point close by these roosting birds,

whose scent cone was probably diminish-

ing with their reduced activity. The

weather had given Patch and his brace-

mate almost ideal conditions to perform

and they had certainly taken advantage of

the situation!

The approaching front stalled to the

west, but frigid temperatures soon re-

turned to the Plantation and conditions for

the next few days were far from ideal. By

the second week, the humidity would

more than double, winds would shift di-

rections, and temperatures would warm to

the point of comfort for mankind, but a lit-

tle too warm for dogs running the three-

hour heats.

What role sun might play in the bird’s

activity is still somewhat of a mystery. In

the old days, before the early bird release

program was instituted in 2002, many be-

lieved that sunny, bluebird days were the

curse for a good dog performance. Cloudy

and overcast skies were preferred. The

early release birds, at least to some ob-

servers, appear to have a little more toler-

ance for bluebird, sunny days. They may

even prefer this kind of day. But I have

found no logical explanation for this dif-

ference.

Patterns do exist! If we take the last ten

years of winning National Championship

performances and compare them to the

weather conditions prior to, during, and

following those braces, some patterns start

to surface. The majority of the time, the

temperatures remain steady or show a

slight warming trend. A frontal condition

and predicted change in the weather is

often forecast for the next 48 hours. Baro-

metric pressure is usually stable and stays

in the 30 to 40 range. The relative humid-

ity is almost always above 30% and rarely

ever is it hot, dry and dusty.

While ideal conditions may be debated,

there are a few basic facts to which most

will agree. Scenting conditions for the

dogs can change quickly, even hour by

hour. The birds feeding activity seems to

be influenced to some degree by future

weather changes that may be coming

within the next 48 hours. The longer that

birds stay active feeding and milling

around, the easier it seems for dogs to lo-

cate them and point them. All that said, the

more we think we have all of this figured

out, the more we will find we just can’t be

certain of anything when it comes to na-

ture!

So, what does this all mean? The dog

trainer who comes up with some way to

control the weather favoring the brace in

which his dog will be running will proba-

bly have a slight advantage, given that he

has the dog ready to capitalize on the con-

ditions!

The Weather Factor at the

National Championship

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By: Brad Harter

In 1994, the Chicago Bulls continued

to dominate the NBA, winning the

championship once again. The Dallas

Cowboys repeated their win of the Super

Bowl and Bill Clinton continued to inhabit

the White House. At Grand Junction, TN,

home of the super bowl of bird dog sport,

the National Championship, a new dog

would be crowned the champion in mid

February.

The Champion:

Brush Country Spectre, competing for

the third year in a row, would annex the

title in one of the most thrilling duels ever

witnessed in this classic Championship.

Veteran observers, of more than 40 years,

following this trial were quick to say they

may have never witnessed a more exciting

brace between two fine athletes.

John Gardner, the long time profes-

sional trainer from Mississippi who won

this title with Miss One Dot in 1979, often

said you had to come here three years to

have everything fall in place to win the

title. While that had not been the case with

the 1992 winner, it had held true for

Dunn’s Fearless Bud in 1990 and for many

others in the history of this championship.

Spec, as he is affectionately called by

his owner Mary Finley and handler Ed

Husser, had rendered a great performance

in 1993, clearly demonstrating he was the

kind of dog designed to win this trial.

When Allie Hawthorne, Dr. Hawthorne’s

wife, sent in her endorsement for Spec for

the Hall of Fame many years later, she

shared these feelings about Spec: “I have

always left the judging to my husband, Dr.

Hawthorne, but I do have some opinions

about dogs who make me sit up in the sad-

dle and take notice. I rode all three hours

when Spec ran in 1993, and in my opin-

ion, he could have been named the cham-

pion that year if his find had been five

minutes sooner, before time was called.

Spec turned in a stellar performance that

day. He was an exciting dog to watch!”

Spec was no accident and neither was

his name. In fact, nothing about Spec’s life

was an accident; his destiny was sealed

before his birth. Ed Husser traveled in two

worlds – training and competing with both

German Shorthairs and English Pointers.

Mary Finley was one of Ed’s Shorthair

clients, and he won National Champi-

onships for her on many occasions with

that fine breed of dogs. Mary could appre-

ciate a fine dog in any breed and was es-

pecially fond of a female Pointer called

Ginger, who was often a front seat travel-

ing companion for Ed while he was on the

road.

Ed had another English Pointer called

South Chief Bluduck, which Mary also ad-

mired as an especially aristocratic looking

breed specimen. As the story goes, Ed was

at a field trial competing with his pointers

when he bred Bluduck to Ginger. Two

days after the breeding took place, and

during the field trial, Bluduck was poi-

soned by an unknown “low-life” while on

his stake-out chain. As Mary shared,

“Killing a dog on a stake-out chain while

Ed was running another dog in competi-

tion takes a black heart.”

Fortunately for Ed, Mary and the future

of the bird dog breed, the breeding to Gin-

ger took, and 60 some days later, a healthy

litter was whelped. In that litter was an es-

pecially handsome male who become

known as Brush Country Spectre. Why

that name? The Brush Country part repre-

sents the west Texas ranch country where

Mary is from. And Spectre means a ghost

or spirit of something or someone from a

previous life. To the outside world, Spec

grew up as “nothing special” to protect

him and his destiny, as Mary would later

share. To the inside world, Spec was fam-

ily, always riding in the truck and always

living in the house. In fact, there were few

nights when Spec did not sleep with Ed’s

daughter when he was home. Mary shared

that Spec even had his own chair, and God

forbid the person who would ever attempt

to sit in that chair! Jack Harper was once

asked why he allowed Mr. D. B. Mc-

Daniel’s dog the Texas Ranger to ride in

the front seat of his truck. Jack’s reply was

simple,”Hell he owns it! I just get to drive

for him.” If you ever saw Spec in Ed’s

truck, then you knew the same feelings

prevailed.

In the fall of Spec’s derby season, he

earned two Open Derby placements. By

January 1991, still in his derby season,

Spec won two Derby championships. That

spring Spec also won American Invita-

tional Derby Classic, now considered a

championship event. While the transition

year from being a derby to an all-age can

be tough for most dogs, it was not the case

for Spec. That year Spec won the North

Carolina Championship. He placed 2nd in

the Blackbelt and 3rd in the Dixie Open

All-Age.

Spec’s 1992-1993 season was even

more spectacular. Spec won the Missis-

sippi Championship, the Georgia Quail

Championship and the National Free-For

All Championship, which also won Spec

the Purina Dog of the Year (1992-1993).

His performance in the 1993 National

Championship was further proof Spec was

the “real McCoy” and was a threat any-

where he ran. The 1993-1994 season was

no different. A first in the Tar-Heel Cham-

pionship and a first in the Blackbelt Open

All-Age qualified Spec to return to Grand

Junction.

The Trial:

Two of the judges for this 95th renewal

were both veterans of the National. Nathan

Cottrell and Dr. Dorwin Hawthorne were

both were serving in their eighth year at

Ames. When Dr. McKnight stepped down

after ten years in the judge’s saddle, Fred-

die Epp was selected to replace him. Well

respected as a popular professional trainer,

Freddie brought a wealth of experience

and knowledge to the judicial trio.

Weather always plays some role in the

outcome of this trial. In 1994 the most se-

vere ice storm to ever hit this region hap-

pened in the days leading up to the trial.

The entire region was encased in ice. Trees

were down everywhere and electricity was

out for most of the region. For the drawing

at Bryan Hall on Saturday night, genera-

tors had to be used to have any light at all.

On Sunday the thaw began, but by Mon-

day much of the course was still covered

with ice and downed trees. A one day

delay was announced to give plantation

personnel time to remove trees and for the

ice to melt. By Tuesday morning the sun

was out and the temperature had reached

38 degrees F.

The trial was underway, but a black

cloud descended on the Plantation at noon

with the passing of Mr. Curtis Miles. Cur-

tis was a long time friend and supporter of

the National Championship and had been

attending this event for many years. Curtis

was my roommate at the time and had

awakened that morning excited the ice

was melting and ready to view the day’s

running from the warm cab of the Planta-

tion truck. In his early 90s Mr. Curtis had

forgone riding horses and enjoyed view-

ing the trial from the plantation’s orange

Suburban, affectingly referred to as the

“Orange Pumpkin.”

Billy Blackwell’s Warhoot Rogue

pointed a covey in the first brace near the

first road crossing and Curtis witnessed

the find. In great spirits, Curtis returned to

the Manor House and was seated at the

desk of Mr. Ames in the gun room, signing

a get well card to an old friend who was

unable to attend this year’s running. After

signing the card, Curtis quietly slumped

forward in his chair and peacefully left this

earth. Attempts to revive Curtis were un-

successful.

After a brief delay for the afternoon

running, Dr. Carlisle announced to the

crowd that Mr. Curtis had passed at noon,

and knowing the man and what he would

want, the dogs would be released after a

short prayer and a moment of silence.

Should we all be so fortunate to be with

friends, watch the best dogs in the country

compete for the biggest title in the bird

dog world, view a spectacular piece of

bird work from a dog

that would later win

this championship, sit

at the desk of Hobart

Ames signing a card

to an old friend, and

leave this life peace-

fully? A blessing in-

deed!

Luck, the weather,

and unscheduled de-

lays all play a bigger

role in the National

Championship than

many fully appreciate.

By Wednesday of the first week the tem-

peratures had reached 60 degrees and rid-

ers were in shirt sleeves. Chacoan

Hummer and Miller’s Silver Bullett both

turned in four-find performances and fin-

ished the three hours with strength to

spare. Nearing 11 years of age, the 1990

National Champion, Dunn’s Fearless Bud,

once again completed the three hours with

his proud owner Wilson Dunn mounted to

witness his gusty performance. Two finds,

one of which resulted in a relocation re-

quiring more than 100 yards, proved once

again Bud was the real deal.

Running on Saturday was no longer an

option. Gallery numbers had swelled to

more than a thousand in recent years and

to avoid those numbers, the directors had

put running on Saturday on the back

burner.

The first day’s delay had moved the

ninth brace to the second Monday of the

trial, bringing about what many would re-

alize was the “perfect storm.” Birds had

not been disturbed for two days. An ap-

proaching front was predicted to bring rain

by the day’s end. Old time bird hunters felt

this was the kind of day you picked up

your gun and went bird hunting. Spec may

have also sensed this was going to be a

special day. Mary Findley shared this with

me after the morning’s brace: “I was riding

in the back seat of Ed’s truck with Spec

beside me in his usual place that morning,

as we drove from a friend’s house nearby

to the Plantation. I was nervous, as I usu-

ally am, but Spec was especially calm as if

to say, ‘relax, I’ve got this!’ Spec some-

how sensed it was his morning and he was

ready.”

Turned loose in the ninth brace on this

“bird hunting” morning were two dogs

who put on a performance that would be

talked about for years to come. Brush

Country Spectre, handled by Ed Husser,

was braced with Double Rebel Buck. Dr.

Mike Furcolow co-owns Buck with Joe

Davis, and Mike was on hand to watch the

young pro, Fred Dileo, run his multiple

champion.

Dense fog delayed the morning start for

an hour and 15 minutes. When the fog

lifted and the dogs were turned loose, the

old bird hunter’s predictions proved to be

correct. At the five minute mark, Spec was

on point on the woods edge near the left

side of the breakaway field. A big covey

exploded for the rigid pointer and the

morning was underway!

1994 National Champion:

Brush Country Spectre


Across the road at the 26 minute mark

Spec was pointed along a hedge row. Ed

noted a fresh roost, and then one of the

judges informed Ed a rabbit had departed.

Ed responded, “No, he’s pointing a bird.”

With one more step a single quail de-

parted, putting number two in the book.

At 39 minutes, both dogs were pointed

near the edge of an eroded ditch bank,

with Buck only three feet behind Spec. Ed

put a big covey to wing and fired his gun.

Fred did not flush nor fire and was cred-

ited with a back.

Both dogs were handling well, with

Buck being seen a little less often than

Spec. Near the one hour mark the distant

call of point came for Buck who had been

found by his scout. A big covey was put to

wing directly in front of the mannerly dog.

Six minutes later Buck scored again, this

time with birds lifting as we rode to the

motionless dog. These birds were seen by

the judges and Buck stood mannerly for

the shot.

Four minutes later Spec was spotted on

point to the left of the course. A massive

covey exploded all around the mannerly

dog. A duel between two fine dogs was un-

derway! Birds were feeding, scenting con-

ditions were excellent, and two dogs were

taking full advantage of the opportunity!

Thirty minutes into the second hour

Buck scored again. Once more birds lifted

as we rode to the stand where they were

seen officially and Buck was mannerly for

the shot. Fifteen minutes later Buck scored

again. Nearing the road crossing by Kyle’s

barn, Spec scored on a single with perfect

manners. Just past the two hour mark

Dileo called point for Buck on top of the

cut-over pine hill. When the judges ar-

rived, Fred pointed to Spec standing

pointed on the far side of the thicket. Nei-

ther dog could see the other so neither dog

was considered to be backing. The large

covey exploded between the two dogs and

both stood mannerly for the report of the

gun. Nearing Rube Scott Road, Buck

scored on a big covey.

Going into the final fifteen minutes the

score stood at six finds for each dog and a

back for Buck. Both dogs were showing

plenty of strength and staying to the front.

With less than twelve minutes to go, Spec

added one more covey to his score, stand-

ing tall and proud at the eastern edge of the

Edward Clark field.

When the call of time came, both dogs

were out front and reaching for more

country. Everyone

who had witnessed

this incredible three

hours had an opinion

of who the winner

would be. But, only

three opinions would

count and there were

still twelve dogs left

to run.

When you have

solid performances

good enough to win

this trial in the

judges’ books, you

usually do not see many of the remaining

dogs finish the three hours. That was not

the case this year. Brick Church Sundrop

ran on the afternoon course following the

spectacular duel between Buck and Spec.

Handled by Randy Downs, Sundrop

thrilled Setter fans with a solid five-find

performance.

Mac’s Most Wanted, handled by Mac

Conyers, put on an amazing show running

three hours in a heavy rain where, at times,

you could barely see 100 yards ahead.

Mac’s four find performance gained him

many admirers!

Whippoorwill Sadie Sue and Lipan

both completed the three hours, running in

the thirteenth brace. Sue, handled by Larry

Huffman, tallied the highest bird score of

the stake totaling eight finds. Two unpro-

ductives and a fifty minute absence marred

her strong performance. Lipan scored four

perfectly handled finds and a beautiful

back for her handler Gary Pinalto. Han-

dling kindly throughout her three hours,

Lipan proved she was the kind of dog

made to win this championship.

A Big Secret, running in the next to the

last brace for owner and handler T. Jack

Robinson, put down a strong four-find

performance. This trial had proven to be

one with many fine performances, many

of which would have won this champi-

onship in other years.

The decision came down to the trade-

mark of this championship: the “Amesian

Standard.” When all of the factors of that

standard were taken into consideration, it

was the judges’ opinion that Brush Coun-

try Spectre was the winner. For Mary Fin-

ley, her faith and the message she had

received from Spec that early morning in

the truck had proven to be true. For Ed, his

total trust in his companion had paid the

biggest dividend of all. For Spec’s sire,

Bluduck, the dog who had been poisoned

on the stakeout only days after siring his

last litter, his ghost, his son would stand

on the steps of the Ames Plantation and be

named the 1994 National Champion.

About this Chapter: Brad Harter is part-

nering with Tom Word on two National

Championship book volumes they hope to

have ready for publication later this year.

This 1994 account is a sample chapter in

the volume Brad is writing, covering 20

years from 1988 on. Tom is writing the 20

years prior to 1988.


52 Years in

the Rearview

MirrorBy: Brad Harter

While efforts to videotape the Na-

tional Bird Dog Championship

began just 29 years ago, in February 1988,

the desire to capture the performance of a

bird dog in action began 23 years before

that. I was 19 years old and a sophomore

in college when a friend arranged for me

to go Grouse hunting with a local man

who had bird dogs. I had hunted Grouse

and Pheasants before, but never behind a

dog that pointed. That one day and a dog

named Tony changed the course of my

life, and even resulted in my changing my

major in college!

I imagine that many who read this arti-

cle also remember vividly the first time

they saw a bird dog catch scent and slam

into point. I know that image will remain

burned into my brain for the rest of my

life. It is an image you can never see too

often. I remember exactly where it hap-

pened, the dog that performed this magical

feat, and how easily I missed that Grouse.

That same dog repeated the feat several

times that day and I would miss every

bird! But that beautiful sight of watching

the dog catch scent and freeze in midair

into a regal pose stayed with me for life. I

knew then I had to see this as often as I

possibly could.

I also knew that somehow I wanted to

capture that action on film. I had inherited

an old Bell & Howell movie camera from

my father and I arranged another hunt with

that same man and his dogs the next week-

end. I carried the small 8mm camera for

the next four weekends, until the end of

Ohio’s four-month Grouse season. I man-

aged to capture several points with the

camera, although I was never capable of

catching the dog going on point.

I was hooked! When my counterparts in

college were going to Woodstock, protest-

ing the war in Vietnam, and experiment-

ing with drugs, my addiction was with bird

dogs! It has lasted a lifetime and I have yet

to find a cure.

To make this addiction worse, my new-

found hunting buddy invited me to ac-

company him to a bird dog field trial that

spring. The final hook was set. I could not

get enough of these dogs! Every chance I

had I was out training with this man!

The man responsible for my addiction

was Tom Perry from Athens, Ohio. Tom

had about eight good bird dogs, three or

four of which he was trialing at the time.

Tom had a setter female named Doll that

he knew would handle for anyone who

could ride a horse, get off, flush birds, and

fire a blank gun. Without telling me, Tom

had entered Doll in a local trial and listed

me as her handler. I didn’t know until we

got to the trial that I was to be her handler!

Even with my doing almost everything

wrong, Doll did everything right and I

managed a second place in the shooting

dog stake. For a drug addict I had just been

given a fix and a lifetime supply of the

best drug known to mankind!

By the following fall, I had my first reg-

istered setter puppy. By the following

spring, I had two registered bird dogs and

my life has never been the same or never

better!

My efforts to capture bird dogs in ac-

tion continued with my small 8mm movie

camera and what film I could afford to buy

and have processed. I even tried making

movies at a few field trials, but looking at

that footage today shows I had very little

talent in movie production.

Fast forward about two years. My

major in college had changed from

oceanography to forestry and wildlife

management. Even though every waking

moment had me doing something with

bird dogs, I managed to graduate from col-

lege. It was the late sixties and southern

Ohio abounded with Grouse and Quail.

Wanting to stay in this area, I was fortu-

nate to be hired to teach forestry and

wildlife at a new college opening its doors

for the first time in 1968. Most all my

classes were outside and I could arrange

my schedule to allow me an hour or two

of daylight to bird hunt on my way home

at least three or four days a week. There

were field trials in September, with the

season running from October to the end of

February, and other trials clear into May.

My life revolved around dogs, horses, and

the young family I was starting.

Video cameras were replacing the old

movie camera and I was saving my pen-

nies for one that I thought I could handle

in the field. It was a VHS deck that fit into

a backpack-like case that you carried on

your back. The camera was handheld and

connected to the deck through a long cord.

The battery alone for the recording deck

was bigger and heavier than the camera I

currently use. Battery life was short and

the cable connecting the camera to the

deck was always in the way and getting

caught on something. But I was convinced

I was still on the right track. The record-

ings had sound, blank tapes were much

cheaper than film, and there was no pro-

cessing or developing cost. I couldn’t

imagine anything getting any better!

Fast forward a few more years. The

cumbersome deck/separate camera was

soon replaced by an all-in-one unit. This

recording camera used a much smaller 8

mm cassette tape, replacing the full-size

VHS tape. The camera was big, about two

feet long and heavy. But with a homemade

strap assembly, I could attach it to my

chest and manage to get on a horse. No

such thing as image stabilization existed

and what I captured on horseback was

shaky. Watching more than a few minutes

could make you sick! Two or three cam-

eras later, I had one that I could fit inside

an oversize coat. That is when another bird

dog friend named S.R. “Tate” Cline came

into the picture. Tate encouraged me to try

videotaping an entire bird dog field trial.

I practiced for months and by February

1988 Tate had arranged for me to try

videotaping the National Championship

Field Trial in Grand Junction. To say the

challenges were many would be an under-

statement! Batteries, especially in cold

weather, had short life spans. A little mois-

ture would lock a camera up completely,

sometimes for 15 minutes or more. Mud

seemed to find its way easily to the lens.

There was no such thing as image stabi-

lization, and getting any good footage was

mostly just luck.

When I sat down that first night and

looked at what I had captured, I quickly

realized I was way in over my head. But it

was the encouragement of Dr. Anderson,

Dr. Hawthorn, Nathan Cottrell, Wilson

Dunn, Captain Gary Lockee, Tate Cline,

and Troy Newman that told me not to quit.

I could only get better; worse was not an

option!

That was 29 years ago, more than 500

braces and more than a 1,000 dogs ago and

quitting is still not an option. I’m still hop-

ing to get better with practice, and with 40

or more dogs running three hour braces,

there is plenty of time for practice!

That brings us 52 years forward to

today. Cameras have vastly improved.

There are no moving parts and everything

is captured on solid state SD cards. Image

stabilization can make even a rough horse

appear smooth. Batteries can last more

than an hour and editing the final project is

light years ahead.

For the first twelve years, I had to rent

a recording studio. All the original footage

had to be copied to other tape reels and

using A to B rolls, the final edited version

put on to large 1-inch tape masters. The

entire process took weeks at great ex-

pense. Today, all the editing is done on a

computer with professional editing soft-

ware. Sound, music, and narration are eas-

ily added. The newest camera I will use for

the 2017 National will record in 4K with

more than 6 times the resolution of my

earlier cameras.

Now add to the mix the drone footage

that I was able to capture in 2016, and a

whole new dimension of the grounds at

the Ames Plantation gets exposed! Maybe

the most important part of the mix that has

allowed me to bring a whole new dimen-

sion to the videos has been the addition of

the second cameraman. For more than ten

years, Ken Blackman has operated a sec-

ond camera from roadside, capturing in-

credible footage I could not capture from

horseback.

Brad then: in the early days of video

taping the National Championship.

And now: his most recent filming ef-

forts with his newest digital camera.

First video camera and VHS deck


The Need to

Go or Timber

JoustingBy Dr. Allan Houston

Being on the field trial, out in the

midst of Mother Nature is a fine

thing until she decides to call. Nature

sometimes calls with very little warning;

and when she does, it can be akin to a tac-

tical team coming through the door. It is

something that cannot be ignored or de-

nied or even delayed. When you gotta go,

dawdling is often not an option.

Some of my more fretful moments on

horseback have been when plotting a strat-

egy to get it “done” and be able to retain

modesty, dignity and horse; and as I think

about it, these are probably listed in re-

verse order of importance. Horses take

particular delight in discovering you need

to “go.” Imagination aside, they seem to

hit every odd stride possible to shake any

internal contents loose from their already

deteriorating moorings. Not having any

particular inhibition about going, they see

no reason you should either.

Some of my biggest field trial adven-

tures have been when I and an inordinately

opinionated horse had a disagreement over

the need to stay and the urge to go, with

each of us trading those particular per-

spectives depending on who had control

of the reins. A horse that will normally

stand about as still as a horse can be ex-

pected to stand will run around the may-

pole 50 times and use you as the maypole

if you find yourself handicapped with one

hand … well … occupied. In fact, animals

in general seem to have a problem with

human utilization of the great open-air toi-

lette, perhaps because they consider the

outdoors their own and sabotage for inter-

lopers fair play.

All of this reminds me of a day about

ten years ago when I was making one of

my “get-in-shape” jaunts down toward

Calley Bell. Suddenly, and I mean sud-

denly, that niggling little back-of-the-mind

discomfort came roaring to the fore, or to

be more precise about the whole thing, to

the aft. It was almost certainly the cour-

tesy of a barbeque sandwich catalyzed by

a 90-degree day. There was no denying

the urgency and there was no way I was

going to get back home. I was not going

to even get half way back home. I was not

going to get much of anywhere except

right here.

I bounded off into the bushes and made

do as best I could under the circumstances.

At the time we had two Golden Re-

trievers, one of whom is still alive. Timber

was just under two years old and was al-

ready a powerful dog, not full grown, but

pushing 85 pounds and strong enough to

pull a truck out of a mud hole. He once

confounded two vets who thought they

were going to have to break off his

clamped-down tail to get his temperature.

I cannot repeat just what it was the vets

said, but they did indicate it was the first

time the rear end of a dog had nearly

whipped them.

From my perch I could see Timber out

in the soybean field. Our other dog,

Nugget, would lie down, hiding in the tall

vegetation, and this would drive Timber to

distraction as he tried to find her. He was

bouncing in great kangaroo leaps, high

above the tops of the 3-foot-tall beans as

he looked for her. I was peeping out

among the grasses, hoping against hope he

did not find me.

But, of course, he did. At the top of one

of his leaps I saw gleeful recognition as he

spied me hiding in what surely seemed to

him to be a “let’s play” stance.

And so, here he came, head periscoping

above the beans with a look or pure and

unadulterated joy. This was shaping up to

be a disaster of major proportions; 85

pounds of enthusiasm in my lap was not

what I needed at the moment.

Overwhelmed with his good fortune in

finding me, he looked a little flummoxed

on how to make the best of the opportu-

nity. Questing about for few seconds, he

picked up several sticks before settling on

a big one, a small log really. He has al-

ways carried things, usually sticks of

wood, and spends a fair amount of the

winter dismantling my firewood pile. The

stick he had in his mouth was full on to 6-

feet long, and here he came carrying it

sideways, a bundle of canine catastrophe,

full tilt, head up and convinced that the

best game in the world would be to knock

Master over. There was simply no where

I could go. I felt like Robin Hood facing

Little John, and condemned to play the

part as a wee gnome, jabbing a gnarly lit-

tle forefinger at Little John’s knees.

I could not even crab around and try to

get away. I was stuck!

I thought about grabbing the stick as he

came by, but 85 pounds of momentum

going the wrong way was not a cheerful

thought.

At the last moment I spied my own shil-

lelagh, a small whip of a stick, but it was

all I could reach. Balanced in a most pre-

carious three point stance, I could do little

to counter the thrust except to parry the in-

tended blow over my head as he pounded

past. He raced on about 30 feet, turning

on the run, head proud, and much like a

battle horse, big neck bowed, eyes on me,

and the stick tilting in his mouth like the

wings of a banking airplane. Then he

came again, charging from behind.

My pants might have been down, but

my fighting blood was up now. The un-

couth lout, he had me at every disadvan-

tage. Coming from behind was entirely

unsporting; but the geometry worked a bit

to my favor should he actually manage to

topple me over. With that small tactical

advantage, I was able to give a little more

attention to counter moves.

This time as he came flying by I was

able once again to parry the blow over my

head, and also to give him a stout whack

on the rump. The effect was much like hit-

ting a tractor tire with a rubber mallet. It

bounced. He was a big, tough dog. I doubt

he felt it.

But my parry had managed to partially

dislodge the stick and as he made the turn,

this time he dropped it and gave me a

speculative look. I watched him, too,

barely able to peep above the grass, but I

could see him clearly enough. He studied

the situation for a moment and picked up

the stick again, but this time very near one

end. It looked like he was smoking an

enormous cigar and here he came, his

great head cocked sideways and the stick,

much like the jouster’s lance, was aimed

directly at the center of my chest.

This was a new strategy and it took me

unaware, so much so I barked out an in-

voluntary little “oh.” I had known him to

be a highly intelligent dog, but I had not

given him the credit he just now proved he

deserved. I was actually a little proud of

him, but was not able to dwell on the mat-

ter because here he came, a knight of old;

and the image would not have been any

less vivid if he’d had a demonic monkey

on his back holding the lance and clearly

bent on ignoring every ideal of chivalry in

the pas d’armes. Lance against shillelagh,

the only battle so far, and so far as I know,

ever recorded.

But once again, with an effort inspired

by position, posture, and very nasty po-

tential, I managed to ward off the blow and

this time gave him a smart little rap on the

end of his snout as he passed. This one he

felt. He dropped his pole, giving over to a

sneezing fit and gave me an aggrieved

look as if to say I had not played by the

rules. I took all this in with considerable

satisfaction. The break in the action gave

me time to finally, after a moment, stand

and assume my place as leader of the pack.

Completely unfazed, he came over for a

scratch and a look up to see if maybe we

could play this game some more. Seeing

no particular enthusiasm on my part, he

went bounding off into the beans looking

for Nugget, carrying my small stick with

him.

Horses, dogs, and the need to go: as far

as horses are concerned, you will discover,

if you have not already, that when you are

ready to go, they will be too. Long gone!

But … there is the solace that once they do

go, galloping merrily away over the hori-

zon with reins popping like whips, a horse

is much less likely to come back toting a

stick.

nATionAl Bird Dog MuSeuM

annual Luke Meatte Memorial Fish Fry

THuRSdAy, FeBRuARy 16 • 6:00 pm505 Highway 57 W • Grand Junction, Tn

For Field Trial participants

Sponsored by: nestle Purina • Anheuser-Busch Garmin • Ainley Kennels • Avery outdoors • Central distributors

© FTR


Sporting Dog Art

ContestBy Lucy Cogbill, Education Coordinator, The Bird Dog

Foundation

These three selected works of art are winners in the

Bird Dog Foundation’s 2017 Sporting Dog Art

Contest for grades K-12. This art contest has become very

popular with local school age children, with the Museum

receiving hundreds of entries from area schools each year.

The art contest is offered every year to the rural schools

within approximately a 50-75 mile radius of the Museum

in Grand Junction, TN. Deadline for the art contest is Jan-

uary 15th every year. The contest is judged by a panel of

independent artists, with prizes and awards given to the

winners at the annual Art Awards reception held at the

National Bird Dog Museum. The winning artwork re-

mains on display at the Museum’s Library through Janu-

ary 2018. See more of the Museum’s art work on

Shutterfly at: https://birddogfoundation.shutterfly.com/

Rules for the annual Art Contest and the College Schol-

arship Essay Contest for college bound seniors (deadline

is April 15, 2017) can also be found on the website:

www.birddogfoundation.com.

Yellow Labrador Retriever oil painting by 11th

Grade student Brody Herndon. Art Teacher is Patri-

cia Ayers of Rose Hill Middle School. Brody’s art won

1st Place, 11th Grade, Division II and Judges’ Special

Award winner.

Brittany Spaniel, colored pencil drawing by student

Kelsi Watkins of Corinth (MS) Middle School. Placed

1st in the Eighth Grade and winner of Division II.

Pencil drawing of running horse by student Hunter

Johnson of Biggersville (MS) Elementary School. Won

1st Place in the 6th Grade.

HorseHorse ReviewReview

We cover horseback field trials, too!Check out our February 2017 issue, and see our March 2017 issue

for results and photos from the National Championship -- Print issues available free at over 300 locations in the mid-south --

Subscriptions also available

read current & back issues online: www.midsouthhorsereview.com

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midsouthhorsereview.comor

[email protected]


(center) Owners of Funseeker’s Rebel, Frank and Mercy Fonseca.

Ross Young painting of Funseeker’s Rebel, who was inducted into the FT HoF.

2017 Field Trial Hall of FameThe Bird Dog Foundation congratulates the following who were inducted into the

Field Trial Hall of Fame on February 11, 2017:

Pointer and Setter Field Trial Hall of Fame:

David A. Fletcher

Allen R. Linder

Funseeker’s Rebel (Owners Frank & Mercy Fonseca, Trainer Fred Dileo)

Great River Ice (Owners Jack & Brian Sanchez, Handler Mike Tracy)

Brittany Field Trial Hall of Fame:

Mary Jo Trimble

NFC/DC/AFC Shady’s Tia Maria (Owners Marilynne & Clem Little)

FC/AFC Smarteyes-Joker (Owner Steve Ralph)

Retriever Field Trial Hall of Fame:

Rick Van Bergen

Judy Powers

John Goettl

NAFC-FC Beorn’s Blazing Hydropsyche (Owners Dr. William & Cynthia Howard)

NAFC-FC MD’s Cotton Pick’n Cropper (Owners Newt & Karen Cropper)

English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Hall of Fame:

Gary Wilson

NCFC/FC/AFC Windmillwood Storm (Owner Ewen McMillan & Handler Terry Pellow)

German Shorthaired Pointer Field Trial Hall of Fame:

Peter Kainz

NFC/FC Chisholm’s Creek Cuttin Loose “Cutter” (Owner Mark Wasserman)

NAFC/FC/AFC Annie’s Little Stinker “Chloe” (Owners James and Sara Messer)

Cocker Spaniel Field Trial Hall of Fame:

Albert Winslow

NFTC FTC Berol’s Petey’s Boy (Clarence Wingate, Handler)

FC CFC Warreners Yellowhammer MH (Owners Paul McGagh & Vicky Thomas)

Red Setter Field Trial Hall of Fame:

Don Beauchamp

Celtic’s Sua Sponte “Suzie” (Owner Paul Ober & Handler Butch Beyer)

(left to right) Dr. Davey Deal, Jr, Dr. Ron Deal, John Rex Gates, and David Tay-

lor - “the four wise dog men,” as they are dubbed, at the 2017 HoF inductions.

The National Bird Dog Museum is located in Grand Junction, Tennessee – the Bird

Dog Capital of the World! For over 25 years the museum has been preserving sporting

dog and field trial heritage. The Museum contains an extensive library for those wanting

to explore the wealth of information on bird dog and field trial history.

Growing from a small collection to a modern 30,000 square foot facility, the museum

showcases the history of pointing dog breeds, flushing dogs, and retrievers. The Sport-

ing Dog Wing showcases the stories of the Brittany, English Cocker Spaniel, German

Shorthair Pointer, English Springer Spaniel, Weimaraner, Red Setter, and Vizsla breeds.

The Wildlife Heritage Center contains a vast array of wildlife exhibits, appealing to

adults and children of all ages.

The Gift Shop has a great selection of unique bird-dog themed items and gifts for the

dog and outdoor enthusiast.

Find more information and latest news about the National Bird Dog Museum at:

www.birddogfoundation.com. Be invested in the museum’s work by becoming a mem-

ber and helping preserve this heritage for future generations.

Paving Memory Lane is another opportunity to immortalize your dog or an impor-

tant person with an engraved brick on the memorial walk.

Visit us online at: www.birddogfoundation.com

The National Bird Dog Museum and Hall of Fame

505 W. HWY. 57, GRAND JuNCTION, TN.

Hours: Tuesday - Friday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. | Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Sunday 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. | Closed Mondays

Phone: (731) 764-2058 | Tonya Brotherton--Executive Director

©FTR

(center) David Fletcher , reporter for the American Field, was inducted into the

FT HoF. He is a long-time field trialer and field trial supporter.


By Brad Harter

At the request of my old friend S. R.

“Tate” Cline, I had come to Grand

Junction to attempt videotaping the Na-

tional Championship for my first time in

1988. I knew absolutely not a single per-

son with the exception of Mr. “Tate.” My

first stop in town was Wilson Dunn’s

store, across the road from what is today

the Bird Dog Museum.

With camera in hand, I had just walked

into the store when a man jumped in front

of me asking me who I was and what I was

going to do with that video camera. He in-

troduced himself as Troy Newman from

Columbia, Missouri. We instantly became

friends and I would soon learn that Troy

loved to be in front of the camera more

than anyone I had ever met. There was ab-

solutely no shyness in this man!

Troy escorted me into the store and

within minutes Troy was introducing me

to Wilson Dunn and Gary Lockee. I would

soon learn that Wilson loved being in front

of the camera just about as much as Troy.

Within minutes, these three men had me

on a tour of Wilson’s mini museum in the

back his store.

That was the beginning of my learning

about the dreams and the passion all three

of these men had for a bird dog museum.

To be honest, I thought their dreams were

too big and really felt nothing would ever

go beyond that little room in the back of

the store. How wrong I was!

I came back the following year, 1989.

When I arrived in Grand Junction, I had

orders to meet Troy at his motor home

next to Wilson’s store, which was Troy’s

way of getting free electricity for two

weeks. He informed me that things were

on the move and I was to go with him to

the first ever meeting of the new bird dog

museum group. My 13-year-old son was

with me on that trip, and Troy said we both

needed to go with him and record the mo-

ment because he felt it was going to be his-

toric.

Present at this meeting, which was held

in the little apartment next to Wilson’s

house, were Delmar Smith, Tom Faller,

Wilson Dunn, and Gary Lockee. I’ll never

forget the pure excitement that was in the

air! The talk was of purchasing land, put-

ting up buildings, bringing in the Hall of

Fame, and having a wildlife heritage cen-

ter. They talked of raising thousands of

dollars and doing this all immediately!

The meeting lasted about an hour. The die

was cast, plans were under way and, for

the very first time, I started to wonder if

this was something that really could hap-

pen.

When we got in Troy’s truck, one that

he always borrowed from Wilson and

made sure he emptied of gas before he left

for home, my son must have read my

mind, and he asked Troy the question I

didn’t have the courage to ask.

He said: “Mr. Newman, who were those

men and can they really do what they were

saying?” I’ll never forget Troy’s answer.

“Heath,” he said, “Let me tell you about

all four of them. Delmar Smith is a dog

trainer and there is no one he doesn’t

know, and he can promote anything in this

world. He could sell ice cream to the Es-

kimos by the bucket full. Tom Faller is the

business and financial brains. He knows

money and will keep them straight and out

of financial pickles. The other two, Wilson

and Gary, they just know how to make

things happen. They will be the driving

force; someone will just need to keep peo-

ple out of their way. The word failure isn’t

in their dictionary. Mark my words – there

will be a museum in two years and it will

grow into one of the finest facilities in this

whole country!”

Troy passed away in the spring of 1990.

Although he never saw the completion of

the first building, he was absolutely on tar-

get about the fact it would happen.

By 1991 the first building was dedi-

cated. Over the next decade that building

would be expanded and grow into the

wonderful facility we have today.

Over the years, many others would be-

come involved and contribute money, time

and energy to the Bird Dog Museum. But

it was the passion and persistence of Gary

Lockee and the other early founders who

made the dream reality. It may have been

Wilson’s initial dream, but Gary Lockee

made the dream walk. From the very be-

ginning he envisioned everything we see

today: all the wings, all the breeds, the ex-

pansive collection of sporting dog memo-

rabilia that can be seen no where else in

the world

Following are just a few of the things

Gary Lockee has contributed over many

years.

1. Served as president of the Foun-

dation for 12 years (1989-2001)

2. Author of the foundation’s Char-

ter, Bylaws and IRS tax exempt applica-

tion

3. Chief financial officer for four

years (1998-2002)

4. Gary, his wife Sally, and his fam-

ily have generously contributed funds, re-

sources, and countless hours of time to

enhance the mission of the foundation

5. Along with Wilson, Gary was a

major donor of land for the foundation

6. Gary was actively involved in the

design all four of the buildings that house

the sporting dog center

7. Gary also served as general con-

tractor for each of those buildings

8. Gary traveled to all 48 states and

Canada as a Good Will Ambassador to

promote fundraising projects.

9. Established and helped to raise

money for the endowment and scholarship

fund.

10. Performed curator functions for

more than ten years.

11. Gary and Sally have established

many of the educational, art, and library

fund raising programs.

12. Gary’s most recent contribution

to the town and the surrounding area was

to spearhead the building of the wall along

Hwy 18 serving as an entrance to Grand

Junction.

Visit the Bird Dog Museum online at:

http://www.birddogfoundation.com/na-

tional_bird_dog_museum.htm

Captain Garrett Lockee

(731) 254-80412690 HWY. 64 • WHITEVILLE, TN

Open: Mon-Fri: 8-5 • Sat 8-4

Visit us at: pinnersfarmgarden.com

Full line of Carhartt Clothing

© FTR

OWNED & OPERATED By Donna Pinner

Field Trial Supplies• CUSTOM BELTS • SADDLES - NEW & USED

• KNIFE SHEATHS • TACK & TACK REPAIR

• HORSE SUPPLIES • HUNTING SUPPLIES

• Briar-Proof HUNTING CHAPS, PANTS & BIBS

The Grand Junction welcome wall at

Hwy. 57

Sally and Gary Lockee at the 2017 National Championship drawing.


Field Trial Review BULLETIN BOARDBULLETIN BOARD

National ChampionshipEVENTSEVENTS

The 116Th NaTioNal ChampioNship paRTiCipaNTs

We suppoRT The Field TRials

916 West market st. • Bolivar, TN 38008

731-658-7888

WelComes

©fTR

OLD HATCHIEVETERINARYCLINIC, PLLC

1017 N. Main St.

Bolivar, TN 38008

Office & Emergency No.

731-658-3555

BUSiNeSS HOURS

Monday - friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.mSaturday 8 a.m. - Noon

J.V. Wilhite, DVM

F.L. Wilhite, DVM

K.D. Pulse, DVM

FEB. 11: Grand Junction, TN. Bird Dog Museum. Field

Trial Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. 9 am

FEB. 11: Grand Junction, TN. Ames Plantation. Bryan

Hall. 2017 National Championship Drawing. 7 pm

FEB. 12: Grand Junction, TN. Bird Dog Museum. Kick-

Off Party for National Championship. 5:30 pm

FEB. 16: Grand Junction, TN. Bird Dog Museum. Fish

Fry for Field Trial participants. 6 pm

FEB. 20: Grand Junction, TN. Ames Plantation. Bryan

Hall. Brunswick Stew. 4:30-6: 30 pm. Everyone Invited!

Contribution Form

2017 National ChampionshipMy gift as designated below signals my support to the field trial, wildlife research,

education, and public service programs at Ames Plantation which benefit sportsmenand citizens throughout the United States.

My desired participation level is as follows:

( ) $1,000 ( ) $100( ) $500 ( ) $50( ) $250 ( ) $25

( ) Other __________

I desire that my contribution be allocated as indicated (make check to appropriate organization):

( ) Hobart Ames Foundation - Funds to be used to enhance physical facilities, field trial venue, and quail habitat.

( ) The University of Tennessee for Ames Plantation Development Fund -Monies to be used to support wildlife research on Ames Plantation with special emphasis on quail management.

Name:___________________________________________________________________

Address:___________________________________________________________________

City: _________________________________________ State: _______

Zip:_______________

RETURN ALL DONATIONS TO:

Ames PlantationP. O. Box 389

Grand Junction, Tennessee 38039-0389

CONTRIBUTIONS TO EITHER OF THE ABOVE ORGANIZATIONS QUALIFYAS CHARITABLE DEDUCTIONS UNDER CURRENT FEDERAL INCOME

TAX LAWS.

February 11, 2017

Field Trialers

2017 National Championship

Dear Friends:

Mrs. Julia Colony Ames established the framework for our giving program by creating the

Hobart Ames Foundation in 1950. Many years ago we offered persons and organizations

interested in field trialing and other parts of our operation an opportunity to be a part of this

charitable giving program.

We are striving for charitable donations to strengthen our goals of providing superior

conditions for the conduct of all-age field trial competition while increasing basic understand-

ings of wildlife, especially bobwhite quail and related predator species. We have enlisted the

support of several commercial sponsors for the National Championship but still need your

help to continue this important work. Not only will your contributions help support much-

needed research but it will also help support the maintenance of the field trial courses for this

historic trial.

Funding received to date has resulted in several intensive scientific investigations by

research scientists and graduate students from The University of Tennessee, Mississippi State

University, Tall Timbers Research Station, the Albany Area Quail Management Project, the

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and

Parks, and the University of Memphis. Results of these studies are being prepared for

scientific publications and also in a bulletin for field trialers.

We urge you to complete and return the contribution form with your donation, and/or call

me at the above phone number to discuss the research underway on Ames Plantation.

Sincerely,

R. J. Carlisle

National ChampionshipCHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONSCHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS

WWW.aRIsToCRaTMoToRINN.CoM


First Week of Running • February 13-18, 2017

Brace Dog Owner(s) Handler

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2/14/17

4

2/14/17

5

2/15/17

6

2/15/17

7

2/16/17

8

2/16/17

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2/17/17

10

2/17/17

11

2/18/17

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2/18/17

1

2/13/17

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B S

BEST WISHES TO ALL

CONTENDERS IN THE

2017 NATIONAL

CHAMPIONSHIP

CH. ERIN’S FULL THROTTLECH. ERIN’S FULL THROTTLE

HANDLER: Lefty Henry

OWNERS: John & Susan Ivester

Huntersville, NC

704.641.1570

©FTR

Bobby McAlexander received a special award for his serv-

ice to the National Championship at the 2017 NC drawing.

Bobby McAlexander presents the Joe Hurdle Top Dog

award to Will and Rita Dunn, owners of Dunn’s Tried N True.

Erin's Wild Justice P M Allen R. Linder Luke Eisenhart

Mega Blackhawk's Progeny P MBob & Sarina Craig, John Sayre &

D. Raines JordanSteve Hurdle

Chinquapin Reward P M Ted Baker & John Baker Slade Sikes

Whippoorwill Justified P M Ronnie Spears Larry Huffman

Shadow's Next Exit P M Butch Houston Robin Gates

Touch's Game Point P M Dr. Reuben Richardson & Tony Gibson Mark McLean

Just Irresistable P M Mary Devos Jamie Daniels

Daniels Creek Whitehawk P M Terry Reinke Travis Gellhaus

Coldwater Thunder P F Doug Arthur & Rachel Blackwell Steve Hurdle

Zorra S F Hal Meyer Sheldon Twer

Coldwater Hammer P MHoward Brooks and

Cole & Katie SummerlinMark McLean

Dominators Rebel Heir P M Jim Hamilton Jamie Daniels

Cassique's Boss P M Rick Stallings Steve Hurdle

Dunn's Tried 'n True P M Will & Rita Dunn Luke Eisenhart

Miller's Happy Jack P M Scott Griffin Randy Anderson

Erin's Muddy River P M Tommy Hamilton Robin Gates

Sleepless in Sacramento P F Jim & Cami Wolthuis Sheldon Twer

Dazzling P F Bob Walthall & Thorpe McKenzie Steve Hurdle

True Confidence P M Frank & Jean LaNasa Luke Eisenhart

Cole Train P M Dr. Fred Corder Dr. Fred Corder

White Dollar P M Scott Griffin Randy Anderson

Walnut Tree Fred P M Steve Mills Steve Mills

Erin's Hidden Shamrock S M Sean Derrig Sean Derrig

Whippoorwill Wild Assault P M Jim & Stephanie Bickers Larry Huffman


Note: S indicates Setter. P indicates Pointer. For more information and updates, visit www.amesplantation.org.

Second Week of Running • February 20-24, 2017

Brace Dog Owner(s) Handler

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2/21/17

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2/21/17

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2/22/17

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2/22/17

13

2/20/17

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2/20/17

B S

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2/23/17

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2/24/17

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2/24/17

Rules to remember while you are at the Ames Plantation:

1. Park off the road in areas designated for parking for those not officially involvedwith the competition. Do not unload on the shoulder of the road. Do not blockpublic roads!

2. All horses must be accompanied by acceptable proof of their current negativeCoggins test.

3. Ames Plantation assumes no responsibility for injury or loss of property. Ride atyour own risk.

4. Ride on blacktop roads only when absolutely necessary. It is easy for a shodhorse to slip on these surfaces, thus increasing the likelihood of injury to animaland rider.

5. During the competition you must not interfere with the judges. It is essential thatyou stay with the main body of the gallery. Those lagging back will be escortedoff the property.

6. Running horses by members of the gallery is not permitted. Boisterous behaviorbetween riders increases the chance of injury and is not acceptable.

7. Alcoholic beverages, regardless of container, are not permitted on the grounds orin the parking areas. Failure to observe this rule will result in your being askedto leave Plantation property.

8. Take your trash with you. Do not litter the grounds.9. No cooking of any type is permitted on the Plantation.10. Children under 12 years of age will not be permitted to ride in the gallery unless

accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, and no more than one rider to ahorse will be allowed.

11. No stallions allowed in the gallery.12. SPECIAL NOTE: Road traffic will be regulated along Turner Road and National

Championship Drive from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and along Ames Road-Plantation Road from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

13. Sheriff’s Deputies are present to enforce these and other appropriate restrictionsto maintain a safe environment and to enhance the conditions for the main objective, field trial competition. If you do not understand these rules, contact a deputy for a more detailed explanation.

WELCOME TO AMES PLANTATION

2017 OfficialsPhotos by Jamie Evans

Judging the 2017 National Champi-

onship are: Jim Crouse of Dixon,

KY, Jadie Rayfield of Mount Pleasant,

South Carolina, and Doug Vaughn of

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. William Smith

of Moscow, TN is this year's reporter.

Lester's Jazz Man P M Dan Hensley Randy Anderson

Shadow's Full Throttle P M Larry Lee Robin Gates

Stardust Chazz S MRobert Craig, Scott Kermicle,

John Sayre & D. Raines JordanSteve Hurdle

Lester's Sunny Hill Jo P M David Thompson Gary Lester

Touch's Adams County P M Richard Peterson Randy Anderson

Strut Nation P M Scott Jordan Scott Jordan

Skyfall P M Bob Walthall & Thorpe McKenzie Steve Hurdle

Miller's Creative Cause P M Tommy Liesfeld Gary Lester

Shadow's White Warrior P M Carl Bowman Robin Gates

Thunderbird Jaxinabox S M Dave Anderson Travis Gellhaus

House's Buckwheat Hawk P M Bruce & Karen Norton Mark McLean

Erin's Whiskey River P M Maeve Derrig Sean Derrig

Whippoorwill Blue Blood P M J.D. Huffman & Keith Wright Larry Huffman

Oakspring Bigtime Warrior P M Jeff Miller Allen Vincent

Touch's White Knight P M Eddie & Carole Sholar Mark McLean

Erin's Redrum P M Sean Derrig Sean Derrig

Salem's Annie Oakley P F Jim Santarelli Andy Daugherty

Prodigy's Bonfire S F Betty Shearouse Steve Hurdle

Whippoorwill Foto Op P F Ken Blackman & Heath Barnett Larry Huffman

Bye Dog

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