Gun Dog Forum

From the Ames Plantation site...

108th Running of the Nat'l Championship
February 2007

Drawing: February 10,2007 at 7:00 p.m. in Bryan Hall on the Ames Plantation

Running: Scheduled to commence on Monday, February 12, 2007 at 8:00 a.m. at the traditional Morning Breakaway across Buford Ellington Road from the Field Trial Stables

The drawing for the 108th running of the National Championship, for all-age pointing bird dogs, will be Saturday, February 10, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. in Bryan Hall, on Ames Plantation. The National Field Trial Champion Association, Inc. (NFTCA) sponsors the National Championship each year. The first brace of the 2007 National Championship is scheduled for Monday, February 12, 2007 at 8:00 a.m., at the morning breakaway site, across Ellington Road, from the field trial stables.

Approximately 40 dogs will compete for the National title. Dogs are drawn on Saturday night for bracemate and order-of-running only. One brace of dogs will run in the morning while a second brace is scheduled for the afternoon. Weather in February can be fickle at times and the Plantation usually catches up on their winter rainfall during the 2 weeks of the Championship. Only in extreme case of inclement weather will the trial be delayed which has happened often during the last 4 years. Judges for the trial will be: Charles F. Bryan from Collierville, Tennessee; Bobby McAlexander from Holly Springs, Mississippi, and Douglas Vaughn from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The reporter for the trial will be Bernard Matthys from Chicago, Illinois.

Come see the Championship in person and/or you can follow all of the action on this website beginning with the order of running which will be posted on Saturday night, February 10th by 10:00 p.m. A brief synopsis of each brace, with action photos, will be on the website at the end of each day’s running.
http://www.amesplantation.org/

Thanks Gunner...wish I could be there, though I'm not sure how much I'd see in a gallery of 400 or so.

I'll get all the inside scoop from Doug (Vaughn) at the spring trials.

Do you have a qualified dog?

Harv

You're welcome Harve

I've got what I believe to be some nice finished dogs but I can't afford to put them on the circuit. I train and handle my own dogs and run them when I can.
Riding the National Championship is a tremendous experience. You can actually see quite a bit in even fairly large galleries, not the 1500 to 2000 riders that they had some years ago. I understand that they will be running on Saturday again. It's been a number of years since they did that. Guess it was done to reduce those large number of riders.
Harv, have you been to any of the trials at Cov's old camp at Mortlach,
Saskatchwan? I worked for Cov back in the late 60's up there. Quite an experience.
I hope you'll take John's invitation to write about the prairie trials. I'll be looking forward to reading it.

Bill

We would hope you could add just a little also Bill.

Take a look at this link from Dave Quindt, sold out it appears:

http://www.casshill.com/page3.html

Yay! Lori aka my second mother will be there with her dog Redrock High Country. They leave on Friday, please wish them luck!!!

Thats a long haul east, but they should know the road pretty well by now.
I think Lori holds the distinction of being the only woman ever to handle a dog in the 108 year history of that stake.
The dogs she runs are good ones and she's a fine handler.

Yeah, it takes them about 3 days total, but Doug is a good driver. She will run High Country again, and hes a very smart, good dog. She almost qualified another dog named Matt but unfortunately she fell short a championship. Oh well, maybe next year.

gunner wrote: Harv, have you been to any of the trials at Cov's old camp at Mortlach,
Saskatchwan? I worked for Cov back in the late 60's up there. Quite an experience.

Bill, I've been there many times...but only running in the "Amateur" trials, (if you can call competing against Ferrell Miller, Bill Hunt, Don Arnold etc. amateurs).

They have done a lot of work to the old place, and have it fixed up real nice. (I heard it took them a couple of truck loads to get rid of Cov's whiskey bottles).

Have a championship qualified dog at the moment (but not the National of course), but I didn't feel he was quite ready for the Region 14 Shooting Dog Championship at Stoughton. Maybe this year. I had him with Ricky Furney this summer for finishing, and he seems to have shortened up a bit. Doesn't seem at all sour though.

My trialling partner, Pat Lewis, was Ted Gardner's apprentice, and has the grounds at Stoughton SK (same grounds as the Border International). Planning on spending a couple of weeks there in August.

Would LOVE to talk to you about your experiences.

Harv

Anyone think that Shell Creek Coin can pull off a repeat?? I hear he has been doing pretty well.

posts are in the wrong forums. Moderators need to do some sorting and moving of posts. Makes things much easier to find later on.

Is there anything that a non mounted spectator can see. I pretty much doubt it, but i will be traveling through the area on my way to GA, and think it would be interesting to stop.

There are typically around 300 or 400 in the gallery, so I would think you would be in danger of being trampled if you tried to walk the course, not to mention you would be left behind pretty fast. Maybe gunner or DC know of you can rent a horse.

Renting a horse should not be a problem. There are wranglers on site. Just go! You can find a mount.

There are usually at least a couple of wrangers there hanging around the break aways at the morning and afternoon course. Billy Moss of Moscow TN I think is still in business.
If you're in the area be sure to stop in Wilson Dunn's store in Grand Junction. There's also some nice get togethers planned the afternoon and evening before the running over at the Bird Dog Museum also in GJ.

The drawing for the 108th running of the National Bird Dog Championship is slated for tomorrow evening Feb. 10th.

41 dogs have been nominated to be drawn for the 108th running of the National Bird Dog Championship to commence Mon. Feb. 12th.
The randomly drawn braces will deterime which dogs will run together, and what three hour course they must complete in the three week period it normally takes to run this championship.
http://www.amesplantation.org/field-tri ... ations.asp

http://www.amesplantation.org/field-tri ... efault.asp

If anyone from here is going, please take a camera and report back with pictures. We would love to see them.

Two questions:

How is the draw determined, is it by a predetermined cutoff?

How often if ever do amateurs participate in this event?

Thanks
Ace

Hey Ace...

Dogs qualify to run in this trial, you can't just enter.

One has to win a qualifying trial or Championship, or be the previous year's Nat'l Chmp.

Now, there are occasionally some owner/operators, but generally its pro run dogs.

There are always some exceptions, and this may open another can of worms but many pros don't appreciate having amateur dogs entered in their trials. They feel its undermining their livlihood, as trial winning purses are usually their to keep, while the trophies go to the owners.

Other pros have told me flat out that if I could beat them, they aren't doing their job.

There are several amatuers running.

Hopefully Gunner will pop back in and tell us who they are and a little more...

-Flush

The nominations as of yesterday are up at http://www.amesplantation.org/field-tri ... ations.asp

I believe a dog can qualify up to the drawing, I remember a couple of years ago a dog got qualified at the last minute with a win.

I am pretty sure it takes two championship wins to qualify, not just one, and there is a list of the qualifying trials published in the field every year.

It looks like there are about four ams., but I don't know alot of the AF pointer people so could be wrong. Just looking for matchups of owner being the handler and name not being Furney or Gates or similar.

The drawing is public. They draw for bracemates and order or running only. Weather, the trial officials, and the judges determine whether they will actually run on a given day.

All I know.

Oh, birds are partly established wild coveys (quail), and partly a large release that is done in Sept., to prepare for this event.

Yes it has to be two wins.

I sure hope Richie has a good run with one of his Setters.

Any predictions?

I'll say Shell Creek Coin to repeat or Strut.

Cypress Gunpowder is my pick.

I will agree with Yawallac

Guys,
There are several very talented amateurs running their qualified dogs at the National.

The only woman that has ever run a dog in the 108 years running of the National is Lori Steinshouer who pulls east all the way from Nevada with her good Red Rock dogs. She's a good handler and her dogs can get the job done.

Tom Honecker is an amateur from Ohio and Mississippi.
I remember talking to Tom a number of years ago at the old Pigeon River grounds in NE Indiana. We were both making some changes in our lives and he said he was just going to get out of the game for awhile. He did, took some time out, and returned big time. He went down to near Holly Springs MS bought Cedar Oak Plantation and started winning with a little pointer bitch by the name of Cedar Oak Kate. Tom qualified her for the National and won the big dance with her in 1998.

Gary Lester's dogs are some of the most competitive dogs in the country, and Gary knows the game as well as any pro.

Thomas Leisfeld is I believe an amateur running two dogs, Lester's Thunderbird came of course from GL's breeding program and Davis Shout.

I think Tommy Davis may have gotten is amateur status back. He knows the game from his many successful years as a pro.

There may be one or two other amateurs running and they'll all have the kind of dog that could win it with a little luck.

Best to 'em all!

I'll predict...Lester's Absolute-P-M-Rick Stallings, handled by Colvin Davis

PntrRookie wrote:I'll predict...Lester's Absolute-P-M-Rick Stallings, handled by Colvin Davis

Good choice...he's on a roll.

I will be there on Thursday. I have been invited to ride along with someone who will be taking pictures, and I intend to take my camera as well. I can hardly wait, it should be a great time, even though I can only stay for one day on my way to GA.

So if you see some poor scmuck having trouble staying on a horse, with a French Brittany in his vehicle, that will be me

I hope nobody has to be life flighted from a heart attack this year. Pretty scary stuff.

I will also be pulling for White Powder Pete.

He was bred by Nathan Phillips http://www.phillipswhiteline.com and sold to B. Wimmer. I have a pup (my avatar) out of Nathan's - Phiilips White Twist (G. Lester owner). Nathan is just a great all around gentleman.

The temperature at break-a-way this morning was 44 degrees with a 46% humidity. Forcast calls for chance of showers.

This mornings 3 hour run braces the setter dog Tommy B with the pointer Chickasaw Butterfly. The afternoon course features the bracing of pointers Broadway Silver Belle and Top Crude.

Printable bracings, weather, photos and a synopsis of the running will be posted each evening at the plantation's website.
http://www.amesplantation.org/field-tri ... nopsis.asp

Here's a couple of articles and video about the National, dogs, and their handlers coming from the local Jackson, Memphis, Knoxville, TN papers that may be of interest...

http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 20304/1002

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/outdoors/ar ... 96,00.html

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/out ... 89,00.html

I have great respect for Colven and Macy Davis, so they take a win I wouldnt mind at all.

Besides that, GO LORI!!!!! lol

(Im a bit biased, she is family, haha)

I put my vote in for Hytest SkyHawk I would love to see a setter win.

I would love to see one win also. They have not one one since 1970, and I think 1948 before that.

My training partner talked to Richie tonight and sounds like bird finding is gonna be tough. He was real happy with Tommy B's outing - just no finds unfortunately.

Good pics and slide show on the Ames site. Some good smiling mugs from the west coast - Lori and Doug Steinshouer, Herb Anderson, Sheldon Twer, Richie & Tommy B

http://www.amesplantation.org/field-tri ... eshow.html

http://www.amesplantation.org/field-tri ... %20001.asp

BOB HODGE, hodge@knews.com wrote:with three judges watching and scoring the dogs. When all the braces are completed the dog with the highest score is declared the champion.

Had to laugh at this. Sorry just nit picking a bit.

Best of luck to all those competing. May the best dog win

awe....didnt know sheldon went. good guy he is. if only I didnt have to go to college...i would have gone. darn.

The setter guys have another shot at it this morning with Murray's Rustler, handled by Rich Robertson from Idaho. (rain and thunderstorms forcast / see below)
He'll be braced with Hall of Fame handler, Hoyle Eaton who returns with the fine pointer Sir Lancelot. Many will remember Sir Lancelot's 2005 three hour performance where he went on a bird find expedition, totaling 11 finds.
The afternoon running includes the 2005 National Champion, Cypress Gunpowder, handled by Andy Daughtery and the pointer Strut handled by Tommy Davis of Albany, GA.
The Ames site has updated the field trial pages with additional photo slide show...
http://www.amesplantation.org/field-tri ... nopsis.asp

Today: Periods of rain, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Temperature rising to near 57 by 11am, then falling to around 46 during the remainder of the day. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 15 to 20 mph becoming west northwest. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight: A 20 percent chance of rain before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Blustery, with a north northwest wind between 15 and 20 mph.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 36. North wind around 15 mph.

Wednesday Night: A chance of flurries after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. North wind between 10 and 15 mph.

Thursday: A chance of flurries before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. North northwest wind around 10 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 16.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 42.

Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29.

Saturday: A slight chance of snow or rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27.

Now what?? The afternoon brace was called at 42 due to weather. What happens to that brace?? Do they start over?? Are they done??

Yes, they will get to re-run.
Here's the story from this morning Memphis Commercial Appeal...
http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca....00.html

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Thurs. morning and yet another chance for the setters. Hytest Sky Hawk will be handled by Kentucy handler Ray Warren.
Here's an earlier newspaper article about the dog. It was written before the other 3 setters were nominated.
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns....00.html

Current temperature at Grand Junction, 20 degrees.Today: Scattered flurries. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32. North wind around 10 mph.
With this weeks earlier rain and standing water on the grounds these current conditions may very difficult on the dogs.

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Here's this morning's news from the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Last years National Champion, Shell Creek Coin is slated to run in this morning's three hour brace.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/...358882,00.html
I got a kick out of seeing Brad Harter's action photo of Whipoorwill Firefox during her yestday's run.

Here's recent stories from the Memphis and Jackson newspapers...

http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... 20311/1002

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/out ... 86,00.html

Very few completed 3 hours

Don't count out BB's Pike or Whippoorwill Wild Again. They both have a shot.

Will Strut and Cypress Gunpowder run as a second brace today?

The morning's Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Two more braces. Speculation...

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/out ... 47,00.html

The 2007 NATIONAL BIRD DOG CHAMPION