hunt test / field trials

[duck1187]

Im lookin around and it doesnt look like theres much of any pointer tests ,trials,nastra ,national bird dog challenge events in western washington any more. Am i missing something ?

[lokidog]

What's a pointer...?   

[jetjockey]

Your correct.  Unfortunately the PNW is not a hot bed for pointing dogs and their activities. There's a few AKC/AF trials, but not many...  While I am no fan of living here in the South, I am leaving in an hour for trials in a town that proclaims to be the "Bird dog Capital of the World".   If I drive 2 hours in the opposite direction I'll be in a town that proclaims to be the "Field Trial" capital of the world, and the bird dog Hall of Fame is a 5 hr drive.  They could burn the South down for all I care, but the bird dog history and culture down here is pretty cool.  I wish there were more if it in the PNW:

[AspenBud]

Your correct.  Unfortunately the PNW is not a hot bed for pointing dogs and their activities. There's a few AKC/AF trials, but not many...  While I am no fan of living here in the South, I am leaving in an hour for trials in a town that proclaims to be the "Bird dog Capital of the World".   If I drive 2 hours in the opposite direction I'll be in a town that proclaims to be the "Field Trial" capital of the world, and the bird dog Hall of Fame is a 5 hr drive.  They could burn the South down for all I care, but the bird dog history and culture down here is pretty cool.  I wish there were more if it in the PNW:

 

When I lived in Michigan NSTRA and Cover Dog were the big draws. BDC and some horseback trials were not uncommon either. AKC trials were the minority, particularly if you were a Pointer or setter guy(the only AKC Pointers I ever encountered there were show dogs, everything else was AF). Amateur clubs were not uncommon, groups of people training in various corners of the state (like I think there were three or four NAVHDA chapters alone that got together) were easy to find and welcoming, the Ruffed Grouse Society had an amateur trial circuit with a championship, and so on. People were familiar with pointing dogs there because they were everywhere.

There were far more hunting preserves at cheaper prices, trainers (guys with kennels of their own and championships under their belts) often cost about half of what I've seen quoted out here (probably because there was more competition for the business), and so forth.

I hated the job insecurity out there, but the extreme focus on big game here and the little interest in bird dogs and their quarry is depressing.

That said, this is duck hunting paradise compared to out there and a dog that really gets rolling is not for everyone, especially in areas of heavy cover and hilly terrain and more rain. Throw in more predator dangers and I can see how retrievers and spaniels have become the mainstays here.

[jetjockey]

I've had people call me out when I said training prices for pointing dogs in the PNW are ridiculous.  The sad thing is that they are.  I'm currently in Waynsboro GA.  When the AF Pointer and Setter guys come to town, it's a BIG deal.  They run a three hour continuous course here at DiLane Plantation and the police department shows up to shut down major roads to make sure the dogs are safe during trials.  They don't screw around.

The big difference I see is that back home, they use duck dogs to upland hunt, and down here, they use upland dogs to duck hunt.  There's a lot of GSP's, GWP's, and even Brits that do double duty in the duck blinds.  I wish the pointing dog world would gain more traction in the PNW, but I don't think it will ever happen.  Hunting quail is as much of a tradition as deer hunting in The upper Midwest.  Btw.  For those of you who don't know, in The upper Midwest, many school districts shut down for the opening of deer season.  I guess they realized it's easier to shut school down than to teach class with no students.

[AspenBud]

I've had people call me out when I said training prices for pointing dogs in the PNW are ridiculous.  The sad thing is that they are.

A month of training with a good trainer in MI is about $500.00 a month. I actually talked to a couple of guys at a release site last Fall who told me they actually fly their dogs east for training, the cost of airfare and training comes out to a lot less than paying full freight out here. No lie.

[jetjockey]

Makes you wonder if more people in the PNW would get into pointing dogs and trials if the prices were not so high. 

[AspenBud]

Makes you wonder if more people in the PNW would get into pointing dogs and trials if the prices were not so high.

I think it's more complicated than that but cost is probably a factor, yes.

[Blackjaw]

When the springer and cocker field trial people want their dogs professionally trained they send them out of state (mostly to the 3 big trainers in North Dakota, or down to Gary Breitbarth in CA). It looks like they are charging ~750-800 a month.

[chevyistop]

  On the Wet side of the state you can still find a bunch of AKC field trials and hunt test. If you want to travel a bit, NSTRA has a bunch of trials in Eastern Wa. Oregon, and Idaho. I judge NSTRA trials here in the north west. www.nstra.org and just find the northwest region and it will list events. As far as AKC events you can look up breeder clubs for pointing breeds. I.e. GSP club of Washington etc.. Or they have a parent group that post via yahoo groups known as the Northwest Field Trial Council. Because of the Anti's and their protesters, advertising for events isn't as available but the events are still happening.

[AspenBud]

  On the Wet side of the state you can still find a bunch of AKC field trials and hunt test. If you want to travel a bit, NSTRA has a bunch of trials in Eastern Wa. Oregon, and Idaho. I judge NSTRA trials here in the north west. www.nstra.org and just find the northwest region and it will list events. As far as AKC events you can look up breeder clubs for pointing breeds. I.e. GSP club of Washington etc.. Or they have a parent group that post via yahoo groups known as the Northwest Field Trial Council. Because of the Anti's and their protesters, advertising for events isn't as available but the events are still happening.

Looking at your schedule for NSTRA, it looks like you guys have fun trials on occasion. Just how serious are these, do you have to be a member to enter, and I'm assuming they are meant as a way for newer people to test the waters? When I was in MI the Ruffed Grouse Society held fun trials regularly and I think the Michigan Amateur Field Trial Association held something similar on occasion. Nothing too serious, but a place for people with a similar interest to meet up, have some friendly competition, and have a good time.

[Happy Gilmore]

The NW is the most prominent area in the USA for Field Champion Retrievers. Gonia, Carlson, Dewitte, Shoemaker, Bauer, Vandebrake, Kashevarov, Jackson and many other locals. Richard Shoemaker was an old time pointing dog man who ran dogs for the movie stars. All pointing dogs in the 50's. RJ Marquart has an impeccable record of success in pointers which few or any can match.

Guys say the same crap about west coast field trial retrievers except the history says otherwise. Same spunk talk different day. Gets old

[jetjockey]

We aren't talking about retrievers though.  We are talking about pointing dogs.  The History of pointing dogs says the PNW is basically a nobody when it comes to pointing dogs.  There's very few trials, very few hunt tests, and even fewer fun days.  Not only that, the states don't support it like they do down here.  We are currently running at DiLane plantation.  DiLane is 8000 acres of public land groomed specifically for wild quail.  It is 100% supported by the state for bird hunting and trials.    There isnt a single place like that in the PNW.  In GA alone, we have 3 different plantations like that that are 100% supported by the state.  That doesn't include the many private plantations that range from 1000-10,000+ acres that are all specifically groomed for wild quail, hunting, and trials as well.  As far as trainers go, the best pointing dog trainers in the country come from down here.  They are trainers who's dads trained, who's grandpas trained, and who's grandpa's trained them.  Guys who's families have been training pointing dogs before most of the pointing dogs were even introduced to the USA.

Happy, you've made it very clear many times you don't know the workings of the pointing dog world.  You did it again in your above post.  I don't know why you even respond to these threads, because it shows your lack of knowledge on the subject.  You should just stop, and respond to the retriever threads, which you obviously know a lot about.

[Happy Gilmore]

There have been a few nobody pointer trainers and nobody has ever argued that it isn't big out here. I can't believe you keep up posting and boasting about how great it isn't here. It seems to consume your thoughts.

[Happy Gilmore]

In the 1960's there was a little kennel in Redmond about where the Microsoft campus is today which normally had 300 pointers in house for training.