Result: Peninsula Bird Hunters Club

Location: Ahoskie, North Carolina

Post Date: Feb 27, 2024

Submitted By: Steve Moore

Amateur Puppy Winners (standing): Barbel Fetkoter, Lee Flanders, Frank Barns, John Outlaw (judge), and Pete Del Collo (judge). (Front): Ashby Morgan with Pinekone Taylor Made, David Huffine with Sweet Grass Slick, and Steve Moore with Wayside Jade.

The Peninsula Bird Hunters Club held their field trial at Dr. Morgan's Cutawhiskie Farm in Ahoskie, N. C., on Saturday, December 16.

We would like to thank the following people for their participation in making this another successful trial. Purina for providing sponsorship and valuable coupons for their quality dog food to all placements, grounds, Dr. Morgan and Barbel Fetkoter, judges Pete Del Collo and John Outlaw, dog wagon drivers William and Matthew Flanders, bird planters Matthew Flanders, Butch Haywood and Arnold Ripley, lunch Lee Flanders and David Huffine.

The field trials were originally scheduled for Sunday, but with bad weather all week and the forecast calling for more bad weather on Sunday, they were able to move the trials to Saturday. This turned out to be a great move, as Sunday would have been a washout and disappointing for everyone involved. Although it was wet in some areas and frosty in others, Saturday was by far the best day of the week for field trialing. It was a cool morning with temperatures in the low 30s. The sunshine warmed the day, and the temperature was in the low 50s by afternoon.

Eight puppies were registered to complete; as it turned out, it was a full field of setters. Around 7:30, the puppy braces were set to go, and the judges let the handlers know they could turn them loose whenever they were ready.

The course started with a nice long breakaway. There was a field on the left and brushy edges that followed a beautiful pond on the right. This gave the judges a good first look at the puppies' speed and cast. After the breakaway, they entered the piney woods with saw grasses and more brush cover with trails cut through the cover for the handlers, judges, and the convoy of spectators, both by horseback and side-by-side UTVs. The course circled the property, maintaining mature standing timber to the far right of the trail.

The judges agreed the puppies did well for their age and somewhat tough conditions, each showing their own style and personality. They certainly displayed traits that could make them nice derby dogs in the coming fall.

After the puppy braces were completed, we transitioned to the Shooting Dog trial. There were 16 competitors -- eight setters and eight pointers. These dogs turned it up a notch and showed some really good groundwork, style, and handling.
In the first brace, Lee Flanders' dog Jack looked really nice on the ground, handled well, had two finds, and ran a strong forward brace. Frankie Barnes' Dot had one find, but the bird had buried up and was hard to find and flush. The time spent on that bird may have kept them from moving on to find more birds. She held a pretty point for a long time before Frankie was able to find and flush that bird.
In the second brace, David Huffine's dog Slim had three finds, handled well, and showed a lot of style.

After completing 4 of the 8 Shooting Dog braces, we stopped for lunch.
Lunch was served under a large, covered pavilion. Lee Flanders made some awesome deep-fried fish filets, hush puppies, and various sides. David Huffine also brought fresh oysters for the participants and guests to enjoy. There were also plenty of desserts to enjoy. To say that we ate well is an understatement. Thank you to all who helped prepare the food; it was absolutely delicious.

After filling our plates, Barbel Fetkoter provided an update to the group regarding the progress of the grounds at Cutawhiskie. Recognizing there were newcomers to the farm, Barbel explained the history of how Dr. Morgan's plans for the grounds began and shared her plans to expand the grounds and keep their vision alive for the future of field trialing. She has a nice bird program underway with several coveys of Northern Bobwhite quail already taking hold. She has also cleared a large portion of the back part of the property to increase bird habitat and to make room for more birds and field trials. Barbel has done a wonderful job maintaining Dr. Morgan's dream for Cutawhiskie Farm, and her efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Thank you, Barbel, for continuing the vision and hosting this event. The Virginia Amateur Field Trial Association is especially grateful for the generosity of Dr. Morgan's field trial grounds and the opportunity to support the Peninsula Bird Hunters Club's December event.
At the completion of the lunch break, the puppy placements were announced, and awards were given.
Judge Pete DelCollo said that Taylor ran a mature forward brace and handled well for a 7-month-old puppy. It was a joy to watch these puppies cover the course in such tough conditions.

Ahoskie, N. C., December 16
Judges: Pete DelCollo and John Outlaw
AMATEUR PUPPY - 8 Entries
1st-PINEKONE TAYLOR MADE, unreg., setter male, by Chippokes Cracker Jack-Mohawk Mill Charmer. Pinekone Kennels, owner; Ashby Morgan, handler.
2d-SWEET GRASS SLICK, 1706149, setter male, by Shagtime Max-Shagtime Zee. David Huffine, owner and handler.
3d-WAYSIDE JADE, 1706544, setter female, by Blue Ridge Chance-She's A Jewel. Steve Moore, owner and handler.

Amateur Shooting Dog
After the lunch break, it was back to the field to start the last four braces of Shooting Dog. In the 6th brace, Ashby Morgan's setter Charmer had two finds and was pointing a nice big covey at the time of pick-up, all in order.
In brace 8, Ashby's Big Stuff had two finds, ran a forward brace, and showed a lot of style. The judges said that Charmer was in the running until Big Stuff bumped her out. The judges selected the top dogs from the first two braces as top performers for the day.

AMATEUR SHOOTING DOG - 8 Pointers and 8 Setters
1st-SWEET GRASS SLIM, 1685332, setter male, by Sterlingworth Jack-Sandland Miracle Maggie. David Huffine, owner and handler.
2d-CHIPPOKES CRACKER JACK, 1691321, setter male, by Skyview New Edition-Good Tron's Sorrrell's Penny. Lee Flanders, owrn and handler.
3d-MOHAWK MILL BIG STUFF, 1691821, pointer male, by Mohawk Mill Trail Warrior-Hirollins Fantasy Girl. Gary Winall, owner; Ashby Morgan, handler.

Amateur Shooting Dog Winners (standing): Barbel Fetkoter, Pete Del Collo (judge), John Outlaw (judge), William Flanders, Mathew Flanders, and Steve Moore. (Front): David Huffine with Sweet Grass Slim, Lee Flanders with Chippokes Cracker Jack, and Ashby Morgan with Mohawk Mill Big Stuff.