Result: Quail Championship Invitational

Location: Kevil, Kentucky

Post Date: Jan 23, 2025

Submitted By: Alaina Berendzen & Mary Sue Schalk

Quail Championship Invitational (l-r): Luke Eisenhart (handler), Judd Carlton (scout) with 2024 Quail Championship Invitational Champion Erin's Wild Atlantic Way, Allen Vincent (handler), Mary Sue Schalk (scout) with 2024 Quail Championship Invitational Runner-up Champion Dunn's True Reign, and owners Mr. and Mrs. Norris Sims.

The history of the Quail Championship Invitational is rich with exceptional dogs and people. With the inaugural running held in December of 1940 in Albany, Georgia, albeit a 22-year break and a change in venue, to the 61st running held in November of 2024 in Kevil, Kentucky, the performances never cease to amaze and excite those who love a good bird dog.

With a points system in place, the club invites the top 12 performers on the all-age circuit to Paducah, Kentucky, to compete on the West Kentucky Wildlife Area Management grounds. The format would be the same as the '41 and '42 events. The dogs compete in one-hour heats on successive days in the qualifying series. Then the dogs called back on the third day would run for two hours in the final series. Currently, the Invitational is the only championship that requires a four-hour performance in a three-day period.

The winner of the Quail Championship Invitational must demonstrate the requisite qualities of the all-age class at a high level. The Invitational winner must:
* hunt boldly and independently throughout--should not require excessive direction from the handler,
* demonstrate qualities of the finished dog by consistent coursing to logical objectives, responsiveness to the handler, and maintaining a forward pattern,
* exhibit strength, courage, and an unquenchable desire to find game regardless of cover conditions--not simply choosing the easy path but hunting through habitat likely to hold game,
* exhibit style, speed, and stamina in action,
* handle game correctly--locate and point quickly and accurately using body not ground scent, back without caution, be steady,
* demonstrate extreme character and finish around game--style, intensity, location, and polish--must not show softness or apprehension.

The Quail Championship Invitational seeks to identify the epitome of the open all-age class of dogs, an individual with strength, courage, intelligence, and character at the highest level. A flawless performance of pedestrian quality should not be favored over one that, although imperfect, thrills with the magnitude of the effort. Above all else, the Invitational seeks to identify the endurance performer. If the judges are, to any extent, uncertain of the ability of an individual to continue at an all-age level of performance, then that dog should not be recognized as the Invitational champion.
(The Invitational Champions, John Russell pg. xii)

The Quail Championship Invitational returned to the West Kentucky Wildlife Management Area at Paducah, Kentucky, on November 29, 2024. The West Kentucky Field Trial Club again hosted the running. Mary Sue Schalk, in addition to being the chairwoman of the Invitational, is also the West Kentucky Field Trial Club president. Mike Crouse is the vice president. The father/daughter team keeps the wheels running to ensure the trial runs smoothly. The club roster identifies the remaining members as Alan Benson, Don Wiggins, Michael Kennedy, James Kleve, Vincent Major, Gary Lester, Sarah Clary, Cora Clary, and Joe Hopkins.

The trial is a Purina Handler of the Year and a Top Dog Award points trial. It is also a National Championship qualifier. The drawing was held Friday, November 29, at 6 p.m. at the clubhouse, and the 11 Pointer males and one Setter male were paired for the two qualifying days of running.

Purina has been a consistent sponsor of this prestigious event for many years. Greg Blair coordinates Purina's donation of Pro Plan--eight bags to the new champion and four bags to the runner-up. Purina's generosity is one of the reasons for the longevity of this significant and respected event. Thank you seems too little to say when Purina does so much for field trials.
Vincent Major added a unique touch for the third consecutive year, providing leather works for the champion and runner-up, collars and leashes for both dogs, and spur straps for the scouts. He also drives the dog wagon on Saturday and Sunday during the prestigious event. A young man with a positive attitude, he is a gem to the event and the West Kentucky Field Trial Club.
Tim Khrer manages the West Kentucky Wildlife Management Area. His workforce currently consists of only himself and one tech, and as with other industries, employees are hard to come by. Their efforts to have the courses groomed and ready for the trial were exceptional. They were commended for their hard work.

As president, Mary Sue is responsible for the trial's success, but she gives credit to all who share in the duties. She makes every effort to ensure the success of the trial. She readily accepts the responsibility that comes with her position. She stated that her objective was to honor and respect everyone who comes to the trial whether as a participant or someone who just rides in the gallery. The Invitational is for people who love horseback field trials, and the Invitational is one of the greatest events in the history of field trials.
Mary Sue Schalk served as the head marshal, keeping us on the correct path. Her service was invaluable. Alan Benson, Eddie Berendzen, and Nathan Berendzen helped with marshaling duties. They shadowed judges to make sure he was reunited with the judging panel if he was behind for any reason.
Nathan Berendzen served as the rear marshal. He went with a handler to find a wayward dog to make sure the handler was able to find his way back to headquarters. He also helped ensure that the gallery stayed on pace with the lead.
Vincent Major served as the dog wagon driver for the third consecutive year. Vincent was very popular not only because he was punctual to have the dogs at the right place, but because he also had hot coffee and snacks. Punctual and efficient, an excellent dog wagon driver!
Dr. Stan Wint returned from Gardner, Kansas, to complete his term as an arbiter of this event. He has been involved with bird dogs and field trials for over 30 years. He began his career in walking dog stakes and won his first championship in 1992. He has adjudicated in NBHA trials as well as horseback shooting dog and all-age American Field trials. He also served on the judges panel for the National Championship, as well as other prestigious events. His experience and desire to recognize the qualities of an Invitational champion made him highly qualified to fill a judicial saddle.

This year, Mike Crouse of Dixon, Kentucky, was added to the judges' panel. A no-brainer when creating a judges' team, he was a welcome addition. Crouse has over 50 years of bird dog and field trial experience. Competing as an amateur across the country, winning championships, judging championships, hosting events, and marshaling the Quail Championship Invitational year in and year out are only a few of the pieces of his resum . He continues to give to the sport, adding a National Bird Hunters Association field trial event on his farm this fall, and looks forward to hosting the event annually. His commitment, knowledge, and passion for the sport make him overly qualified to judge this championship.

Michael Kennedy from Opelika, Alabama, rounded out the judicial panel. His introduction to bird dogs was when he began to hunt with his own walking dogs. He has trained his own dogs for over 20 years. His field trial involvement was interrupted to dedicate his time to his wife and three young children. He has since been very active in field trials and has participated in all areas of administration and responsibility. His judging assignments have taken him outside Alabama. Some of the major championships he has judged are the Kentucky Shooting Dog Championship, the Kentucky Quail Classic, the NBHA National Amateur Championship, the ABHA Free-For-All, and many weekend trials. His experience well qualifies him for this assignment.

Once again, the Friday night event was a success, with participants, owners, guests, and volunteers convened at the clubhouse on Friday, November 29, for a sumptuous meal, "Southern Style," catered by Byron and Farrah Caldwell. Dinner included greens, ham, beans, cornbread, and bread pudding. The silent auction has become a tradition to offset costs for the three events and would not be possible without contributions from businesses and individuals. The proceeds of the auction provide financial assistance for the operation of this prestigious event. Many thanks to all who contribute annually and participate in the event!

The evening concluded with the drawing for the Quail Championship Invitational conducted by Mary Sue Schalk. Conducted with order and precision, Cody Duncan, an attorney from the Nashville area, assisted Mary Sue. Cody and his father, Chip, helped prepare for and conduct the drawing, handling the minute details of typing the running order and completing judges' books. This is the second year in a row the father/son team has contributed to our event. Their assistance helps to keep the event running timely, and smoothly.

The Running
The Quail Championship Invitational began Saturday, November 30, 2024, at 7:30 a.m. sharp. We sat at the clubhouse listening to Chairman Mary Sue Schalk reminding us of the expectations and blessing us all with a prayer before we turned loose. It was the perfect day for a field trial. It was chilly, but no leaf moved; the wind stayed away for an enjoyable ride as we watched the 12 most-winning dogs in the nation. We rode to the starting line with the dog wagon, dogs yapping, horses snorting in excitement, and chatter throughout the gallery as old friends caught up. Luke Eisenhart and his scout, Judd Carlton, went to the starting line with Nighthawk's Rebel. They were braced with Haney's Hurricane Seeker, run by David Russell and scouted by Korry Rhinehart. The handlers tell one another good luck, and the judges say, "Ready when you are," and off they go, and everyone clicks their timers to begin. Both dogs hit the edges running, hunting, hoping to find a bird to point. As we go left, we lose sight of the dogs, and they take the natural course. We see them again as we round the corner after funneling through the alley of the woods and see Nighthawk's Rebel hunting the edge of the cornfield. At 10, David Russell calls point at the corner of the cornfield; Haney's Hurricane Seeker stands tall with his tail pointed to the sky. Russell goes into flush, and birds fly out. Haney's Hurricane Seeker stays frozen until his handler arrives to take him on the front. As we came off the find Hurricane Seeker immediately took the edge of the bottoms to get to the front. At 14, Nighthawk's Rebel was found on point with Hurricane Seeker backing. Nighthawk was excited, but Hurricane was not so confident, and his tail was not so high. Eisenhart went in and attempted to flush. Once he decided they may not be right there, he relocated to Nighthawk. Unfortunately, the birds were not home. The scout sent Nighthawk on his way. Nighthawk decided to show off running big and was not seen again the rest of the hour. Hurricane Seeker was also strong to the front and was not seen for the remainder of time.

The second pairing for Saturday was Allen Vincent with Dunn's True Reign and Eisenhart with Erin's Perfect Storm. As is the custom with horseback field trials, the gallery was granted a brief break. Tall tales were told, and good memories shared as the dogs came to the line. Both dogs shot out the front, being seen again once we were to the Highline pasture. Both dogs run the edges, searching for a bird to point out to their handlers. At 39, True Reign's scout called point for both dogs from deep in the corner of the Highline pasture. The two dogs stood frozen, waiting for their handlers to find the birds they had been waiting so patiently to see fly in the air. The birds bubble out of the brush, and both handlers shoot. The scouts take the dogs on, and they power to the front. Grabbing edges and hunting out of sight at the end of the hour. Their enthusiasm was noted as time was called, and both handlers grabbed their trackers to locate the canine athletes.

As the past handlers gather their dogs we wait for the next handlers and set of dogs. Chris Cagle brought out Haney's Storm Warning to run braced against Fred Corder with Game Surge. Both dogs blow out the front early and are next spotted standing on the far corner before the course makes a hard left turn. Both dogs stay frozen as their handlers dive in to flush out birds. Sure enough, the birds fly out, both handlers shoot, and we are back to it. Haney's Storm Warning is not seen often as an all-age should not be. We meet again when Chris yells, "Point," and we race to see it. We approach Storm Warning, standing with his head held high, his base wide, and his tail nearly touching the clouds near a five-foot brush pile. Game Surge was a little ways off backing Haney's Storm Warning. It was a beautiful find with the sun shining and Storm Warning's confidence radiating. Cagle went into flush, and quail exploded from the brush pile. It was a picture-perfect find.
After our stomachs were full and fresh horses were tacked, we started the fourth brace with Gary Lester with Miller's King Poast against Judd Carlton with Miller's Heat Advisory. Both dogs hit the ground running and never looked back. They ran a big all-age race and were seen when needed. We rarely saw them, and their ground race as all-age dogs was phenomenal. Showing to the front as is expected in such competition.

The next brace was Como Thunder, handled by David Russell, and Erin's Code of Honor, run by Luke Eisenhart. Code of Honor had a sound all-age race. Both dogs were running the edges off breakaway in the winter wheat field. We came around the corner of the Power Plant Pasture, and Russell called point. Deep in the corner, Como Thunder was standing tall. Russel was able to flush out some birds at just about time (at 57). Russell called point. Como Thunder was yet again deep in the woods. Successfully, quail were flushed out.

The final brace was Southern Thunder, run by Tom Shenker, and Erin's Wild Atlantic Way, handled by Luke Eisenhart. You could feel the buzz of excitement when Eisenhart and Shenker called point. Both dogs were standing side by side, shaking in eagerness. Both handlers shot when birds flew out. The dogs were taken on, and the eagerness grew. At 29, Southern Thunder had a find, and Erin's Wild Atlantic Way backed birds were found. Again, at 48, Luke called point, and Southern Thunder backed this timer. In the same spot, we had a beautiful find at the five-foot brush pile; Eisenhart produced more birds for a successful find. Our day came to an end with the sun going down as well as the temperature; the excitement of what tomorrow would bring buzzed through the gallery as we headed back to the barns.

Our second day started at the same time but much cooler, with frost coating the grass. Heat poured off the gallery as the horses danced in excitement, and chatter filled the gallery. After Erin's Wild Atlantic Way's performance yesterday, we were excited to see what lay in store today. Miller's King Poast was his bracemate. The brace began with slight crunches from the frozen ground. Gary Lester's Scout called point; Miller's King Poast was off the corn field in a brush pile. Lester flushed, and his dog stood as they floated into the sky. He had a good race and really showed off. Erin's Wild Atlantic Way was showing off in the bean field, giving Eisenhart the opportunity to sit back and point him out. Right out of the bean field, Eisenhart called point, and birds were found. Right after the railroad tracks to the right, Eisenhart called point. We rode to it to see Erin's Wild Atlantic Way buried up in the woods and brush, which made it a little tricky for Eisenhart. Fortunately, he was able to ruffle up some quail for another successful find.

Up next was Miller's Heat Advisory, run by Judd Carlton, braced against Erin's Code of Honor, handled by Luke Eisenhart. Right off the high line pasture, where we saw birds the first day, Miller's Heat Advisory found the same covey. At 53, Eisenhart is confident he is not in it with Erin's Code of Honor and decides to pick up early. At 58, Carlton called point, and birds were found again. At 59, one minute to go, Carlton calls point. The whole gallery comes to see how it would turn out. Carlton goes into flush but is unable to find anything. He relocates, confident in Miller's Heat Advisory. He freezes and stands on point. Carlton once again goes to flush, yet with no success. The brace is over.
Our third brace is run by Southern Thunder, handled by Tom Shenker, and paired with Como Thunder, handled by David Russell. Both dogs made a big swing, hitting every edge back to the course at the sunflower field. He had a big, impressive race for the second running day. At 15, Southern Thunder was buried up in the woods; Shenker didn't hesitate; he jumped right in and began flushing, and out came a whole covey of quail. Tom called point again later just off the road near the three ponds pasture, birds were found.

After we got our stomachs full and fresh horses tacked up, we headed out for the last half of running before the callback. We started the afternoon with Luke Eisenhart running Nighthawk's Rebel. At 10, Eisenhart called point, Nighthawk was in a hedgerow. Eisenhart was able to flush out a covey. At 30, both handlers called point off the road to the right before the big ditch. Both handlers eagerly jumped in, and a covey of quail filled the air around us. At 45, Cagle called point at that same brush pile we had seen a find this morning in that brush pile, and Cagle was able to produce birds from the brushy area.

Up next, we had Game Surge, run by Fred Corder. He ran too big, and Corder decided to take his tracker to find Game Surge. His bracemate was Dunn's True Reign, handled by Allen Vincent. At 9, Vincent called point. We came up on Dunn's True Reign off a tree line. Vincent tried to find the birds but had to rely on Dunn's True Reign to relocate them. Dunn's True Reign was prosperous as quail were found. At 39, Dunn's True Reign chose a different tree line, and the birds were home. At time, Dunn's True Reign was still running big as Vincent grabbed the tracker at time to find him.

To conclude, on the last day until callback, Luke Eisenhart ran Erin's Perfect Storm, and David Russell ran Haney's Hurricane Seeker. Haney's Hurricane Seeker ran too big, and Russell chose to grab the tracker early. At 30, Luke called point deep in the brush. Perfect Storm stood frozen as the birds boiled out from the brush. At 48, another great find for Erin's Perfect Storm. He stood statued as the birds flew high above the weeds. The sun set, and the temperature dropped, but the anticipation never ceased.

The callback was that night, and you could feel the excitement through the clubhouse as we waited. The judges decided to call back four dogs and announced they wanted to see them at the end of the brace. The first brace of the morning callback would be Erin's Atlantic Way braced against Haney's Storm Warning. In the second brace were Dunn's True Reign and Southern Thunder. Everyone shook hands and said their goodnights, and we all tried to sleep, not knowing how tomorrow would play out.

The last and final braces began bright but colder than the other days. The frost was much thicker, and the temperature was much lower as a snowstorm made its way toward us. Both dogs shot out the front, covering a lot of ground. After seeing Erin's Wild Atlantic way scarcely, we saw him again standing tall and proud on point just after the railroad tracks. Luckily, the birds were home. Meanwhile, Haney's Storm Warning was running big and with limited visibility. At 1 hour and 54 minutes, Chris Cagle's scout called point. Just off a brush pile there, Storm Warning stood tall and on point. He stood as birds came from the ground up. Soon after, Eisenhart called point where we had seen birds multiple times. Sure enough, they were still home and painted the sky for us. That concluded our two hours with both dogs being seen at the end of the brace. Erin's Wild Atlantic Way would be named the 2024 Quail Invitational Champion.

We had a couple of minutes to warm up, and then it was off we went again--this time with Dunn's True Reign and Southern Thunder. Vincent called point with Dunn's True Reign just off the road, where we had seen birds before and were successful. At 30, the whole gallery, judges, and handlers go to the left of three lakes field to see whose dog is standing on point; Vincent raises his hat and calls point; a shot was fired just after the birds took off. Tom Shenker could not keep going as Southern Thunder ran too big for day three, so he grabbed the tracker. Dunn's True Reign was named the runner-up champion.

It was a great trial with a lot of attendees. As always, many memories were made, stories were told, connections were made, and traditions carried on. Until next year!

Quail Championship Invitational Judges (r-l): Michael Kennedy, Dr. Stan Wint, and Mike Crouse.

Kevil, Ky., November 30
Judges: Mike Crouse, Michael Kennedy, and Dr. Stan Wint
QUAIL CHAMPIONSHIP INVITATIONAL [One-Hour Qualifying Heats on Consecutive Days; Two-Hour Finals] - 11 Pointers and 1 Setter
Winner-ERIN'S WILD ATLANTIC WAY, F1684809, setter male, by Erin's Hidden Shamrock-T T's Southern Miss. Sean Derrig, owner; Luke Eisenhart, handler.
Runner-Up-DUNN'S TRUE REIGN, F1680537, pointer male, by Dunn's Tried'n True-Dunn's Get Out Sue. Norris Sims, owner; Allen Vincent, handler.

Scouts Korry Rinehart and Judd Carlton bring Haney's Hurricane Seeker and Nighthawk's Rebel to the line for the breakaway.

The father/daughter team of Mary Sue Schalk and Mike Crouse are a staple in Western Kentucky Field Trials and are proud to serve the field trial community by hosting the Quail Championship Invitational and the Kentucky Quail Classic annually.