Result: Callifornia Bird Dog Championship

Location: California City, California

Post Date: Feb 25, 2026

Submitted By: John Beauchamp

California Bird Dog Championship (front, l-r): Bruce Hale with Man O War and John Beauchamp with Almosta's Fred Flintstone. (Behind, l-r): Don Pool (judge) and Ken Kraft (judge).

The California City trial grounds are east of California City and can be accessed from Highway 395, heading north to 20 Mule Team Road. The area is a vast desert, home to desert tortoises and not much else. It is a mixed-use area frequented by off-roaders and campers looking to get away. The area was hit by a series of heavy rains that washed out the roads to our usual courses. Over the coming year, I'm sure the off-roaders will clear a path or two into the courses, but this year, there was no way to get a dog truck in there. Terry Erickson and Ed Mayhew had a plan for a new course, and it worked perfectly. Thank you, gentlemen.
It was clear and cold for the trial. The rain that took out the roads also brought a green-up and made for good scenting conditions. The course ran up an open draw for a couple of miles, then looped back through a series of hills and down toward camp. The cover was in good shape, and you could keep track of the dogs. I believe every dog in the stake had bird contact. Most of the dogs made it around and completed the full hour. A couple decided to take washes a bit too far and needed the assistance of their tracker.

We ran out of Camp H, and we must thank Raul Pinda, Ken Kraft, and the rest of the Southern California Vizsla Club for allowing us to use their tent and water wagon. This greatly simplified the logistics of the trial. Use of the tent for lunches, announcements, and dinner was very nice. Ken Kraft also judged the California Bird Dog Championship for us with Mr. Don Pool. We want to thank them for sticking around and watching our dogs. Terry and Ed made sure birds were planted for every brace early each morning.

Our sponsors, Purina and SportDOG, get a big round of applause for supplying us with product for the winners. Greg Blair with Purina has always been great to work with. He sorts out the requests, handles the logistics and deliveries, and keeps things moving smoothly.

The Winners
Brace 1: Almosta's Fred Flintstone ("Fred"/John Beauchamp, handler), and Horizon's Bea ("Bea"/Terry Erickson, handler). Both dogs started strong, moving up the hill on the right side of the drainage and rolling forward. Fred was standing at 7; birds were produced, all in order. Point was called for Bea shortly after; all was in order as well. The dogs continued up the drainage past the corner; both came around promptly without any scouting. Fred had additional finds at 25 and 52. Terry picked Bea up late in the brace.

Brace 2: Pride N Joy ("Pride"/Tom Griffin, handler), and Man O War ("Jack"/Bruce Hale, handler). A dog was spotted standing at 9; initially, it was unclear which dog it was. It turned out to be Jack. Birds were produced, and Jack stood high and tight. The confusion over which dog was standing let Pride get a little out of pocket, but he was returned soon enough. Jack looked strong working the hilltop objectives as we looped back. He scored two more very nice finds at 16 and 45. Pride was picked up later in the brace.

California City, Cal., January 13
Judges: Ken Kraft and Don Pool
CALIFORNIA BIRD DOG CHAMPIONSHIP [One-Hour Heats] - 6 Pointers and 3 Setters
Winner-MAN O WAR, F1692033, pointer male, by Dunn's Tried'n True-Fly In The Sky. Bruce Hale, owner and handler.
Runner-Up-ALMOSTA'S FRED FLINTSTONE, F1681609, pointer male, by Almosta's Wile E Coyote-Almosta's Mighty Mouse. John Beauchamp, owner and handler.

Antelope Valley Open Shooting Dog
The Open Shooting Dog qualifying stake followed the Championship. It was a small stake, but we had some solid performances and were able to qualify a couple more dogs. It was a beautiful day for running a trial: a clear, crisp morning with thin clouds later that kept the solar heating in check. Thank you to our judges, Mr. Terry Erickson and Mr. Bruce Hale, for watching our dogs and sorting things out.

Judges: Terry Erickson and Bruce Hale
OPEN SHOOTING DOG - 4 Pointers and 2 German Shorthairs
1st-MDK BLUE RIBBON MAGIC, F1728362, German Shorthair male, by Highpoint Rusty Gold-MDK's Emma's Got Blue Mogo. Don Pool & David McCormick, owners; Don Pool, handler.
2d-DCR'S DL REVOLUTION, F1727114, German Shorthair female, by Teton's One Slick Dude-Williams White Lightning. Don Pool, owner and handler.
3d-ALMOSTA'S DORA THE EXPLORER, F1706308, pointer female, by Man O War-Hale's Honey Badger. John Beauchamp, owner and handler.