Result: Conecuh Field Trial Club

Location: Union Springs, Alabama

Post Date: Dec 11, 2021

Submitted By: Darron Hendley

Open Shooting Dog Winners. From left: Ben Chancellor, Tony Gibson, Lisa Littell, Jack Kimbrell with Miller's War Bonnet; Casey Foster and children; Addison McDuffie with Iron Bully; George Tracy and Mike Tracy Back row: Judges Allan York and Ron Lambert; Gayle Walker and Darron Hendley.

The 2021-2022 field trial season kicked off in the Field Trial Capital of the World, Union Springs, Ala., with the drawing for the Conecuh Station Open stakes at the Union Springs Country Club. A record 125 entries were accepted, 62 shooting dogs and 63 Derbies. Tony Gibson, Ben Chancellor and Lisa Courson handled the drawing with proficiency. Some of the most well-bred professionally trained dogs in the country were drawn to compete.

Weather was pleasant for people throughout the trial, but a little warm for dogs and horses in the afternoons. Temperatures generally ranged from the 60s to the low 80s. It was mostly sunny, typical October weather for central Alabama.

Handlers and owners from near and far started rolling in on Sunday afternoon and setting up shop before the Monday morning start. After all their dogs and horses were fed and put away, they were welcomed by the Alabama Field Trial Association which hosted a pleasant cocktail party and dinner. AFTA President Hunter McDuffie and Darron Hendley manned the bar while AFTA Secretary Renee Peek, Lisa Courson, Becky Blanton, Amy Johnson, Connie Hicks and others helped lay out a delicious spread for everyone to enjoy.

The Conecuh Station grounds have never been better! Landowners Tony and Becky Gibson have spared no expense in making their property an absolute showcase. They are such gracious hosts and make everyone feel welcome.

Six different continuous courses meander through the 4,000+ acres of gently rolling hills. Towering loblolly pines spread as far as the eye can see. Sandy creek bottoms fed by crystal clear spring water drain the high ground. Golden sage carpets the landscape. Magnificent old oak trees are scattered about, making for easy landmarks through the courses.

The Conecuh Station crew, led by Bo Brewer, spent the spring and summer thinning, mowing, plowing, and planting feed strips. Miles of brown-top millet, partridge peas, teosinte and love grass rows provide excellent cover. A network of roads have been expertly graded to make getting around a breeze.

There are wild birds on the property, but thousands of quail were pre-released which accounted for lots of bird work throughout the trial. The released birds were hatched and raised on the property. Coveys were large and flew strong when flushed. After one of the wettest summers on record, cover was high and thick. However, nearly the entire plantation had been blocked-out with bush hogs to make for easy hunting.

Chef Ban Stewart served delicious lunches daily to all in attendance. The breakfast crew consisting of George Cole, Faye Duncan and Renee Peek. served a hardy meal every morning at 7:00 a.m. sharp to get the day started right.

A special thanks to Purina for donating dog food to the winners.

Good judges make the trial. Judging for several days in a row is hard work and not for sissies. The judges get up before daylight every morning feeding and saddling horses. They must ride all day, stopping only for lunch and short breaks between braces. They have to make tough decisions.

We were pleased to have experienced and qualified judges for all the stakes. Two very capable and astute judges, Alan York and Ron Lambert. Both hail from south Georgia. Ron is retired from Georgia Power. He started bird hunting as a young man, and once his children were grown, made the natural transition into field trials about twenty years ago. He proudly trains his own dogs for amateur competition.

Alan is a retired USDA office manager for Jefferson County, Ga. He is best known in the field trial circuit for his multiple shooting dog champion, Beckworth's Firefighter. Under Alan's hand, Firefighter won two Region 16 Amateur Championships, one of them at Conecuh Station. Firefighter also won the National Amateur Invitational Championship (2020). At age ten, Firefighter is still going strong.

Ron and Alan are both very active in their local field trial clubs. They looked for a true shooting dog range and pattern for the conditions the dog was presented with. Too much range or not quite enough range knocked out some otherwise commendable performances. Front running was also a key ingredient to victory.

Bullock Countians Todd Montgomery and Steve Hutto teamed up to judge the Derbies. Todd and Steve have similar backgrounds when it come to bird dogs. Both train and compete with their own dogs. Both have spent summers with the professionals on the northern prairies. Many believe you haven't experienced the ultimate in bird dog training until you have done it on wild native birds, such as Hungarian partridge, pheasant and Sharptailed Grouse. All our judges knew what to look for, where to look for it and when to look for it. They rode hard and were very attentive to every dog that hit the ground.

CONECUH STATION OPEN SHOOTING DOG

When all was said and done, the top placement went to pointer male Miller's War Bonnet, handled by Mike Tracy and scouted by Jack Kimbrell. Bonnet is a second-year shooting dog. Having placed in multiple smaller trials, this is his first big win. Bonnet punched his ticket to the big dance in the 13th brace scoring perfect finds all out front at 7, 10, 34, 37 and 46. He also backed his bracemate to 23.

Pointer female Nella's Belgian Brew laid down an outstanding performance for south Georgia handler Tommy Rice. She handled like she was on a string all the while exhibiting perfect style and manners. Her finds were spaced throughout the hour at 20, 26, 30, 37 and 40. She was always out-front hunting and needed very little scouting. She finished her hour with the same desire and drive as she started with.

Brew is a second-year shooting dog, a consistent performer and proudly owned by Nebraskan Vegas Mathison.

The third-place dog came out of the very first brace. Pointer male Iron Bully carded an amazing eight finds at 4, 6, 10, 13, 30, 35 , 57 and 59. Casey Foster scouted. Bully is also a second-year shooting dog with several notable placements, but this is his first really big win. It earned him a spot in the super bowl for shooting dogs. It will be fun to see what these three exceptional hunting dogs do in the National Shooting Dog Championship which starts January 31, 2022, in Union Springs.

Many thanks are owed to Todd Montgomery, Robert Moorer, Bo Brewer, Anthony Martino and Andrew "Yank" Dawson for marshalling and taking care of any needs that popped up. Kenneth Newman was always Johnny-on-the-spot with the dog wagon.

Hundreds of guests attended a Saturday night party hosted by the gracious landowners, Tony and Becky Gibson. Ban Stewart expertly prepared a scrumptious quail dinner. Justin Green, Robert Moorer and others chipped in to help. Guitarist and singer Lennie Trawick entertained the crowd with a wide arrange of musical genre to satisfy most any taste.

Union Springs, Ala., October 18

Judges: Ron Lambert and Alan York

OPEN SHOOTING DOG [One-Hour Heats] -- 59 Pointers and 3 Setters

1st--MILLER'S WAR BONNET, 1681100, pointer male, by Sugarknoll War Paint--Nehawka Amazin Sue. Joe McHugh, owner; Mike Tracy, handler.

2d--NELLA BELGIAN BREW, 1678597, pointer female, by Covey Rise's Rascal--Roseline's Bewitched. Vegas Mathieson, owner; Tommy Rice, handler.

3d--IRON BULLY, 1686077, 1686077, pointer male, by Dominator's Rebel Heir--Bullerina. Muriel & Bill Primm & Ernie & Karen Saniga, owners; Mike Tracy, handler.

OPEN DERBIES

The ever-competitive Doug Ray took the top spot in the Open Shooting Dog Derby with Wiggins Pree Dawn. Mississippi professional trainer and handler Steve Hurdle guided A Carolina Sport to a second-place finish. Sellers Pashca Skylos earned the third-place spot for Tennessee amateur handler Chris Sellers

Pineywoods Legacy, handled by Tommy Rice and scouted by Hannah Wright, won the Open All-Age Derby. Legacy, callname "Will," is owned by locals Darron Hendley and Renee Peek. Florida amateur Bobby Dubose took second with his handsome pointer, Dubose's Good Luck, callname "Ben". Steve Hurdle got another piece of the pie with his mostly white setter, Smoke Roll, owned by renowned Tennessee breeder, Buddy Smith.

Judges: Steve Hyttio and Todd Montgomery

OPEN DERBY -- 26 Pointers and 2 Setters

1st--WIGGINS PREE DAWN REWARD, 1690453, pointer female, by Wiggins War Trace--Wiggins Elhew C. Katie Lyons, owner; Doug Ray, handler.

2d--A CAROLINA'S SPORT, 191462, setter male, by Woodville's Yukon Cornelius--Penmark's Lady Oak Bo. Larry Burgin, owner; Steve Hurdle, handler.

3d--SELLERS PASHCA SKYLOS, 1691067, pointer male, by Game Wardon--Sellers Lil Elhew Damascus. Chris Sellers, owner and handler.

OPEN DERBY -- 26 Pointers and 1 Setter

1st--PINEYWOOD'S LEGACY, 1689944, pointer male, by Panther Creek Merlin--Pineywoods Belle Aire. Darron Hendley, owner; Tommy Rice, handler.

2d--DUBOSE'S GOOD LUCK, 1696851, pointer male, by Dragonfly--Ransom's Bug Out. Bobby Dubose, owner and handler.

3d--SMOKE ROLL, unreg., setter male, breeding not given. Buddy Smith, owner; Steve Hurdle, handler.