Result: Mississippi Open Shooting Dog Championship
Location: Laws Hill, Mississippi
Post Date: Jan 12, 2021
Submitted By: Elton Bray
The 2021 renewal of Mississippi Open Shooting Dog Championship was held January 12-14 at the Hendrix Farm located in Laws Hill, Miss.
Daniel Bolden of Holly Springs, Miss., and Burke Hendrix of Hernando, Miss., served as the judges. Both men are experienced, well respected and highly sought-after to judge. We appreciated their time in the saddle and their well-reasoned decisions.
Guy Hendrix and Perry Fesmire manned the dog wagon and Brad Kennedy and Sportsman Pride generously sponsored the trial. Thank you, gentlemen.
The grounds and facilities at the Hendrix Farm are exceptional. Guy and Burke continue to invest a lot of time and resources to improve the courses and bird habitat. The enormous amount of work in clearing, burning, mowing and planting is continuous and the results is evident. Competitors and spectators got to enjoy three one-hour courses through a mixture of beautiful rolling terrain with good cover and crop fields with vast edges. The courses are fair and even with plenty of healthy coveys.
Clear and sunny days made the riding very enjoyable. After cold mornings in the 20s with heavy frost, the temperatures quickly warmed to the low-50s. It was great weather for a field trial.
THE WINNERS
Shawn Kinkelaar handled Chelsea's Thunderbolt to this year's championship title. Owned jointly by Dr. Tom Jackson of Columbus, Ind., and George Hickox of Bismarck, N.D., this was the third consecutive year this Championship has been won by Shawn and "Bolt." I guess they like the place.
The champion had four finds with a strong, forward race on the second course on the first afternoon. He finished out of sight far to front but was able to connect with his handler and scout well within grace period. Bolt turned in an exciting performance that got the adrenalin flowing.
Seekin A Thrill, white and liver pointer male earned runner-up champion honors for owner and handler Ross Leonard of Cloudland, Ga. Scouted by Caroline Leonard, "Domino" ran on the first course on the first afternoon and had two finds. He turned in a smooth ground race that required little scouting and always showed to the front at the right time. Like the champion, he finished far to front at time.
Laws Hills, Miss., January 12
Judges: Daniel Bolden and Burke Hendrix
MISSISSIPPI OPEN SHOOTING DOG CHAMPIONSHIP
[One-Hour Heats] -- 27 Pointers and 4 Setters
Winner--CHELSEA'S THUNDER BOLT, 1649213, pointer male, by Whippoorwill Wild Agin--Butler's Jill. Dr. Tom Jackson & George Hickox, owners; Shawn Kinkelaar, handler.
Runner-Up--SEEKIN A THRILL, 1661543, pointer male, by Just Irresistible--Snow Thrill. Ross Leonard, owner and handler.