Here we go
Three hours down
Please birds move
Come out of the woods
If you stay put
Where you roosted
In that stick stuff
My dog won’t point you
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The National — As Seen By A Handler
Category: Field Trial Recollections
Luck
Billy Kane had qualified Wheelman in the last one-hour open all-age run before the National Championship entries closed. He had not expected to. The first qualifying win had come two seasons before, and he had not expected that one either. Won it when the best dog’s brace-mate failed to back and it went with the thief after the birds. But here he was approaching the Ames Plantation, never expecting to be here. But his usual bad luck returned. Read more
Going to Ames
So your dog is qualified
And you’re going to Grand Junction
To run in The National Championship
The one and only
To run on the Ames Plantation
Where for a century and a quarter
The continent’s best bird dog has been yearly crowned
And where bird dog stories true and fiction abound
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Chinquapin Immortals
I reflect on Chinquapin After twenty-seven Florida Championships Reported there From 1995 through 2022 A piece of earth crafted From lime-rock and sand Covered in wire grass Jack oaks and sparse pines Sculpted uneven by The Master With an all-age bird dog in mind Its courses laid out in 1969 By Fred Arant nickname Goochy Since then it has served As a place to hunt quail And for a week Read more
T. Jack and Ted and the Florida Championship
Many a friendship has been inspired by a mutual love of bird dogs. My favorite story of such a friendship is that of T. Jack Robinson and Edward L. “Ted” Baker. That friendship spawned many others, and led to the breeding and development of legendary All-Age and Shooting Dog Champions over six decades and a premier wild bird field-trial Championship celebrating its 50th Anniversary. Read more
Chinquapin
A place on earth sublime
Where quail prevail
And pointers seek and point them
For men and women to swing guns to shoot them Read more
Remembering the Quail Championship Invitational (1996 through 2006)
Reading John Russell’s splendid new book, The Invitational Champions, has brought back precious memories of the eleven years it was my privilege to report the trial at Paducah.
My invitation to report came from John after my first report of the Florida Championship in 1995. I had attended the trial at Paducah as a spectator briefly in 1993 when Silver Bullett won his second crown, no Runner-Up. Read more
What Is
“What is the noblest thing you ever saw a dog do here?”
The fellow asked his buddy as they watched the embers dim
Sitting before the fireplace at Chinquapin
The others had all gone to bed Read more
A Lesson Learned from Marshall Loftin
I learned a lesson from Marshall Loftin.
It was at the Invitational at Paducah. Marshall was judging, I was reporting. Marshall had House’s Rain Cloud to watch. I rode close to Marshall, trying to learn. Read more
2018 Florida Championship
Segment of Tom’s American Field report for the 2018 Florida Open All-Age Championship detailing the finals performance of the champion, Lester’s Georgia Time, handled by Robin Gates and scouted by Tony Reynolds.
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