Saturday the finals were run in sunny skies with a brisk cool wind. What a relief! The previous three days of qualifying braces were run in almost steady rain.

Some may not appreciate what this means. The event is run on “planted” quail. Pen-raised birds do not have preened feather protection, so they get wet RIGHT NOW. They cannot fly well – if at all. Much tougher on dog and handler when bird is flushed with foot – hardly moves – must then be picked up – launched into the air by hand – shot at – and dog must then retrieve. Just not a satisfying experience but everyone I spoke with had their stiff upper lip on and was working as hard as humanly possible to make the event go forward.

Taking this a step further, the dog and handler were out there for 30 minutes. They could then seek what comfort they could find. Some entrants did have multiple dogs to run. The planters however were on their vehicles every 30 minutes to set the next field. And yes, they did get a break between plantings. However the judges were there dawn 'til dark. Lunch break, and back at it. These folks are the epitome of endurance. Still smiling on the third day, doing what is way less than a fun job. They are not looking at their own dogs. They are not handling, training or shooting. Still, they must be people of experience, knowledge and character. (Likely we all know someone who doesn't HUNT in the rain and certainly doesn't TRAIN in the rain.) These folks were out there for three miserable days and they deserve a big HATS OFF from all of the rest of us.

The same might apply to all judges who are out there all day in the hot/cold, wet/dry in all the venues of competition.

When all was done the 2006 Dog of the Year Champion is Moonshine's Elhew Tex owned by Bill Dubs and handled by Mike Rost. Congratulations to all participants. All the details of this event are located on their website: www.nstra.org so I will not repeat them here.

Shoot-To-Retrieve has grown dramatically and steadily over the past 30 or so years. For those not familiar with the format it very much resembles hunting. Two handlers and dogs hunt a defined field for five liberated quail. Handlers do their own shooting and dogs must point and retrieve to score well. Scoring is mathematical but there is room for a judge to evaluate each contact and evaluate the quality of the dog's performance. Braces have 30 minutes to produce as much game as they can. There are safety rules since handlers are shooting their own birds. It is a “team” effort since if the dog finds no birds, there is no shooting for the handler. And if the handler can't hit then there will not be points for the retrieve.

This is a simple summary but if you are looking for a good way to extend your hunting season, this event gives you and your dog a 30 minute run at five birds. It has become very popular in many areas besides its point of origin, Indiana. Visiting a local event is one good way to see if this has interest for you. See their site: www.nstra.org for all information. Event schedules, secretaries and the support information are there. All pointing breeds are welcome.

Jim Marti of Burnt Creek Setters started this project. He had a bag made locally from leather so he could carry conveniently a quantity of pigeons in the field. This bag was about as heavy as a traditional mail carrier's leather sack, and the maker only put in a couple metal vents on each side which limited ventilation. This allowed birds to overheat and concentrated scent making the “plant” more artificial. It was a great idea, but the execution needed a little polish. Jim brought the “problem” to my attention when I was visiting in North Dakota.

We knew a shop which worked with an open weave material and they were making sun screens which we sold at DOGS Unlimited. We presented the project to them, and for a few years they made the green Steward's Bag.

They ceased operation and we elected to make the bag ourselves. We also incorporated several suggestions which were offered by our customers. Orange color so it was easy to find when set down in the grass. And we used a new “screen” material which when used with the solid nylon on the “bottom” of the bag made a sturdier stitch – a stronger bag. The latest improvement is a new spring which will last longer and work better that some we have tried in the past.

We also added sizes. The 10 inch opening is still our most popular bag since it works well with quail and pigeons – it is o.k. for chukars too. The 8 inch was our original opening. However folks working with gloves and using some big pigeons wanted a bigger opening, so we added the 10 inch bag.. We started the 12 inch opening in response to trainers wanting a pheasant bag. With our improvements in the construction materials, we were confident that the bag would now hold a bad-tempered cock pheasant. In fact this bag is bigger overall so it is likely that three medium pheasants would fit o.k. Most recently I am advised that the bag is also handy when using shackled ducks for training.

The horseback field trial trainers wanted a snap to fasten the bag to a saddle ring but we kept that as an option since many trainers used bags for introductory field training. They didn't need the snap since they were doing this on foot. Clubs also find the shoulder strap approach more universal.

The Game Steward's Bag may not be quite as universal as the check cord, but it has found a lot of uses in training and at field trials. Credit given where due, Jim Marti made this tool come to life. We at DOGS Unlimited were able to add refinements making the bag more useful. And the trainers using the bag added the ultimate adjustments – just by letting us know what worked, and what didn't. The bag likely has not reached its final form yet. We are still open to new ideas and new applications.

The Original Game Steward's              Today's version                          And now, you can customize it
Bird Bag in one of its earliest                                                                     any way you like it.
incarnations.