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.