October 22, 2016 Gun Dog and Puppy Trial Results

RuSean Hardman with Chief

RuSean Hardman with Sassy.

Dean Leonard and Gene Gray with Sue

Doug Hardesty with Bullitt

Tulsa Bird Dog Association held it’s second Gun Dog and Puppy trial of the fall season on October 22, 2016. It proved to be a tough scenting day, as the scores show; warm with green grass still in the field is less than ideal. Conditions worsened after lunch with the lowest scores of the day generally coming towards the end of the day. In fact, in the last brace of the day, Bob Dorn with Sara, Wire-haired Pointing Griffon female, and Gary Byfield with Buddy, setter male, as a bye dog had no bird work and neither dog made game during the brace. “It was like there were no birds,” said Dorn. Indeed, it would be nice if Mother Nature gave us a hard freeze to kill the grass before the last trial of the fall on November 5th. However, if you were standing around chatting with friends, messing with dogs or enjoying some great Enchiladas on the deck… it was a beautiful day to behold.

Of course, we would like to thank our sponsor, Purina Pro Plan for the prizes and our Gun Dog judges Ellison Gilliland and Tom Krause for spending the day riding buggies and looking at dogs. TBDA would also like to extend a big thank you to Charlie Hess for judging puppies, then climbing on a quad and planting birds for the rest of the day. Hess, never one for dormancy, claimed it was more fun than just standing around. We’ll miss Hess for the rest of the fall as he is headed to Kodiak Island, AK for a bear hunt. Retirement must be grand!

Congratulations to the Gun Dog winners: RuSean Hardman with Sassy, Setter female; Dean Leonard with Sue, Pointer female; and Doug Hardesty with Bullitt. In the Puppy stakes RuSean Hardman again took first with Chief, Setter male followed by Hayden Spriggs with Daisy, GSP female and Kevin Baker with Chloe, GSP female. For a list of all results, click here.

The last trial of the season should prove to be an exciting one with tight races for all three annual awards of Gun Dog of the Year, Puppy of the Year and Handler of the Year. The top positions in each are separated by three points or less and will be finalized when the feathers settle on November 5th.