NATIONAL AMATEUR CHICKEN ALL-AGE CHAMPIONSHIP
By: Brad Harter

(The grounds)
Put together more than 16,000 acres of gently rolling prairie terrain, more than ample numbers of Sharptail grouse and Hungarian partridge, perfect weather, great dogs and the best people you could ever meet and you have every single ingredient for a successful field trial. The National Amateur Chicken Championship, held in early September at Mortlach, Sask., was exactly that type of field trial. A portion of the grounds are owned by a half dozen local ranchers. The largest section is called "Crown Land". It is owned by the Canadian government and is leased to the local ranchers. The trial headquarters is a modern clubhouse that sits on the site of Leon Covington's old training camp. This clubhouse was built in recent years by the Sask. Field Trial Club, a group of hard working, field trial infected Canadians. It is a great facility that is appreciated by all that attend these prairie trials.

With nearly 16,000 acres available for five one hour courses, there is more than ample room for a bird dog to show heels and perform the true prairie, all-age race. Each course is about five miles in length. Each course offers plenty of objectives and a perfect cover mix with massive hay fields intermixed with rotational crop land. There are bluffs (tree-covered islands) and long sandy ridges covered with chokecherry and other indigenous shrubs. Mix in a few rough pastures, home to large herds of beef cattle, and you have Mortlach, a field trial paradise. Somewhere on about every 160 acres you will find the remains of abandoned home sites. These old farm sites are often home to the Sharptail grouse and Huns, just like they are favorite haunts to the Bobwhite quail of the south. Put this all together and it completes a mosaic pattern that is just about perfect as far as bird dogs and field trials are concerned. With this mix of cover conditions, birds can be anywhere and everywhere on any given day. The locals say these birds are where you find them; they don't attempt to predict their location. They like to say: "that's the reason for the dog." There is absolutely no question that it takes a good dog to figure this all out. Throw into this mix the prairie wind. It almost always plays a big factor in a dog's performance and it seems to blow most all the time. The days can also be sunny and hot and these conditions may push the birds into the brush covered bluffs. On the cloudy days, there is no real predicting were the birds will be. Your best bet may just be to turn your dog loose and trust his judgment. The good ones just seem to go to birds. That's why the old timer's like John Gardner always said the prairie does the separating, making all the great ones stand out over the rest. The truly great prairie dogs experiment. they try every form of cover that exist until something starts to work. In short, this is what really makes these grounds are a bird dog trainer's paradise. For a dog to have success up here, the nose and brains must be connected all the time. The massive size of the country can't intimidate the dog; instead it must be the lure that pulls him forward to each distant horizon. If someone assigned you to draw plans for the perfect venue for an all-age dog; you would want to use Mortlach as your prototype. It's just that simple!

(The quest for game)
Both Sharptail Grouse (prairie chicken to the locals) and Hungarian Partridge are abundant. Huns seem to have a slight edge in numbers, but that will vary from year to year. Both of these birds can be difficult to handle and will challenge the most experienced dog on any given day. Huns have the reputation of being bad to run. They often leave cover and run across a barren field before taking wing. Chickens will flush at the slightest opportunity, one nervous bird can set off the whole covey. Yet sometimes they will sit so tight they almost explode into the dog's face. Both these birds have enough in their bag of tricks to give the best broke dogs a challenge. Young dogs learn quickly that these are birds that must be respected. They must use the wind to their advantage and learn to point these birds from a respectable distance or suffer the wrecks that will take place. A good "chicken dog" is a very special animal and not something easy to come by. (Mortlach's and it's historic past)

     The records are somewhat sketchy, but by all accounts the first field trial ever held in this region was on Aug. 27th. 1934. These early trials were run on grounds that were more north of Moose Jaw. Today the grounds that are used lie west of Moosejaw and just north of Mortlach. These early trials flourished through the leadership of the Saskatchewan club members. Open stakes were more popular because a large number of pro trainers summered in this region. By the end of the summer these trials were the first opportunity they had to see how their training string would fare in open competition. Amateur trials were also being held but their entries were usually small. The record books show the first recorded Amateur Championship was held in this region in 1938. Five setters and 13 pointers competed in this trial and Norias Daisy, owned and handled by Carl Duffield took home the silver. It was the open stakes would lead the way, drawing large entries from the very beginning. That same year, in 1938, the open all-age would draw 68 dogs. These early prairie trials would become known as the testing grounds for all the new dogs spending their first summers on the prairies. If they could cut the mustard here, handle the wind, run to distant objectives and handle these difficult game birds, then they were on the first string when they returned home to the states.

     Both man and nature have played a big part in creating this virtual bird dog paradise in the region around Moose Jaw. Around the early 1900's hardy immigrants from Europe settled in the area to homestead the rich prairie soil. It is the descendants of these people that live there today and they are truly "salt of the earth" types. In just about every quarter section, 160 acres, you can still find evidence of an early prairie homestead. The prairie was harsh, it still is today, but those with fortitude and determination made it work and for many of these families, these early days were the times of great prosper. Then the drought years came and the crops failed. Not enough moisture fell to create a cover crop and the deep rooted native prairie grass was gone, a victim to Mr. John Deere's steel plow. Wind, ever a part of this prairie country, took the soil and placed it at its mercy. The dust bowl era was in full swing, nothing grew and the land went wherever the wind blew it. The majority of the farmers gave up and moved on, only the most rugged families remained. So it was with the Eastman's and those that still live in this area and work the land today. They are the backbone of this region. They know hardship, learned how to live with nature and will survive anything life can throw at them. With many of the farms abandoned and no one to buy the land, the Canadian Government stepped in and the "Crown" became the principle land owner. Farmers could lease the land but there were stipulations. Year round grasses and cover were the rule. This was the plan to prevent there ever being another dust Bowl era. The side effect was that once again, this country became a haven for game birds like the prairie chicken. Species like the Hungarian Partridge were introduced and they would thrive in this region where hard winters are the rule rather than the exception. It would be these conditions that would set the stage for the wave of bird dog trainers that would find this paradise. These early dog pioneers were the likes of Jack Harper, John Gardner and of course the one and only Leon Covington. Cov would become friends with Vic Eastmond and his summer training head quarters would be at the center of the Eastmond land holdings. West of Moose Jaw and just north of the tiny rail depot of Mortlach, these summer training grounds would become the home to some of the greatest trials ever to be held on the Canadian Prairies. For reasons somewhat shrouded in mystery, Cov was not a big fan of the amateur stakes. Only in latter years could he be persuaded to allow amateur clubs to hold trials on these grounds. Today, this is all quite different.

     A solid group of amateur field trial enthusiast lead by Doug Vaughn and Bill Preston host a number of events on these great grounds each season. It was this group that hosted the National Amateur Chicken Championship for the 2004 running. Royal Canin plays a major role in the sponsorship of all the Amateur Championships. Their involvement enables the AFTCA to put on a first class event. They provide an enjoyable banquet and also underwrite much of the cost that goes into putting on a major amateur championship. Tri-Tronics provides a pro model 500 to the winner and a sportsman collar to the runner-up. Bruce Fox provided sculptured game birds to both the winner and runner-up while the Tarpin Hill Saddle Company and Field Trial Magazine provides gift certificates to both the judges and reporter. Linda Hunt flew in to handle all the details, making this event run as smoothly as all the other championships she is involved with. One would need to walk in Linda's shoes just one day to realize what being the secretary of the AFTCA really involves. She is to be commended for the professional and efficient way she runs this organization.

     Lou Qualtiere joined your scribe to judge this event. It was indeed a pleasure to have the opportunity to judge with someone as knowledgeable about prairie game and a true prairie all-age performance as Lou. Hailing from Saskatoon, Lou trains his own dogs and is one of the driving forces behind the Canadian field trial scene. Lou is assisted in putting on the trials by his charming wife Jeanette. It was clear from the onset that Lou and I liked the same kind of bold, all-age dog that will use their country to the extreme and yet show intelligent application in their quest for game. We knew the performance we wanted and the dogs that would compete gave us great performances to pick from.

(The Running)
     Twenty nine dogs were drawn to compete in the National Amateur Chicken Championship. The numbers of dogs entered in this championship were up, despite the fact that Ferrell Miller had not come north to compete. The amateurs that did come this season traveled from as far away as Florida and California. Most of their dogs were ready, having spent some time training on the northern prairies prior to this running. The quality of their performances would rival that of most open stakes. The 2004 winner, Wiggin's River Knot, would emerge from the second brace, setting an early standard that would not be surpassed. Knot, owned and handled by Don Wiggins, would lay down a strong, intelligent, forward race and tally two spectacular finds. Just Denver, owned and handled by Ruthann Littell, would capture the runner up spot. Denver would also tally two finds in his hour with perfect manners on each. His finish lacked the forward punch and strength of the winner and that was just enough difference to separate the two dogs.

(Brace by brace)

1. Kentucky Class Spectre (Vance) x Waygoing Nick (Stevens) Nick started strong but bumped chickens at the 38 minute mark and was put in the harness. Spectre suffered two lengthy absences and was lost from judgment near the end.

2. Wiggins River Knot (Wiggins) x First Class Spectre ( Vance) Knot, the stronger of the two dogs showed his mind was on birds from the beginning. His first find came at the 12 minute mark on chickens directly out front in a big hay field. Each cast carried him to distant objectives and he showed great application throughout his hour. At the 55 minute mark, Knot disappeared into a distant field few dogs managed to find. When he failed to show up front he was located buried in high cover on a big covey of chickens. Style and manners were once more perfect and he had iced the cake on a strong, all-age prairie ground effort. Spectre also carded a great find at the 49 minute mark but his race was not as forward, nor as strong as his brace mate.

     3. Marques Gold Rush (Ivester) x Waygoing Speck (Stephens) A former National Champion, Gold Rush showed he is not ready to retire at ten years of age. His speed is not what he had in his prime but his unquenchable desire to find birds is still evident in his performance. The prairies hold no boundaries for the ageless champion. He goes to birds even when it takes him out of pocket. He tallied one find and it was only his early absence and unwillingness to stay on course that kept him from a placement. Speck never could find the all-age gear and while he applied himself very well, it was more of a shooting dog range than one would want to see on this type of grounds.

     4. Wainwright's Willie (Williams) x Noon Time (Brown) Willie applied himself well but never really reached into the big country causing him to be picked up near the half hour mark. Noon Time was a little more aggressive in his range and carded a good chicken find at 29 minutes.

     5. Wiggins River Boss (Wiggins) x S.F. Cornstalk (Smith) Both these dogs showed good range at times but it seemed they were usually together when their range improved. They tallied a divided find near the 30 minute mark but never seemed able to develop any independence from each other.

     6. Worshams Silver Cloud (Worsham) x Specs Free Boy (Napier) Cloud had a wreck with Huns at 17 minutes and was picked up. Free Boy ran a well applied race and carded a stop to flush at the 37 minute mark.

     7. Naissa's Dog (Preston) x Double Dot Kate (Littell) Naissa never found the all-age range. Kate applied herself well but only tallied a stop to flush at the 23 minute mark.

     8. Anticipation Dude (Brown) x North Dakota Discovery (Napier) Dude was picked up when he suffered a wreck putting birds in the air. The Discovery dog had a unproductive at the 6 minute mark but applied himself well after that.

     9. Playmates D D (Vance) x Juke Box (Peretto) Juke box established Point at the 11 minute mark, moved up and stopped again as birds lifted, a stop to flush that could have been handled better. Juke Box handled well and stayed to the front showing strength and a solid all-age race most of the time. D D had some problems staying forward and shortened at times when the opportunity for a good forward cast was present.

     10. Four Winds (Peretto) Winds ran as a bye dog because John Ivester's Crystal Magic had not fully recovered from a porcupine encounter in the regional championship. Four Winds showed plenty of promise but tallied only a nonproductive. Mike Peretto runs and trains his own dogs and it is obvious he knows what he is doing and works hard at the task. His dogs are competitive every time he puts them on the ground.

     11. Miller's On Line (Mike Furney) x Just Denver (Littell) Both dogs started strong, showing they could make the bold cast so sought after in all-age dogs. John Ivester was scouting for Ruth Ann Littell and her Denver dog. He called point at the 9 minute mark far to the left front of the course. On Line appeared on the scene and established a nice back. A few birds lifted behind and to the side of Denver but it was likely they may have walked to those spots since the dog was probably on point for quite some time. Three minutes later as Denver raced for the front he would whirl and point near a large bluff. This time he had Huns pointed with perfect style and manners. On Line was showing great strength and a desire to handle for his owner Mike Furney. Mike's voice was gone but the dog handled well without vocal assistance. He tallied an unproductive at the 14 minute mark going on to finish strong and to the front without bird contacts. Denver had a nonproductive at 39 minutes, shortened somewhat and did not finish with the boldness one wants to see on the prairies. This was his only real blemish. Denver shows all the promise of being a solid all-age contender under the whistle of his proud owner/handler, Ruthann Littell. Denver's performance earned him the runner-up spot.

     12. High Powered Gasoline (Bender) x Back Talk (Watson) Gasoline tallied a nonproductive at 12 minutes and was then lost from judgment near the end of his hour. Back Talk never got his act together and was lost from judgment early on.

     13. Pepsi Charger (Klenner) x Street Talk (Watson) Street Talk had an unproductive early on and never really made a threat after that. The Pepsi Charger dog showed strength from the beginning. At the 44 minute mark he tallied a beautiful find on chickens. He handled well, applied himself intelligently and showed the ability to make all-age cast when the country presented the opportunity. At 55 minutes he logged an unproductive but overall his hour closely challenged that of the winners.

     14. Pepsi Streak (Klenner) x Miller's Southern Pride (Mike Furney) Streak never could find his all-age gear but he did tally a good chicken find before being picked up. Pride was your dream dog, putting down the class all-age race of stake. Mike Furney had never fully recovered his voice but the dog handled perfectly without vocal assistance. All he needed was a find to put him in the money. A full brother to Miller's On Line, this dog has everything it takes to be a major contender anytime he is put on the ground.

     15. Front Line Striker (Watson) Striker ran as a bye dog. He had a good find on Huns at the 22 minute mark and tallied an unproductive at 40 minutes. His race was in and out and he never really sustained an all-age ground pattern.