2012 Greypointe Fall Field Trial
The Greypointe Field Trial Club held our annual fall NBHA walking stakes along the unusually dry bottom ground adjacent to Big Stranger Creek.
Photo: OPEN PUPPY winners: Front row: Shields Gambling Man with Shannon and Abbie Shields, Armourdale Ramblin Rose with Bruce Huffman and Star with Justin Crook Back row: Judges Greg Morgan and Billy Seiter and Mike Crick
With this year’s record drought, the oxbow lake was nearly dry, fall grass cover was near ideal and one had to peer over Stranger’s high banks to see the trickle of water down below. None of us expect to see this at any future trials! Our weather was magnificent with cool mornings and afternoon sunshine into the low 70’s. With the dry weather, scenting conditions were difficult but the dogs still managed to point some birds.
Justin Crook led a good group of guys from southwest Missouri and Oklahoma up for the trial and they seemed to have a good time on the road. Brent Hoehns came down with another friend from Iowa to run with us and the Missouri NBHA guys were well represented here in Kansas. Danny Martin from Boonville managed to sweep the Open Shooting dog with his three entries to start his season off right. Jimmy Wirths handled Ninnescah Blue for Danny to complete the trifecta.
The Derby was a fun stake with the fall prospects running and enjoying themselves in the prairie grass and woods lines. Brent Hoehns took first with Sam Adams after a good race and a bird contact. We had a great puppy entry with 14 toeing the line to buzz around the horseshoe course. Two of these had bird work and were shot over with Reno taking first for 8 year old handler Abby Shields showing dad Shannon how she could handle a happy puppy. Abby fired her pistol like a pro!
We welcomed Bill Cignetti from Pittsburg, KS to our trial as he took second with his young male pointer in the Amateur Shooting Dog stake won by veteran pointer female Dex’s Rocky Girl. Rocky Girl has reached the age of twelve and his been a consistent winner and mother for Bill and Melinda Seiter. This double bred granddaughter of Fiddlin Rocky Boy unfortunately has a tumor growing and the Seiter’s brought her out to enjoy one more trial. She did it in spades. It was as if the old girl owned the place.
Thanks to our judges, Barry Ward, Greg Morgan, Bill Seiter and Shannon Shields for riding and looking at the dogs and to Bruce Huffman for keeping the dogs on the line and pick-ups prompt with the dog wagon. Congratulations also to Bruce for his placement. We could not have run the trial without him. Brandon Biddle, the enthusiastic young man and solid member of our club underwent valve replacement surgery on his heart and couldn’t be at the trial. Brandon thankfully appears to be heading for a full recovery. We missed him. It was great seeing everyone and we’re looking forward to visiting again this spring and seeing everyone at the area walking trials.
By Doug Meyer
