WHY COME TO A NSTRA TRIAL?
The founders of SHOOT-TO RETRIEVE wanted a dog “game” that is for the foot hunter that would determine which dogs are the best bird finders. They did away with the subjective judgments of horseback trials and created a no-nonsense scoring system that determines which hunter and dog team are the best that day.
Trial Format
A field of 35 to 40 acres is used and, while the dogs and handlers are hidden from view, a bird handler releases five birds at random over the acreage. The handlers are on foot but the judges, two per field, are on four-wheelers. For 30 minutes, the dogs and handlers hunt the field and each piece of bird work is scored according to clearly defined judging standards. Each find is scored on scale of 0 to 100, with excellent work scored in the 90s, good work scored in the 80s and fair work scored in the 70s or below. As each find occurs, the judge makes note of the score on a scorecard. The dog is required to hold its point, but may break when the handler flushes the bird. Once the flush takes place and the bird is shot a retrieve begins and it is also scored on a scale of 0 to 100 points, with the same regard for quality as the find. The better the bird work, the higher the score. The handler does his or her own shooting or may have a gunner. The dog is scored on its first opportunity to honor (back) on a scale of 0 to 75 points. The dogs are evaluated on their ground coverage throughout the brace, also on scale of 0 to 100. Consideration is made for the conditions of the day, as well as the characteristics of the breed. Obedience is also observed and a score of 0 to 75 points is noted at the end of the brace. To keep things fair, the judge’s switch dogs halfway though the brace, allowing each to see both dogs. As soon as the brace is completed, the scores are tallied by a field marshal and then posted on a large scoreboard, where all participants can readily observe what each brace has done, as well as what it will take to win. At the end of the day, the handler with the highest score is the winner
1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies are given each day.
The most important part of the weekend: Saturday night awards and potluck dinner. The potluck participants under the big top tent are just as competitive as the dogs. If you miss this sit-down dinner you will be sorry. The way the dishes are prepared, you might think it was a county fair with ribbons for the best cook.
