Hell Creek WMA, MS. January 4-6, 2025
By: Keith Richardson
The seventh NGSPA Open All-Age Invitational was held on January 4-6, 2025, at Hell Creek WMA, Mississippi. These grounds are considered by many respected field trialers to be the best All-Age grounds in the country. The MS Department of Wildlife, Fish and Parks has been kind enough to slot us into this time slot which has proven to be very good over the years as far as weather is concerned. We are the only NGSPA event to be held here.
Hell Creek WMA is owned by the state of Mississippi and managed by their Department of Wildlife, Fish and Parks, which is lead by Lynn Posey, Executive Director, and under the management of Justin Hughes, NE Regional Biologist. Justin replaced Nathan Blount, and he has been very helpful to work with not only with our group, but other field trial groups who use these grounds. The grounds were opened in 1999 and include dog kennels, a horse barn with 38 stalls, outside paddocks, a spacious Club House with cooking facilities, and a nice area for trailers and staked-out dogs with some electrical hook-ups. The exceptional grounds accommodate three hour-long courses. They are multi-use grounds and we field trialers share them with hunters and others who love the outdoors, and appreciate God’s creation. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fish and Parks has a deep commitment to multi-use recreation and we are deeply grateful to them.
Although he retired in 2020, Jack Griffin remains the “face of the Hell Creek WMA”. Recognizing the need to stay on top of the grounds, Justin Hughes has retained him to keep the grounds in top shape which benefits the quail, deer and turkey that call these grounds home as well as the field trialers who hold Hell Creek in the highest regard. Jack shows up at every event and is always a big help in many ways but most of all he ensures that the facilities and grounds are always in top shape. His work on the grounds is essential and includes mowing and weed control, which keeps the forest from encroaching onto the grass bottoms and reducing game habitat. He understands how fields need to flow for our bird dogs-something most folks cannot grasp. Thanks also to Jeremy Taylor and the Hell Creek Field Trial Clubs who work during the year to keep the area clean and in good condition.
The grounds are varied and challenging with a number of long bottoms, some piney woods and smaller tree lined fields. Despite some heavy rain before we arrived Hell Creek dropped to a safe level so we could use all three courses. There is plenty of dense cover to hold quail. The grounds demand a powerful All-Age dog that stays to the front, carries a line to the end, and seeks timely guidance from its handler. Absences of ten minutes and more are common. The courses flow nicely but penalize dogs that get behind, won’t carry a line, are seen too often, or won’t respond to their handler.
We were blessed to have Korry Rinehart and Nick Thompson advise us on how to best utilize the grounds to produce three courses, and then they used their knowledge to plant quail in strategic places. All three courses provide their own challenges and opportunities to show and evaluate an All-Age dog.
We were honored to have two outstanding judges: Rich Robertson, Jr., and Nick Thompson. Both men know bird dogs having trained, handled and scouted them for many years and at many prestigious events. Nick has been scouting our All-Age Invitational since its inception. Both men know the courses well and were helpful to the handlers. Most importantly both men understand what it takes to be an All-Age Invitational Champion, and they have stellar reputations of personal integrity.
We had a talented crew involved in putting on this quality event. Christy Harris and Tireca (ReRe) Turner teamed up to provide three wonderful meals each day. Many have said that our meals here are the best of any trial in the country. Joe Frauendienst oversaw tons of details both in preparation of the event and throughout it, including dog wagon, purchase and care of our strong flying quail, and many preparation details. Sheri Tangsrud and Dr. Fred Ryan pitched in to help with the administration responsibilities. We could not have put the event on without the oversight, attention to details, and hard work of our Executive Assistant, Brittiny Haberkorn and Bobbi Richardson.
The grounds tend to be confusing for new handlers and it was a tremendous help to have Korry Rinehart serve as lead Marshall with assistance from Hunter. Korry and Nick planted the birds every night and one morning after a huge thunderstorm. They know exactly where to plant the birds where they will hold and produce a quality find.
Our incredible sponsors made this trial possible. Greg Blair and Purina supports all three of our NGSPA Invitationals, which showcase the excellence of their product that is currently being fed to all dogs competing in this challenging endurance event. They provided important financial assistance, including 12 bags of product for the Champion handler, 12 bags to auction, and helped with an original oil painting of the Champion by Leah Brigham (Ross Young has retired) gifted to the owner. Garmin provided an Alpha 10 tracking device to the Champion’s owner and SportDog gave us a tracker for auction, the Tek 1.5. The winning handler also earned a $5,000 purse.
All attendees received an exceptional package of gifts including a warm and rugged Carhartt hooded jacket with dog and owner’s names and logo, a best-in-class horse blanket by Rambo, a dog vest with logo by Ruff Wear, and other items.
The Guidelines and Philosophy are essentially the same as the NGSPA Shooting Dog Invitationals. We ask the judges to pay close attention to our NGSPA All-Age Standard. The 12 top winning All-Age dogs from the past year are invited. There are three continuous days of running. The first two are hour stakes and the third day is a 90 minute call-back, which tests the endurance and stamina of the top dogs like no other trial in the GSP world.
As with all of our Invitationals the judges maintain a consistent pace, staying on course and expecting the handler to “show them their dog”, understanding that it is the handler’s job to show his dog, not the judge’s job to follow the handler around. Handlers were free to leave the “path” and do what they needed to show their dog to the judges. Handlers are expected to quickly gain the front after bird work.
THE RUNNING OF THE DOGS
CALL-BACK BRACE
The judges called back two dogs: BMB’s Freeloader (Hewey) and HighStanding Cuttin Edge (Woody). Both dogs had outstanding runs on Days 1 and 2. If they had Call Back runs consistent with or better than their first two day’s performances none of the other 10 dogs could touch them; therefore, the judges decided to name two dogs in reserve in case both of them “blew up”. It proved unnecessary to run the reserve dogs because the Champion was named.
THE CHAMPION
BMB’s Freeloader (Hewey), owned by Brandon and Jennifer Blum, handled by Brandon Blum.
Day 1..Hewey had a strong, consistent, forward race with excellent application to the course. He had a nonproductive at 20 and a find at 45. His style and bird work were flawless. Hewey had a strong finish.
Day 2..Hewey had a run that was very consistent with Day 1. He had a divided find at 11, finds at 45 and 54 and a back at 51. As with the first day his bird work was outstanding and he had a strong finish.
Day 3, 90 Minute Call Back..Hewey had finds at 11, 20, 28, 69 and 78, and a nonproductive at 64. All finds were handled very well with style and intensity, and his finds included some impressive limb finds. Hewey was always to the front. After his third find he had a 20 minute absence but was found on point to the front. He showed no signs of fatigue and no let down in his run or range during the last 30 minutes of the brace and he presented a strong finish. His range was All-Age all the way. His ground application was good as he sought objectives and never broke off of an edge. He took long edges on the far side of the course and disappeared to the front. Hewey was always hunting and had an excellent nose as demonstrated by the number of finds he had, and on nearly every one he had the bird pinned for a quick flush. He was never seen running mid-field unless it was on the way to an edge. Overall Hewey had a stellar All-Age performance for all three days and met all the requirements of a true All-Age Invitational Champion.
CHAMPION’S BRACEMATE
HighStanding Cuttin Edge (Woody), owned by Anthony and Dayna Rusciano, handled by Dan DiMambro.
Woody’s Days 1 and 2 performances were very strong. Before the Call Back whistle was blown Woody was “right there” with Hewey. The Championship was truly riding on their performances during the Call-Back.
Day 1.. Woody had a good forward race, hanging the edges with good application to the course. He had a find at 16 with great style and intensity. He was always to-the-front with All-Age range. He closed the hour with a strong finish.
Day 2.. Woody had finds at 12, 21, and 54. His back at 34 resulted when he came from behind after an absence. He was otherwise front running and had a good finish. His bird work was classy.
Day 3-90 Minute Call Back.. Woody went missing at 5 and handler called for his tracker at 30.
THE RESERVE DOGS
Hi-N’s Dirty Secret (Badger), owned and handled by Hank Lewis.
Day 1.. Badger ran a good forward ground race taking the edges nicely, and he had a good finish. He had two nonproductives and no finds.
Day 2.. Badger had a find at 20 and pinned the bird after a nice relocation, and a find at 38 plus a back at 48.
In general Badger had a good All-Age ground performance both days with good speed and endurance. His bird work the second day was excellent, but he was hurt by finding no birds on the first day.
BMB’s Free Ride (Lewey), owned by Brandon and Jennifer Blum, handled by Brandon Blum.
Day 1.. Lewey had a find at 20, a back at 30 and a nonproductive at 50. He had a good All-Age performance overall with the exception of running back along a line twice.
Day 2.. Lewey had finds at 14, 21, 42 and 54. He had two long absences and an adequate race.
THE REST OF THE DOGS
Chicoree’s Riden High Trixie (Trixie), owned by Rondal J. Alexander, handled by Dan DiMambro.
Day 1..Trixie had a strong ground performance going for her until she got lost at 40. She didn’t have any finds.
Day 2..Trixie had a divided find at 11, and finds at 35,42 and 51. Her bird work was excellent, and she had a great race and finish. Overall for the two days she had a strong All-Age race, and was always to the front. If she had two days like her second things may have changed.
Stoney Hill’s Pinnacle Dee (Dee), owned by Kirk and Larry Loftin, handled by Kirk Loftin.
Day 1..Dee had two nonproductives, no finds, was gone a lot and had an OK finish.
Day 2..Dee had finds at 6 and 20. She had an extended absence at the end of her run and came from behind at camp.
Evergreen’s Jed Clampet (Jed), owned by Lance Olsen and handled by Dan DiMambro.
Day 1..Jed had two nonproductives, and a back at 30. He had an OK finish and spent too much time in the middle of the fields.
Day 2.. Jed was lost right away and the tracker was called for.
Allison Miranda (Allie), owned by Kirk and Larry Loftin, handled by Kirk Loftin.
Day 1..Allie was lost at the breakaway.
Day 2..She was scratched.
H’s Am Cruiser (Cruiser), owned Harlan Higginbotham and Chase Verdoorn, handled by Chase Verdoorn
Day 1..Cruiser was lost right away.
Day 2..Cruiser had one of the best one day performances. He had finds at 6, 28, and 34; with backs at 12, 21, and 54. His bird work was excellent with great style. He had good All-Age range and power, was front running and had a great finish.
AO Tripps To Win (Tripp), owned and handled by Alan O. Davison.
Day 1..Tripp was lost early on.
Day 2..Tripp was lost again.
Quailpoints Black River Rusty (Rusty), owned by Ken and Nancy Huyser, handled by Mike Milleneax.
Day 1..Rusty had finds at 6 and 29, and was picked up by handler at 40-not running All-Age.
Day 2..Handler picked up at 30.
Chicoree’s Glitter and Gold (Glitz), owned by Dr. Fred Ryan, handled by Dan DiMambro.
Day 1..Glitz had a find at 50, a stop-to-knock and a nonproductive. She had a decent race.
Day 2..Glitz had finds at 13, 48 and 57 with a back at 20. She had an OK race and finish.
GENERAL COMMENTS BY THE JUDGES
The judges liked the grounds because they allowed a true All-Age dog to show his moves and power. There were a number of outstanding performances, but some of them couldn’t do it twice. The Invitational requirement of three days of outstanding performances is the true test of a Champion. Both judges have attended all seven All-Age Invitationals and had some general observations to share with us. They have observed a number of marked improvements since the first event. The handlers are making the dogs handle vs. chasing them around as was too frequent early on. Most handlers are maintaining a more relaxed pace trusting their dogs to come around (maybe with the help of a scout). Most handlers are doing a better job handling. As examples they are more likely to stop and point out their dogs at a strategic point, or gather them up or heel them through a choke point and wait for the judges to catch up before releasing them. In general there have been noticeable improvements in handling, training and the dogs are better prepared.
