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Result: Region 13 Amateur Walking Shooting Dog Championship

Location: Meredith, Michigan

Post Date: Nov 5, 2025

Submitted By: Tyler Miller

Region 13 AWSD ChF25-

Region 13 Amateur Walking Shooting Dog Championship (front, l-r): Moss Meadow Able with Ken Moss (owner) and Back Creek Lucy with Robert Ellis. (Back, l-r): Dave Terhaar (judge) and Marc Forman (judge). [Photo Credit: Tyler Miller].

The Michigan Amateur Field Trial Club hosted the annual Region 13 Amateur Walking Shooting Dog Championship beginning September 26, 2025, at the Gladwin Field Trial Area in Meredith, Michigan.

Maintained by the Michigan DNR, the Gladwin Field Trial Area is a remarkable piece of bird dog and conservation heritage with over a century of history as a trial ground. The landscape is a mix of scrub oak, aspen, pine, and the occasional cedar on hilly terrain with low-lying marshy areas, sandy soil, and an undergrowth of fern and teaberry. With the help of field trial clubs maintaining the courses during summer workdays, the state has done an incredible job managing and preserving this unique property.

Dave Terhaar of Lake Ann, Michigan, and Marc Forman of Prattsburgh, New York, were our judges, holding the entries to a high standard of conduct and performance. Richard Hollister provided horses for the judges and acted as stakes manager. Special thanks go to Mark Dozeman for providing breakfast over the weekend of the trial and to Bob Wheelock, president of the MAFTC, for coordinating lunches and Saturday's fried chicken dinner.

The Shooting Dog Championship began at 8 a.m. September 26 with a cool, overcast sky that quickly heated up as the sun rose and the clouds blew over. Twenty-nine dogs had drawn and 27 broke away in 13 braces and a bye. Heat was the main challenge of the day for all the handlers, who worked hard to keep their dogs cool and hydrated. Despite the heat, however, the birds were in abundance, with 17 grouse and two woodcock walked up along the courses, with 10 of those grouse and one woodcock flushed on the first two courses alone.

The Running
The first brace broke away on the dense, newly cut courses 4 and 5, with Lonnie Rademacher handling Springpond's Gibby and Tom Fruchey handling Stan the Man. Springpond's Gibby hit point at the 35-minute mark, yielding a woodcock and a shot at 37. The always-forward Stan the Man pointed a bird on the right side of the trail at 17. Stan the Man found a further two woodcock at the 42 and 47-minute marks.

The second brace set Bob Wheelock's Tupelo Honey against Back Creek Lucy, owned by Stevie Graham and handled by Michael Brown. Back Creek Lucy had an incredible string of finds on a forward race, pointing a pair of woodcock at 17, another at 20, and then more still with single woodcock finds at 21, 30, 34, and 41, duly earning her the runner-up placement in the trial.

Brace 3 saw both Ken DeLong's Justice and J.P. Jones/Steve McKalko's Hifives Rolling Stone make solid woodcock finds in the final 10 minutes of their run. At 55, Justice pointed woodcock to the left of the trail, while Hifives Rolling Stone pointed a woodcock at 53 and 57 to the left and right of the course, respectively.

In Brace 4, Rachel Butler's Kelly and Dale Ash's Fat Bottom Girl ran hard across challenging terrain. At 40, Kelly's bell went silent, yielding a limb-find grouse to the right of the course flushed at 45. The find earned Kelly an honorable mention from the judges.

Brian Ralph's Ralphy's Chasehill Rip and Mark Dozeman's Mac Daddy broke away in the next brace. Mac Daddy had two woodcock finds at 18 and 22, with a grouse find at 27.

The second day of the trial began much like the first: cool, cloudy, and with a hint of mist in the air. Though as the sun came up, the temperature rose quickly, baking off all the moisture the early morning had brought. The first brace of the day was the eighth of the event, and Rachel Butler's Shady broke away against Russell Fazio's Hitail Roxy Afield at 8 a.m. Both dogs ran hard, with Shady working at the edge of bell range and Hitail Roxy Afield making big casts in an aggressive, forward race.

Ken Moss's Moss Meadow Seeker and Brian Ralph's Seldom Rest Jack competed in the 10th brace, with Moss Meadow Seeker making a grouse find at 14, as well as woodcock finds at 24, 27, and 53.

Brent Peters's Baxter's Wild Bill and Russell Fazio's Hypointe Monarch Express ran the 11th brace. Hypointe Monarch Express ran a forward race with a remarkable limb-find grouse at 24 to the left of the course, earning an honorable mention from the judges.

In Brace 12, Ken Moss's Moss Meadow Able and Bruce Mueller's Roy broke away on hilly, varied terrain with dense, young aspen in areas, and open, mature wood in others. Moss Meadow Able ran a deliberate, forward race, making big moves across the landscape, finding a grouse just past the 18-minute mark.

Moss Meadow Able's impressive run, grouse find, and strong finish at the hottest part of the day made him a clear winner in the eyes of the judges. Of the runner-up, Back Creek Lucy, the judges' decision came from her forward race and the sheer number of finds she made.

Meredith, Mich., September 26
Judges: Marc Forman and Dave Terhaar
REGION 13 AMATEUR WALKING SHOOTING DOG CHAMPIONSHIP [One-Hour Heats] - 9 Pointers and 20 Setters
Winner-MOSS MEADOW ABLE, F1703648, setter male, by Ponderosa Mac-Moss Meadow Lil. Ken Moss, owner and handler.
Runner-Up-BACK CREEK LUCY, F1683067, setter female, by Peyton's Legacy Kip-Girl's Little Dixie. Steve Graham, owner; Mike Brown, handler.

Amateur Puppy
The Puppy stakes began at 9 a.m. on Saturday, September 27, on the Gladwin Field Trial Area's Puppy course, which forms a loop in the northeast corner of the property between courses 6 and 7. Ten dogs drew and nine broke away. Ken DeLong's Mercy took first place, Russell Fazio's Stormy took second, and Steve McKalko's Brutus took third place.

Judges Tom Butler and Mike LeRoux said the winning pups showed all the checkmarks for a promising trial dog, and all three finished strong. The judges noted that Mercy consistently worked the course at over 100 yards, showing style and hunting to objectives. Stormy made big moves, fading in and out of bell range while maintaining a forward race. Brutus had a wild, showy run showing promise for future events.

Region 13 PuppyF25-

Amateur Puppy (front, l-r): Lucy's Just Have Mercy with Ken DeLong (owner) and Hitail Perfect Storm with Russell Fazio (owner). (Back): Tom Butler (judge). [Not pictured: Haywoods Brutus Eclipse and Steve McKalko (owner) and Mike Leroux (judge). [Photo Credit: Tyler Miller].

Judges: Tom Butler and Mike Lareau
AMATEUR PUPPY - 2 Pointers, 5 Setters, and 3 Brittanys
1st-LUCY'S JUST HAVE MERCY, F1723542, pointer female, by Highbanks Final Justice-Highbanks Diamond Lucy. Ken DeLong, owner and handler.
2d-HITAIL PERFECT STORM, F1720599, setter female, by Dun Rovens Zip-Castle Rock's Autumn Breeze. Russ Fazio, owner and handler.
3d-HAYWOODS BRUTUS ECLIPSE, unreg., Brittany male, breeding not given. Steve McKalko, owner and handler.

Amateur Derby
The Amateur Derby began at 8 a.m., Sunday, September 28. The judges were Eric Naus and Scott Forman. Fifteen dogs drew and broke away. In the first brace, Ken Moss's Searcher ran against Bob Wheelock's Billie. Billie ran a forward race, but Searcher had productive woodcock finds at the 15 and 20-minute marks, earning him third place.

The second brace saw Russell Fazio's Dixie against Steve McKalko's Ausable Junction Odin. Dixie had two woodcock finds at minute one and minute five of the brace, as well as at the 12-minute mark. Odin had a find at 30.

The third brace set Juni Jones, handled by Steve McKalko, against Ken DeLong's Mercy. Juni Jones handled well; though, Mercy's two woodcock finds at 27 and 29 in a solid run would secure her second place.
Tom Butts's Heartbreaker Bud Light and Steve McKalko's Sunrise Lea Star made up Brace 5. Sunrise Lea star pointed a ruffed grouse at minute three.

Tom Butler's Wren and Brian Ralph's Seldom Rest Pork Chop ran Brace 6. The final 10 minutes proved interesting with a walked-up woodcock and grouse at 24 and 26, respectively, but Tom Butler's Wren made a strong grouse find at 25 that brought her first place.

The judges said that all the winning dogs ran strong races, showing good application in finding birds. Ken Moss's Searcher and Ken DeLong's Mercy both found two woodcock in less-than-ideal conditions, but it was the impressive grouse find that set Tom Butler's Wren apart as the winner.

Judges: Scott Forman and Eric Naus
AMATEUR DERBY - 7 Pointers and 8 Setters
1st-AMERICAN RENAISSANCE, F1714640, pointer male, by Hifives Rolling Stone-Speed Dialing Kaia. Thomas Butler, owner and handler.
2d-LUCY'S JUST HAVE MERCY, F1723542, pointer female, by Highbanks Final Justice-Highbanks Diamond Lucy. Kenric DeLong, owner and handler.
3d-MOSS MEADOW SEARCHER, F1709320, setter male, by Moss Meadow Seeker-Tupelo Honey. Ken Moss, owner and handler.

Region 13 DerbyF25-

Amateur Derby (front, l-r): American Renaissance with Tom Butler (owner), Lucy's Just Have Mercy with Ken DeLong (owner), and Moss Meadow Searcher with Ken Moss. (Back, l-r): Eric Naus (judge) and Tyler Miller (reporter). [Photo Credit: Ann Naus].