Result: National Championship

Location: Grand Junction, Tennessee

Post Date: Mar 23, 2026

Submitted By: Kent Walker

The National Championship: Nick Thompson (scout) with Game Surge and Dr. Fred Corder (owner/handler) joined by reporter Kent Walker, and judges Rich Robertson, Bill Mason, and Greg Bain . [Photo by Jamie Evans].

This year marked the 127th running of the National Championship. The trial began on February 9 and concluded on February 20. Forty-one dogs--38 pointers and three setters-- under the direction of 21 different handlers, came to the line to test their skills on the historic grounds of the Ames Plantation located in Grand Junction, Tennessee.

Besting the field and winning this year's National Championship was Game Surge, owned and handled by Dr. Fred Corder of nearby Corinth, Mississippi. Game Surge, a 5-year-old white and orange pointer, ran in the 19th brace of the trial. To his credit, Game Surge was shown on birds five times. His style and manners on game beyond reproach on each occasion. One find was divided with his bracemate and last year's National Champion and this year's Joe Hurdle Award winner, Erin's Perfect Storm. His ground race was smooth and forward as he completed the three-hour course with strength and style.

Judging this year's National Championship was the same trio as last year. Bill Mason of Moundville, Alabama, Greg Bain of Moulton, Alabama, and Rich Robertson of Payette, Idaho. All three of these gentlemen are accomplished field trialers, bird dog men, and stewards of the sport. They rode consistently and watched intently, giving each contestant their utmost attention, keeping in mind the Amesian Standard for which this trial was founded.

The Amesian Standard states, "the dog under consideration must have and display great bird sense. He must show perfect work on both coveys and singles. He must be able quickly to determine between foot and body scent. He must use his brains, eyes, and nose to the fullest advantage and hunt the likely places on the course. He must possess speed, range, style, character, and stamina - and good manners always. He must hunt the birds, and not the handler hunt the dog. No line or path runner is acceptable. He must be well-broken, and the better his manners, the more clearly he proves his sound training. Should he lose a little in class, as expressed in extreme speed and range, he can make up for this, under fair judgment, in a single piece of superior bird work, or in sustained demonstration of general behavior. He must be bold, snappy, and spirited. His range must be to the front or to either side, but never behind. He must be regularly and habitually pleasingly governable and must know when to turn and keep his handlers' course in view, and at all times keep uppermost in his mind the finding and pointing of birds for his handler."

Many hours and days go into preparing for this trial. Hats off to Matt Backus, the Ames Plantation crew, and all the volunteers who gave of their time for the betterment of this trial. On Friday night, the drawing was held at the Bird Dog Museum in conjunction with the "Kickoff Party" hosted by Greg Blair and Purina Pro Plan, the exclusive dog food sponsor for this event. This year, the National Field Trial Champion Association, headed by President Dr. Stan Wint, Vice President Joey McAlexander, and Secretary-Treasurer Matt Backus, and its directors voted to change the qualifying standards for this trial. The goal is to encourage more participation, recognizing dogs that were active in field trials in the current year. To that end, it was decided to take the top 42 nominated dogs under the established Joe Hurdle Award points system. Previous National Champions were exempt and qualified for life. In the event of a tie in points, the dog with more first-place finishes would be selected.

Throughout the two weeks of the trial, a social hour followed the afternoon brace each day at the Rhea Building. Lots of good food, fun, and fellowship! Additionally, there were other after-hours social events, including a Brunswick Stew/BBQ dinner one evening for everyone and a fish fry for all on another occasion. One evening, there was an owner/handler steak dinner honoring last year's winner, Erin's Perfect Storm, and owner Brad Woodie. A beautiful portrait of the dog by renowned artist Ross Young was presented. On Valentine's night, all owners and participants were invited to an open house at the Ames Manor house.

The Running
Prior to the start of this trial, the Ames Plantation and many other nearby areas were hit hard by a snow, sleet, and ice storm that blanketed the ground for over two weeks with 5-7 inches of ice in most areas. As temperatures warmed the weekend before the trial, conditions became extremely wet and muddy for dogs, horses, and riders. Scenting conditions, particularly during the first week, were extremely difficult. In researching the aftereffects of these long-standing ice-covered grounds, it became very logical as to why the dogs were having such difficulty pinpointing their game.

This was the first year the National Championship was run on just the morning course. As many readers may already be aware, Tall Timbers Research is working in conjunction with Ames Plantation in a massive quail restoration project in an effort to bring wild quail back to the Ames Plantation. Currently, the afternoon course is undergoing major changes to its landscape. This project is set to continue on the afternoon course for the next few years. To that end, pre-season, pre-trial, and other subsequent quail releases have been dedicated solely to the morning course.

Brace by Brace Synopsis
Brace 1: Skies were clear and 35 degrees at breakaway.
Seranoa's Ramblin' Man had an unproductive at :50 on Govan Hill and a back at 1:03 just before crossing National Championship drive at Mary Scott. He had a find at 1:20 in Turner National North. McLean requested the tracker at 2:03.
Lester's Storm Chaser had his first find at :30 in the Big Turner Ditch Field, followed closely by his second find at :33 in the Turner Neck Field. At :50 he suffered an unproductive on Govan Hill. At 1:03, Storm Chaser had his third find just before crossing National Championship drive at Mary Scott, followed by a back of his bracemate at 1:20 at Turner National North. Storm Chaser then suffered unproductives at 1:37, 1:41, and 1:57 and was picked by Henry at 1:57.

Brace 2: Sunshine and 70 degrees at breakaway.
Wynona's Nickleback Sugar had an unproductive at :31 on the north side of Turner Neck Field. At 1:17, Vincent opted to pick her up at the Turner Road/National Championship crossroad.
Phantom's Zip suffered and unproductive at :29 on the south side of the Big Turner Ditch Field. Relocation efforts were unsuccessful. Todd decided to pick her up at the Turner Road/National Championship crossroad at 1:17, ending the brace.

Brace 3: Cloudy skies and 57 degrees at breakaway.
World Class High Def was out of pocket before the Ellington Road crossing. Siebels requested the tracker at :25.
Como Thunder had his first find at :27 at the Turner Road crossing, followed closely by his second find at :33 in the Turner Neck Field, well to the front. His third and final find came at :43 in the Turner Pines thicket. Thunder was running a strong forward race with three good finds before re-injuring a previous ligament strain. Russell opted to pick up at :59, ending the brace.

Brace 4: Cloudy skies and 64 degrees.
Miller's Last Call suffered an unproductive at :33 in the Long Turner Neck Field. Relocation was unsuccessful. He then had another unproductive at 1:05 in Mary Scott Loop just across National Championship Drive. At 1:11, he had his third unproductive in No Man's Land. Rinehart opted to pick up at 1:11.
Late Hit had a back of his bracemate at :33 in Long Turner Neck Field. At :58, he had a find at the base of Govan Hill, followed by a back at 1:11 in No Man's Land. His second find came at 1:32 by the Dunn property, headed toward Govan Hill. Late Hit pointed again at 1:38 west of Dunn's Pond Dam. Feathers were found on the ground from a kill, and the handler took the dog on. Shenker opted to pick up his dog at 1:44 on Govan Hill, ending the brace.

Brace 5: Clearing skies and 47 degrees at breakaway.
Nonami's Johnny Come Lately had a find at :29 at the Turner Road crossing. At 1:35, Pearce requested the tracker.
Shagtime Bill suffered an unproductive at :32 on the north side of the big milo field at the Turner Road crossing. Bill had a find at :59 in the Chute just south of the National Championship Drive crossing. Cagle requested the tracker at 1:50, ending the brace.

Brace 6: Sunshine and 58 degrees.
Game Heir suffered an unproductive at :26 just before the Turner Road crossing, followed by another unproductive at :34 on the north side of the Turner Neck Field. At 1:15, Game Heir had a find at Turner National. He was on point again at 1:35 in the chute headed toward Govan Hill. His handler pointed out feathers from a kill and took the dog on. At 1:40, he had another find just to the left side across the new Turner Ditch crossing. Just up the ditch on the left side in the bi-color patch near the west end of Turner Ditch, Game Heir had his third unproductive at 1:47, and Corder decided to pick him up.
Haney's All In was out of pocket early with no bird work. McLean requested the tracker at :58.

Brace 7: Clear and 36 degrees following an overnight rain of nearly 1 inch.
Rebel Dreams first find of the morning came at 1:10 on the west side of the Mary Scott Pond Dam. Her second find came at 1:23 at Turner National Pines, and her third at 1:44 just north of the Turner Ditch Pine thicket. She had her fourth find in Edward Clark South at 2:09. Her fifth, and final find, was at 2:30 in the basin just before the Keegan Ditch crossing, where Williams flushed a nice covey of birds. Rebel Dreams had a big finish in the Edward Clark field east of the pines to complete her three-hour run.
Mayfield Storm Messenger had no bird work. Siebels requested the tracker at 1:45.

Brace 8: Clear skies and 57 degrees.
Wynona's Rebel had a back at 1:10 in the Mary Scott Loop. At 2:10, he suffered an unproductive at the Turner Road crossing. Vincent opted to pick Rebel up at 2:25.
Sunset Sam Houston was on point at :39. A judge noticed feathers from a kill, and his handler took Sam on. At 1:10, Sam suffered an unproductive east of Mary Scott Loop, followed by another unproductive at 1:52 on the east side of Govan Hill. Lester opted to pick up at 1:52.

Brace 9: Sunshine and 34 degrees.
Touch's Shadow Rider was out of pocket early. McLean requested the tracker at :40.
Haney's Storm Warning had an extended absence early on but showed to the front at :40. After release, he was not seen again under judgment. Cagle requested the tracker at 1:40, ending this brace.

Brace 10: Clear skies and 64 degrees.
Lester's War Bird had his first find at 1:22 in Edward Clark South, where Lester flushed a running covey. His second find came at 2:00 in the Big Turner Ditch field just west of the road crossing, followed by another at 2:36 across Keegan's Ditch to the south, headed to Braddock pasture. This was his third and final find. War Bird finished the three hours in Edward Clark South, east of the pines.
Rester's Johnny Ringo was picked up by Eisenhart just before the Ellington Road crossing at :10.

Brace 11: Cloudy and 55 degrees.
Woodville's Long Hard Ride had a find at the LB Avent House Place near the Turner Road crossing at :27. His second and final find came at 1:10, just past the Mary Scott Loop. Hard Ride completed the three hours.
Miller's Blindsider, the 2023 National Champion, had an unproductive at 1:15. Daniels saw birds leave, but they were not seen under judgment, and relocation was unsuccessful. At 1:30, Blindsider had a find in Turner National Pines. His second find came at 2:07 in Edward Clark South, followed by another find at 2:37 just across Keegan's Ditch in the Tolb Polk field. At 2:53, Blindsider suffered an unproductive in Edward Clark South, east of the pines. The 9-year-old Blindsider completed the three-hour course.

Brace 12: Cloudy and 63 degrees.
Haney's Silver Dollar was out of pocket early, and Eisenhart requested the tracker at :40.
Barshoe Forget Me Not was also out of pocket early, and Vincent requested his tracker at :40.

Brace 13: Clear skies and 35 degrees after a 27-minute delay due to fog.
Rebel Gold was not seen at the Ellington Road crossing early on in the brace. Williams requested his tracker at :47.
Wild Covey Strikezone got too close and bumped birds in the woodline just off the breakaway field and was picked up at :02.

Brace 14: Sunshine and 64 degrees.
Miss Arkansas had a find on the south end of the Morgan Swamp. Point was called again at :52 on Govan Hill, where a feather pile from a kill was seen by judges, and Lemons took the dog on. At :59, she backed her bracemate in the chute just before crossing National Championship Drive. She suffered an unproductive at 1:10 in Mary Scott Loop, where relocation was unsuccessful. After an extended absence, Lemons requested the tracker at 1:55 at the Turner Road crossing.
Haney's Hurricane Seeker had an unproductive at :59 in the chute just before crossing National Championship Drive. With no bird work, Russell picked the dog up at 1:55.

Brace 15: Overcast skies and 52 degrees.
Whippoorwill Vette was running a very nice forward ground race but suffered an unproductive at 1:30 in the chute just south of National Championship Drive, and Huffman opted to pick up his dog.
Miller's Heat Advisory was not seen after crossing Ellington Road early in the brace. Carlton got his tracker at :45.

Brace 16: Overcast and 58 degrees.
Westfall's Power Trip was to the front through the Morgan Field but was not seen again. Daugherty requested the tracker at :42 at the Turner Road crossing.
Bandit's Hill Avenger was out of pocket early in the brace, and Rinehart requested the tracker at :57.

Brace 17: Overcast and 60 degrees.
Quail Woods Pine was hunting through Mary Scott at 1:10 and made the turn, headed back toward National Championship Drive, but never crossed. After a lengthy absence, Carlton requested the tracker at 1:58.
Panther Creek Rosie hunted through the Morgan Field and on into Turner Field, but was out of pocket before crossing Turner Ditch. Rice requested his tracker at 1:05.

Brace 18: Overcast and 62 degrees.
Millers' Triple Crown pointed at :22 on a feather/kill site, and his handler took him on. At :28, he suffered an unproductive at the south end of Morgan Swamp, followed by another unproductive at :34 at the LB Avent house place. Triple Crown had a find at :53 on a woodcock just out of Turner Ditch on the left side, followed by a third unproductive at :59 on Dunn's Pond Levee. Following an unsuccessful relocation, Siebels opted to pick up his dog.
I'm Gallant had his first find at :22 just above the Morgan Basin, where Vincent flushed a nice covey of running birds. His second and final find came at 1:43 at the base of Govan Hill. I'm Gallant ran a good forward race and completed his three hours.

Brace 19: Overcast and 64 degrees.
Game Surge's first find was a divided find in the Big Turner Ditch at :30, followed closely by a stylish find at :40 right before the Turner Basin. His third find came at 1:06 at the Mary Scott Barn Field, midway down on the left side, and his fourth find came at 1:09 on the west side of the Mary Scott pond. At 1:55, Game Surge had his fifth find in the Long Turner Neck Field in bi-color after a nice cast down the north side of the field. Point was called by Corder at 2:14 as the dog was standing at the far north end of Edward Clark South as the judges approached. The birds lifted early as Corder called flight, but were not seen under judgment. Corder took the dog on. Game Surge made several nice casts around the remaining fields to complete his three-hour bid.
Erin's Perfect Storm, the reigning National Champion, had a find at :10 just before the Ellington Road crossing. He had his second find at :26 at the LB Avent House Place just before the Turner Road crossing. His third find was a divided find at :30 in the Big Turner Ditch. Perfect Storm was out of pocket before crossing National Championship Drive at :57. Eisenhart requested the tracker at 1:30.

Brace 20: Partly cloudy skies and a warm 74 degrees.
Nickajack Pale Rider suffered an unproductive at :06 at Lost Dog Hill. Relocation was unsuccessful. He had another unproductive at :53 west of Govan Hill, and again relocation was unsuccessful. McLean opted to pick him up at :55.
World Class Instigator had a back at :06 at Lost Dog Hill, followed by a find at :34 in the Big Turner Ditch Field. At 1:22, Cochran made the decision to pick up his dog, ending the brace at the Turner/National road crossing.

Brace 21: Clear skies and 48 degrees.
Erin's Code of Honor suffered an unproductive at :20 in the woodline south of Morgan Basin. Relocation was unsuccessful. At :30, he had another unproductive west of the LB Avent House Place near the Turner Road crossing. Eisenhart made the decision to pick him up at :32, ending the brace.

This concluded the running of the 127th National Championship. The announcement of the 2026 National Champion was scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Ames Manor House. As the crowd gathered and the judges and other dignitaries assembled behind Matt Backus on the back steps of the Ames Manor House, the announcement was made....

Grand Junction, Tenn., February 9
Judges: Greg Bain, Bill Mason, and Rich Robertson Jr.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP [Three-Hour Heats] - 38 Pointers and 3 Setters
Winner-GAME SURGE, F1700091, pointer male, by Lester's Storm Surge-Game Maggie. Dr. Fred Corder, owner and handler.

Judges Rich Robertson, Bill Mason, Greg Bain, and Reporter Kent Walker.