Result: NBHA National Invitational Breeders' Championship

Location: Grovespring, Missouri

Post Date: Apr 7, 2026

Submitted By: Christian Ogle

NBHA National Invitational Breeders' Championship (front): Jillian Stuhr with Indian Creek Sprout, Andrea Wood Ward with Foxy Lady Sadie, and Tom Waite. (Standing, l-r)Kevin Western, Randy Zimmer, Garry Malzone, Mike Taylor, Mike Poehler (judge), Frank Christie, Doug Meyer (judge), Joe Zimmer, Chris Leeson, Tim Penn, Rick Torres, Bob Burchett, and Jim Ogle.

The 2026 National Bird Hunters Association Breeders Invitational Championship was held on the Sportsman's Association grounds near Grovespring, Missouri. The trial began on February 10 and lasted three-and-a-half days. We had some of the most perfect weather Missouri could offer. We drew 40 dogs for this prestigious and coveted title. Our judges were Doug Myers from Tonganoxie, Kansas, and Mike Poehler from Strafford, Missouri. We ran six braces a day and spent the rest of the day with chores and dog stories from the past.

The Missouri Bird Hunters were again on hand to help with the duties of this trial. It takes an exceptional team to make this go smoothly. Trial chairman and MBHA President Christian Ogle has the best team. Starting every morning was Randy Zimmer. Randy cooked biscuits and gravy to give everyone a full belly to start their morning. He would later hop in the truck and make sure the dogs were at the starting line on both ends of the course. He would also help with lunch duties. Next up is Joe Zimmer. Joe was always up early, helping with the bird planting. Throughout the day, Joe was driving his UTV to help with bird planting, hauling the trial reporter, or chasing down dogs that needed GPS pickup. Mr. Kevin Western drove his two-seater buggy borrowed from his lovely wife, Heather. Also hauling extra spectators, bird planting, and being our second dog wagon. Thank you, gentlemen, for all the behind-the-scenes work you do to perfection. These gentlemen are leaving their families and chores behind for a week so you can run dogs. Please thank them every time you see them.
Purina Pro Plan is our largest sponsor and is donating a lot of dog food to our winners. Garmin donates collars to the winners of every championship. OnX is one of our new sponsors. They are donating an elite membership to our winners. Gun Dog Supply donates gift certificates. Mule Brand Clothing has coupons for our winners. Gundog Central takes care of our website. I would like to personally thank you all. Without your support, we would be lost.

The Running
Day one, Brace 1: Blair's Holy Thunder (Tom Waite) and Indian Creek Pearl Jam (Garry Malzone). Cut loose at 8:01 a.m., it didn't take "Pearl" long to be found pointed near the cemetery. At 8:04, a single was produced. At 8:13, she was pointed again, Thunder with a nice back. Pearl was picked up for manners at 24. Thunder was pointing in Sycamore bottoms near the big chute. At 38, he was picked up for manners.

Brace 2, breakaway 9:05 a.m.: Indian Creek Pineapple (Garry Malzone) and Bandit Hill Bess (Klaus Schmidt). Bess had her first find at 14. The birds were under a downed cedar tree near the Little Vine loop. She would go on to have two more finds, but was unable to produce birds on both. Garry picked his dog up at 35, with no infractions.

Brace 3, 10:19 a.m.: Cates Rocket Girl (Zach Erne) and Glover's Flintstone (Jack Glover). Rocket Girl had finds at 28 and 32, and a nice back at 54. Flintstone had a back at 32 and a UP at 54.

Brace 4, 11:30 a.m.: Dale Creek Tothe Max (Tom Waite) and Snow's Home Again Katy (Kenny Snow). Both dogs were picked up early.

Brace 5, breakaway 1:56 p.m.: Chippewa's Dog of War (Zach Erne) and Haney's Big Country (Garry Malzone). Zack had to get his tracker after a long absence. Big had a UP at 34. At 48, he was pointing near the cedar tree in Little Vine loop. After a relocation, a single was produced.

Brace 6, turned loose at 3:05 p.m.: Erin's Pancho Villa (Chuck Leonard) and Raintree Blue Moon (Tom Waite). Blue Moon had a UP at 25. Both finished the hour.

Wednesday, Brace 7, 7:56 a.m. breakaway: Flint Ridge Ranger (Paul Ott) and Need For Speed (Tom Waite). Ranger had a find at 14 in the breakaway bottoms big hill. Ranger was again pointed at 19. Paul relocated but could not produce a bird. Tom picked his dog up for a failure to back. Ranger had his second UP at 49.

Brace 8, 9:09 a.m.: Indian Creek Spur (Garry Malzone) and Miller Creek's On The Horizon (Matt Miller). Spur had a find at 7. A single was produced in the Little Vine loop. Spur was found to the front pointed, but Garry found a dead bird. "Reyna" was found forward on the course in Sycamore bottoms. Matt was unable to produce a bird. At 38, both dogs were pointed, and the judges called a divided find. At the 50-minute mark, Reyna was pointed again with Spur backing. A small covey was produced. At 55, both dogs had another divided find. Both handlers elected not to flush.

Brace 9, 10:05 a.m.: Erin's Deja Vu (Garry Malzone) and Bakers Shining Star Duke (Tom Waite). Both dogs were found in breakaway bottoms on separate birds. "Tess" had a single, and Duke had a UP. At 25, Tess was pointed in Sycamore bottoms by the big chute. Garry flushed, and she went with the birds. Duke had a find at the big hill in Sycamore bottoms. Tom flushed a single, and they finished the hour.

Brace 10, 10:29 a.m.: Southern Shadow's Stoner (Klaus Schmidt) and River City Hit Man (Zach Erne). Both dogs were picked up for infractions.

Brace 11, breakaway 1:58 p.m.: Hey Mr. Tin Man (Kenny Snow) and Full Red Afterburn (Tom Waite). Red had a pair in breakaway bottoms at 13. At 22, Tin Man was pointed where birds had been found earlier. No birds were produced. Red was picked up for failure to back. Tin Man would have his second UP at 54.

Brace 12, turned loose at 3:10 p.m.: Indian Creek Sprout (Garry Malzone) and Penrosa Hidncash (Tim Penn). It would only take Sprout five minutes to have her first find, standing tall while Garry kicked up a single. Her next find, she was again standing tall and proud on the hill behind the big Sycamore tree. Another single would be produced. At 30, Cash would be pointed in a briar patch in Sycamore bottoms. Cash got a UP as Tim couldn't produce a bird. At 38, both dogs were pointed across from Andy's house, in different locations on different birds. Both handlers were able to put birds in the air. Both dogs finished their hours strong and to the front. Sprout made a big move to the front, finishing her lines--all finds to the front with a big boost to get there.

Thursday, Brace 13, 7:58 a.m.: Dale Creek Janie Bell (Tom Waite) and Harbor City Pride (Garry Malzone). Both dogs were picked up at 5.

Brace 14, 8:45 a.m.: Snow's Sea Dollar (Kenny Snow) and Kissimmee Grousewoods Tea (Garry Malzone). Tea had her first bird contact at 7, and Garry flushed a pair in the Little Vine loop. Sea Dollar was found to the front, standing on the big hill in Sycamore bottoms. At 20, Tea had her second find by the dry creek bed in Little Vine loop. Her third find at 35 was the East timber in the breakaway bottoms. At 37, Kenny was unable to produce a bird for UP. Both dogs finished the hour.

Brace 15, 10:00 a.m.: Miller Creek's Misbehavin' (Matt Miller) was scratched; she was in season. Raintree Simply Singular (Tom Waite) was picked up early.

Brace 16: River City Free Agent (Zach Erne) and Glover's Pepper Shaker (Jack Glover). At 24, Pepper was pointed on the big hill by the Sycamore tree. Jack flushed a single. At 36, she had a UP. At 46, Jack picked her up.

Brace 17, 1:29 p.m.: Flint Ridge Oakley (Paul Ott) and Indian Creek Courageous Cat (Garry Malzone). Oakley had a find at 5 in the breakaway bottoms; a single was produced. At 14, both dogs were picked up.

Brace 18, 2:23 p.m.: Southern Shadow's Bootlegger (Klaus Schmidt) and Blair's Calvary Mountain (Tom Waite). At 24, Shadow was pointed on the hill near the Sycamore. Klaus put a single in the air. At 30, another find near the south end of Breakaway bottoms.

Friday, Brace 19, 7:59 a.m.: Miss Grace (Dan Crunk) and Mohawk Mill Trail Warrior (Garry Malzone). Buddy had a find at 4; Garry flushed and then relocated. This time, he was able to put a pair of quail into the air. Grace had a find at 12. Dan flushed a single. Buddy was on point at 18 on the south end of Breakaway Bottoms. Dan picked up Grace at 28 for manners. Buddy pointed again at 31 on the hill by the big Sycamore. At 44, he had a UP. At 56, a single was flushed for Buddy in the Little Vine Loop.

Brace 20, 9:15 a.m.: Double D's Star Linebacker (Danny Draffen) and Foxy Lady Sadie (Tom Waite). Sadie had her first find at 15. A small covey flushed from the scrub brush on the big hill in the Little Vine Loop. At 26, she was pointed on the big hill by the Sycamore. Tom flushed a single. At 42, she had a find on the south end of Breakaway Bottoms. Double D had a nice back of Sadie. At 50, he was picked up for manners. Sadie was always fast and found on point to the front. Snappy and stylish finishing lines to the end.

This year's 2026 Breeders' Champion is Indian Creek Sprout, scouted by owner Jillian Stuhr and handled by Garry Malzone. Team Malzone continues their success and shows what teamwork and a good work ethic can get you in life.
Our runner-up champion is Foxy Lady Sadie, an Irish setter owned by Mike Fox, handled by Tom Waite, and scouted by Andrea Wood Ward.
Both of these dogs are a pleasure to watch. The excitement of watching both of these dogs slam point makes judges and the gallery alike smile and set up in their saddles. Congratulations to both of these dogs, breeders, owners, and scouts.

Grovespring, Mo., February 10
Judges: Doug Meyer and Mike Poehler
NBHA NATIONAL INVITATIONAL BREEDERS' CHAMPIONSHIP [One-Hour Heats] - 40 Entries
Winner-INDIAN CREEK SPROUT, F1693330, pointer female, by Indian Creek Perfect Storm-Indian Creek Ramona. Jillian Stuhr, owner; Garry Malzone, handler.
Runner-Up-FOXY LADY SADIE, F1691626, Irish setter female, by Zansett Simply Red-Foxy's Lil Red Missy. Mike Fox, owner; Tom Waite, handler.

40th NBHA 2026 Futurity
The grounds at Grovespring are the perfect venue for both the qualifying round and the one-hour callbacks. Our judges this year were Bob Burchett and Mark Livingston. We started on Friday after naming our champion and runner-up for the Breeders' Championship. Our numbers were down this year, and I expected this after last year's numbers were down for the Jerry Kilgore Puppy Classic.

I would like to apologize for my lack of notes during the qualifying rounds. We did have a lot of bird work--some clean and polished, some more of a happy puppy. I will say that having this trial in February can show different levels of maturity. A bad birthday could put a dog in the Futurity that was running in the puppy class two months earlier.

We still have standards to consider. This trial is special to me. I've put a ton of work into this for the last six years. It should be viewed as the best of each breed, which can be used to improve our breeding programs. Some of these dogs stood out with style, race, and new what they were there to do. We have to look for the potential that will take these dogs to the next level of success.

Our first-place dog, Run To Wynn, came from the first brace of the callbacks on Sunday morning. This pointer male was bred by Matt Pendergrass. He is out of Cocklebur Dragon Tattoo x Imagine. Wynn also won the Jerry Kilgore Puppy Classic last year. Wynn had a back at 11. His first find was at 26 near the big chute in Sycamore Bottoms. He took a little pressure from his bracemate. At 35, he would have a stop to flush on the big hill past the Sycamore tree. He was always to the front and a pleasure to watch. Wynn was handled by Zach Erne and scouted by his brother, Andy Erne. These two are a great team. A new team on the rise, seeing success. And they are also great men to be around.

Our second-place dog, Loghome Lizzie, came from the third brace and was a standby dog. Lizzie was bred by Andrea Wood Ward, out of Dale Creek Rising Moon x Dale Creek Zed Babe. She is owned by Rick and Karen Torres. Lizzie's first find was at 14 in Breakaway Bottoms. Tom kicked up a single. Her second find was across the road, entering Sycamore Bottoms. This bird had help from her bracemate flushing. At 45, she was pointed near the Little Vine Loop. She again had pressure from her bracemate, and they both took the birds out. Lizzie is fast, snappy, and fun to watch.

Our third-place dog, Hard Hat's Andy, owned by Jim Smith and handled by Chris Leeson, was bred by Jim Smith. He is out of Hard Hats Bad Dotty x Buck Shamrock. Andy had three points in which he flushed birds himself before Chris got to him, catching the last one. Mark said he finished strong and to the front.

Our fourth-place finisher, JD's Happy Jack, is a pointer male owned and handled by Dan Crunk. He was bred by Wade Williams, out of Bluemounds White Reign x Phillips Linebacker. Jack was in the second brace of our callbacks. Jack had his first find at 18 in one of the long fields west of Sycamore Bottoms. At 30, Dan flushed a pair in Sycamore Bottoms. Jack had his last find at 46. Jack had a few steps with each find marking flight. He had a good race, hunting the edges and very stylish, moving and on point.

Judges: Bob Burchett and Mark Livingston
NBHA 40TH FUTURITY - 7 Pointers and 8 Setters
1st-RUN TO WYNN, F1712002, pointer male, by Imagine-Cocklebur Dragon Tattoo. Brett Eikenbary, owner; Zach Erne, handler.
2d-LOGHOME LIZZIE, F1710848, setter female, by Dale Creek Zed Babe-Dale Creek Rising Moon. Rick & Karen Torres, owners; Tom Waite, handler.
3d-HARD HAT'S ANDY, F1711934, setter male, by Buck Shamrock-Hard Hats Bad Dotty. Jim Smith, owner; Chris Leeson, handler.
4th-JD'S HAPPY JACK, F1712298, pointer male, by Phillips Linebacker-Bluemounds White Reign. Dan Crunk, owner and handler.

2026 Jerry Kilgore Puppy Classic
This event was notably affected by rain, which may have affected the performance of some contestants. Despite the weather, several puppies excelled, demonstrating both promise and resilience.

In the first brace was Running With Scissors (Garry Malzone). She finished her 30 minutes, handled easily, and stayed forward; her race was not as strong as the top three, but earned her fourth place. Guard Rail's Cowboy Mickey (Mike Taylor) was picked up at 2 for interfering with a bracemate.

In the second brace was Snow's Daisy (Kenny Snow). She moved nicely and hunted to the front, rewarded with third place. Dublin Down (ESF/Brady Elmore) went to the front, hunted hard, and demonstrated top contender potential. She earned first place, standing out as the clear winner.

In the third brace was Erin's Cisco of Timbercreek (Chuck Leonard), a flashy pointer, capable of a big race, but didn't apply himself as well as the winners. Coon Creeks Pride Lakota (Corey Huchteman) used cover well, demonstrated great hunting effort, and earned second place.

In the fourth brace was Dancehall Dreamer (Jeff Hampshire), an attractive setter who made a good forward cast and close consideration for the podium. Indian Creek Branzino (Garry Malzone) was a hard-going puppy, difficult for the handler, who may show better another day.

In the fifth brace, Hackberry's Snake Lady McGee (Mike Taylor) and Livewire (Chuck Maxson) complemented each other, sought independence, but time ran out for them.

In the sixth brace was Coon Creeks Pride Ten Bears (Corey Huchteman). He hunted nicely, had a bird-contact pleasing performance, but not as strong as the winners. Indian Creek Kalabar (Garry Malzone) started strong, but lost track of the handler at the road and was picked up at 22.
In the seventh brace were Snow's Lacey Jay (Kenny Snow) and Rim Rocks Desert Snake Pearl (Mike Taylor). Both made similar efforts and responded well to handlers, but not as strongly as the winners.

In closing, I would like to thank everyone for allowing me to host these trials for the last six years. I hope the next person who takes on the task of the Futurity will uphold the standards and keep our future breeding programs held to the highest level possible. Be honest with everyone and treat them fairly and with respect, and you will be treated the same. May God bless you all.

Judges: Mark Livingston and Mark Livingston
NBHA JERRY KILGORE PUPPY CLASSIC - 14 Entries
1st-DUBLIN DOWN, F1720080, setter female, by Skyview Black Onyx-Erin's Crossroads. Brady Elmore, owner and handler.
2d-COON CREEKS PRIDE LAKOTA, F1729614, German Shorthair female, by Coon Creeks Pride Crow-Bee Ridge Maggie Ann. Corey Huchteman, owner and handler.
3d-SNOW'S DAISY, F1728148, setter female, by G F Texas Ranger-Wynona's Atlantic Way Cookie. Kenny Snow, owner and handler.
4th-RUNNING WITH SCISSORS, F1724728, pointer female, by Mohawk Mill Trail Warrior-Indian Creek Sprout. Jillian Stuhr, owner; Garry Malzone, handler.