Result: Michigan Amateur Field Trial Club

Location: Meredith, Michigan

Post Date: May 1, 2026

Submitted By: Tyler Miller

Judd Kinne Memorial Shooting Dog Classic (front, l-r): Moss Meadow Seeker with Ken Moss (owner), Confidence Squared Kelly with Rachel Butler (owner/handler), and Rowling's Stormy with Chuck Rowling. (Back, l-r): Richard Hollister (judge), Christy Helmes (judge), and Tom Butler. [Photo by: Tyler Miller].

Winter let up just in time to allow the Michigan Amateur Field Trial Club to hold its annual spring trial. The snow and ice that had still covered some of the Gladwin Field trial Area and even the freezing rain that had brought down trees and limbs across the grounds in the week leading up to the event thawed just enough to allow the trial to proceed as planned. And while it was a cold start Friday morning, with temperatures still in the 30s when the first brace broke, the organizers, dogs, and handlers brought their best, giving us a wonderful weekend of trialing at Gladwin.

The Gladwin Field Trial Area is a beautiful piece of American bird dog heritage, maintained by the Michigan DNR. Wild bird habitat is constantly changing, as the early-successional forests that provide grouse and woodcock with cover quickly age out of suitability. The State of Michigan has done an incredible job of managing and maintaining the grounds for optimal wild bird habitat. Further, the constant effort and attention of all Michigan's trial club volunteers have meant that each course continues to be as fair as possible, with an even mix of dense and open cover through the grounds' scrub oak, aspen, pine, alder, and cedar.

Thanks go to the judges, Christie Helmes and Richard Hollister (Shooting Dog); Tom Vanecek and Bill Darr (Puppy); Tammy Chaffee and Nick Brown (Derby); and Marc Dozeman and Ken Moss (Hunting Dog), for braving the wind, rain, and cold, while holding dogs and handlers to a high standard of conduct and performance.

Also, special thanks must go to the organizers, Richard Hollister and Bob Wheelock. Rich, in addition to his duties as judge, provided the horses for the trial and acted as stakes manager. Without his supportive presence in the Michigan bird dog community, trialing would not be what it is in Michigan. Bob, as MAFTC president, provided lunches and coordinated the event. With 33 braces and a bye across four events, there were a lot of moving parts at work over the weekend, and Bob did an incredible job keeping them all running smoothly. Thanks also go to Marc Dozeman and his wife for providing breakfast each morning, and to all the volunteers who moved vehicles from course to course for the handlers.

Judd Kinne Memorial Amateur Shooting Dog Classic
The first brace broke on April 3, 8 a.m., on Course 4 with Ken Moss's Moss Meadow Able against Lonnie Rademacher's Otto. Otto pointed a woodcock at minute three to the left of the trail, making an impressive start. Able followed suit at 15, pointing a woodcock to the right of the trail, with Otto pointing another a minute later. Unfortunately, Rademacher lost contact with Otto at around 20, over a long rise of young cover. He asked for the tracker at 28. Able rounded out a forward race with one more woodcock with a minute left on the clock.
Sandy Maclean's Wicked Pursuit ("Sue") ran alongside Chuck Rowling's Rowling's Star in the third brace. Sue managed a woodcock with two minutes to spare in a hard-run brace through Course 6.
Rob Ellis's "Dottie" and Rachel Butler's Confidence Squared Kelly both ran a forward race in the fifth brace. Kelly managed a spectacular limb find at 21 that, paired with her fine, elegant gait, earned her second place in the trial.
In Brace 12, Andrew Purcell's Silvershot's TC Tilly and Chuck Rowling's Rowling's Stormy broke across the dense terrain of Course 15. Stormy made quick work of finding a bird, with a point at 2, a modest distance off the trail. Her aggressive run and strong, showy patterns impressed the judges and earned her third place.
Lonnie Rademacher's Springpond Rockin Gibby and Ken Moss's Moss Meadow Seeker ran against each other in the 13th and final brace of the day. Both dogs have a long history of wins in field trials, and both performed admirably with a forward, showy style, hunting hard through the dense cover of Course 16. Seeker made a strong, steady woodcock point at 18 and followed it up at 28, with the only ruffed grouse find of the day, earning him first place in a competitive trial.

Chuck Pagano Puppy Classic
Six dogs ran in the Puppy stakes, with the first brace breaking away just before 9:30 a.m. Ken DeLong's Lucy's Just Have Mercy netted herself another win with an impressive race. Steve Colvert's "CJ" earned second place, and John Clough's "Will" took third.

Chester Halley Derby Classic
The morning of April 4 was rainy and cold, which made for challenging conditions for the judges, dogs, and handlers. The birds were out, though, and in addition, the birds pointed in the trial, the gallery walked up five woodcock and four ruffed grouse. Nineteen dogs in nine braces and one bye broke away.
Frank Illijanic's "Ruby" broke with Rob Ellis's "Delta" in the second brace. Both dogs ran an aggressive race and handled well, but Ruby's forward style and exceptional handling earned her third place in the judges' eyes.
The fourth brace set John Clough's "Will" against Ben Wilson's "June" on Course 7. Will had a woodcock find one minute into the brace and followed it up with another not long after in a run the judges called "fast and fancy." Will's impressive performance earned him second place in the trial and his second placement of the weekend.
In the sixth brace, Thomas Reed's "Fitz" ran against Dan Gehring's "Boomer" through a hilly Course 9. Boomer pointed a woodcock just shy of the five-minute mark, and both dogs ran big and hunted hard for the remainder of their time.
In the 10th and final run of the day, Travis Whitfield's "Kane" broke away on Course 13. Kane ran an impressive, forward race that yielded the day's only grouse find, earning himself first place.

Meredith, Mich., April 3
Judges: Christy Helms and Rich Hollister
JUDD KINNE MEMORIAL AMATEUR SHOOTING DOG CLASSIC - 8 Pointers, 16 Setters, and 2 Brittanys
1st-MOSS MEADOW SEEKER, F1676726, setter male, by Moss Meadow Rambler-Moss Meadow Maggie. Ken Moss, owner and handler.
2d-CONFIDENCE SQUARED KELLY, F1703363, pointer female, by True Confidence-My Lucky Lady. Rachel & Tom Butler, owners; Rachel Butler, handler.
3d-ROWLING'S STORMY, F1710741, setter female, by Moss Meadow Seeker-Rowling's Star. Chuck Rowling, owner and handler.

Chester Halley Derby Classic (l-r): Hifive's Raising Cain with Travis Whitfield (owner), Tammy Chaffee (judge), Clough's Outcast Will with John Clough (owner), Nick Brown (judge), and Northwoods Wanderlust with Frank Ilijanic. [Photo by: Tyler Miller].

Judges: Nick Brown and Tammy Chaffee
CHESTER HALLEY MEMORIAL DERBY CLASSIC - 14 Pointers and 6 Setters
1st-HIFIVE'S RAISING CAIN, F1722002, pointer male, by Ralphy's Chasehill Rip-Hifive's Unsweetened Brandy. Travis Whitfield, owner and handler.
2d-CLOUGH'S OUTCAST WILL, F1721337, setter male, by Boatright's Maverick-Outcast Siren Song. John Clough, owner and handler.
3d-NORTHWOODS WANDERLUST, F1722885, pointer female, by Confident Nation-Northwoods Comet. Frank Ilijanic, owner and handler.

Judges: Bill Darr and Tom Vaneck
CHUCK PAGANO MEMORIAL PUPPY CLASSIC - 2 Pointers, 3 Setters, and 1 German Shorthair
1st-LUCY'S JUST HAVE MERCY, F1723542, pointer female, by Highbanks Final Justice-Highbanks Diamond Lucy. Ken DeLong, owner and handler.
2d-PIGEON CREEK CJ, F1719455, setter male, by Ponderosa Mac-Lockwood Mae. Steve Colvert, owner and handler.
3d-CLOUGH'S OUTCAST WILL, F1721337, setter male, by Boatright's Maverick-Outcast Siren Song. John Clough, owner and handler.

Chuck Pagano Puppy Classic (l-r): Lucy's Just Have Mercy with Ken DeLong (owner), Pigeon Creek CJ with Steve Calvert (owner), and Clough's Outcast Will with John Clough (owner). [Photo by: Bob Wheelock].