National bird dog championship continues in Hardeman County

GRAND JUNCTION, Tenn. — A national championship in West Tennessee features some of the world’s most intelligent and fastest dogs.

For over 100 years, people have gathered at the Ames Plantation for the National Championship of Field Trialing Bird Dogs.

As the dogs took their places, many field trial enthusiasts rode horseback watching them hunt for quail.

Forestry and wildlife professor Dr. Allan Houston with the University of Tennessee said after the dogs are cut loose they’ll run for three hours.

The dogs are trained to find quail, and Houston says quail hunting was a big deal in the 1950s and ’60s. “People would often move from the North by large places in order to sustain or allow them to hunt quail, and bird dogs were a big part of that.”

While the dogs hunt, handlers ride behind in hopes of leading them to the finish line.

“For them to be able to take those dogs like a magic wand and move them around on the landscape, that’s my favorite part,” Houston said.

Vera Courtney, who has attended the field trials for over 20 years, said she’s most impressed by the dogs’ endurance.

“When the dogs come out of this little chute and take one of these edges and run the entire circumference of this field, it just really shows the athleticism that they have, and it’s amazing to me,” Courtney said.

Judges will pick a winner based on athleticism and how many quail they are able to catch. The last race is on Friday, and the overall winner will be announced later that evening. First place will receive a $26,000 cash prize and a trophy.