[mbrookins]

Featured in such publications as The Retriever Journal, Wisconsin Outdoor News, and Wisconsin Outdoor Journal, the Manitowoc County Kennel Club?s Hunting Dog Expo is back for its seventh straight year. Hunting Dog Expo 2005 is open to all field breeds and their owners to prepare for the upcoming hunting season. Participants can take part in 10 sporting dog games from the longest pond leap to hunting out a live chukar or hen pheasant.

The Expo is held on some of the finest dog training grounds in the Midwest. Nestled up against the Manitowoc River near the rural community of Valders, WI and conveniently located between Milwaukee, Green Bay, and the Fox Valley (see the event?s website http://www.mc-kc.com/huntexpo.html for information and a map) the facility has four technical ponds and several large fields to host the event. The grounds are west of Valders off of Highway 151 and Quarry road (turn north). Be sure to mark Saturday, September 10 on your calendar and plan to attend this fun filled event.

Wisconsin Outdoor Journal states the sporting dog games are ?unpressured competition for (dog) owners who want it, but just as important the format is ideal for learning and preseason tune-up.? The highlight of the day is The Pointing Dog Journal and The Retriever Journal?s presentation of the David G. Meisner Memorial Trophy to the day?s most successful gun dog. Dogs and their handlers participating in the variety of fun, simulated hunting scenarios and games, held throughout the day, will determine this.

Participants have numerous opportunities at raffle prizes, awards, and silent auction items thanks to the support and generosity of Sportdog Brand Products, Edgewood Game Farms, totalretriever.com, The Sportsman?s Warehouse, Miesfelds.com, The Pointing Dog Journal, Purina, The Retriever Journal, Achieve Professionally Formulated Dog Food, RFG Distributing ? Unleashed Technology, and Tri-tronics.

The gates to the event open at 8:00 AM and the sporting dog games run from 9:00 AM through 4:00 PM. Attendees are encouraged to bring their family, proper seasonal attire and rain gear, water for their dogs, a camera, and lawn chairs. Concessions of bratwurst, hamburgers, and an assortment of soda, beer, & water will be available on the grounds.

Proceeds from the Expo are used to promote and preserve field breeds and sports on both a local and national level. MCKC?s Expo has made past contributions to the Bird Dog Hall of Fame, National Amateur Retriever Club, Ducks Unlimited, the Bird Dog Foundation, Fox Valley Cluster, and Professional Retriever Trainers Association's Land Development Grant.

Pre-registration is not necessary for Expo activities. However, early bird packages are available at a discount, with special raffle eligibility. For more information call (920) 999-2352. Be sure to visit www.mc-kc.com/huntexpo.html.

 

[mbrookins]

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[Doug Kelley]

Can you give a brief description of the events?

 

[mbrookins]

Doug,

We have 10 different sporting dog games. The cost to do all games once is $52. You can do everything or stick with one or two games. There is no preregistration. Just come and play what you want when you want during the course of the day.

Mallard Marsh - Senior-like test with two dead birds and a blind, or if your dog is younger you can run as singles and skip the blind. Ribbon for completion.
Upland Pheasant Challenge -- Hunt a planted (live) pheasant. Club gunners shoot, you handle. Flush and retrieve or point and retrieve. Ribbon for successful completion.
Pheasant Scurry -- 25 sq yd area is planted with multiple dead game birds. Dog is timed to blind retrieve 3 birds. 1st through 4th place.
Blue Goose Bay -- Single timed retrieve of Dokken Goose on big water. 1st through 4th place.
Waterfowl Challenge -- Simulated field hunt. Single retrieves of dead mallards. Retrieve one bird and return to heel. Second bird is thrown. Total time from first throw to return of second bird. 1st through 4th place.
Bluebill Leap -- this is a longest leap off of a dock. 1st and 2nd place.
Pintail Shoot -- Timed water retrieve of two Dokken Pintail. This is a walk-up. 1st through 4th place.
Upland Chukar Challenge --Hunt a planted (live) chukar. Club gunners shoot, you handle. Flush and retrieve or point and retrieve. Ribbon for successful completion.
Chukar Run -- Single timed land retrieve of a chukar. 1st through 4th place
Crazy Teal Chase -- this is just for fun. Retrieve a diving crazy teal.

 

[mbrookins]

One week to the Expo. The long range weather forecast looks good. We have some great silent auction items including a Tri-tronics Sport 50 collar, a SportDog SD-400 and SD-2000 collars, as well as sporting art, and game farm hunt packages.

Hope to see you there.

 

[mbrookins]

Last call for the Expo. Saturday is coming fast. I just wanted to add a bit regarding the trophy for our event champion. Our trophy is in honor of Mr. David Meisner.

David G. Meisner of Adel, Iowa, made a massive contribution to the world of sporting dogs through his inception of three of the country?s finest dog magazines. Dave, who was born and raised in Manitowoc County, was the publisher and founder of Gun Dog magazine (1981), The Pointing Dog Journal (1993), and the Retriever Journal (1995). Through these publications, Dave?s vision enriched the lives and sporting ethics of a generation of dog lovers and upland bird and waterfowl hunters. His magazines also gave their starts to many of America?s most popular outdoor writers, and the training techniques he published and advocated ultimately produced untold thousands of finished dogs.

Dave was also a major force behind the formation of the North American Hunting Retriever Association, and devoted many hours to the promotion of such organizations as National Shoot-to-Retrieve, The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association, Quail Unlimited, and the Bird Dog Foundation. Dave admired any dog of any breed that could do the job well, and owned American and French Brittanys, German wirehaired pointers, and Elhew pointers.

Dave?s gentlemanly personality and self-effacing manner made him a treasured representative for all that was good and right about the world of gun dogs and the sporting life.

The Pointing Dog Journal, January/February 2000[/img]