Natural Game Trials for Pointers & Setters
Natural Game Trials for Pointers & Setters
The inaugural P&S wild game trial, judged under contemporary rules, was held on 7th April 1984 in Woodhill forest just north of Auckland. The previous year had seen the founding of the Pointer & Setter club in Rotorua and its members were determined to introduce a better test for their pointing breeds than the artificial pigeon trials of the time. They resolved to devise a trial protocol to test their dogs under genuine hunting conditions!
New Zealand field trial history records that when the sport commenced here in the early 1890's the dogs were actually trialled on game, which was shot over them. Because of the popularity of the sport and the lack of wild gamebirds, it wasn't long before feral pigeons released from traps were substituted for the real thing. For many years pigeons were routinely shot over dogs in all types of field trials, until the practice was outlawed in 1954 with an Act of Parliament. As a consequence, gundog enthusiasts who wished to continue competitive trialling were forced to develop formats to test their gundogs in a non-shooting environment. The modern "pigeon trials" were born.
By the time the P&S Club started in 1983, the pigeon trials had resulted in the oft-expressed opinion by hunters that "field trial dogs are no good to hunt birds with". As a blanket statement this is quite untrue, but the situation can exist whereby a P&S Field Trial Champion (titled in competition on pigeons) may be next to useless as a shooting dog! Almost any dog can be trained to find and 'point' a pigeon in a trap, but that is no guarantee the same dog has the natural ability or inclination to find and point a wild pheasant outside of gun range, and to hold it until the hunter arrives. Testing the ability of pointing dogs to handle wild birds was the primary objective of the natural game trials developed by the P&S Club. Club members spent seven years developing and refining their trials on pheasant and quail. After intense lobbying of the NZGTA Executive through the late ‘80s, these trials were finally granted championship status in 1990. But change never comes easy! The NZGTA allocated just one Natural Game championship trial annually for the North (and South) Island. Anyone contemplating making up a 'FTCh' solely on game would need a phenomenal dog as it would have to win every trial for six years, presuming the judges issued a challenge each time!
The first P&S championship game trial was held in Woodhill forest, hosted by the Pointer & Setter club. That trial attracted eight entries. The judges (Leon Mortensen and R Ruffe-Thomas) withheld the challenge because they considered the bird work was not up to standard. The scene was set. There were not going to be any "cheap" challenges issued! The next year's entry was 16, then 21 in 1992! Challenges were issued both times. Leon Mortenson's ESB FTCh Wingfield Lace, judged by Robyn Gaskin and Gordon Clarke in 1991, became the first dog to receive a game trial challenge, followed by John Gaskin's ISD FTCh Erinvale Captain (imp UK) in the record entry of 1992.
By 1996, more lobbying by the P&S Club resulted in all gundog clubs being granted a P&S (and Spaniel) natural game championship per year and the number of trials increased steadily. The average number of P&S championship trials held over the last 10 years has been seven annually, plus at least half that number of novice events. Average entries have been 13 in championship trials and most pointing breeds have been represented, with the exception of the Weimaraner, Brittany and the exotic Italian breeds. English setters comprised the largest entries for the first 13 years, followed by Pointers for the next five and Irish setters for the last five years. From 107 championship trials held, only 71 challenges have been awarded, primarily due to lack of bird contacts in recent times, but also because our judges maintain very high standards! Irish setters have won 31 challenges, English setters 21, Pointers 18 and one has gone to a German Wirehaired Pointer.
A remit from the P&S Club in 1997 saw the creation of the Field Champion (FCh) title (two wins on game) as opposed to the FTCh (titled primarily on pigeons), and lobbying from the spaniel triallists resulted in the Grand FCh title (eight wins on game) being introduced in 2007. All game titled P&S dogs to date are listed below.
The creation of A & B judging panels for P&S game trials has resulted in a steady progression of experienced hunters being approved as judges. In addition we have had the valuable input of skilled P&S judges from the UK, Eire, Canada and Australia officiating at many of our trials. They have all been impressed with the dog work, especially in the country we expect our dogs to hunt. The scrub-covered gullies, steep and broken terrain, and pine forests where our gamebirds live are a far cry from hunting red grouse on an English moor, or stubble quail on the vast grasslands of Australia. One Irish judge was moved to say "there is no such thing as a poor moor" after he had judged our NZ trials!
Dog
Breed
& sex Total ccs Year Titled Age at Title Handler
GFCh & FTCh Lusca Skippy (imp Eire) ISB 8 2007 5 R Gaskin
FCh & GFTCh Wingfield Token ESB 7 1996 4 L Mortensen
FCh & GFTCh Kilsheelan Gingersnap ISB 5 1995 4 R Gaskin
FCh & GFTCh Chywoon Entrepreneur
of Jonsmae (imp UK) ESD 5 2001 4 L Mortensen
& N Allen
FCh & FTCh Arddun Damask PB 5 2010 4 R Conner
FCh & FTCh Gamemaster Tanner (imp Aust) ISD 5 2011 4 R Gaskin
FCh & FTCh Kilsheelan Leah ISB 4 2002 5 R Gaskin
FCh & FTCh Arddun Aladdin PD 4 2007 5 F Conner
FCh & FTCh Kilsheelan Outright ISB 3 2007 5 J Gaskin
& I Hendren
FCh Gameridge Heather ESB 3 2008 11 I Hendren
FCh Gameridge Fearn ESD 2 1999 8 I Hendren
FCh & FTCh Kilsheelan Fergus ISD 2 2000 9 D Sheely
FCh Fauloon Cracker (imp UK) PB 2 2004 4 R Whitehead
FCh & FTCh Kilsheelan Nova ISD 2 2005 5 D Sheely
The rules for our game trials are based on the UK rules, but adapted to suit NZ conditions. Because of the difficulty in watching two dogs working together in the type of country where our wild gamebirds are found, two judges officiate. The dogs are run in pairs (braces) that are decided by ballot at the beginning of the trial. The trials are generally non-shooting (i.e. no birds are shot, but shooting trials can and have been held) and held either side of the gamebird season. A blank is fired to simulate the shot. Each brace runs for generally 20 minutes in the first round unless an eliminating offence occurs. Each brace is run over fresh ground, so many hectares can be covered with a large entry. When one of the dogs points game, the bracemate may be given the opportunity to 'back', i.e. point (honour) the pointing dog. Dogs may only produce game off their points at the judge’s instruction. At the end of the first round, the judges will call the better dogs back to compete in a second round. And often there is a third round before the winner is decided. Fitness is essential, not just for the dog, but for the handler too. In non-shooting trials, the placed dogs must confirm their positions by carrying out a retrieve at the conclusion of the trial, because a shooting dog in NZ must retrieve shot game! A failure to retrieve the pheasant (or quail) to hand means no placing will be awarded to that dog. The dead birds used for the retrieve are shot during the hunting season. Game birds encountered in trials are predominantly pheasant, but also quail and even partridge. Natural game trials must be run on wild birds; if released then they must have been ‘wild’ for at least four weeks prior to the trial.
Eliminating offences for dogs in trials include chasing birds or fur, deliberate flushing (i.e. failing to point game), missing birds on the beat, refusing to retrieve or damaging birds while retrieving (hard mouth), being out of control, barking while working, persistent false pointing or stickiness on point and excessive or noisy control by the handler. Credits include good ranging and groundwork, clever bird finding, staunchness on point, steadiness to flush and shot, and good bird sense. The emphasis is on the quality of work rather than simply the number of birds found. However, the judges’ task is always “to find the dog which pleases them most from the shooting point of view” and the best dogs always seem to come up with birds when lesser dogs can’t.
The titled NZ Field Champion has proven himself an accomplished shooting dog. He is a fast, tireless worker who misses no game, who accurately locates birds and points them staunchly for as long as it takes to get to him, who flushes birds freely when commanded to do so and stands steady to shot and the fall of game, and he retrieves shot birds only on command, quickly and tenderly to hand.
We have come a long way since 1984! We now have an excellent system to prove our pointing breeds as hunting dogs under typical NZ shooting conditions. We constantly strive to maintain the relevance of our natural game trials to our gamebird hunting. And to improve all aspects of our working pointers and setters.
Robyn Gaskin
