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Retriever Challenge goes down to the wire

By Bill Mays
WON Field Reporter

Corning - The first Retriever Challenge competition came down to the best all-round hunters and dog to take first place honors. In all three-challenge tests there were different winners, and the champion was the last competitor who fought his way to the top spot with great shooting and a fast dog.



Mark!! - Steve Taylor is setting the mark for his well- trained yellow lab during the competition of the Retriever Challenge. The dog must retrieve over water passing through decoys and is timed for the retrieve. Partner Steve McClosky fires the shotgun to simulate a down bird, while bird boys throw out dead birds for the retrieve. Photo by Bill Mays.
 Ben Ford with partner Sam Hunt and dog "Ann" finished first in only 1 of the 3 Challenge events, the Pheasant Challenge, but carried the best overall scores to be the first Retriever Challenge Champions.

"Ann", Fords black lab was a very well trained dog, and Ford had complete control of the dog throughout the competition. Ford said, " the dog wasn’t born like that, and it took many hours of hard work, training, and patience."

With a score of 5 out of 5 birds, with only using 7 shots, both Ford and Hunt was the only competitors to get all 5 birds. Not only did they have a great dog, they could shoot as well. There was a strong north wind, most of the hunters had trouble compensating, and were shooting behind the birds.

Pigeons were used for the Dove Challenge, and the strong wind sent the pigeons rocketing right at the hunters. The birds were so fast the partner had no time to back up a missed shot.

Ford said, " I only came to watch the competition but changed my mind when I got here. I heard about the Retriever Challenge from my friend Pierre Urrutia," one of the local dog trainers and host of the contest.

Pierre Urrutia said, " he started the competition for amateur hunters and their dogs, not for the professional dog trainers, and field trial champions."

Pierre started the Nor Cal Pheasant Championships a few years back, and handed it over to Brad Henman of Clear Creek Sports Club. Brad has done a great job with the contest, and is growing in participants every year. Brad also donated the use of his Clear Creek property for the Retriever Challenge Championships.Retriever Challenge is judged the same way the fast growing Nor Cal Pheasant Championships, or Top Gun Contests. You’re on time, number of shots, and bird count. Challenge #1 was the Pheasant Hunt, 3 birds, 6 shells, and 15 min. time limit. Challenge #2 was the Duck Hunt (water), 3 timed retrieves over decoys. Challenge #3 was the Dove Hunt, 2 birds, 6 shells and timed retrieves. There were 3 Challenge winners and 4 Overall winners.

Winners - of the First Northern California Retriever Challenge are from left to right, Clay Slocum, Wayne Slocum, Steve Taylor, Steve McClosky, Pierre Urrutia, Bob Boelens and partner, Scott Jenkins, Ed Houghtby, kneeling are the Champions, Sam Hunt and Ben Ford. Photo by Bill Mays.


One of the Retriever Challenge participants was Pierre’s 4-H dog training student, Clay Slocum. Clay partnered up with his dad Wayne Slocum, and their chocolate lab won the water division. Pierre teaches dog training to students as a 4-H project for children in local the high school. Pierre was quite proud of his student competing and winning in his first competition.

Bob Boelens and partner fished 2nd overall, with Steve Taylor and partner Steve McCloskey finishing 3rd overall. Many were looking to see if Taylor and McCloskey would regain the championship form their capable of showing in these type competitions. Taylor and McClosky were the 2000 Nor Cal Pheasant Champions and are always stiff competition for the field.

Scott Jenkins and partner Ed Houghtby won 1st in the Dove Hunt division, and finished 4th in the overall competition. Jenkins and Houghtby are the reigning champions of the 2001 Nor Cal Pheasant Championships. Jenkins’s black lab, Jet, is getting up in age, but she still lives up to her name, as she put on the after- burners and had the fastest retrieve time in the dove hunt.

The Nor Cal Pheasant Championships are coming soon, March 23rd and 24th. If you would like to compete in these competitions, you can do so by contacting Brad Henman at 530-343-3364 or PierreUrrutia at 530-345-4711. It’s a great way to have fun, work your dog, and extend your season.
Fetch!! - Stacy Henmans yellow lab "Tyke"shows his hard charging abilities in the water retrieve of The Nor Cal Retriever Challenge.