The last day of the trial, he spent five hours handling his Britts in the early spring of South Georgia. For you, an outsider, that means you start in the morning with temperatures in the 30s and, most of the time, finish out the day with temperatures in the 80s. Neither the man nor his dogs ever acknowledged they were getting tired at any time. If you're saying to yourself, "heck, I've bird hunted on foot five hours many times," let me very quickly say to you that there's a major difference in the pace. There's a rule against running in shoot-to-retrieve field trials, but many handlers have developed walking skills that take them across the field very quickly. Nolan is very quick on the field. When his dogs go on point, only minimal time is spent getting to them. Sure he's running, but how he does it with one foot on the ground at all times is beyond me.

   Well, I didn't sign my property over to Nolan. My wife put a stop to that train of thought right away. I felt a little better about things when she said, "Junior, if that's the case, Nolan would own property all over this country."You know, that woman has a way of putting things in perspective at all times, not to mention putting me in my place when need be.

   Friends, let me take you through the 2004 QU National Championship. I'll not be able to put into words how special this trial was to me. For many reasons, I doubt a field trial will ever mean as much again. It was a beautiful Friday morning in Bronwood. As the sun was coming up, I could barely see the crystals of frost in a few spots. However, very visible was the big and very festive tent the Quail Unlimited team had brought in. Also, the sight of campers and motor homes everywhere meant just one thing - it was time to compete for first place at the Quail Unlimited National Championship Dog Trial. As I walked over to the clubhouse from my front porch, I started noticing tags on vehicles. These bird dog enthusiasts came from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin, just to name a few. I walked into the clubhouse and there was Tina Sidwell, Director of Administrative Affairs for Quail Unlimited and Bob West, Director of Sporting Group, Nestle Purina PetCare, greeting handlers and giving out trial packages. As I walked to the kitchen area, I noticed that the judges, field marshals and the bird handlers testing their radios while eating. In the kitchen area I saw Connie Dean, Director of National Events, Sandy Davis, Executive Administrative Assistant and Sharon Sapp, Events Administrative Assistant serving up homemade biscuits, grits, smoked sausage, bacon and other southern necessities. I continued to walk on out the back door and toward my kennel, and I noticed Tommy Dean, Director of Chapter Development, and Ray Jennings, from Albany Beverage, the local Budweiser distributor, were preparing food on a grill the size of my house. Word of advice for those who don't know: never, I mean never, touch Tommy's grill without his supervision. I know me calling it a "grill" in this article will get me a scolding the next time he sees me. It is a "cook center." When you enter my kennel, the first dog you come to is Helm's Graintrain Wood (Woody). I looked over at him and said, "Woody, you're looking at an outstanding trial chairman."

   I said that because there was nothing for me to do except let this team of professionals do their job. Woody was unimpressed with my job evaluation, but he was as eager as everyone else was to get the trial started. Later on, as I walked to the blind on "B" Field, I looked up at "A" Field and saw Field Marshal Tracey Carrington bringing trialers Lee Stephens and Larry Nichols from the blind to the start line. Only seconds after that, I heard the familiar voice of Jimmy Johnson say, "Handlers are you ready?" "Well let'm go." I smiled and thought to myself, it's on now!

   Competition was outstanding for this trial and rightly so. The reward for winning was quite lofty. In addition to the money and prizes provided by sponsors like Purina, Bass Pro Shops, Tri-tronics and Winchester, there were two National Championships to be won. For the first time, this event was sanctioned, not only by Quail Unlimited, but also by The National Shoot to Retrieve Association (NSTRA), the largest field trial organization in the world for pointing dogs. Connie Dean and Wes Barr of NSTRA worked closely to get these two outstanding organizations together.

   This trial started with 128 dogs in a "beat your brace mate" format that took three days and four fields to decide a champion. Beat your brace mate simply means win your brace and you advance. Lose, and you're out of the trial. In my opinion, it is the fairest of all formats. We eliminated half the field on the first day.

   QU and NSTRA points were awarded along with trophies for first, second and third places on each field of 32 dogs on Friday. The winners were as follows:

   A Field
1st Cedar Hill Toby (Toby), Donald Roberts, Pendergrass, Georgia
2nd B&L Royal Flush Roxie (Roxie), Donald Brownlee, Dothan, Alabama
3rd Miller's Challenger (Cull), Bill Spaar, Marble Falls, Texas

   B Field
1st Foothills First Bud (Bud), Paige Lee, Clemson, South Carolina
2nd Pineywoods Hotrod (Hotrod), Brian Hufstetler, Bronwood, Georgia
3rd Woolum Mavrick Attitude (Mavrick), Randy Woolum, College Corner, Ohio

   C Field
1st Snake's Carbon Copy (JR), Alec Sutton, Rock Hill, South Carolina
2nd Beeline Bullet's Bravado (Brave), Nolan Huffman, Connelly Springs, North Carolina
3rd Nolan's Last Bullet (Buddy), Nolan Huffman, Connelly Springs, North Carolina

   D Field
1st Stephens Bright Copper (Copper), Michael Stephens, Columbia, Kentucky
Handler: Lee Stephens, Columbia, Kentucky
2nd Burchel's Dutchman (Dutchman), Roy Burchel, Decatur, Alabama
Handler: Scott Townsend, Maybee, Michigan
3rd Gamble's Odyssee Fritz (Fritz), Richard Hopkins, Lafayette, Georgia

   Immediately following the recording of the last brace of the day, the draw committee did the draw for Saturday and posted the braces. The task was made easier by a new program provided by NSTRA. We also enjoyed a wonderful seafood dinner provided by White's Seafood sponsored by the Albany Chapter of Quail Unlimited. This chapter is very active in assisting the national office during fund-raising events.

   We also enjoyed the glitter that QU brings to any event. The nightly auctions and raffles were fun and enjoyed by all. It is wonderful to see how everyone pitched in to raise money for the preservation and re-establishment of upland game bird habitat. Bird hunters across the land appreciate these efforts. Later on that evening, I found out a few of my competitors had talents that I wasn]'t aware of. Had I not seen and heard it myself, I never would have believed that Greg Wood, Jim Dobson and Nolan Huffman, along with Glenn Johnson, could render an unforgettable (I tried) rendition of "You Picked A Fine Time To Leave Me Lucille" and "You Don't Have To Call Me Darling." It was overwhelming - really.

   Saturday morning started just like Friday. The weather was beautiful, breakfast was great and the first brace was on time. This wasn't the first trial I've chaired in Bronwood, but it would possibly be my last if I didn't have Field Marshals Angie Watson and Tracey Carrington to help me. They've been doing this for about eight years, and I'd hate to think of having to do it without them. well.

   We had points and trophies for all three fields we were running Saturday. One of them was a consolation trial for dogs that were eliminated on the first day. The results were as follows:

   A Field
1st Woolum's Mavrick Attitude (Mavrick), Randy Woolum, College Station, Ohio
2nd Snake's Carbon Copy (JR), Alec Sutton, Rock Hill, South Carolina
3rd Popcorn (Popcorn), Ricky Gunnyon, McDonough, Georgia

    B Field
1st Tomoka's Smokin Blu (Blu), Penny Montgomery, Moran, Texas
Handler: Wes Barr, Abilene, Texas
2nd Run Oskie Run (Oskie), Jeffrey Moore, Bridgeport, Illinois
3rd Nolan's Last Bullet (Buddy), Nolan Huffman, Connelly Springs, North Carolina

   The consolation trial winners for the 30 dogs, held on C Field, were as follows:
1st Rusty's Casey (Casey) Ed Murdock, Lavonia, Georgia
Handler: B.J. Carroll, Lavonia, Georgia
2nd Redclay's Miss Emma (Emma), Kevin Johnston, Watkinsville, Georgia
3rd Buckshot's OO Buck (Buck), Kevin Jerome, Venedocia, Ohio

   After the trial, the draw committee quickly posted braces for the final 32 dogs that were left to compete for the championship Sunday morning. We also enjoyed another great meal Saturday night with lots of fellowship. Everyone could feel the excitement building, and I noticed a little different game face on the handlers left in the trial. There was also a noticeable difference in the time everyone went to bed - much earlier.

   Sunday morning was almost a carbon copy of the rest of the week. It was very cool, but the temperature would rise a little higher on this day. All the way to hot IMO. We would again run all four fields and cut the field in half again. I'll take you through the five rounds on Sunday it took to become the National Champion!

       Sunday morning was almost a carbon copy of the rest of the week. It was very cool, but the temperature would rise a little higher on this day. All the way to hot IMO. We would again run all four fields and cut the field in half again. I'll take you through the five rounds on Sunday it took to become the National Champion!

       B Field Winners
Nolan's Last Bullet / Nolan Huffman
Lucky Sue Chance / Jim Carmichael
Foothills First Bud / Paige Lee
Pineywoods Hotrod / Brian Hufstetler

       C Field Winners
Tomoka's Smokin Blu / Wes Barr
Beeline Destined / Nolan Huffman
Gamble's Rip N Logan / Brenda Roe
B&L Royal Flush Roxie / Donald Brownlee

       D Field Winners
Penmark's Clyde / Michael Weber
Redclay's South Paw / Kevin Johnston
Rudd's Running Tex / Suvoyee Rudd
Beeline Bullet's Bravado / Nolan Huffman

       Taking time only to draw for the second round where we would cut the field from 16 to eight dogs competing, we had the following winners:

       A Field
Beeline Bullet's Bravado / Nolan Huffman
Star Glitter / Martin Strubberg

       D Field
Gamble's Rip N Logan / Brenda Roe
Rudd's Running Tex / Suvoyee Rudd

       In what seemed like a blink of an eye, we were now down to only eight dogs to compete for the championship. We took about a 30-minute break for everyone to eat some lunch and got right back to the business at hand - that was to crown a new champion. It was about this time that many were wondering if we, indeed, would have a new champion. I was one of them. It was time for these eight great dogs and their handlers to compete some more, and did they ever. The third round of the day was run on "A" and "B" Fields only. The four dogs going to the final four were as follows:

       A Field
Foothill's First Bud / Paige Lee, Clemson, South Carolina
Gamble's Rip N Logan / Brenda Roe, Lafayette, Georgia

       It's quite an honor to be among the final four in a championship trial. You have a feeling of pride and joy swelling up inside of you. You look at your dog and think back to when he was a puppy, remembering only the good things from his training. You know he's a great dog, he has proven it to you countless times in the field. Your only concern, at this point, is your own performance. You dig deep down for energy and look for guidance from above. You never doubt that your dog will win if only you can do your part. In the flash of a moment, your thought is lost by the call of "handlers to the blind." Boy, that Field Marshal knows how to spoil a dream.

       We run the final four on "A" Field, which has been described by many as the finest field in all the land for this type of pointing dog competition. It is a rectangle field consisting of 40 acres of Tift 44 Bermuda. It stands about 10 to 12 inches high, and these trial dogs can just flat pin their ears back and fly. You make one wrong turn with your dog giving your brace mate any kind break, and you're beat. These handlers know it and accept it.

       The running of the final four produced these results.

       1st Brace Bud / Lee versus Buddy / Huffman. It was obvious near the beginning, this was not the Bud/Lee team we had seen this past week. They were beginning to feel the effects of four days of trailing, including the local trial held on Thursday (Winners listed on page 10). It was hot and the mercury was bumping 80 degrees awfully hard. Just moments earlier, Bud had taken last year's runner-up champion out of the competition with a gutsy win on this very same field. That runner-up champion was Brave/Huffman. It was just too much to ask Bud to eliminate last year's champion and runner-up in back to back runs. His effort was great, but no match for the most successful bird dog and handler combination in field trial history. Nolan's Last Bullet would win this brace and have a chance to defend his championship in the one-hour finale.

       2nd Brace Logan/Roe versus Bear/Huffman. Oh my goodness! Brenda Roe, the lady who taught me field trialing. The lady who sold me the best bird dog I've ever followed on a bird field. The lady who trained the second best bird dog I ever went on a field with. Of course, I'm talking about Huff and Star. If there was one person I knew in walking field trial competition who I thought could match talent, wits and tricks with Nolan Huffman, it would be Brenda Roe. She developed her competitive spirit in her home state of Kentucky, but it was in Georgia where she applied this competitive spirit to field trials. This was a great brace. It went back and forth. I could not hide the fact I was pulling for my former mentor. I felt myself wishing this to be the Brenda Roe of just a few years back before the foot injury and surgery that slowed her down on the field. She was beautiful on the field with Logan, and he was hunting birds in a style much like his sire, Rip. In the end, Bear and Nolan were one bird up on Logan and Brenda, a bird they almost made up a couple of times during this brace. Their line of travel barely took them out of the scent zone of a lone bird left on the field. ThatÕs how close winning and losing is sometimes in a championship.

       What a great final four, but what a great match coming up for the championship. While we were running on "A" Field, "C" and "D" Fields were being combined into one 80-acre field for the championship. Just like last year, Nolan would have to make a decision as to which dog he would run in the championship and whom he would get to run in the other. It didnÕt take him long to decide he would run NolanÕs Last Bullet "Buddy," and let his friend and competitor from South Carolina, Paige Lee, run Beeline Destined "Bear."

       My friend, and everyone else's friend who has a love for sporting dogs, Bob West, rode back to watch the championship run with me. It was getting late in the afternoon with the sun getting low into the Georgia pines when this trial was over. Once again "Buddy" was crowned champion of the Quail Unlimited National Champion Dog Trial. Congratulations to "Buddy" and Nolan. You are, indeed, what you are - the best ever!

       My appreciation and thanks to the people who made this event a success. I have to start with the judges and field marshals. They are the best you can get for this type of competition. They were Angela Hufstetler Watson of Leesburg, Georgia; Tracey Carrington of Leesburg, Georgia; Jimmy Johnson of Sparta, Georgia; Bodie Ray of Sugar Valley, Georgia; Glenn Johnson of Sparta, Georgia; Jeff Welker of Luthersville, Georgia; Michael Evans of Sparta, Georgia; Jody Watson of Leesburg, Georgia; Neil Kullberg of Statesboro, Georgia; and Scott Clark of Atlanta, Georgia.

       The bird handlers were Steve Tedder of Leesburg, Georgia, and Chase Edwards of Zebulon, Georgia. Steve has helped me with every trial I've had in Bronwood, and his work is excellent. This was Chase's first year helping and his first national trial. Everyone was well pleased with his work. We hope he'll be back to help during next year's event.

       The bird handlers were Steve Tedder of Leesburg, Georgia, and Chase Edwards of Zebulon, Georgia. Steve has helped me with every trial I've had in Bronwood, and his work is excellent. This was Chase's first year helping and his first national trial. Everyone was well pleased with his work. We hope he'll be back to help during next year's event.

   Before I close, I want to jot down a couple of comments I heard during this trial that made me believe that what we do here in Bronwood is right. The first I overheard from a friend and competitor of mine in the Georgia Region of NSTRA. His name is Ricky Gunnyon, and I heard him say after the first round Sunday morning, "This is the best field trial I've ever been to!" The comment was not directed to me, but to others in the scoreboard gallery. Ricky is not the type of guy to say anything he doesn't mean. What made it special was that his comment came after being eliminated on the third day of the trial. Thanks Ricky.

       The other comment came from Bob West, the Purina representative, as we rode back to the clubhouse after the championship run. I took the long way back to the clubhouse, and right in the middle of telling me how pretty the pines, broom sage and woods were, he stopped, turned and looked at me and said, "You know, Harold, I've really enjoyed myself this week. Being out here with you people and seeing all this has been just what I needed." Continuing, he said, "The fact that I couldn't get a signal for my cell phone didn't hurt either." Well Bob, I know you'll read this and I want you to know that friends like you, Purina and Quail Unlimited are just what people like me need.

       My final words here will be to thank my family and God for allowing this to happen! Hope to see you during next year's event, March 3-5, 2005.