Formed in 1985, the Mid-South
Hunting Retriever Club invites all area hunters and retriever enthusiasts to participate
in club sponsored hunts and training clinics. The MSHRC provides a program for sporting
competition and an ongoing educational training experience that emphasizes the value of a
trained retriever for waterfowl and upland game conservation.
This is truly a hunting retriever program conceived by hunters, perfected by
hunters, and put on by hunters. The hunts are designed to duplicate actual waterfowl and
upland bird hunting conditions and situations. Participants dress in hunting camouflage
and use decoys, duck calls, and duck blinds. Live and blank ammunition is also used.
Dogs compete individually against an established
standard instead of the conventional first, second, and third place concept. The hunt
tests offer three levels of difficulty based on the handler's skill and the dog's
experience, not age. Titles are awarded in all three categories: Junior, Senior, and
Master.
The Junior stake is for the young or relatively
inexperienced hunting retriever that has not qualified in the Senior or Master stakes. The
tests consist of single land and water retrieves. Maximum distances should not normally
exceed 100 yards. The dog may be held by collar or leash at the retrieving line and needs
to deliver to hand.
The Senior stake is open to any hunting retriever
that has not qualified in Masters. These hunting tests shall consist of one double land
mark, one double water mark, one land blind, one water blind, and a walk up. The Senior
hunting dog must be steady on the line, retrieve to hand, and may be asked to honor
another dog.
The Master stake is open to any hunting
retriever. The dogs in this stake are expected to be under control at all times and
demonstrate eager and prompt response to all commands with style and precision. The Master
test will challenge the ability and skills of the hunting retriever as well as the handler
with multiple marked and blind retrieves under a wide variety of simulated hunting
situations. The Master hunting retriever is required to honor off-lead while another dog
works and must respond to voice or whistle commands on blind retrieves.
This is an opportunity of a lifetime for each of
us who love duck hunting and trained retrievers to get together, learn together, and
accomplish together. Dog, man, and bird will all benefit - the man in having the
satisfaction of going afield with a dog he's trained; the dog in doing well what God put
him here to do; and the bird population will be conserved, for a bird "down"
will be a bird in "hand."
The Mid-South Hunting Retriever Club invites you
to join us. Our club provides a program for ongoing training and sporting competition.
Learning from other hunters, enjoying the social atmosphere, and training our retrievers is
what the MSHRC is all about.
