04/03/2026
Compared to just a few years ago, Upland Game East of the Mississippi River is almost gone. Game Birds in many areas are considered locally extinct; and where there are a few left, it can be nearly impossible to garner access. That trend is now inching further and further West every year. Pressure on Game in the few States that still have fairly viable populations has increased exponentially. Younger folks find a paltry amount of birds somewhere and think that's proof of a healthy sustainable population when 90% of once prime surrounding Counties have none. Conservation Organizations that have long promised improvements have proven largely ineffective and often caused more problems than they've cured. Some folks are asking rather viable questions about Field Trials but are being met with rather callous responses by people unwilling to fairly examine them. Writer firmly believes that if something doesn't change, there will not be enough wild upland opportunities in a few years to sustain interest in pointing dogs, let alone interest in such expensive endeavors as Horseback Field Trials... or even Walking Trials for that matter. When it comes to the trajectory of the sport, the old adage, "If nothing changes, nothing changes," is spot on. Writer also thinks that there is room for expanding interest not necessarily via altering what is already there but through providing more cost-effective alternatives and altering emphasis from the Taking of Game to the Performance of Dogs handling Game. This Writer believes development of such, with regular working folk in mind could provide a stepping stone to more traditional events without breaking the bank... & possibly help with actual Conservation of Resources instead of just stating something to that effect on a Mission Statement in order to garner approval of 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt status from the IRS. That is not saying that such venues could not be highly competitive, stand on their own merit, or be considered less than other venues. I believe starting off with a somewhat informal network, tailored to specific areas, where folks gather in small groups simply to run dogs and compare to a Standard that accurately reflects the type of dog needed in that area, while maintaining a high level of performance could be grown into a Viable Venue in a cost effective manner. This would be for folks who train their own dogs, and are true Amateurs. It would allow for a pooling of resources, assistance of each other, fostering sportsmanship and camaraderie, etc.
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