In this week’s episode, Domenick is at the National Bird Dog Museum on the night before the first brace of the 2025 National Championship running. Now in its 126th year and possibly the largest total ever, this traditional horseback trial will showcase 55 dogs and assign one overall champion winner.

First, we hear from Ames Plantation Director, Matt Bakas, who works hard all year to maintain the viability of the grounds and healthy habitat for quail. He teases out a new agreement that will bring a huge boost to the facility with a goal to begin running the event on wild birds. He also gives some useful tips on how to help birds on your own property. Matt is joined by Dr. Stan Wint who shares his thoughts on how to make improvements to increase quail populations and how to bring more participants to this prestigious event.

Next up is judge Rich Robertson who shares his story about how he became a judge. He mentions what he’s looking to see out of the dogs and what motivates him as a judge. He’s been in the bird dog game a long while and grew up competing at Ames. We touch on what a training regime looks like to get to the big event and Rich shares a touching tale of his most memorable moment running at the National.

Lastly, we hear from National Championship reporter Tessa Hughes. She also judges events and compares the two different styles of observing a brace. She talks about the challenges of reporting on the National which is so much different than other stakes. We also learn how she coordinates getting reports and content to those eagerly waiting to consume it. She closes out with some helpful advice for anyone looking to write a great field trial report.

To catch up on the event, visit: https://www.amesplantation.org/

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