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#68 A German Wirehair at the HRC Grand? That’s where this story turns heads. Trainer Landon Poplin walks us through how Harker, a versatile dog bred to point, track, and retrieve, made history by earning a Grand title in a retriever-first arena. We dig into steady-at-the-line expectations, the brutal pass rates, and the mindset it takes to keep going after breaks, pops, and blown plans—because that road wasn’t straight, and the lessons are the gold.

We get specific on handling and training. Landon unpacks how to fix “popping” without frying a careful dog’s confidence: close the distance, add presence, give a clear cast, then rerun with purpose. He explains why some dogs are methodical by nature, why that’s an asset, and how to protect it during pressure. We talk breeding strategy with a working lens—prioritizing the dam’s record, why a Grand title signals steadiness under pressure, and how vocalization can be a hard genetic stop for high-level work. For versatile breeds, Landon respects the German testing system yet insists on real-world proof: show the good, bad, and ugly in training and hunting, not just a highlight reel.

Field time ties it all together. Landon announces a western wild-bird program across North Dakota, Montana, Utah, and Colorado, built to give dogs and owners the reps you can’t fake on pen-raised birds. We compare covers and dog choices—labs and cockers hammer cattails and corn where birds run, while pointing dogs shine on prairie and edge. You’ll leave with a realistic timeline for Grand readiness, practical fixes for common handling issues, and a renewed belief that patience and clarity win more than pressure and hurry.

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#67 A small mountain town asks a big question—why not us? That spark turns into a blueprint for culture, community, and a band that’s suddenly everywhere. We sit down with Tim Parks, Manchester’s tourism director and manager of The Creekers, to unpack how a tight-knit team moved from free hometown shows to major festival lineups without trading in their roots. Think practical strategy—agents, labels, radius clauses, and routing—blended with the soul of Appalachia—accents, garden rows, deer season, and four-part harmonies that hit like home.

Tim takes us behind the curtain of a modern music breakout. He shares how The Creekers chose WME and Warner for a plan, not just promises, and why TikTok momentum only matters if the live show is bulletproof. We talk DIY recordings that punched way above their budget, a forthcoming studio album, and the surprising way a free local festival can fuel real economic growth. This is more than a music story; it’s a case study in how authenticity scales, how to protect family while touring hard, and how to build a national footprint while keeping your neighbors in the front row.

Along the way, we keep the Gun Dog Nation heartbeat strong—heritage, training, youth involvement, and the gear and partners that make working dogs thrive. If you care about building something that lasts—whether a kennel program, a festival, or a career—this conversation gives you a roadmap shaped by grit, gratitude, and good sense. Hit play, share it with a friend who loves real music and real dogs, and drop a review so more folks can find the show.

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#66 A great bird dog doesn’t happen by accident. We sit down with NSTRA president Scott Townsend and competitor Chad to unpack how a walking field trial can shape complete dogs—steady on birds, snappy on the retrieve, sharp in the wind, and polite around bracemates. If you’ve ever wondered what judges actually score, how backing decides tight finishes, or why a clean to-hand retrieve matters, this conversation maps the entire system from first entry to national events.

We dig into training you can use right away. Force fetch turns a reluctant pointer into a dependable retriever. Smart ground coverage beats mindless speed. Puppies need socialization and patience more than pressure, with first bird exposure around six months and formal breaking closer to a year. Safety gets real too: porcupine triage, what to keep in your truck, and how to trash-break before disaster. Field stories—long recoveries on wounded grouse, water retrieves you wouldn’t expect—show the standard in action.

We also talk breeding with clear eyes. Paper matters because it tracks what works, but the dog still has to prove it. Short hairs often bring consistency; pointers bring that explosive edge; the rare great ones in any breed teach you more than a pedigree can. Across AKC, NAVHDA, horseback, and NSTRA, the lesson is the same: different standards, shared pursuit of excellence, and plenty of room to learn from each other.

Thinking about competing? NSTRA’s mentor culture makes it easy to start: ride with a judge, try an amateur division, or use a free associate membership to get your feet wet. With 30 regions, 1,100+ trials, and five national events, there’s a place for every curious handler and every ambitious dog. Subscribe, share this with your training partner, and leave a review to help more bird dog folks find us. Then check your local region at nstra.org and come say hello at the next trial.

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#65 What if your choke isn’t what’s holding you back—but how you understand it is? We sit down with Jimmy Muller of Muller Chokes, a master toolmaker and elite shooter who went from aerospace and defense machining to reinventing shotgun performance. Jimmy pulls back the curtain on why two “modified” chokes can pattern wildly differently, how taper, parallel, surface finish, and concentricity shape results, and why barrel harmonics make shotguns far more individual than most shooters realize.

From there, we dig into the physics you can feel in the blind. Jimmy explains gun-specific patterning geometry and the testing behind it—dozens of guns, bore diameters, and thousands of rounds on paper, water, mud, gel, and high-speed video. You’ll learn why stacked or blended shot sizes lead to mass separation and longer shot strings, how sphere packing inside the barrel creates pressure dynamics that change consistency, and where blended loads look fine at common ranges but fall apart when distance stretches. He’s blunt about what a choke can and can’t fix, and how to pick more uniform ammo that lets geometry shine.

Skill ties it all together. Jimmy’s method—“kill it with your eyes”—teaches you to control birds from the front, not panic from behind. We talk rangefinding to calibrate true 30 to 50 yard shots, using sporting clays to build mount and move, and adopting a modified pull-away or sustained-lead approach that matches speed, opens a clean gap, and finishes with confidence. Add smart gear choices, realistic velocities, and a choke designed for your gun’s harmonics, and you’ll see tighter patterns, shorter shot strings, and cleaner kills across ducks, upland, and clays.

If this deep dive helps your shooting, share it with a hunting buddy, tap follow, and leave a quick review so more shooters can find it. Got questions or a patterning win to share? Drop us a note and let’s keep learning together.

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#64 The map looks different when your dog disappears into the tundra and points white birds against white sky. Kenneth sits down with Brett Browning to trace a wild loop through Alaska, Idaho, South Dakota, Montana, and Arizona—breaking down the birds, the terrain, and the dog work that ties it all together. From 40-covey days on ptarmigan above Nome to blue grouse that vanish into Douglas firs, we dig into how scent really moves, why a pointer might be locked up with the wind at his back, and when to shorten range from 200-yard casts in chukar country to tight, careful work along CRP and corn edges for pheasants.

We get practical about the hard parts: packing for relentless rain on spongy tundra, using GPS when the sky closes in, and protecting pads with simple, proven care. Brett shares a clean recovery plan—water, rest, and getting calories in quickly—plus the training conversations that help a dog adjust across habitats. If you’ve wondered how to turn late-season sharp-tail flushes into chances, or how to pick honest cover for pointing dogs in pheasant country, you’ll hear field-tested answers.

Arizona gets its due with a clear guide to Gambel’s, scaled, and the gentleman Mearns quail that hold like few wild birds do. We talk seasons, elevations, and the rare days you can take all three species without moving the truck. Along the way, expect fresh takes on public access, honest gear, and mixed dog teams that pair pointers with a steady retriever. If you love bird dogs and big country, this one will reset your plans for the season ahead.

If this episode sharpened your plan, follow the show, share it with a hunting buddy, and leave a review so more dog folks can find us.

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#63 A great hunt starts long before the first flight. We sit down with Matt McCormick and Brady Davis of Flying V to unpack how a forged bird knife, smart dog choices, and year-round ranch management turn big plans into clean birds and reliable shoots. From Bozeman to fast water on the Yellowstone, this one moves from craft to habitat to dogs with zero fluff and plenty of grit.

First up: the Bird Blade. After hundreds of real-world birds—from teal and huns to late-season honkers and cranes—the guys dialed a shallow, four-inch 440C profile with a rigid spine and precise tip. The machined G10 handle stays locked in when wet; the handmade leather sheath drops into a blind bag and ages like a saddle. It’s a father–son forge story with Western roots and a design built for one-swipe breast pulls, clean joint breaks, and minimal waste.

Then we zoom out to the 365. Flying V maps properties for early, mid, and late-season waterfowl across Montana’s long, liberal seasons, and they don’t stop at fall. Spring nesting habitat, pressure plans, crop rotations, water control, and predator management have to coexist with elk and deer migrations that reshape the landscape each winter. The goal is sustainable hunting that holds birds—and delivers steady days for guests—whether it’s 80 degrees in October or 30 below in January.

Finally, the dogs. We get honest about British labs, American labs, and Chesapeake Bay retrievers—what “off switch” and “all gas” really mean in deep snow and moving current. A young Chessie named Smoke provides the proof, charging downriver after a crippled goose and reappearing with the bird like he owned the bend. The takeaway is simple: buy for fit, not hype; titles matter, but the right dog matches your terrain, hours, and handling style.

Hit play to hear the full story, learn how to enter the Flying V hunt giveaway, and get the details behind a knife made to be handed down. If this episode resonates, follow, share with a hunting buddy, and leave a quick review—your support helps more bird hunters find the show.

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#62 A well-trained dog that hunts with composure doesn’t happen by accident. Kenneth sits down with trainer and preserve manager Dan Ihrke to map out a clear path from puppyhood to polished gun dog, connecting genetics, early foundations, and fair pressure to performance that holds up in real blinds. Dan explains why the HRC Grand is his north star—it fuses technical concepts with real hunting chaos—then shows how smart puppy work creates the mindset to pass difficult tests and love the work afterward.

We dig into the nuts and bolts of building a thinking retriever: teaching “here,” sit, place, and leash pressure; early casting and lining using bowls, placeboards, and fun bumpers; and shaping a dog that understands pressure as information it can turn off by choosing correctly. Dan tackles the clicker vs “good” debate, the power of variable reinforcement, and how treats can quadruple learning speed when paired with avoidance training and phased out as birds and work become the primary rewards. Control is a recurring theme: use a check cord so you never give unenforceable commands, and stop puppies from self-rewarding bad choices that create “criminal” habits.

The conversation widens to breeding and real-world transfer. Dan shares how modern field-trial-influenced labs think faster and handle nuanced methods, but warns that natural pickup, hold, and carry can be bred out if we rely on force fetch to fix everything. We talk British vs American tendencies, cold-weather grit, blind manners, and why paper titles don’t reveal how a dog behaves on the second icy retrieve. You’ll also hear practical guardrails for bird exposure so you don’t create a wing-snob that refuses bumpers.

If you want a reliable retriever that’s steady at the line and relentless in the marsh, this is your blueprint: start early, mark clearly, manage pressure fairly, and choose bloodlines that actually hunt. Subscribe, share with your training group, and leave a review to help more handlers find the show.

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#61 What if your retriever’s best work earned more than a ribbon? We sit down with pro trainer Justin Smith to introduce Hunting Retriever Trials, a master-level, scored competition with real cash payouts, clear placements, and divisions for Open, Amateur, and Youth. Think land triples with flyers, water-heavy second series, and a final water series that demands control and courage. Judges score marks, blinds, and manners on a half-point scale so performance is transparent and the best dogs rise.

Justin explains why this model matters now: rising costs, crowded titles, and limited spots at big events leave handlers craving a new target. HRT pays out 80% of entries, layers in sponsor adds, and returns a share to host clubs so they can build water, expand grounds, and attract more competitors. The goal isn’t to replace hunt tests—it’s to create a competitive ladder that rewards elite work, gives owners a path to ROI, and keeps serious trainers engaged long after the first title.

We also talk long-term vision: tracking annual and lifetime earnings, tying results to offspring, and giving breeders a stronger performance signal than pass/fail titles alone. With a youth-only lane, kids compete against peers, gain ring time, and see a place for themselves in the sport. Facilities are lining up to host, and the first event is set with judges, birds, and a format designed to be challenging, fair, and fast-moving compared to marathon championships.

If you care about better dogs, better grounds, and a healthier path for new handlers, this conversation is a must. Hit play to hear how HRT plans to elevate standards, create meaningful payouts, and put a spotlight on the dogs and people who do it right. Enjoy the show—and if it resonates, subscribe, share with a training buddy, and leave a review so more handlers find us.

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#60 A national hunt test that looks and feels like real duck hunting, judged by a standard that doesn’t blink—this is the HRC International Grand through the eyes of its chairman, Tracy Stubbs. We dig into why the Grand keeps growing, how a 1,000-dog event actually gets built, and what separates a solid weekend Finished dog from a Grand Champion that performs with style and precision.

Tracy breaks down the Grand’s five-series design—two land, two water, and an upland—and the scoring system that makes every decision matter. We talk pass rates around 20–25 percent, how marginal scores force perfection, and why consistency beats flashy heroics. You’ll hear how HRC’s realism—camouflage, decoys, poppers, duck-hunting distances—shapes training and produces dogs that are steady in the blind and sharp at the line.

If you’re choosing a puppy for competition or the marsh, you’ll get clear, practical guidance: look for multiple Grand passes in the pedigree, value amateur-earned titles, and insist on full health testing for longevity and reliability. Tracy shares what judges look for, how tests are approved for consistency and safety, and the volunteer engine—host clubs, site coordinators, and field crews—that makes the Grand possible. We also explore crossovers from field trials, why some adapt and others struggle, and the mindset shift required to check down on shorter, hidden-gun marks.

Most of all, this conversation is about community. Local HRC clubs welcome newcomers, teach real-world skills, and connect handlers across the country. Whether you’re aiming for your first Started ribbon or dreaming of Hall of Fame points, the best advice is timeless: slow down, train more than you trial, and run the dog when it’s truly ready.

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#59 Want a Boykin that actually loves to retrieve and holds up under pressure? We sit down with Alabama trainer-breeder Jonathan Holland of Tomahawk Kennels to unpack what separates a flashy social clip from a reliable, confident gun dog. Jonathan cuts through the hype with hard-won insight on bloodlines, water work, and day-to-day reps that turn potential into performance.

We start with the Boykin boom: how social media raised awareness, why prices range wildly, and what “elite” really means in a pedigree. Jonathan spotlights the Brandywine program and explains how true performance breeding comes from years of selecting for birdiness, water attitude, structure, and titles earned in real work. From there, we dig into the spaniel-versus-retriever gap. A Boykin’s last name is Spaniel, and training must respect that DNA. He shows how timing and balance matter more than bravado, why too much pressure kills confidence fast, and how marker training with a vocal “yes” builds clarity before formal drills demand precision.

Water work becomes the crucible. Jonathan designed narrow ponds and re-entry lines to teach soft de-cheating and to stack short swims for far more quality reps. He explains why a dog that “loves” lake splashes may still crumble on formal lines, cheaty banks, or no-go moments. Expect fails at hunt tests built for labs; use them as fuel to refine setups, improve whistle timing, and make fewer mistakes. We also talk about expanding into labs and goldens for bigger games, while still pushing Boykin consistency through intentional pairings and smarter foundations. The throughline is simple: keep it fun, be fair, and design training to make the right choice the easy choice.

If you’re serious about Boykins, retriever training, or just want better sessions with less pressure and more progress, this one’s packed with practical detail you can use today. Subscribe, share with a training buddy, and leave a review telling us your go-to water drill and why it works.

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