Hunting dogs from across America show off their skills near Waverly

WAVERLY, Neb. (KLKN) – The National Shoot to Retrieve Association is an organization dedicated to bird hunting, specifically quail.

It is holding its National Hunting Dog Trials this week just north of Waverly at the Rock Creek Field Trials Association grounds.

About 100 people from across the country are there to showcase their dog’s abilities.

Two large fields are used for the competition, and two hunters on each field compete against each other for 30 minutes in what’s called a brace.  A brace is like a bracket in other competitions.

The dogs are judged on how they perform.

“Once they (the dogs) point, they cannot move,” said Rick Manfredi, the national treasurer of NSTRA. “The handler has to walk up, flush the bird, then the handler can’t move.  The dog has to go to the bird and retrieve back to the handler within 3 feet.”

Judges join hunters and score the dogs based on those criteria.

The winner of that brace is the one with the most points at the end of 30 minutes.

NSTRA and the club near Waverly hope to bring more younger people into the sport.

“We would like to share with young people and get them off of the cellphone and get them active and walking and training bird dogs,” Manfredi said.

One of the most well-known bird dog breeds is the German shorthaired pointer.

People at the event said these dogs are bred and born for this, and love to get out and hunt.

Dave Lathrop, a member of the Rock Creek Field Trials Association, explained how rewarding these events are.

“It is very rewarding to come off that field after 30 minutes and have found birds and have your dog look good doing it and perform the way they do in practice,” he said.

The trials continue through Saturday at the Rock Creek location on Davey Road between 141st Street and 162nd Street.

To find out more about Rock Creek Field Trials Association, visit its Facebook page.

To see the scores and participants from the trials, click here.