Hunting with Hank
Hank came into my life in the summer of 2000. I got him from a local breeder for free as he was deemed incorrigible. I had been looking for a pointer for some time, and figured I would give him a chance to become a hunting dog and if that did not work out at least he would have a good home. Hanks’ breeding while not off the charts was respectable so I figured there was a strong chance that he would turn out to be an OK meat dog. Hank was sent to a trainer in fall of 2000 and little did I know that his life as well as mine was going to take us in a direction that neither of us would have imagined. I went down to visit him as much as I could while he was away and it was amazing to say the least to watch his progress over the next 10 weeks. He went from an ill mannered dog to a good dog that more than anything wanted to find the birds as well as please me. He still possessed a little bit of a hardheadedness, but that is what makes him endearing to me and everyone who has ever met him or run behind him.
Hank and I spent the fall and winter of 2000 enjoying the fields together but it was the spring of 2001 and that changed us both forever. We had been going to some of the local clubs to see what they were all about and that spring one of them was hosting a BDC trial. I had seen a little of this on TV and while I found it interesting I did not figure we of the caliber it would take to be competitive. I was asked by the proprietor of the club if I would come down and help him with the event, be it shuttling folks back and forth to the fields or maybe even judge a few runs for him. I accepted and took Hank along Just in case after the event was over there may be enough time left for us to take a walk and get him on a few birds. I was amazed to watch some of the people and there dogs work so well together as a team, for me something like that seemed so far out of reach for Hank and I at the time. Little did I know that that same day would prove me wrong and the journey would begin.
I was approached that afternoon by the person putting on the event and asked if I had Hank in the truck. When I replied yes, he told me they were short on dogs for what was then known as the “Amateur” division and asked me to run Hank so the event would count. While I was flattered I told him there was no way we were ready for something like this. His response was “just grab your gun and your dog and go have some fun”. With some reservations I agreed. So off Hank and I went to try our luck. As we walked to the line to say I was nervous would be a tremendous understatement. My stomach was in knots, and my hands were shaking. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as I slipped the lead off of Hank and tapped him on the head to release him. I would also be lying to you if I said that everything from that point on was nothing more than a blur, however when the smoked cleared we had our 3 birds in the bag and a 7 minute run. I was very pleased with the outcome, little did I know how pleased I would be later. It seems that Hank and I had done 2 things that day, participated in our first ever organized event, and as luck would have it we had won it as well! When I was handed my plaque later that afternoon it was like we had won the Super Bowl of the dog world, the hook was set and we have been doing this together ever since.
Over the next 7 years Hank and I competed every chance we could and together along with the help of some now very close friends we learned how to play the game and get better. We had some success and a lot of heartache as well. You see while he was rock solid my shooting was not. And since this is a scored event I held him back as a result. Had I been up to his level, who knows where we would have ended up? Hank is 10 now and has some health issues that keep him at home living the life of a country gentleman. He is the first hunting dog that I called my own, and taught me more than I could have ever taught him. He is a multiple champion in the NBDCA yet we could never manage to win the big one. As he has gotten older, and slowed up some I can’t help but think of what could have been. He is quite possibly the greatest dog that will never be known because of me. I owe a lot to Hank, as he gives me all he can and asks for nothing in return, you can’t put a price on that kind of loyalty.
Here’s to you Old Man, you will always be tops in my book.
Hank's Accolades
Qualified for the NBDCA Nationals 2002-2008
Qualified for NBDCA Worlds in both singles
and Doubles 2005-2008
Second in high points NBDCA 2006
NBDCA Champions Club Silver Status
Top 10 finalists NBDCA Classic Championship 2007
Over 125 top 3 placements in NBDCA qualifying events over his career.
