About 6 years ago I called well know shooting dog handler in Tx to see if he would work a pup for me, he said that he didn't mess with pups anymore and told me to call Virgil. I sent the dog to him and about two weeks later he told me he didn't like the dog, said he had to go in the pen to get her cause she wouldn't come out and several other things that bothered him. Said I could probably get a better dog to start. I told him to see if he could just get her holding point and see if he could whoa break her. Two months later I got her back solid on point, backing on sight and whoa broke. She turned out to be a more than servicable quail dog.

Move forward 4 years, I bought a real nice pup out of a mulitple champion. I started to work the pup and was impressed at each step of his training. So I called the handler who had the sire and talked about sending him north with him to get him in the birds I couldn't do here. I finally decided to keep the pup closer to home and called Virgil. He took him at 8 months to SD and when he returned said he thought he was the kind of dog to trial and was I interested. Well, sounded like a black hole I could shove some cash into to me but sent him again this summer cause still no birds. He came back in Sept solid broke and had a solid handle. Today he won his second placement in two weeks (Lonestar Classic and the Colorado SD Championship derbys) and the one trial he didn't place in in ND he finished his half hour with a broke find on chickens. I've sent dogs to trainers and had no or little in the way of results. But I can't say enough about Virgils work ethic and his way around dogs. So this is a big thank you to Virgil and Beau. If your looking for someone who will truly work your dog and most importantly tell you the truth about your dog Virgil is the man. Now the shape my butt is in after 5 hours horseback this Sat. is another story.

Congratulations on your placement.

Way to go Beau.Congratulations Chet. Hope more good news to come.

Did they have an amateur derby, or only the open?

I grew up in the area you hunted. I was wondering about the Quail population . What kind of numbers did you see, also Prairie Chicken numbers. Thanks for your time and any bird number info on the area. I am planning on hunting there in Nov.
Congratulations on your win.
At one time the area around Arnett was the Birddog training capital of the USA. ( forty to fifty years ago) Ten to twenty top dog trainers there abouts annually.

All were open, most of the open shooting dog championship trials have only open derby stakes. Once I get to run Beau with Virgil a couple of times I will run him in some amateur derby stakes to get him quailified. You need an open win to quailify for open championships and an amateur win for amateur championships. Right now Virgil is getting him ready for the Futurity in March and I don't want to confuse the dog (I used the whistle and Virgil sings to him, I've got to take singing lessons).

Saw no chickens, and the quail numbers are somewhat better than west Tx, but not much. There were three trials back to back and like hunting pressure it spreads the birds out. Bird work was at a premium for the Shooting dogs and real hard for the derbys which ran last. One derby had a porcipine(sp?) find which was a real turd fest. I think about 6 dogs had clean bird work in each shooting dog stake. Great looking country (next to Packsaddle Ranch) and great bird country when things are right.

Are you doing American Field Trials or AKC? Were these walking trials or horseback? Congrats on the wins!

AFTCA and horseback.

any skunks?

Just a brown one with needles all over it, and lucky it wasn't mine that found it. Ace is my skunk dog.

very very cool chet...congrats man

you done good Chet. keep it up. hope to see him in action one day

Congrats Chet, looks like you got something to work with

Congrats.Just keep it up.

Congratulations on the wins!

Couldn't resist, here's a pic of Virgil and my boy at the Lonestar Classic.....

And here's the happiest guy in Okla with Beau and Virgil at the Colorado Open SD Championship derby. For those that have followed trials for a while the winner was a half sister of Beau's handled by Jack Herriage and the 2nd place dog handled by Chuck Taylor. Fun to be in the same pic with those fellows.

I guess I should have used Virgils last name It's Virgil Moore, 806-570-2961