Master Dogs

Even greenhorn traveling salesmen knew enough to keep away from Albany, Ga. last week. They knew its two hotels would be crammed to the cashier's cot, its storekeepers loath to talk about anything but dogs. For Albany (pronounced All-Benny), a thriving little city of 19,000, is the hub of some of the best quail-hunting grounds in the world. There last week was held a bird-dog trial as sacred to Albany as the Derby is to Louisville.

Quail trials are old stuff to Albany. But last week's event was something new--different from any field trial ever held in the U. S. Brainchild of a native named Richard Tift and backed by rich sportsmen including Coca-Cola Chairman Robert W. Woodruff, Manhattan Banker William C. Potter (Guaranty Trust), Walter C. Teagle (Standard Oil), this trial was an invitation affair, to determine the nation's best quail dog. To compete for this new crown came 16 "masters," chosen on performance at 53 recognized trials during the past two years.

In pointing-dog trials, unlike retriever trials, no birds are killed. Birds are flushed, blank shots fired only to test the dogs' steadiness to shot & wing. Dogs are also judged on speed, range (how they cover the course), bird sense and nose, initiative, style, intensity of point. For two days last week the nation's 16 best bird dogs were put down in braces, competed against one another in one-hour heats. On the third day, eight were called back for final elimination.

In the nippy early morning, as the sun began to rim the eastern pines, a gallery of 80 or more started out with the dogs. Not a few with a nose for points felt they had seen the championship heat in the very first brace: The Texas Ranger, sensation of the prairie-chicken trials, v. Tarheelia's Lucky Strike, 1940 pheasant champion. They were right. The Ranger, a five-year-old liver-&-white pointer, owned by D. B. McDaniel of Houston and handled by little Jack Harper, was judged champion. Runner-up: Lucky Strike. During the three days, The Ranger found eleven coveys--four of them in the final run.

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