- National Shoot to Retrieve Association
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The National Shoot to Retrieve Association is an organization of bird dog hunters in the United States. NSTRA is a non-profit origination that conducts sanctioned field trials across the country. NSTRA is divided into 30 regions that compete in local and national field trials.
Contents
NSTRA Field Trials
NSTRA sanctioned Field Trials are open to all pointing breed dogs and are conducted under conditions closely resembling actual wild bird hunting.[1] In field trials two dogs compete against each other for points. Five quail are put into a field and the two dogs hunt the field to point the birds. The dogs are scored on how well they perform in the field. The dogs are judged on ground coverage, obedience, points, retrieves, and backs. The trials consist of sixteen braces of two dogs in two separate fields. The dogs’ total points are taken and the top three from each field win.
NSTRA National & Local
The 30 NSTRA regions hold local trials in their region. The local trials are held at clubs in the region that let NSTRA use their fields. The trials are open to all regions but distance keeps the trials to mostly local people. All dogs that place in the region trials go to the Indiana Region Trial where they compete against the best dogs in the region. The region trials award prizes and the dogs are recognized as region champions. The points from placing also go to becoming a champion. 1st place gets 3 points, 2nd place gets 2 and 3rd place gets 1. When a dog gets 18 points and at least 3 first places they become a champion.
NSTRA holds several national trials. They have the Quail Invitational, Trial of Champions, Dog of the Year, Grand National Invitational and Endurance Classic. The Quail Invitational is an invitational trial determined by your points in local trials. The trial is held in Florida. The Trial of Champions is for all dogs that are champions. It is held in Amo, Indiana. For the Dog of the Year trial each region sends their top dogs. It is also held in Amo, Indiana. The Endurance Classic dogs are determined by region points. The Grand National is an invitational determined by points. National trials are several days long and the winning dogs are considered national champions.
History
The National Shoot-to-Retrieve Field Trial Association's field trials were started by a group of dedicated bird hunters who were looking for a way to extend the fun they enjoyed with their bird dogs after their season ended. Field Trials, under hunting conditions, were the answer. They not only extend the season, they also provide a sportsmanlike environment where they can compete with others who enjoy bird dogs. The Association was incorporated in 1978, and is a non-profit association with service to the members and sportsmanship as its goal. There are currently 30 NSTRA Regions serving our members in the lower 48 States and Canada. More information on the history of NSTRA can be found at our display in the National Bird Dog Museum - Field Trial Hall of Fame - Wildlife Heritage Center located in Grand Junction, Tennessee. [2]
Scoring System
Ground Coverage is determined by how well a dog hunts the field. Obedience is determined by how well a dog obeys, and how well they act in the field. Points are scored on how well the dog looks on point, and how well he holds his point. Retrieves are scored on how well the dog retrieves the bird.
Regions
Alabama Region
Arizona Region
Arkansas-Louisiana Region
Big Sky Region
Central Canada Region
Dixie Region
Florida Region
Georgia Region
Gulf Coast Texas Region
Illinois Region
Indiana Region
Kentucky Region
Lone Star Texas Region
Michigan Region
Mid North Region
Mid South Region
Mid West Region
Missouri Show Me Reg.
Missouri-Kansas Region
North East Region
North West Region
Northern Illinois Region
No. Calif-Nevada Region
Ohio Region
Oklahoma Region
Rocky Mountain Region
South Carolina Region
So. California Region
Virginia Region
West Texas Region
Wisconsin Region
Dogs Used
While NSTRA is open to any pointing dogs there are four main breeds of dog used.
Brittany Spaniel
German Shorthair Pointer
Sources
1. http://www.nstra.org/history.htm
Categories:- Hunting in the United States
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