Gather around any group of hunters and you’ll likely hear a tall tale or two from a past hunting trip. But, in certain circles, hunters don’t brag about their accomplishments, they brag about the accomplishments of their hunting dogs.
Next month, Chelsea’s Thunder Bolt will receive his third Purina Dog of the Year award. “Bolt,” an English Pointer, has won top honors and ultimate bragging rights three out of the past four years. The honor ties him for the most ever under the umbrella of American Field, which Bolt’s co-owner Dr. Tom Jackson of Columbus describes as "the NFL of field trials."
The sport can trace its lineage to the mid-to-late 1800s. Hunters on plantations in bird hunting circles would brag about who had the better bird hunting dog. To prove their claims, they started a competition of "field trials" to determine who had the best hunting dog and the ultimate bragging rights.
Field trials typically consist of 60 to 100 dogs, but only two dogs at a time run in search of birds. The dogs typically search for birds for an hour to an hour-and-half per run.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
"If they’re not physically strong enough to run for an hour, they’re probably not going to win," Jackson said. "It’s basically a way to improve the breeding stock for bird dogs."
When the dog spots a bird, they freeze in place. In field trials, rather than shooting the birds, the owners or trainers are on horses and shoot only a cap gun.
"They smell kind of like we see," Jackson said. "This type of dog will be 200 or 300 yards away from you, but under control. When you step in front, the birds fly."
Two judges on horses award points based on factors such as the athleticism of the dog, how many birds they find, strength of the dog and genetics.
Bolt won back-to-back Purina Dog of the Year awards in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. He finished second in the points standings last season.
"The thing about the points race is, it shows consistency throughout the year," Jackson said. "He’s won different trials on different grounds. He’s won on prairies where there’s wide open spaces. He’s won in Kentucky, where it’s much tighter farm fields and smaller areas. He’s won down in the south in the tiny woods and out west in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Anywhere he’s been, he’s been able to notch a win or two."
In fact, Bolt has posted 21 wins overall. His most recent victory earlier this month in Missouri broke the all-time American Field record.
Bolt was bred on Chelsea’s plantation in Ridgeland, South Carolina. Jackson, along with George Hickox of Thomasville, Georgia, combined to purchase Bolt in 2014 when he was 2 years old. A month after they bought him, Bolt won the Ozark Shooting Championship in Arkansas.
Jackson said the field trials feature mostly English setters, English pointers, German shorthairs and any of the pointing breeds, with English pointers usually winning. Bolt has hunted quail, pheasants, sharptail grouse and Hungarian partridge and also has spotted woodcocks.
"He’s a big, strong, athletic dog, and he’s easy to be around," Jackson said. "There’s some dogs that use a lot of energy in the kennel or on the chain. When you get him out in the competition, he about pulls the chain off. He knows what’s up."
The American Field season runs from August through April. Trainers take their dogs to places such as Canada or North Dakota to train in summer, then move south as it gets colder.
Handler Shawn Kinkelaar from Effingham, Illinois, takes Bolt to all of the competitions. Jackson tries to make it to events when his schedule permits.
Although the 2019-20 season is over, Jackson wouldn’t be worried about the coronavirus pandemic that has shut down other sports if field trials were still in season.
"It’s the ultimate social distancing," Jackson said. "You’re on a horse, and you’re out in the middle of nowhere. You’re not close to anybody. It’s a cool way to be outdoors if you want to be on a horse."
Jackson’s grandfather was a bird hunter. Jackson first bought a Labrador retriever, then started buying English setters and English pointers and learned how to train them.
From there, he met Hickox, who teaches at dog training schools.
"It just sort of progressed from a hobby to something more than that," Jackson said. "It’s kind of a fun thing to do. It’s probably my favorite thing to do, actually. You’re on a horse, and you get to see a dog running full speed until it sees a bird and then stands like a statue. It’s pretty neat to see."
Bolt finished the season on a hot streak, winning four of the five field trials in which he competed this spring.
"He’s just been a very consistent dog, and that’s been the fun part," Jackson said. "He seems to always get really hot in the spring. I don’t know why, but he seems to like the spring. It’s just been a fun ride. He’s been a really cool dog. He has a pretty interesting life in that he gets to run and hunt, and he gets bred all the time."
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Tom Jackson” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Tom Jackson
Age: 55
High school: Marion
College: Taylor for undergrad, Indiana University for medical school
Occupation: plastic surgeon at Southern Indiana Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery
Family: wife Lora, son Sam and daughter Delaney
[sc:pullout-text-end]
