Name: Plahn’s Prince Bleau Von Hammersred MH (“Bleau”)
Age: 3 years old
Breed: German shorthaired pointer
Hometown: Boone, Iowa
Owner's Name: Maggie and Dave Plahn
Birds Hunted: Pheasant, chukar, quail
Favorite Gamebird: Pheasant
Favorite Place to Hunt: Iowa
Best Day Hunting: Any day is awesome, but last year during a chukar challenge was a stand-out for me. Annie and I pointed and retrieved 20 chukar in 20 minutes, winning the event.
When not hunting, I like to... I love to go for rides and sneak my way from my dog bed up to the sofa!
My favorite "people" food is... I’m not much for “people” food, but I do love getting spoiled with hotdogs and burgers by the bonfire.
If I could speak, I would tell my owner... that the 3.5 lb Yorkie that I live with can really get on my nerves!
Name: Athena
Age: 4 years old
Breed: Llewellin Setter
Hometown: Harrisonburg, Virginia
Owner's Name: Paul Hansohn
Birds Hunted: Grouse and woodcock
Favorite Gamebird: Grouse
Favorite Place to Hunt: Anywhere that there are birds!
Best Day Hunting: There was a time we went to Michigan and my owner had already limited out on woodcock so I put on a bird-pointing show for him and his buddy. I was on point every 5 minutes. My owner’s buddy may not have made all the shots, but I sure gave him plenty of opportunities!
When not hunting, I like to... lie on the couch, waiting to go hunting again.
My favorite "people" food is... Anything that is left out at night (including the trash). My owner jokes that I'm a “trash panda” because I help myself to anything I can get to.
If I could speak, I would tell my owner... to quit deer hunting and focus more on chasing grouse through Appalachia.
Name: Major
Age: 4 years old
Breed: German Shorthaired Pointer
Hometown: Medina, Minnesota
Owner's Name: Mark Donahoe
Birds Hunted: Pheasants, ducks, quail, prairie chickens, ruffed grouse, chukar partridge, and Hungarian partridge
Favorite Gamebird: Pheasant
Favorite Place to Hunt: South Dakota
Best Day Hunting: Late season pheasant hunt in Platte, SD. There was 6 inches of fresh snow and it was cold and windy. I worked a large slough along with 4 flushing Labs. I pointed 6 buried roosters, all missed by the labs, that my owner harvested.
When not hunting, I like to... Lay across anyone’s lap while watching TV on the couch.
My favorite "people" food is... Steak bites
If I could speak, I would tell my owner... that life is very good!
Name: Mogul
Age: 4 years old
Breed: Small Munsterlander
Hometown: Two Harbors, Minnesota
Owner's Name: Bailey Petersen
Birds Hunted: Ruffed grouse, spruce grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, prairie chickens, American woodcock, Hungarian partridge, pheasants, and waterfowl.
Favorite Gamebird: Ruffed grouse
Favorite Place to Hunt: Grouse woods of northern Minnesota or the prairies of eastern Montana.
Best Day Hunting: Any day I get to handle ruffed grouse in the north woods is the best day! My favorite this season was finding 65 woodcock and 8 ruffed grouse in one cover—constant contacts!
When not hunting, I like to... I like to band woodcock! I’m a certified woodcock banding dog in Minnesota, and it’s my favorite spring activity.
My favorite "people" food is... Pizza crust
If I could speak, I would tell my owner... that he should quit missing so many birds!
Name: Sigg
Age: 7 years old
Breed: Weimaraner
Hometown: Ashland, Wisconsin
Owner's Name: Mike and Amy Amman
Birds Hunted: Ruffed grouse, woodcock, pheasant, Hungarian partridge, sharp-tail grouse
Favorite Gamebird: Ruffed grouse
Favorite Place to Hunt: Northern Wisconsin
Best Day Hunting: I have so many hunting memories over the years—too many to recount. What sticks in my mind is that in 7 years, I’ve spent close to 400 days hunting ruffed grouse. My owner and I have forged a special bond over the years doing what we both live for—bagging numerous limits of grouse and woodcock, sharing the grouse woods with hunting buddies, and showing newcomers the joy of hunting behind a pointer.
When not hunting, I like to... cuddle.
My favorite "people" food is... Reddi-wip
If I could speak, I would tell my owner... thanks for taking me hunting!
Name: Savannah
Age: 8 years old
Breed: Labrador retriever
Hometown: Huntsville, Alabama
Owner's Name: Todd Norton
Birds Hunted: Ducks, geese, pheasants, quail, woodcock, snipe and doves
Favorite Gamebird: Ducks
Favorite Place to Hunt: Arkansas rice fields
Best Day Hunting: Rice field in Arkansas last year. Picked up 41 birds and made two retrieves on birds that sailed into another bordering field. Rode to the truck in the front of the UTV while everyone else rode on the trailer!
When not hunting, I like to... chase bumpers and play with any toy that squeaks.
My favorite "people" food is... Rice Chex
If I could speak, I would tell my owner... that if I had a nickel for every shell he fired at those ducks, we could both retire!
Name: Deek
Age: 1 1/2 years old
Breed: Labrador retriever
Hometown: Klamath Falls, Oregon
Owner's Name: Travis and Juliann Underwood
Birds Hunted: Waterfowl, doves, pheasants, pigeons
Favorite Gamebird: Geese
Favorite Place to Hunt: Anywhere where the birds are!
Best Day Hunting: Last week of 2017, the water wasn’t iced up, which is very rare around here. My dad shot well this day and I got to put my lips on a limit of Canadian Geese and one Greenhead. He even let me ride in the back seat of the truck on the way home.
When not hunting, I like to... spend time at the sporting clays range.
My favorite "people" food is... Pizza crust
If I could speak, I would tell my owner... to learn to shoot better.
Name: Wildrose M1A1 Abrams (“Abe”) out of Wildrose kennels in Oxford Mississippi
Age: 11 months
Breed: British Labrador
Hometown: Quinlan, Texas
Owner's Name: Glenn and Maryetta Pabody
Birds Hunted: Doves, ducks, geese, Sandhill cranes
Favorite Gamebird: Doves
Favorite Place to Hunt: White Oak Creek Ranch in north Texas
Best Day Hunting: Second Saturday of duck season. Retrieved 14 mallards and gadwalls. Plus I hunted in flooded timber, worked off a tree stand, and handled Glenn three ducks, all for the first time.
When not hunting, I like to... help Mom take out the trash and carry in the groceries. I’ve also started training as a therapy dog who can visit nursing homes and assisted living centers.
My favorite "people" food is... Nothing! My mom and dad won’t give me any!
If I could speak, I would tell my owner... “Is it my turn to sleep in the bed with you and Mom, Dad?”