When Potter's uncle and the extension agent approached him about raising gamefowl he didn't know what he was getting into. As a result of going to the fights with his uncle, Potter became a great admirer of the courage and tenancity of the game cock. At a typical cock fighting derby, each participant will enter up to six birds, and pay an entry fee that is divided among the winners. A Miner Blue is a type of fighting chicken that Potter likes. He also has Clarets, Holmes Toppies, Hatch, Roundheads, and White Hackles, some of which are raised at Umapine, Ore., by L.J. Estes, Potter's longtime friend and partner.
Potter looks for birds that are big, tall, fast, and smart.
He also wants them to be tame and easy to handle. Rather, they look to their breeding program to produce birds that they can sell, and the pits are just a way to test their stock. Potter defends his sport, saying that these birds would kill each other in a natural setting if they weren't separated. Nevertheless, the sport has developed a bad reputation over the years as it has come under attack by animal rights groups. Potter wants to change the image of the sport and says that gamefowl breeders need to get better organized.