St. Landry democrat., 1882-09-30
FIELD TRIALS.
THE EXAMPLE OF MINNESOTA FOLLOWED
BY LOUISIANA.
THE NEW ORR Fans GUN CLUB ABOUT
TO INACCURATE A SERIES OF FIELD
TRIALS FOR BLOODED POINTERS
AND Settlers.
iTimes-Delnocrat.l ]


The American Kennel Clubs trials
on Pririe Chickens, on Monday last at
Fairmount, Mimi, are reminder to
our sporting fraternity OF the forth
coming trials, on quails. at Opelousas,
II our own State, IN Decemuer next
under the auspices of the New Orleans
Gun Club.
1t is a matter Of regret that so little
interest is taken by sportsmen through
out the State in an enterprise which, II
even moderately successful, is bound
10 be largely beneficial in its results to
all interested in field sports. Field
trials are of comparative recent occur
renee in America, but for years our
English cousins have devoted much
time and expense toward them. The
result of such attention is attested by
the fact that nowhere in the world can
a setter or pointer dog be found pos
sessing any merit that does not trace
his origin to one of the contestants at
these trials. Vast sums OF money have
oeen spent by the English, Irish and
Scotch and Welsh breeders in gene
rous competition to produce strain OF
dogs possessing in the highest degree
che two greatest requisites OF hunting
log-scent and endurance. Experience
has proven the utility of such expert
-nents, as illustrated in such distinctive
breeds as the Laverack, Llewellin,
Gordon and Irish settlers OF to-day.
A love OF hunting and field sports
seems inherent with us OF the South:
Every neighborhood boasts its local
Nimrod, and in ante bellum days, the
Southern planter rivaled the landed
gentry of the Old Word in his devotion
TO dogs and the chase. The kennels OF
Europe and America were taxed to sup
ply his own, and one instance can be
recalled where prominent sportsman,
now living spent five thousand dollars
in organizing and carrying on one fox
chase that was attended by some visit
ing sportsmen from Scotland. Such in
stances of extravaganza are we'll calcu-
lated to confirm the impression OF a
great many nonsportsmen that love
of field sports engenders spirit OF idle
ness and reckless extravaganza. Hun
ters, like artists, are proverbially easy
going souls, and our friend alluded to
above, is a veritable "prince of good
fellows" An enthusiast of the chase
no game was too large for him, and
when the tocsin Of war sounded amid
the woods of beautiful "Lochinvar,' he
exchanged his hunting suit for a uni
form of grey, his hounds for horses, and
out of his private purse he armed and
equipped gallant company of cavalry
and merrily led them in many a mad
charge over field and ditch to the can
mons mouth. Recognizing the fact
that the class Of dogs now in the hands
of our sportsmen are, as class, OF very
inferior quality and becoming more
worthless with each succeeding gene
ration, the New Orleans Gun Club, at
their annual meeting last spring
resolved to give series Of field
trials and offer prizes of such value as
would tempt owners OF fine dogs to
bring them from almost any point to |
contend for them.
The benefit of such movement to
our sportmen is almost incalculable.
At these trials will be gathered the
most famous dogs in the land, both of |
"blue bioods" and natives" The
rules governing such meets are framed
ia manner best calculated to allow a
dog to win on his own merits. The |
Judges selected for the occasion will be
gentlemen Of undoubted integrity and |
ability, and who will be unprejudiced in
favor Of any breed or class Of dogs.
Consequently, those sportsmen who at
tend will have full opportunity Of com
pairing the different breeds, systems of
training and management OF dogs.
Without wishing to offend the anou,
DYopre Of any hunter, the assertion is
ventured that after witnessing the per
Croxteth, Sensation and others of that
class for the first time he will find that
all preconceived ideas of what consti-
cute perfect dog as illustrated by such
examples as he had been accustomed to
hunt with we're sadly at fault. His ex-
perience would have been the same had
he entered his farm hack against Ten
-Broeck in four-mile race.
Louisiana is prolific in resorts for
snipe, and such resorts are particularly
easy of access to the spOrtsmen Of New
Orleans. Consequently nine out of ten
sportsmen confine theselves to snipe
and duck shooting. Considerable
apathy exists among these hunters as
to part taken by the New Orleans Gun
Club in inaugurating their field trials,
from the fact that these trials are held
On quails, class of game they never
huut, and, therefore, they cannot see
hat any benefit is derived. Such ideas
ire preposterous from the fact that a
log broken on quails is superior to one
,roken on snipe, and, therefore a su-
,erior dog on quails quickly develops his
luaiities on snipe. Trials are made on
Iuails because unlike the snipe they lie
o cover and finding them is not attend
ID with the discomfots of hunting snipe.
The same requisites necessary to the
,erfect quail dog, namely speed, en-
Lurance and scent are applicable to the
nipe dog in marked degree as it re-
fuires a keener scent to ferret out these
title denizens Of the marsh land. 1t is
SANDER on the pointer and setter to
ttempt to describe the class OF dogs in