JACKSON MAN RECEIVES NBHA DOG-HANDLER AWARD

JACKSON- Kenneth L. Waldron, of Jackson has received a prestigious dog-handling award from the National Bird Hunters Association (NBHA)

Waldron, who had 36 amateur placements during the past year of bird dog trials competition, and qualified seven dogs for NBHA Amateur National Championships, was selected for the Elmer G. Brese Memorial Award, as National Amateur Handler of the Year.

He received his award during the NBHA annual meeting, held recently banquet in Little Rock, Ark.

In accepting the award, Waldron credited his entire family with being number one in the nation, stating that everyone's help was essential to winning such an award.

"I could not have won this award without the countless hours spent by the family unit in helping to care for, train and field the bird dogs,"

Waldron also credited excellent training grounds used by him at Meier Hunting Club, operated by Chris and Karen Harbison of Jackson, and the support from the Southeast Missouri Quail Unlimited and Bird Dog Association, Inc.

Waldron and his family are already at work preparing for the next season of competition.

During the past year of competition in bird dog trials, held in seven states, Waldron qualified seven dogs four derby dogs and three shooting dogs for the NBHA Amateur National Championships. This was the highest number of qualifications from any single handler or kennel. His bird dogs include English Setter lines, which he states are carefully bred and chosen to be "modern power setters".

The Handler of the Year Award is presented annually to the top NBHA amateur handler in the nation and the award is named in honor of a former recipient.

Waldron and his crew of supporting family members, were in competition with other amateur handlers throughout the United States.

NBHA is a nationwide organization that was founded in 1960 to improve and promote the sport of bird dog field trialing and quail habitat. Such a trial measures the dog's performance in the field against specified written standards, for various stakes or classes.

The dogs are judged on the basis of his or her performance to those standards and to the performance of the other dogs in the same stake or class. The emphasis is on the dog's performance, not upon what the weight of the game bag, as such. The birds normally hunted or liberated are bobwhite quail.

There are three tiers or levels of competition that must be followed by all participating dogs each year. They are: Club Trials, Classics or Championships and the National Championships.

The vast majority of NBHA bird dog trials are held on weekends to promote maximum participation. Where the season permits, trials normally start in September of each year and run through June of the following year.

Waldron was in competition with individuals in other parts of the country. The runner-up was from South Carolina and the next highest ranking handler was from Oklahoma. In the past year, there were 104 member clubs which held 168 field trials across the nation with some 8,500 bird dogs involved.