I got a phone call the other night from a friend congratulating me on a big win. I thanked them and said something to the effect that I had a lot of luck this year. They responded with "No, not luck". "You put in the time, had the commitment, spent the money, paid the dues, bred to the right dogs...". You get the picture. I disagreed.

I thought about this a lot after that conversation. Yes, I have put a lot of energy into this sport and my dogs. And many of my fellow field trialers have done the same. I have also seen too many competitions where the dog that was placed had the luck of:

• The right judges - I have had all-age judges say they never think that the dog should be out of sight and gun dog judges award the dog that was gone all but the last few minutes of the brace.

• The right course - I have seen trials where there are multiple courses and one course in consistently producing bird work and all of the others are not. Even an out-and-back course will favor the dogs going in one direction, if not for wind direction alone.

• The right time of day - I have seen trials where no birds were found throughout the day until the very last part of the day when it cooled down.

• The right weather - I can't even believe that we run a dog in the pouring down rain and say that we can fairly compare that dog with one that runs the next morning when it is cool and clear.

• The right brace - There are certain brace mates that can not only mess you up but mess your dog up.

• The right grounds - I have a dog that looks great at 1/4 mile, and you can't see at 1/4 mile if the cover never opens up.

• The right birds - My dogs are trained mostly on wild birds. They don't handle birds that can hardly fly and have no fear of predators very well. Those birds don't even smell like real birds much less act like them.

• The right scout - Let's face it. We have seen scouts make the day. It therefore goes that they can break the day too.

And lastly there is the dog luck. If I were a dog I am sure that there would be days that I would want to go out and hunt and others that I would rather sit this one out. I know that my dogs have their good days and bad days. I can tell that sometimes they physically feel better than others.

In my opinion there is a whole lot of luck in the equation. I hate to admit that because I am also a person that believes that one must take responsibility of life's outcome. I can only work to overcome all of the odds against my dog winning and I do. But you know, I think that I will wear that lucky cap and carry my lucky whistle the next time that I am out there. And if I still don't win or place I will accept that it might be that luck was not with me. And if I do win or place I think I will be a little more humble, knowing that luck did probably have something to do with it.

-Vic Williams