Chance broke away with his National Champion brace mate, Roy (Just Call Me Roy). After casting down the breakaway field and around the first tree stand both dogs came in to a divided find at the end of the field. Roy did not like the divided find and left point at which time Chance staunched up as if to say, "Ok, this is mine.". The birds were ready to fly and so flushing was fast. Roy was picked up and now it was going to be just Chance and me.

Bo Ackerman scouting Chance

As we entered the first turn which took us through the woods Chance went along the edge and I indicated for my scout, Bo Ackerman (thanks man!) to keep a look out. I have seen lots of dogs lost back there in the thick stuff but knowing that Chance likes a kind handle I just sang to him as I rode along. When I emerged from the woods I briefly saw Chance cut from the right, the opposite direction that I thought he was, to the left and out along a pine and sedge line. I again indicated to my scout to watch.

The course then re-entered woods on the right and then came out into the big field. As the gallery emerged one someone called point as they saw Chance standing on the edge of the wooded area. As I got there my scout was still away but I got off, flushed around, at first having no luck. Then the judge, Jimmy Berneathy, came in to look more closely and saw the bird. I ran and it flushed with Chance standing as statue like as before. Bo came in time to take Chance on while I remounted.

As we crossed the field towards Tara Hill I saw Chance going up the hill far ahead. I had lost Chance here last year when he went on point and was not found until after time was called. This time I watched the cover carefully. When we reached the covered area I was checking the woods when another judge said "dog standing here". Chance was standing on the other side of a small peninsula, just out of my sight. I checked the wind and worked and worked to get the bird up, my jacket and chaps getting caught up in the thick cover. Jimmy again came over to look and walked into the cover with me to see if a bird came up. This time I thought that I was going to have to take a non-productive. I asked to relocate Chance and when I tapped him on the head he took two steps and locked up. Chance has never lied to me so I flushed some more, still with Jimmy going back and forth with me. I thought, "one more time" and tapped Chance. This time it was only one step and he locked up. I went right in front of him, straight away, and as Jimmy moved with me he got the birds up in a spot that both of us had been through twice.

My heart was really racing now. Three finds with Chance is un-heard of. Bo took him by the collar, walked him about 50 yards as I mounted and came along side. Then Chance was released, went about 50 more yards, and swapped ends into a point, nose pointed at a clump of cover 6 feet away. I had barely gotten on my horse and got off again. One kick into the cover and the bird came up.

Jimmy asked that we walk the dog a bit more away from this area and Bo took him a good ways while I remounted and sent Chance up to the pine covered hill leading to the gate. This is the gate where I lost Chance three years ago when I lost him on point by the unfinished house on the opposite side of the road.

I had topped the hill and headed for the gate, thinking about where Chance might be, when a judge called "dog standing here". Near the gate on the right, where the cover was especially heavy, Chance was standing in cover over his head, just his head and tail visible. I could hear the birds clucking and as I went in they came up in an easy flush.

I had made it to the gate with my dog! I had a chance of making all of the way, the whole hour, if I could just hang on to him in this last part. As Bo walked Chance up I reloaded my blank gun. This is the first time that I have ever had to reload in a brace with Chance. I couldn't believe that I had thought to bring extra blanks. The judges were now taking bets who would spot him next. Thank you guys for really watching my dog and watching out for me.

Being this close to the gate I took Chance through. He crossed the road and momentarily started working toward the Sedgefield side of the fence. I lost him behind that fence two years ago. With a little voice he hit that edge and ducked through the opening into the next field, the one running along the unfinished house. As we came through the same cut and I looked down the long field. "Dog standing here" was called from one of the judges. Chance had come through the cut, ran the edge, and found a covey.

I dismounted and easily got the covey up and fired my freshly reloaded gun. Chance, as always, stood high. I couldn't believe it. I really praised him up good and Chance gave me a look like he was saying, "Good job, huh?". I was shaking.

Bo released Chance and he went hard left. I thought right would have been better but Tommy Tracy has always told me that Chance is smarter than I am when it comes to birds. I saw Chance on the left tree line up to about the house and sent Bo that direction. As we came past the house and turned left Jimmy rode up to me to say, "Don't you lose that * dog now!". No pressure? Not! I decided to make sure that he didn't go too far left and ran my horse up the back side of the trees along the left. This is where Chance was standing when time was up three years ago. He was doing the back side of the edge when I caught up. He listened and held up so that I could turn him right across the field.

As we came out of the edge the gallery was coming along the outside edge. I shot Chance over to the right side of the field and along the tree line. When I saw him start to turn the afterburners on I thought that I would cut him off a little early to keep him in sight. That is when Jimmy rode up and said "Calm down, just let him roll. You only have a few minutes." A few minutes, I thought. Just enough time to lose him.

Chance charged ahead, and instead of taking the turn to run the inside edge of the wood line, he went through a cut at the corner and took the other side of the edge. I could see him every now and then as I could see his white flash through the openings in the trees. I was really sweating. I had nearly lost him in this same spot in the qualifying round of the open stake while scouting him. Then just as I was watching the last possible flash of him the judge called time and Jimmy said "I have him, he's right in the corner, go get him."

Chance and I had made the hour. Chance had six finds. I was stoked. No matter what happened now, how the judgment might fall, with 5 braces to go beyond here, I had just run the most exciting brace of my life.

From left to right, these are some ot the people that I owe the most thanks to:
Bo Ackerman - My scout and good friend
Tom Tracy - Chance's and my trainer
Scott Ackerman - Judge
Vic Williams - my first championship win
Jimmy Berneathy - Judge / Pro
James and Betty Doherty - James was the first person to tell me to handle my dog MY WAY

and of course the dogs:
Chance - and he still nibbles my ear when I pet him
Cooper - One of my all-time favorite dogs (I own one of his sons - DB Cooper)