# State owned Field trial grounds



## Chad Baker (Feb 5, 2003)

I am trying to remember where all the state owned field trial grounds are across the country. I am on a team to help build some grounds in TN and am trying to give examples like H Cooper Black that the states run and maintain. Please list them and their names and locations so that I can show the higher powers an idea of what we are looking for.
Busch Wildlife
Percy Priest
Cattle ranch
Etc.
Thanks
Chad


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## 2tall (Oct 11, 2006)

Not sure if it's state run or just what the set up is, but there is Lee Kay in Salt Lake.
Sauvie Island near Portland, OR.
both allow public training and they hold trials and tests.


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## Gawthorpe (Oct 4, 2007)

West Kentucky Wildlife Management Area
Grahamville, KY aka Lincoln Trail, Paducah


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## mwk56 (May 12, 2009)

Chichaqua Wildife Area in Iowa


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## Terry Marshall (Jan 12, 2011)

Not state owned but there is the Busch Wildlife area in St. Louis MO


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## Breck (Jul 1, 2003)

There are very few examples of state maintained grounds that are dedicated to field trials. The ones I have been to are mostly ok in a pinch but no where near nice private grounds. I'll post details later for you. 
In Pennsylvania several FT's and HT are or were held on State Game Lands, Fort Pitt, Swampdog, Susquehanna. In New York Central NY, Westchester and Empire all hold trials on State land. The best for FT is Tonawanda, think a National was run there. In Ohio Buckeye and Ohio Valley have used State lands if I'm not mistaken. In California think there are several state or county training grounds? Arnie? More later


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## Paul Brown (Sep 1, 2011)

Camp Robinson Special Use Area, Pepper's Pond, Mayflower Arkansas, AGFC. 120 Acres and two technical ponds. Larry McMurry spearheaded both phases of pond construction. I can give you his contact info via PM if interested. 

The Pin Oak HRC will be hosting a SRS event there the first weekend of June.


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## Paul Brown (Sep 1, 2011)

Don't forget Poole Knobs, I think it's COE, at La Vergne, TN.


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## Mark Littlejohn (Jun 16, 2006)

DesPlaines (IL) State Fish and Wildlife Area
Bonnet Carre Spillway (LA) - USACOE


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## Chad Baker (Feb 5, 2003)

Thanks guys for the help we are putting a great team together to get field trial grounds setup to be dedicated just for dogs. This will include bird dogs, retrievers, beagles, etc. And with Tn being 511 miles long we are looking to have several sites among the 140000 plus acres Twra owns. If we can make this happen it will help protect our sport and give many more people a place to train and run trials. 
Chad


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## Webbs515 (Feb 6, 2010)

Terry Marshall said:


> Not state owned but there is the Busch Wildlife area in St. Louis MO



Busch wildlife is owned by the state of Missouri


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## cakaiser (Jul 12, 2007)

Chad Baker said:


> Thanks guys for the help we are putting a great team together to get field trial grounds setup to be dedicated just for dogs. This will include bird dogs, retrievers, beagles, etc. And with Tn being 511 miles long we are looking to have several sites among the 140000 plus acres Twra owns. If we can make this happen it will help protect our sport and give many more people a place to train and run trials.
> Chad


That is terrific, Chad. Great idea!
I know the cattle ranch has been a big reason, why some clubs have continued. And even thrived.

N. Al went from 1 FT a year to 2. Now also have 2 HTs. 
I count that as a big positive, for the retriever community.


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## John Robinson (Apr 14, 2009)

Nine pipes State refuge lets us hold our Fall trial on their wonderful grounds. The natural grounds are much nicer than all the private training grounds we use the rest of the year.


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## John Gianladis (Jun 23, 2012)

Chad, you're a good man! In my home state, Missouri, Busch Wildlife Area, just outside of St. Louis is a really good example of state managed field trial grounds. The grounds are multi-purpose, but we're originally given to the state by the Busch family for field trial/conservation grounds. In the last several years, several dog men including Jeff Saladin, Ron LaGarce, and Dr. Bruce Ahlers have worked in conjunction with the the area managers at Busch to better the grounds for field trial training and competition. The upgrades to the property have been impressive to say the least! A lot of man hours went into this project, but the results have been worth it! Keep up the good work and know that it will benefit many generations to come!!

You're friend,

Johnny G


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## Karen Klotthor (Jul 21, 2011)

Down South, we have the Bonnet Carrie' Spillway run by the Corp of Engs. They designated sections for dog training / hunt test/field trials & ATV area for kids. awesome grounds, only problem this time of year are the gators.


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## wetdog (May 2, 2010)

Denman Wildlife Area near Medford OR. Rouge Valley Retriever Club holds their trial there. It is owned and managed by Oregon Department of Wildlife


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## Kajun Kamakazi (May 17, 2011)

Sounds like a very exciting thing to be a part of, good luck. I wish something like that would happen in LA.


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## John Kelder (Mar 10, 2006)

While several clubs hold events at the Stewart WMA near Newburgh NY ,don't do anything with your opportunity that vaguely resembles The state of NY's management.


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## Jacob Hawkes (Jun 24, 2008)

Karen Klotthor said:


> Down South, we have the Bonnet Carrie' Spillway run by the Corp of Engs. They designated sections for dog training / hunt test/field trials & ATV area for kids. awesome grounds, only problem this time of year are the gators.


Suggest strongly against running puppies in the back. Other than that, you should be okay. Stay away from the back. The back part of The Spillway I'd stay away from. There's a reoccurring theme here.


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## Karen Klotthor (Jul 21, 2011)

Jacob Hawkes said:


> Suggest strongly against running puppies in the back. Other than that, you should be okay. Stay away from the back. The back part of The Spillway I'd stay away from. There's a reoccurring theme here.


Not only in back of spillway, they are all over at this time of year. We had our HRC hunt test this past weekend and had to use very small ponds with running water. That is why we do not hold a hunt in this heat but had not choice this year with the flooding.


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## Marvin S (Nov 29, 2006)

Scootenay reservoir by Connell, WA - Corp of Engineers
Warm Springs by Anaconda, MT - State of MT
2nd Nine Pipes as John said. 

Get some pro's involved - Gonia told me what to do for a 1 acre basics pond that I added features to 
that gets a dog ready to go elsewhere. 

Water that moves is a big asset!

Ability to control water level also helps! 

Good luck - we have several areas around Seattle that would do well in this regard but no one using 
them seems to be real interested!


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## rboudet (Jun 29, 2004)

Kajun Kamakazi said:


> Sounds like a very exciting thing to be a part of, good luck. I wish something like that would happen in LA.


Tried that on a WMA and the State was not to eager to help to say the least.


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## rboudet (Jun 29, 2004)

Jacob Hawkes said:


> Suggest strongly against running puppies in the back. Other than that, you should be okay. Stay away from the back. The back part of The Spillway I'd stay away from. There's a reoccurring theme here.


Where is the "Back" of the Spillway? Bature? or Lake?


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## red devil (Jan 4, 2003)

Bong State Recreational Area near Burlington Wi.
Mead Wildlife Area north of Stevens Point Wi
Northern Kettle Moraine Forest Unit. Wet Dog and Dry Dog Training areas. Near Dundee Wi
Not sure of the name, but another near Eagle wi

There are some others but without active management as far as I know

Note all state train areas in Wisconsin require a dog training permit if you are going to use live or dead game birds.


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## Hunt'EmUp (Sep 30, 2010)

California Prado Dog park is on lease from the Orange County water-district, so it's semi-for Profit grounds, which was designed-ran by a FT guy early on. (mulitple distinct ponds). The Goose-lake Grounds are managed-owned as part of the CRTA (California Retriever Training Association) grounds, they are managed by them, as are several others grounds on state lands in CA. Goose-lake are canal-lazy river types of pond that flow into each other. The only state grounds maintained by the state that we might have access to eventually, might be San Jacinto; which they are discussion opening up to dog trainers after season.

http://www.crtaonline.com/goose_lake.htm


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## B Parker (Oct 26, 2013)

The Barnett Lawley Field Trial Area, Greensboro, Alabama. Formerly, the Charles Farquhar State Cattle Ranch Field Trial Grounds.


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## rboudet (Jun 29, 2004)

B Parker said:


> The Barnett Lawley Field Trial Area, Greensboro, Alabama. Formerly, the Charles Farquhar State Cattle Ranch Field Trial Grounds.


Has been mentioned several times.


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## Jacob Hawkes (Jun 24, 2008)

rboudet said:


> Where is the "Back" of the Spillway? Bature? or Lake?


Where the railroad comes across is what I've been told the back is. That's kinda how I break it down. The front is where the actual spillway is. The bigger gators that I've seen when out there with Mark have been in the back (The water just to the spillway side of the railroad tracks. Now these aren't "Tree shakers", obviously, but they were big enough to change our plans.).


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## Jacob Hawkes (Jun 24, 2008)

rboudet said:


> Tried that on a WMA and the State was not to eager to help to say the least.


Unfortunately, that doesn't surprise me. You know it's going to be even better with the new governor. :roll::roll::roll::roll:


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## Fingerprint (Oct 28, 2008)

Pine Island near Portage WI. Not very retriever friendly but they do hold bird dog type trials there. A couple years ago they hosted the Visla field trial nationals there.


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## EdA (May 13, 2003)

rboudet said:


> Has been mentioned several times.


This is what happens when one is late to the party!


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## Dan Wegner (Jul 7, 2006)

Chad, if you're putting a list together, would you mind sharing it, once completed? We could use some good examples to share with state officials here in Michigan too. We have a couple designated field trial areas, but the state refuses to cut or maintain them and won't allow users to do so either. Also won't open gates or allow vehicles or any motorized equipment to have access. Needless to say, they are unusable for trials or tests and have been for the last 15-20 years.


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## Tim West (May 27, 2003)

There is one North of Des Moines, IA I think. Several trials on it.


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## twall (Jun 5, 2006)

Chad,

Ohio has a number of areas and regulations depending on type of dogs, retriever, pointer, hounds, etc. Here is a link to the ODNR page: http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/hunting-trapping-and-shooting-sports/field-trials

Not all the dog people play well together. We were once having a NAHRA field test at an area in southern Ohio traditionally used by the pointer people. They had a trial the same weekend. They wanted to deny us any use of the property. Site manager wanted more retriever events so he supported us. Chair of their trial told me he let all the local landowners know that if there was any damage to crops it was the retriever folks fault. I let him know our dogs would not be out of sight. We only had one pointer run through and grab a bird while a dog was running.

After all that, try to get the various dog groups together to support each other.

Tom


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## Zach Fisher (Jan 16, 2015)

Virginia has three WMA's that are available for dog training and trial use. Dick Cross WMA, Amelia WMA and Phelps WMA. The bird dog community has used them for decades. There is nothing preventing retriever clubs from using these three WMA's for retriever test and trials.

The bird dog clubs formed an association that sets dates for trials and submits them to the game department. The association charges an additional fee for each entry that goes to dog of the year awards and also grounds improvement. The association also puts on a Regional Championship (AFTCA Region 3).


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## JKOttman (Feb 3, 2004)

From what I understand (and I could be misinformed), the WMA near Baldwinsville NY was originally designed to be dog training/competition only (for all types of sporting dog venues). The state has control of it and now actively discourages dog activities. So you might want to pursue how to *keep it* as dog training despite the intentions of the state. There were similar issues about the state refusing to cut/not allowing others to keep it cut. Too bad because the grounds are beautiful. Jerry Wilks is up to speed on the subject.


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## Zach Fisher (Jan 16, 2015)

They used to run the Pheasant Futurity there and had beautiful grounds. I had heard that the grounds were in terrible shape for field trials. Very sad, my family used to go up every year for that trial and the Orange County trial.


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## Eric Fryer (May 23, 2006)

Chad,
Lee Kay Center in SLC Utah was mentioned early in this thread. Here is a map and I will put the Lat/ Long coordinates on the bottom if you want to play with Google Earth. Utah actually has multiple dog training areas, but most are seasonal and close during nesting seasons. Lee Kay however is by far the best, largest and open year round. In the last 18 months or so we have been holding monthly coordinating/ planning meetings with the State and other dog organizations to better plan, make improvements and enhance the experience for all parties not just the Retrievers. Basically a sporting dog association that has remained nameless. We are far from perfect and have a long ways to go, but are "building bridges" and are in a better spot then when we started. These meetings have come a long way to show the administration of the DWR how much use, how vital and how effective the dog training areas and Lee Kay are. The problem with Lee Kay is it is in prime real estate area and could easily disappear. Lee Kay also has a large gun range, Shot gun course, archery range, hold several Hunters safety classes a year and has a Tiger Musky fish hatchery all on the property. All while being 5 minutes from SLC international air port. Good luck in your efforts.

Lat: 40°43'34.56"N
Long: 112° 2'55.30"W


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## Chad Baker (Feb 5, 2003)

Eric thanks for the directions that is some good water you guys have!
Urban Sprawl looks likes is at your front door! If you can work it out when there is snow in park city and a trial date at the same time I'll come judge and ski in the same week!


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## tc2912 (Jul 14, 2004)

Chad, Eric or someone from the Utah retriever community might take you up on judging. Snowbird, one of our ski resorts, still has skiing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through Memorial Day. I think you are safe this year, but maybe not next year.


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## Stylesl (Feb 1, 2004)

Chad,

Thank you so much for looking into this! About 15 years ago a group of retriever enthusiasts had conversations with local officials to develop grounds for training and trialing. Most folks were receptive to the idea. However, budgets were tight and there was no one person that could be a point of contact for the various agencies. It seems like that could be you now!

Some grounds I recall looking at in my area. They would need some work--know anyone who could dig some ponds? Names: of places---Washington Ferry located near Decatur, Tn.; multiple areas in the Tellico Lake WMA, Also, is there any way to work with the folks associated with the Ames plantation in Grand junction? I think it would be wonderful to have a retriever trial and a hunt test there as the Bird Dog Museum is there and houses the Retriever Field Trial HOF.

Good luck and thank you for working on this!


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## tndude85 (Mar 28, 2013)

Chad, thank you for working on this. What part of the state are you aiming for?

Thanks,


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## Eric Johnson (Dec 23, 2004)

There was a WMA in Northern Ill that was the subject of one of the first "attacks" on state lands set aside for dog events. Don't recall the name or the outcome.


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## EdA (May 13, 2003)

Eric Johnson said:


> There was a WMA in Northern Ill that was the subject of one of the first "attacks" on state lands set aside for dog events. Don't recall the name or the outcome.


http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/Parks/Pages/DesPlaines.aspx


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## Eric Johnson (Dec 23, 2004)

I've done some research and seem to recall it was Green River SWA. So I may be wrong or there may be two sites. With the history of the Illinois Dept of Conservation, 2 sites would not surprise me.


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## Purpledawg (Jul 16, 2006)

Ken Denman Game Management Area outside of Medford Ore http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/visitors/denman_wildlife_area.asp


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## Jamee Strange (Jul 24, 2010)

Pyramid state Park in Pinckneyville IL is mainly setup for bird dogs, but we hold 2
Field trials there a year. The water could be better because it's mainly strip mines but the land is pretty good when they cut it. They do a lot of shoot to retrieve bird dog events there so the cover is kept pretty high sometimes and in certain places.


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## Jeannie Greenlee (Apr 15, 2009)

In Missouri, besides August A Busch CA, Maintz CA, Eagle Bluffs CA, James A Reed CA, Whetstone Creek CA. All owned and operated by the Missouri Department of Conservation. There may be others that I'm not aware of. 
I just ran an HRC test on Smithville Lake owned and operated by the Corps of Engineers.


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## David McCracken (May 24, 2009)

Don't forget about H. Cooper Black Recreational Area in Patrick, SC. The Master National was held there last year.


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## FGD Mike Smith (Jan 5, 2012)

Here is a link to Wisconsin's DNR page. They have a lot of public areas. You have to buy a license but for the $20 or whatever it is, it is worth it. http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/hunt/dogtraining.html


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## Dave Farrar (Mar 16, 2012)

A couple of clubs hold spring hunt tests at the Los Banos Wildlife Refuge (CA). 
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Los-Banos-WA


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## Bartona500 (May 23, 2011)

Is Pepper's Pond in Arkansas managed by the state?


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## Vicki Worthington (Jul 9, 2004)

Ditto for Des Plaines WMA near Joliet, IL!


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## redline (Apr 19, 2003)

Study Des Plaines closely so you don't make that mistake!


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