Tracy Hayes
North Carolina
Background
Tracy Hayes has lived a lifetime with gun dogs. His first two dogs were a prezzie from a family mate he got when he was 9 years old. Coming from a birddog family, his youth was chockers with pointing dogs, quail, grouse and pointing dog field trials. In his early twenties, after graduating from Virginia Tech, he snagged his first lab and it’s been a life-long love affair.
For nearly twenty years, agriculture was his job but retrievers were his obsession. In 1990, he saw a sign that said NAHRA hunt tests. He stopped and had a squiz at Charlie Jurney, Allen Pleasants and a few other hunt test trainers and his life was never the same. He co-founded Big Elkin Creek Waterfowl and Retrievers in 1993. Over the next several years, with a hand from Charlie Jurney, he picked up the art and skill of training retrievers. In the late nineties, he started training full-time and set up Quail Hill Farm Kennels—the rest is history.
At Quail Hill Farm Kennels, training hunting retrievers for the true hunter is top priority. With several acres to train on they almost never have to nick off the property to give their gun dogs top-notch training opportunities. They train almost exclusively for working gun dogs and HRC hunt tests with the top dogs participating in every HRC Grand. They're stoked about training owners to become ace handlers for their retrievers.
Other Senior Prostaff
Lynne Frady
Having Labrador Retrievers since she was 9 has given Lynne a unique chance. She's picked up on how to tune in to her dogs. They've shown her more than she's ever taught them, and Lynne reckons thinking otherwise would be a mistake on her behalf. She's had the pleasure...
Mitch Watson
Mitch is a highly experienced dog trainer with over 20 years in the industry. A former Police Dog Handler and ex-RSPCA Inspector specialising in animal cruelty investigations, he has dedicated more than a decade to domestic dog training. His expertise spans security dogs, assistance dogs, and therapy dogs, earning him recognition as a preferred trainer for numerous dog rescue organisations.
Tom Herman
Tom is an amateur dog trainer. He's grown up hunting and fishing all his life and has a massive passion for training dogs. Tom competes in HRC, AKC, and NAHRA hunt tests. He's a licensed HRC judge up to the Seasoned level and will be getting his Finished judging licences...
