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
Perry Ross
Starting at the age of 4, Perry grew up coon hunting with his father and grandfather. He's passionate about PKC competition hunting and has been featured on TV shows for Realtree. He currently runs guide services out of New Mexico, Kansas, and Kentucky and has won competitions with his...
Tom Dokken
Dokken brings over 45 years of retriever-training experience to the SportDOG team. He's well known as the inventor of Dokken’s Deadfowl Trainer, which has become standard gear for retriever trainers all over. He owns Dokken Dog Supply and Dokken’s Oak Ridge Kennels, the largest gun dog...
Bret Wonnacott
The first time my childhood eyes saw a bird dog on point, I was hooked. A dog frozen in time, nostrils flaring, mouth tasting the scent of the bird that he lives for, and yet resisting by instinct the urge to pounce and flush was the most fascinating and beautiful...
