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
Kirk Moffitt
My father was a passionate bird hunter and amateur dog trainer, and I grew up around dogs. I’ve worked with various hunting breeds for more than 50 years, including pointing, flushing, and retrieving dogs. My father imported a Brittany female from France in 1958, and I fell in love with...
Brian Szczech
Brian's been training retrievers for over thirty years. He's a member of and competes his dogs in the Hunting Retriever Club circuit. He's personally owned and trained 3 Grand Hunting Retriever Champions/Master Hunters, one being GR HR CH Super Shooter of Ontario MH Hall of Fame...
Patrick Flanagan
I grew up with a few bird dogs. 2 nice little Brittany Spaniels and a few very athletic German Shorthaired Pointers. After I got out of the Navy I wanted to start hunting the uplands again, but birds were scarce and my readiness for a dog was not in the...
