OK, my friends know that I’m not a hunter. They also know that I’m not a huge advocate of hunting in any form and that, frankly, I’m a little scared of firearms. Despite all of these things, I think it’s cool that our own Lassen Retriever Club is the host, and the Clear Creek Sports Club in Corning is the venue, for the 2010 American Kennel Club (AKC) Master National Retriever Hunt Test.
Let’s face it. Far Northern California has a huge hunting culture. Hunting is a big deal in segments of my own family, where family bonds were formed over incredibly memorable hunting trips. I respect that. So, I think it’s an incredible honor that the North State is playing host to the AKC, probably the most well-known Kennel Club on the planet.
Add to that 250 retrievers and their owners from across the U.S. and a panel of judges from North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Nevada. They all converged on the North State in the beginning of October to train the dogs on new terrain. This is the last weekend of the eight-day hunting test.
If you’re squeamish about hunting, this probably isn’t the outing for you. The hunters will do what they bought hunting licenses for, and the dogs will do what they do best: retrieve dead birds. It’s what they were bred to do and it sounds like a great day, in the fresh air, watching them do it.
What: AKC Master National Retriever Hunting Test
When: Saturday and Sunday, (Oct. 16 and 17), beginning at 8 a.m.
Where: Clear Creek Sports Club, Corning
For more information and some pretty interesting details about the dogs, venue and hunting, visit the AKC Master National Website.
Visit the following sites for information about events in ten other North State counties:
Click here for Butte County events.
Click here for Del Norte County events.
Click here for Glenn County Events.
Click here for Humboldt County events.
Click here for Lassen County events.
Click here for Modoc County events.
Click here for Plumas County events.
Click here for Shasta County events.
Click here for Siskiyou County events.
Click here for Tehama County events.
Click here for more Trinity County events.
Adam Mankoski is a recent North State transplant who feels completely at home here. He enjoys experiencing and writing about the people, places and things that embody the free spirit of the State of Jefferson. He and his partner own HawkMan Studios and are the creators of Redding’s 2nd Saturday ArtHop. Email your NorthState weekend events to adamm.anewscafe@gmail.com.
This portrait of Adam Mankoski was created by Shasta High School students Chance Norman and Kenzi Bell.
A News Cafe, founded in Shasta County by Redding, CA journalist Doni Greenberg, is the place for people craving local Northern California news, commentary, food, arts and entertainment.
