We met Tracy Smith at HerUpland’s inaugural Pointing Dog Training Camp in 2022. Tracy and her Large Munsterlander, Magnus, flew in from Alaska for the event to better help prepare for their NAVHDA Utility Test and hunting season. It was great to meet and spend time with this fantastic duo over the weekend!
1. Describe a typical day in your life
We just wrapped up a few weeks of duck hunting in the Kodiak Archipelago and have returned home. It is Saturday morning just about 6am, it is cold, it is dark and the bird dog has summoned me to go outside, and more importantly fetch his breakfast. After a romp in the snow Magnus is fed, tea is made, the wood stove stoked and I catch up on a few overdue chores while waiting for the sun to rise in about four hours. Today we are meeting up with the Midnight Sun Gun Dog Association to work on some retrieving drills and double marks. I get my gear together, put on all the layers (think Randy in A Christmas Story), load up Magnus and head to the field. Thankfully last weekend’s windstorm has cleared the 46″ of snow we received the week prior revealing a windswept field surrounded by snow drifts. After a frosty and productive training session, we head home and take advantage of the balmy 11-degree weather to fly the homers, clean the bird pens (I know my life is glamorous!) and contemplate what will be concocted for dinner. After cleaning up and enjoying a bowl of duck fried rice, I tend to some barnacle tattered paws (those suckers are sharp!) Thank goodness for mushers miracle, fleece dog booties and a sofa to curl up on. Tis the life, why can’t every day be Saturday!
2. Which HerUpland Event(s) have you attended?
Women’s Pointing Dog Training Camp.
3. What did you enjoy most about that event?
Where to begin? The all-star instructor line up, the breathtaking scenery, the magical training fields, the opportunity to meet and train with a dynamic group of incredible women from all over U.S. and ALL THE DOGS! This event has empowered me to become a better handler. I feel that my confidence has grown and that the bond with my dog has deepened. I am truly grateful for the experience!
4. What’s your Bird Dog Breed of choice, and why?
Large Munsterlander! I met my first LM in 2010 while coordinating a Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Upland Bird Hunting Workshop. Our local NAVHDA Greatland chapter at the time provided handlers and a variety of bird dogs for participants to meet and hunt over. I have always loved watching dogs work but there was something captivating about watching this breed in the field. Their composition, how they worked with their handler, their temperament, desire, drive, range and off switch. Needless to say, I was smitten and in 2011 I was lucky enough to get my first LM Sven.
5. Name one thing you’d like to accomplish with your dog in the next year.
6. What is your favorite upland or bird dog product on the market right now?
