From Andi Sue,
Hounds have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My dad has owned deer hounds since before I was born, and by the time I was around ten years old, I was completely hooked on deer hunting with them. My love for the sport was obvious to everyone around me, and it only grew stronger as I got older.
While deer hunting laid the foundation for my love of hounds, field trialing is where I learned some of life’s hardest lessons and where my faith was tested the most.
In March of 2018, my dad took me to my first field trial at Poole’s. It was a completely different game than deer dogs, and we had a lot to learn.
And learn we did.
We continued field trialing there until around 2020. The community we became part of is something I’ll always be grateful for. The friendships we built, the laughs we shared, and the memories we made are moments I’ll carry with me forever.
Then life happened.
By the end of 2020, field trialing came to a complete stop for me. I stepped away from hounds almost entirely, keeping only two dogs. Even during those years away, I always felt like something was missing. It was like I had lost a piece of my purpose.
Looking back now, I truly believe God was simply working on his timing instead of mine. He wasn’t finished with this chapter of my life. He just needed me to be patient.
I told myself that if it was meant to be, hounds would find their way back into my life. And they did.
My dad had kept our old bloodline and eventually raised a litter. He gave me two females from that litter to turn into deer dogs. Because of their age and the middle-of-summer timing, I knew breaking them on deer wasn’t ideal, so I sent them to a breaking pen in North Carolina.
Around that same time, I reconnected with an old friend who encouraged me to start running the dogs back in the pens, even if it was only to condition them before deer season. That reconnection ended up changing everything and put me right back where I needed to be.
I owe a huge thank you to my better half, Dalton. He came into my life knowing nothing about this sport other than how much it meant to me. Even so, he never stopped encouraging me to get back to what he knew I loved. Without hesitation, he agreed to dive headfirst into this lifestyle with me, and before long, my passion became his. Having a spouse who supports you and works just as hard beside you makes every goal, every accomplishment, and every milestone that much more meaningful.
With that support behind me, I returned to the sport with goals bigger than ever before. My drive was stronger, my dedication was deeper, and I quickly realized just how much the game had changed while I’d been away.
That meant I had a lot to learn, and I needed to learn quickly.
I pushed myself just as hard as I pushed my dogs. I traveled, met new people, ran different pens, and absorbed as much knowledge as I possibly could. One of the biggest things that helped me grow was judging hunts. Judging hunt-level dogs gives you a completely different perspective. It teaches you to evaluate dogs more honestly, including your own, and pushes you to continually improve.
Once I finally reached a point where I believed my pack was ready I stepped back into hunting them. We entered puppy hunts, one-day hunts, ran on fox and coyote, and eventually even multi-day hunts. Watching the countless hours of work finally pay off and hearing my dogs’ names being recognized was incredibly rewarding. Still, every competitor has another goal. Mine was simple, I wanted my first win.
Little did I know, the same little “deer dog” puppy that brought me back into the sport would be the one to give it to me.
The morning of that hunt, I found myself talking with friends from my original field trial days. We laughed about old memories and how life had taken each of us down different paths. I had stepped away from the sport, while they had continued on, eventually moving into multi-day competing and even making their first champion.
I explained how differently I approached training now compared to years before and how much better the caliber of dogs had become. I told them I was grateful that we were placing consistently in different pens and said, “One day it’ll happen. One day we’ll win one.” A few hours later, I heard that breeding called out. My heart immediately knew there was only one dog in the field it could have been. I wish I could have seen the look on my own face when I realized she had done it. That little “deer dog” puppy had just given me my very first win.
Every setback, every lesson, every mile traveled, every early morning, every disappointment, and every ounce of dedication had led to that moment. It was proof that patience, perseverance, and faith are always worth holding onto. That day will forever be one of the greatest memories of my life.
Looking back at the bigger picture of my life I realized how much this sport has taught me. The hounds gave me purpose, introduced me to lifelong friends, strengthened my faith, taught me resilience, and reminded me that some of life’s greatest rewards don’t come quickly, they come to those willing to put in the time and efforts.
If there’s one piece of advice I’d give to anyone already in this sport or anyone just getting started it’s this:
Have patience, because you’ll need every bit of it.
Stay dedicated, because this sport will demand everything you have.
Never stop learning. Every dog is different, and the moment you think you know it all is the moment you stop improving.
Most importantly, stay humble. Even the best dog can make a fool out of you, and even your worst day has something to teach you.
