NORTH AMERICAn HUNTING RETRIEVER ASSOCIATION

North American Hunting Retriever Association

Dear NAHRA Members and Friends,

As we approach the close of another successful testing season, I find myself reflecting on the incredible dedication and passion that defines our community. To our Iowa members already pursuing early goose season in South Dakota—your enthusiasm exemplifies the hunting spirit that makes NAHRA special. Whether you're working your dog through morning training sessions in flooded timber or watching them make that perfect blind retrieve across open water, these moments represent the heart of what we do.

Celebrating Our Community

Your continued contributions to our digital presence have been outstanding. The photos and videos you've shared—from steady training progressions to those memorable hunt camp moments—showcase not only the skill of our retrievers but the bonds we forge in pursuit of waterfowl conservation and hunting excellence. Our social media team works tirelessly to ensure your stories reach our sponsors, supporters, and fellow enthusiasts worldwide. We have capacity for many more reports, so please continue sharing your adventures, or make your first report, whether it's your young dog's first successful duck retrieve or a seasoned veteran demonstrating the steady performance that comes from years of consistent training.

Addressing Our Challenges

I must address a concerning trend that requires our collective attention. Over the past three years, we've observed a decline in both the number of tests being hosted and participant numbers. This affects the very foundation of what NAHRA represents—providing opportunities for hunters to develop their retrievers' skills in realistic hunting scenarios.

We need your insights to understand this decline. What factors influence your decision to participate in your local club's tests? What would motivate you to travel to tests in other regions? The skills we develop through testing—from basic obedience and marking ability to advanced concepts like honoring and blind retrieves—directly translate to more successful hunts and better-trained hunting companions.

Next week, we'll distribute our first survey focusing on dog nutrition and feeding decisions. Your participation is crucial in helping us serve your needs more effectively. The information we gather will help us understand how feeding programs, training methodologies, and testing formats can better support the development of reliable hunting retrievers.

Fiscal Responsibility and Future Growth

As your elected board, we take our stewardship of NAHRA's resources seriously. We continuously balance revenue generation with member benefits, always asking: "How does this serve the hunter and their retriever in the field?"

Recent investments include our enhanced website for improved member communication, an updated database system for efficient record-keeping, and ongoing infrastructure improvements. These upgrades will enable automated test result reporting, faster access to performance records, and expanded services—all designed to support your journey in developing exceptional hunting dogs.

However, rising costs across all sectors necessitate our first membership fee increase in recent memory. Beginning next year, each membership category will increase by five dollars annually for three consecutive years. Despite this adjustment, we remain confident that NAHRA continues to offer the best value among retriever organizations while maintaining our commitment to practical hunting dog development.

Exciting Developments Ahead

Several initiatives will strengthen NAHRA's ability to serve you:

501(c)(3) Conversion: This transition will enhance our ability to secure grants and donations, directly benefiting conservation efforts and member programs.

Registry Implementation: We're finalizing a comprehensive system to track breeding, performance, and hunting achievements—valuable tools for anyone serious about developing hunting retriever bloodlines.

Digital Expansion: Growing our online presence helps connect members, share training resources, and attract new participants to the sport.

Sponsorship Growth: Expanding partnerships with companies that understand the unique needs of hunting dog enthusiasts. 

Recognizing Our Volunteers

Outstanding members make NAHRA's mission possible. Ron Kourmaras deserves special recognition for spearheading our digital presence expansion. Contact Ron to connect your social media activities with our broader community efforts. Carol Black and Ron Stahl work tirelessly behind the scenes maintaining our website functionality—their dedication keeps us connected. Mara Budweg, Aaron Grieb, and our content contributors continue elevating our storytelling through compelling digital media.

A Call to Action

The traditions we preserve—training retrievers for practical hunting situations, promoting ethical hunting practices, supporting waterfowl conservation—depend on active participation. Whether you're working with a promising young dog learning to quarter for upland birds or refining your seasoned retriever's handling precision for challenging blind retrieves, your involvement strengthens our entire community.

Consider hosting a training day at your local club. Mentor a new member struggling with force-fetch techniques. Share your knowledge about reading water conditions or selecting appropriate training set ups. Volunteer at upcoming tests where dogs demonstrate everything from basic steadiness to advanced concepts like multiple marks and diversion birds.

The hunting seasons ahead hold promise for memorable experiences with our four-legged partners. Let's ensure NAHRA continues providing the foundation for developing retrievers capable of handling whatever conditions the marsh, field, or timber might present.

If you have skills, time, or ideas to contribute, please contact me directly. Together, we can ensure NAHRA remains the premier organization for hunters committed to excellence in retriever training and waterfowl conservation.

Tight lines and steady dogs,

Phillip Hines
President, North American Hunting Retriever Association

  Join our digital community and share your hunting and training experiences. Contact our social media team to showcase your retriever's progress and connect with fellow hunting enthusiasts across North America.

Welcome NAHRA members and Friends! The 2024 Invitational is just around the corner, and I am looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Alaska, I guarantee the event will not disappoint.

I would also like to announce that we have launched the new NAHRA web site. It is full of new features and will go a long way towards resolving the accessibility of our old site. The new site has ties to the NAHRA database that we launched last year, and we will be adding more features as we continue to roll out the new site. We are asking everyone to log onto the new website to establish their new account. I am asking that everyone log on in the next two weeks, so we know if we are having any issues. As part of the log on process, you will be asked to verify or update your contact information. If your existing contact information does not include your current email address, we will be contacting you by snail mail to update your email, to allow you to log onto the new site. If you have not logged into the new site by the end of June, we will assume that your email is out of date and begin sending you reminders via US mail. Please help us out by getting on the new site at your earliest opportunity.

If you are having trouble getting on the new site, please send me an email and I will get you the information that you need to resolve your problems.

Shout outs by the Pres!

Ron Stahl and Carol Black have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to make the new website a reality. Both have committed to being available throughout the roll out to make sure that the process is as smooth as possible. I also want to thank Rosemary for all her help with the testing and seemingly constant updates of information to bring the most current information to the new site.

Good luck to all the NAHRA family in this year’s testing schedule! We are continuing to develop new access to information and more rapid updating to results to make your NAHRA experience exceed your expectations. We will update everyone as we bring additional services online.

Phil Hines

Welcome NAHRA members and Friends! It is 2024 and we are already off and running. As we try to balance the cost of “doing business” and providing good value for our members, you will notice that we have increased member fees by five dollars. This is to help offset some of the cost increases for managing test data and the daily activities that go on behind the scenes to keep NAHRA operating.

As most of you know our Webmaster Suellen Appellof has decided to hand over the reins of keeping the website open and running. Suellen has been in the role helping the NAHRA organization for longer than I have been on the board. I want to give her my thanks and express my appreciation for all that she has done for NAHRA.

As a result of the change, we are revisiting the entire website. Ron Stahl is taking the lead along with Rosemary and Carol Black. Once the site is up and running, Carol has offered to act as the Webmaster/NAHRA contact point person. Please take the opportunity to thank Ron and Carol for stepping up to handle this transition and to Rosemary for taking on duties beyond her normal tasks to make this happen. I hope that you will also support Carol in her ongoing role by providing feedback and content for our expanded offering. We expect the new site to have less logon problems as newer software will reduce the security glitches, provide a wider range of information and more interaction for our members. As a note: It is likely that when we make the final transition, we will be using member’s current email address as their username in leu of their member numbers so we will be asking everyone to update their profile and review it every year.

As we announced last year, we have updated NAHRA to a new database. Rosemary is actively using the new base and working through the issues of starting a new software. As she gets her arms around the workings of the new system, we will be working on our next phase. The next phase will be to provide Test Secretaries with an electronic form that will allow them the ability to upload test results directly into the database, automatically updating individual’s and dog’s information. Stay tuned on the timing of that. In our third phase we will be introducing a member app to allow direct connection to member’s own information and all public information from the database. Phase three may be next year’s project but I wanted everyone to know the direction we are heading.

2024 is also an election year! Information has already been sent out to the Club Representatives. On the Executive Board, the positions of President and Secretary are on the docket. On the full Board there are two Regional Directors that are up for January President’s Press 2024 election: Alaska and Eastern Regions. Please provide your input at the club level to letyour wishes be known.

This is also the year that we are taking a focused effort into gathering and understanding analytical data that is available to support our fund-raising efforts, increasing membership, and developing the NAHRA brand into a strong and self-sustaining nationally recognized training and testing organization. We are working with our strongest sponsor, Kinetic Dog Food, to leverage their national sales channels to develop data and strategies for further sponsorship and growth.

Shout outs by the Pres!

It is early in the year but there are still many people who continue to make a difference! I invite each of you to be one of those! Please share your talents at the local level by judging, supporting training efforts or lending a hand with the running of your own club. Support us on the regional level by committing to attending one test hosted by another club in your region. Support us nationally by sharing your vision and abilities to grow our organization.

I would like to recognize Ron Stahl for his vision and efforts in our transition to a new website!

I would like to recognize Carol Black for her vision and commitment to support the website’s ongoing needs for access and content!

I would like to recognize Kody Bull for stepping into the remaining term of the Vice President and all the responsibilities that go along with it!

I would like to recognize Rosemary Haynes for all she does to keep the NAHRA organization functioning every day of the week.

If you have a club member who makes a difference in your local organization, drop me a line so I can recognize their efforts!

Phil Hines

Welcome NAHRA members and Friends! The 2023 Invitational is just around the corner, and I would like to encourage everyone who can make it, to join us at the event. There is no finer display of dog and handler teams in the country and whether you are participating or there to experience the grandeur, I guarantee the event will not disappoint.

I would also like to announce that we are testing a new database to provide quicker updating of information and more streamlined access to test and standings data. We will be running the system alongside our existing system to allow us to work out the bugs without affecting current activities. Our ultimate goal is to provide one day turnaround on testing information and an app that will allow you to access information directly from your phone or other device.

Shout outs by the Pres!
We have two new Regional Directors, Emily Julin in the Central region, and Carol Black in the West region. I am looking forward to working with them to continue NAHRA on its journey. I would also like to thank the two outgoing regional directors Paul Agranoff and Bob Boeh for all of their efforts and service to NAHRA.

I would also like to thank all the people currently working so hard to make this year’s Invitational a success! The list is long, and I am looking forward to enjoying the fruits of their efforts when I attend the event this year.

Lastly, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to outgoing Executive Board member Harry Williams. Harry has been supporting NAHRA through his participation as a handler, regional director, and a Board member for longer than I can remember. His passion for NAHRA resonates in everything that he does. Harry decided to retire from the Board at the end of his term to focus his time and efforts on his local and regional organizations of NAHRA. His presence on the Board will be missed!