In the early 1960’s Colvin Davis began travelling to Manitoba, Canada with John S. Gates and his son John Rex. These summer trips to the Canadian prairies to work bird dogs have been a part of his life now for over 40 years. He established his own camp in Broomhill, Manitoba in 1983 where he and Mazie spend July through late September training dogs and preparing their field trial string for the upcoming season of competition. Cool early mornings and evenings, long hours of daylight and an abundance of game (sharptail grouse and Hungarian partridge) allow them to make much progress with their charges. Young dogs learn to use the wind to their advantage to seek out birdy places and are taught to develop a forward pattern. Experience gained on the open prairie is difficult to duplicate anywhere else.

In 1995 Colvin formed the Broomhill Field Trial Association bringing field trials back to the Manitoba prairies where they had been absence for over 30 years. Today this Association hosts the Manitoba Championship, John S. Gates Memorial Open Derby, and the Pelican Open All-Age, along with the Broomhill Open All-Age. Davis established the Broomhill Field Trial Foundation, a scholarship fund that benefits the children of that area. “This sport and the people associated with it have been good to me, given me so much. Giving back to the sport is what you do, the way I see it.” Two of Colvin’s longtime friends and owners, Albert Necaise and Rick Stallilngs, established the J. F. “Tobe” Stallings Memorial Scholarship several years ago for children in the southwest Manitoba area.

For more information on the Broomhill field trials, please click on the pdf: >HOF Ad 2