History

 The Blackhawk Retriever Club Celebrated sixty years in 2017 hosting the National Amateur Field Trial Championship. It was the second time we were honored to hold the event.
The Club originated in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, and was incorporated in the State of Wisconsin on June 19, 1956.In the beginning, most of the club members were hunters who wanted exercise and training for their duck and pheasant dogs. Members were active in both informal and sanctioned trials in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Northern Illinois. The sanctioned and informal trials were one-day events. The big event for most Club members each year was the Wisconsin State Championship or the Dual State Championship (Wisconsin-Illinois). The Club ran two sanctioned trials a year plus three or four informal picnic trials. In a sanctioned trial the Club had to have pre-entry and judges were announced. Entry forms were mailed to Laraine Unbehaun and Laraine prepared a running order catalog for each event. The Wisconsin Amateur Field Trial Club would set the schedule for the sanctioned trials in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois for the upcoming year. In the LaCrosse area, land and water events were held on French Island near the airport. Events were also held on Goose Island south of LaCrosse. Later the Club made connections with Fort McCoy (Camp McCoy) and held events there. LaCrosse areas where members would meet and train were the vicinity of the present Valley View Mall on Darling Road and behind the State DNR building where there were open fields and a boat landing for water work. On both of these properties’ members were allowed to shoot live flyers. Many of the informal picnic trials were held at Gunslick Trap Club near Holmen, WI The Club members would hold reloading days to reload both poppers and live shells for training and for the events. Members would conduct organized pigeon hunts, catching birds in local barns, silos and granaries. Ducks were rented and shackled for eater marks, and the Club was only charged for the ducks lost. The hunting test programs started in the mid-1980’s and led to the demise of the informal and sanctioned trial circuits. At that time, there were no local professionals who trained retrievers and everyone did his or her own training with the help of other Club members. Jack Unbehaun recalled that his introduction to the Blackhawk Retriever Club was a gunner for live flyers at events and training sessions. Jack needed a retriever for hunting and bought his first black Labrador from a Club member for $70.The Club hosted its first NAHRA-licensed Field Test in August of 1985 at Fort McCoy and also hosted the NAHRA Invitational (National) in 1991. The first licensed AKC (Derby/Qualifying) in June of 1993. In June of 1997, the Club hosted its first AKC-licensed four-stake field trial with championship points. The first licensed AKC Hunting Test was hosted in June of 2001. These AKC events were held on the Army Corp of engineer’s property near LaFarge WI now known as Kickapoo Reserve. In 2001, the Club signed a long-term lease with Wayne and Terri Curtis to use Fox Hollow Kennel grounds south of Mondovi for the AKC Field Trials, AKC Hunting Test and for Club member training. In 2003 William Bassett established the William Bassett Foundation and allowed the Club members to use grounds north of LaCrosse. Over the decades, the Club has cooperated with many conservation organizations as well as state and federal agencies in the education of the public as to the benefits of using a trained retriever. In 2004, the Club received a 501 c 3 non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service and in 2005 the Club was made a Member Club of the AKC. John Unbehaun is the Club’s AKC Delegate. In 2013 and the 2017 National Amateur Retriever Club Championship was held on grounds owned by the Unbehauns’, the Curtis’, the Parrotts’, and the Spanglers’. During the 2013 National, John and Laraine Unbehaun each separately came up with the idea that a Blackhawk Retriever Club clubhouse would be very beneficial and should be available for the 2017 National. The Unbehauns’ discussed this with each other and then with other Club members. By the end of 2013, Unbehauns had made a large donation to the Club and the Club made plans to start building on the Unbehaun Educational Center. At this same time, Randy and Mary Spangler purchased and provided a 15-acre parcel of land next to the Unbehaun Training Grounds on which to build the Unbehaun Education Center, a storage building, a bird pen, and a camp ground. In addition to the Unbehaun and Spangler donations, others also donated to the project. Their donations are recognized on a plaque in the Education Center. In early spring of 2014 work started and much work was completed the first year. When it was time for the 2017 National Amateur Retriever Club Championship, the Unbehaun Education Center and accompanying facilities were available to be enjoyed by all. In 2018 a decision was made to pursue a fund-raising effort to purchase land. As an additional benefit to members, a training pond was built for swim-by, re-entries, cheating marks and additional concept training on the club grounds. The Blackhawk Retriever Club is celebrating its 63 nd year and is one of the premiere retriever clubs in the United State. Thank you to John and Laraine Unbehaun for this historical history.