Matthew Puckett, a Texas born bird dog man, has been named the new state director for the Oklahoma division of the National Bird Hunters Association (NBHA) and is using his passion to preserve the sporting tradition throughout the state.
As a child, Matthew loved two things: deer hunting and dogs. While his immediate family didn’t hunt, he was able to enjoy excursions with his grandfather and family friends, including members of his church community who had a unique connection with bird hunting and Brittanys. A man in the congregation had a Brittany that he bred on occasion, and over time, many members of the church became owners of one of his puppies. This group soon started hunting together and invited elementary school aged Matthew along.
He was instantly hooked.
At the time, his family lived in a neighborhood and didn’t have space for an outdoor dog, but when he was a senior in high school his parents bought a house with an acre of land and told him he could have one bird dog—so Matthew brought home two. These first dogs were German Shorthaired Pointers and helped further his enthusiasm for various bird dog breeds.
In 2014, he returned to childhood memories when he purchased a Brittany from Ronnie Smith and Susanna Love’s kennels. He credits this liver-colored Brittany known as Tonto with being the most memorable bird dog of his life, with a dynamic ability on the field and an ornery personality in the kennel.
Not long after this purchase, there was an explosion of wild birds in the Midwest, and he was invited along on bird hunting trips with friends who had English Pointers. Watching the Pointers in action sparked another level of intrigue, and today, this classic breed fills his kennel.
In addition to wild bird hunting, Matthew previously competed in the National Shoot to Retrieve Association’s (NSTRA) Lonestar Region. He also has a love of horses and team roped as a header. When he discovered the blend of horseback riding and bird hunting that the NBHA offers, he sold his rope horses to purchase field trial horses instead.
Matthew has been active in the NBHA for the past three years, running two pointers, Major and Maria. Both dogs came from Sean Derrig, and Major traces his roots back to Lonestar Law while Maria is out of Tin Soldier.
Most of the dogs Matthew buys he selects as puppies, and he is always looking for the hellion in the group. He wants them a little wild and bold, and full of adventure. After getting them started on birds, he sends them to Ronnie Smith and Susanna Love for training. His most recent acquisition is a young pointer pup named Law, with Erin blood, for whom he has high hopes.
Between Law’s future and new field trial horses, Matthew plans to continue to be a competitive force in the bird dog world, while doing what he can to promote conservation and the NBHA throughout Oklahoma. Last year, the NBHA held one trial in Oklahoma. This year, they have seven already scheduled, and one new trial ground prepared.
It’s going to be a good year for Oklahoma.
You can follow Matthew’s journey on his social media accounts:
Instagram: txbirddogman
Facebook: www.facebook.com/matthew.puckett.522
