Meet Your Judges (2025)

I am deeply honored to be chosen to judge the Master National. It is a privilege to be able to participate at this level in a sport that I have enjoyed for so many years. Congratulations to the handlers and their dogs for qualifying for the 2025 Master National.

I am originally from New Jersey where I trained racehorses for many years at Monmouth Park, NJ, Belmont, and Aqueduct, NY race tracks. While in New Jersey I also bred and raised Golden Retrievers for 30+ years. Placing the Goldens in their forever homes will always have a special place in my heart. Upon retiring in 2005 and relocating to North Carolina I had to figure out what to do with all of this spare time. Competition is in my soul so I found my next passion taking part in hunt tests. I devoted my time to learning everything I could about the sport and got tired of being the bird girl and purchased a puppy of my own. Her name is Jersey Girl and together we have 46 master passes. Continuing the Jersey line was a must for me being that she is now 10 and almost ready to retire. So, I got into the breeding side of the Labrador Retrievers much like I did in the past with the Goldens. I currently have two puppies from Jersey that are starting their hunt test journey. It’s been a joy watching my youngest granddaughter, Michelle, get interested in training dogs and seeing her achieve a junior, senior and master title with her Labrador Retriever, Tara. They are an amazing pair to watch!

Currently my house is a zoo of dogs but I wouldn’t trade any of it for a minute. My husband and I of 50+ years transformed our backyard into a hunt test facility and have never looked back. The best part of these competitions has been meeting the wonderful people who share the same passion for dogs as I do. This sport has allowed me to form many lasting relationships and gain lifelong friends. I am grateful for the many judges that encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and get my judging credentials. As a judge, I like to see a fair test that will challenge the ability of the dog all the while being an all-around rewarding experience. I look forward to this opportunity of a lifetime and becoming part of this incredible event. See you in Texas!

Deb Bodner

I am humbled to be nominated to judge the 2025 Master National event. It is an honor to be approved by the committee and one I do not take lightly. I thank everyone involved.

I married my high school sweetheart, Betty to whom I have been married for 44 years. We live in East Hartford, Connecticut and enjoy the company of our two daughters, their husbands and our grandchildren. As a family, we enjoy dogs, horses, hunting, fishing, hiking and camping together. I am on the Board of the Yankee Waterfowlers Hunting Retriever Club

I grew up in Connecticut and was exposed to hunting when I was 12-years-old. I did not hunt with a dog until after I was married. When I finally acquired my first hunting dog, it was a 5-year-old yellow lab with no formal training and many bad habits! After being invited to a Hunt Test and watching a Master Stake, I decided to put formal training to work on Shannon. I approached a pro trainer and he helped me with some suggestions and an outline. I ended up putting a Junior and Senior title on her. My 9-year-old daughter also handled her as a junior handler.

Since then, I have bred, trained and titled multiple Master Hunters. I have had the joy of hunting pheasant and waterfowl for decades with them. I am grateful to all the hardworking people and training groups that have helped me along the way. I am also grateful to the clubs that volunteer thousands of hours so someone like me had an opportunity to learn, train, run and have some success with my dogs. Hopefully, we are paving the way for future generations.

I look forward to having some fun with all of you in Texas. I understand all the blood, sweat and tears you put in.

It will be my privilege to stand at the line watching some of the best handler/dog teams in the country work.

I wish you all the very best of luck.

Marc Couture

I am truly honored to be selected again, to represent Region 1 as a judge for the 2025 Master National. A big congrats to all the handler/dog teams who have qualified or will be soon. To be here is to be victorious.

I’ve always loved retrievers and the outdoors so getting into the hunt test game was a natural. I started in 1986 with my golden retrievers and labs participating in both hunt test, field trails, and even some upland hunting competitions. Competing with my retrievers piqued my interest to learn how to hunt duck, goose, and pheasant. Nothing gives me more pleasure than watching the sun rise and a retriever do what they were bred to do. I’m amazed and in awe of what these magnificent canines can learn and accomplish. They enrich our lives so much.

As a long-time member of Buckeye Retriever Club, one of the first clubs in the performance retrieving sport, I served on the Board of Directors for over 25 years. From chairing and working events, coordinating, and holding fund-raising activities, to hosting numerous tail gate parties and serving as club secretary, I have been delighted to see our sport evolve and grow.

Participating as a judge and a handler has taken me all over the country. I’ve enjoyed setting up and running hunt tests on so many different and beautiful grounds, watched and judged some talented retrievers and met fellow enthusiasts. Many which have become lifelong friends.

I’m excited about judging in Bastrop,Texas, and look forward to seeing all the different retriever breeds compete against the Master standard. I also look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones.

My goal as a 2025 judge, is to participate in setting up challenging, safe, and fair tests that meet the Master Hunter standard. I hope everyone has a wonderful time. The journey is the reward.

Many thanks for this extraordinary opportunity and experience.

Sally Koepke

I want to thank the committee and all involved for inviting me to judge the 2025 Master National. It is an honor to be selected and I look forward to working with all of you.

I grew up hunting upland game in Massachusetts with my father and our English pointer, Spike. I didn’t start waterfowl hunting until we moved to Maryland. Eventually I got my first labrador in 1989, a chocolate named Nestlé.  

A few months later, I saw a sign in the local feed store about a group starting a local retriever club. I started running NAHRA tests, which eventually led to AKC tests.

I have since titled several Master Hunters, as well as running dogs at the Derby and Qualifying levels.

I recently retired in 2024 and I’ve had more time to travel, train and hunt with my dogs when they’re not competing.

I became a AKC judge in 2008. I enjoy judging at all levels and like to set up fair and challenging tests that encourage dog and handler to work as a team.

I am also a member of clubs in Virginia and Pennsylvania that do multiple tests a year. I can often be found at the flyer station. I have met many great people and made so many friends over the years.

Congratulations to all the dogs and handlers that have worked hard to qualify for this year’s event. Good luck and have fun! 

Fred Perini

First and foremost, I want to thank the Master National board and my representatives from Region 2 for allowing and entrusting me with this wonderful opportunity to judge the 2025 Master National in Giddings, Texas. It is an absolute honor to be selected. 
    Back in 2018, I entered my first hunt test and knew when I stepped off the line that I was hooked in this sport. In 2020, I became an AKC licensed judge. Judging is demanding, but in the end, it is the people you meet, friends you develop, and the dogs you judge, that make it so rewarding. I believe in a fair and challenging test and I enjoy watching the dogs and handlers work as a team.
    I have had the great pleasure of being mentored by two wonderful people and to train my own dogs. I passed my first Master National in 2023 at Thomasville, GA with my lab Riley. In Paducah, we went out on the last bird of the last series so I know how nerve-racking it can be to come to the line in every series. It takes a great deal of training, a talented dog and some luck to get a plate. I want to thank everyone who has helped me along the way, but especially Aurelia Carter and Mickey Taylor for their time and patience, I owe a whole heck of a lot to them. I also want to thank my wife, Kayla, for supporting me on this adventure.
    Enjoy the journey and fun pre-national training. Safe travels to you and your dogs and we will see you in Texas.

Wes Bowman

It’s amazing what a single, well-trained dog will bring into your life.

I would like to thank my peers in Region 2 for selecting me as a Judge for this event and to say its humbling is an understatement.

My love for dogs came at a very early age. My father bred, owned, trained, and handled beagles. After his passing, I was introduced to waterfowl and have been in-love with it ever since. I got my first Labrador Retriever at the age of 20 and have never looked back. I ran my first hunt test over 21 years ago with my 11-year-old “meat dog” and was hooked! I feel so blessed by the experiences and friends I’ve made since then. I’m currently the President of the East Tennessee Retriever Club and live in Knoxville, TN.

Teamwork is of paramount importance in this sport and there is nothing like watching a dog and handler come to the line as a team, work out the kinks and succeed. My goal as a judge is to find that kind of challenge in every setup. I’ve been an AKC Judge for 15+ years and have been honored to have handled my dogs in Junior, Senior, Master, Master National and HRC Grand tests. I love judging because I learn something new at every test and I’m so grateful for the opportunity. I know all of the hard work you have put in over the past year, I know the commitment it takes and I’m anxious to see it pay off for all of you. 

 I owe a debt of gratitude to the professional trainers who have mentored, coached, and guided me through training and running my dogs. Thank You to Tammy and Mike Pierce and Jody Ware for all you have given me throughout the years. Without your friendships, guidance, and tutelage I would have given up long ago. 

I look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. What a true honor it is to evaluate the best dog and handler teams from across the country. Best of luck! 

J. Michael Evans

I am truly honored and thrilled to represent Region 2 by judging the 2025 Master National in Bastrop, Texas.  Thank you to the Marshbanks Golden Retriever Club of South-central Michigan and the Michigan Flyways Retriever Club for their continued support and the Master National Board for this great opportunity!

I have been in Goldens since 1985, having purchased my first Golden as a gift to myself after finishing veterinary school.  Of course, I fell in love with the breed and since then have been owned by many talented Goldens. I have successfully competed in agility, tracking, obedience and field work and am especially proud that my totally owner trained and handled Goldens have achieved upper-level titles in many different venues (MH50, HTHF, CT, MACH2, ADHF, UDX2, OM4, WCX). 

I especially love field work and started judging in 2015. I have judged all over the country, from Maryland to Colorado, Florida to Wisconsin, and many states in between.  I enjoy watching the team work in the field and love to see young or new handlers be successful and then get hooked by the sport! I am really looking forward to seeing great dog work at the Master National! The chance to judge the “best of the best” at the Master National is incredible.

Congratulations and good luck to all the teams!  Above all, have fun with your dog.  They are not with us long enough, so pass or fail, enjoy these special moments.  Dog to the line!

Janice Masica

Thank you for the honor of being selected to judge the 2025 Master National.  Sporting dogs came into my life when I married my husband in 1984. While I have settled on Chesapeakes as my dog of choice, there have been many Labadors, Brittanys and English Setters in our house.

We have enjoyed hunting ducks and geese as well.  There also has been many wonderful days in the field with the upland dogs in central Wisconsin.

I purchased my first Chesapeake Bay Retriever in 2001. I participated at the Chesapeake Bay Retriever Specialty in Maine later that year and took second in the event! That is all it took for me to be hooked to this sport.

My first Master National as a handler was in 2008 in Minnesota. I was scared to death. I didn’t pass this event but learned so much and knew I would be back to run it again. My dogs did earn plates in 2010 and 2011.

God threw me a curveball and cancer sidelined me for six years. My goals of getting back to the sport and to run a dog at the Master National was realized in 2016. I was able to run in 2019, 2022,2023 and 2024. I sure was proud of those plates we got in 2022 and 2024!

During all this time I worked to raise my level of competence so that I could earn the respect of my peers and be elected to the honor of judging a Master National which was my ultimate goal. These goals are what kept me going in those dark days. As all of you know, this is only been possible by the fabulous friends in our training groups.

With good bird placement and challenging blinds, I always look forward to seeing a good team work between the handler and the dog. I have learned to cherish every day and relish the opportunity to judge your dogs as they work.

Thank you all, good luck and I will see you in Texas!

Beth Trudel

I would like to thank the Region 3 board for selecting me to judge the 2025 Master National.  I am truly honored to be one of the judges this year.   I am very excited for the opportunity to judge so many outstanding dogs.

My husband, Mark, and I got our first Labrador to hunt ducks and sage grouse in Wyoming and it totally changed our hunting experience.  Soon we were not hunting with our dog as much as we were hunting for him to do what he was born to do.  When we moved to Colorado, we got two more Labs and we learned about Hunt Tests.  I had never seen a dog handle to a blind before and I thought it was absolutely amazing.  We have had so much help from pro trainers and friends to get our dogs to the junior, senior and master level.  I had expected that my husband would be training with our pro and learn to handle the dogs, but because I was a teacher I had more time in the summer to work with them.  I have been the handler for our five dogs since then.

I am currently a member of the Colorado Women’s RC and Colorado Foothills RC.   I am a club secretary, and I’ve been an event secretary, event chair, and worked at tests for my clubs for 22 years.   We have moved back to Wyoming, but we continue to be involved with our clubs.  Watching dogs perform is something I love to do, but what I have enjoyed the most is the friendships I have with the people who participate in our sport.     

I started judging tests in 2011 when I was an apprentice under Bill Teague and Gloria Mundell, two past Master National presidents.  I learned so much from them and I continue to learn from everyone I judge with.  My dog, Woody, has been a joy to work with and handle in tests.  He has 28 master passes and 3 consecutive Master National passes that put him in the Hall of Fame in 2023.  What a thrill that was!  I hope that everyone will experience the same success and enjoy this wonderful event.  Thank you, Master National Board and Central Texas Retriever Association, for all of the hard work you do to host this outstanding event!

Billie Helwick

First, I would like to once again thank the Master National Board of Directors for again asking me to judge the 2025 Master National event in Giddings, Texas. It is an honor and privilege to be selected, and I am humbled by this opportunity.

Second, I wish to acknowledge all the qualifiers, current and soon to be, for the accomplishment of being invited to complete. Your efforts, training successes and the talent of your dogs is much to be proud of. I wish all of you success and encourage you to enjoy your participation in this premier AKC Hunt Test event.

I became involved in the hunt test program over 35 years ago with my first Chesapeake Bay Retriever “Jake” who with much effort became our first MH. Since then, my wife Maggie and I have bred, competed, judged and trained multiple generations of Chessies and Maggie’s token lab “Dixie” in the hunt test and field trial arenas. Our lives, the property we live on, our retirement plans have always revolved around our canine hunting partners. In my long past youth, I hunted the Pacific Flyway waterfowl around Klamath Basin in Oregon. And Maggie and I hunted the California Central Valley for pheasants for many years. Our retirement to the great state of Idaho was to a large degree about our dogs, our training property and our passion for the retriever sports.

I have served as president of the 75+ year old Idaho Retriever Club, retiring this year. We are members of the Treasure Valley Hunting Retriever Club, the Marin Retriever Club, as well as several past memberships in various other clubs along with associated board and director roles. I have had the privilege to judge three past Master Nationals in South Carolina, Texas and Idaho. And I was scheduled to judge in 2024 in Kentucky, but a forest fire evacuation required my cancellation and the COVID scare of 2020 caused the cancelation of my assignment in MN. So again, I am grateful for another opportunity to judge.

As a judge I enjoy seeing the teamwork between handle and dog. I like to see talent in marking abilities, control and obedience on blinds and at the line. And importantly enthusiasm for the work. I like to see the human team member contribute his fair share of the work. I judge a MH as a finished, fully capable of their job, hunting partner I would be happy to hunt with. I strive to set up fair but challenging tests that give the dogs a chance to demonstrate their retrieving abilities as might be experienced while hunting.

The Master National is for and about the dogs, an opportunity to showcase their wonderful talent, desire and exuberance doing what they love to do.

Again, I encourage everyone to enjoy this experience and above all have fun.

Dale Langhorne

First let me offer my congratulations to everyone who has qualified for the 2025 Master National. I feel deeply honored to have been selected to judge this event, and I am looking forward to having the opportunity to see great dog/handler teams run.

My wife Anne and I got our first golden retriever in 1990, and our lives were forever changed. After getting involved with the local golden club, we discovered the joys and challenges of training and competing with our dogs. We quickly learned that the word “retriever” has deep implications for understanding the breed.

Their pure joy when working with birds was what drew me inexorably into the world of hunt tests and water fowling with our dogs. I’ve hunted birds on the prairie west of Houston with a dozen dogs of our breeding over more than 25 years. Over that time, I’ve judged more than 100 AKC hunt tests at all levels, in a dozen states, and worked at least a couple hundred events.

My philosophy of judging is pretty simple: I set up tests that allow me to evaluate the natural and trained abilities of retrievers to the standards set out in the AKC rules while (hopefully) allowing the handlers running the tests to have fun. I try to bring my hunting experience to bear in every test setup I put together. I don’t do “tricks” and I avoid needlessly complicated scenarios and logistics. Once my co-judge and I decide on the series that will make up our test, I ask myself two questions: Do these series meet the AKC requirements for a Master test, and would I enjoy running this test with one of my own dogs? If I can answer ‘Yes’ to both questions, I’m happy. Fairness and consistency in all particulars are of critical importance to me when I’m judging, as is the safety of every dog and every person on the test grounds. I have had the privilege to work with many excellent judges over the years, and have learned from every one of them. In fact, I’ve learned something new at every event in which I’ve participated. I’m really looking forward to seeing old friends, making new friends, and learning new things…all in the very familiar setting of Central Texas, and on some of the finest retriever test grounds in the country. Best of luck to you all!

Doug McGuire

I would like to thank the Master National Board of Directors for selecting me to judge the 2025 Master National. I’m deeply grateful and honored.
Now a little bit about myself.  In 1998 I entered and run my first hunt test and over the weekend I got to watch Junior, Senior and Master dogs compete.  I was very impressed with the talent the dogs had. That’s when I got hooked in the sport.

In 2004 I felt like I needed to give back to the sport so I started judging. After 21 years of judging, I’ve decided the best seat in the field is in a judge’s chair.

This will be my second time judging the Master National, I also judged in 2018.
Thank you

Randy Morton

It is my sincere belief that dogs are one of God’s greatest gifts to man. There are few limits to what a dog can be taught to do with man. After watching hunting dogs where I was growing up, I wanted one. For my 10th birthday, my mother gave me a German Shorthair Pointer, took me to obedience classes on Thursday nights and I was off on a lifelong passion, training my dogs. I have had German Shorthairs, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, English Pointer, Standard Poodles, and now a Labrador Retriever that I have trained in hunting sports. I even trained one of my wife’s Dobermans to honor the English Pointer’s point as she loved to go Chukar hunting with us.

With the tolerance and support of the love of my life, Lezlee, now my wife of 47 years, in 2010 I decided to take up the sport of Hunt Testing and did so with a Standard Poodle. I have trained 3 Standard Poodles to the MH level and have competed in both the Master National and Master Amateur Invitational. I am currently training my first Labrador, enjoying it immensely, who is on the way to Master Hunter and competing in Field Trials. I have been involved with retriever sports training my dogs, putting on hunt tests, judging all levels of hunt tests, and shooting for both hunt tests and field trials.

 I am honored to be invited to judge this year’s Master National. Thank you to the Master National Board of Directors for making this a reality. I enjoy watching dogs work with their handlers, succeeding in complex cooperation, often returning with a bird that neither the dog nor the handler would have been able to retrieve on their own. I am looking forward to seeing these extraordinary dogs and handlers who have qualified, together with many friends at the 2025 Master National.

Ted deLooze

I am very grateful, honored and humbled to have been chosen as one of the judges for the 2025 Master National event.  Thank you to everyone involved in the process of selecting this year’s judges and for placing your confidence in me.  I also want to thank my family and everyone who has supported me along the way and allowed me the ability to participate in this great sport.

I was born and raised just outside of Portland, Oregon and grew up with labs and hunted upland birds around rural Oregon.  I married my husband, Dan, in 1990 and live in North Plains Oregon on a farm growing Christmas trees and timber.  We raised two children spending many years and hours in 4-H raising and showing Angus beef cattle, and breeding and showing dressage horses.   We still have Angus cattle and 5 dressage horses.  Dan was an avid duck and upland bird hunter who had also hunted with labrador retrievers growing up.  As Dixie Mountain Retrievers, we bred and raised hunting labs for many years, but it was not until I purchased “Magic”, out of the newspaper in 2014.  She was a female black labrador retriever that my hunt test career began.  She absolutely stole my heart and convinced me to get her some hunt test training.   In 2016 I took her to meet Kim and Doug Shade of Minoggie Kennels for some professional training.  My goal was to see if we could just get our Junior Hunter Title.  Kim and Doug took us under their wings training Magic and me.  Magic breezed through Juniors, Seniors and Masters and she and Doug passed her first master national in 2018.  Then Kim planted the judging seed  and the rest is history.  I have been judging hunt tests for the past 8 years.

We now have four labs.  I have participated in three Master National events, most recently the 2024 Master National event in Paducah Kentucky where Magic earned her MNH4 ,  Texx earned his MNH and Daphne her MNR titles.  Magic, Texx and Daphne all qualified for the 2024 Master Amateur event in Carnation Washington with Magic and Texx qualifying and Daphne getting through the 4^th.

 In the off season I have become involved with truffle hunting in the past two years with Rosey CGS SH, my youngest lab.  Rosey recently won the Joriad, the 2025 North American Truffle Dog Championship in Eugene Oregon this past February.  Rosey and I also volunteer as a pet therapy team with Pet Partners and the Dove Lewis Portland Area Canine Therapy Teams. 

I have been an active member of the Oregon Hunting Retriever Club in Portland Oregon as club treasurer for nearly 10 years, participating in club events and helping put on several hunt tests each year.

I enjoy judging and giving back to the sport and I am looking forward to the 2025 Master National event in Bastrop, Texas.   Thank you to all who work so hard to make this event possible. Congratulations to all who qualify for this year’s event

Lillian Logan

I want to thank the committee and all involved for the invitation to judge this year’s Master National
Hunt Test. It is an honor to be selected and I look forward to working with each of these judges and the
committee.
Like all great dog stories, this one begins in a duck blind. In the mid 2000’s, retrieving several ducks in a
lower tide environment with a canoe. I came back to the duck blind and mentioned to my duck hunting
partner, “we need a duck dog.” After a few flights and a few more retrieves he said, “I know a guy”.
This led to an introduction to a man who has since become a very good friend and judging mentor . He
knew of a lab breeding that would be available soon. I was fortunate enough to watch both labs of that
breeding at the Sauvie Island hunt test in Portland Oregon. After watching a Master stake, I was even
more convinced that not only did we need a duck dog, we needed a good duck dog.
The litter came and we made our choice and brought Tater home at eight weeks old. The rest of the
story is very common, I am sure. After doing some obedience and some light retrieving, we entered a
junior hunt test. Tater went out, and Tater came back. We stood in line and waited for that infamous
ribbon ceremony. Hooked!!!!! Of course, on the drive home I called 458 of my closest friends to tell
them how accomplished my pup was. Little did I know the challenges and sheer joy that lay ahead.
I attended my first judges’ seminar and learned much more than I bargained for. I began judging and was
hooked, again. So, many great handlers and some not so great. You learn as much from seeing mistakes
as you do from seeing good handling. This was the best thing to happen for my training and handling.
I took my first advanced seminar in Corning, California. This a learning experience due to the presenters.
A a high percentage of attendees were from all over the west and were already accomplished judges.
The Q and A and commentary was well worth the weekend.
In the summers of 2021 and 2022, I had the opportunity to judge as I had no dogs running. I spent time
on the road in California, Oregon, Washington and Montana and basically went to judging school. What
a great experience. I highly recommend this volunteer experience.
It is my privilege to work hard for the dogs and the handlers. I do my best to set up tests with a
standard that challenges both dog and handler without tricking either. I believe hunt tests should be
practical to duck hunting.
Going into 2025, I now have two dogs, 1 Master dog, and 1 Senior dog who will run this summer.
I have been a member of Oregon Hunting Retriever Club for 15 years. This facilitates many volunteer
opportunities such as judging, stake chair at hunt tests, marshaling and being a member of the board of
directors at OHRC. Again, the experience has been invaluable to my dog life.
I continue to learn with each training and judging assignment. I thank all the friends and mentors along
the way.
“It’s not about the ribbon” is real.
Dave McPherson

Dave McPherson

My first involvement in AKC hunt tests came in 1995 when I put a JH title on my first Labrador. Watching my dog love his retriever training gave me the hunt test bug. Since that time, I have owned and trained four Labrador Retrievers and two Golden Retrievers to their Master Hunter titles. Two of the Labs and one Golden also earned the distinction of being Qualified All Age with an amateur field trial win also coming from the Golden.

I have a passion for dog training and believe in training and handling my own dogs, but of course not without guidance from a number of highly respected professionals and skilled amateurs. I love that this sport has introduced me to a wonderful group of people. I became a judge in 2009 and have always enjoyed watching our sporting dogs doing what they were born to do, retrieve birds.

I live in Duvall, Washington with my husband and three Labradors, the youngest, 5-month-old Danny, is our latest hopeful up and coming multipurpose dog. I also participate in competitive obedience, putting advanced titles on all of my dogs. Obedience training feeds my dog training passion on those especially soggy Western Washington days, but I can’t imagine more fun than being out in the field with my retrievers. I am honored to have been asked to judge the Master National once again and look forward to seeing the wonderful dog/handler teams at the 2025 Master National as well as the beautiful grounds in Texas!

Terrie Sato