Meet Your Judges (2026)

First, I would like to thank the Master National Retriever Club for the privilege and honor of judging the 2026 Master National in Roseburg, Oregon. I would also like to thank my wife, Karen, whose support and partnership have been an integral part of my journey—not only in dogs, but in all aspects of life.

My journey with retrievers began in 1999 while guiding sea duck hunts during Maryland’s 107-day special season on the Chesapeake Bay. Recognizing the value of a skilled retriever, in 2001 I purchased a spicy 7-week-old black female “Coot”, who became Pitboss Black Cork Coot MH QAA. With the guidance of many mentors, especially Richard Barnes, I titled “Coot” at just 26 months of age, along with qualifying for the 2003 Master National in Thomasville, Georgia.

My AKC Hunt Tests and Field Trial judging began in 2005, encouraged by a great dog friend Rex Bell, who believed judging would deepen my understanding of the sport, give back to the community and help me grow as a dog handler. Both Richard and Rex have since passed, but their influence remains a lasting part of my career and passion for retrievers.

I again extend my sincere thanks to the Master National Retriever Club. “Guns up, and dog to the line!”

I wish all handlers and dogs the very best of luck at the 2026 Master National!

Capt. Jeff Coats

Since I took my first Junior Judging assignment, I always thought that it would be a special honor to be asked to Judge the Master National.  That day has come. Thank you all.

I have had hunting dogs my entire life. Starting with Pointers and then getting into Retrievers in 1980. Always looking for the perfect waterfowl dog. At that point I joined the Central New York Retriever Club, which I am still a member of today. One of the great things about our sport is the many friends that I have made through Training, Competing, Hunting and Judging in many different States from all around our Country. I always look forward to crossing paths with friends each time we’re out pursuing this lifestyle.

I am a long-standing member and current President of the Finger Lakes Retriever Club. What a great group of people that make our Club the success that it is. I have always been an avid Waterfowl hunter that could not imagine being out there chasing birds without the companionship of a well-trained Retriever; it’s what my dog and I live for.

I look forward to seeing everyone in Oregon with their best friends by their side chasing the dream of being one of the best at Master National, Oregon 2026.

Safe travels and we will see you there.

Micky Novak

I want to thank the committee and all involved for inviting me to judge the 2026 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

Welcome to the Master National Retriever Club and congratulations to all our qualified entries. I am grateful for the honor of being nominated to judge. 

I started training my first Labrador retriever in 1994 when I bought a chocolate puppy out of the classified ads. After doing my own training I went to watch a hunt test and was immediately hooked. My wife and I joined the local Retriever Club and became very active in the sport. I put a Junior title on the pup that I trained, all the while going to training groups to learn more. When we moved to central Texas we both became very active in Waterloo Retriever Club, Bryan College Station Retriever Club, Lost Pines Retriever Club and Alamo Retriever Club.

Many years later I drove to MN to pick up a third generation CH/MH bred pup. At the age of 3 he became the 68^th Champion Master Hunter in the breed and we started Redmark Labradors. After retiring from the pharmaceutical industry, we sold our home in New Braunfels and bought 57 acres in Lexington TX. We immediately built a kennel and opened Redmark Kennels in 2012. After many more pups, dogs and training, we sold the place in 2024 to retire to the east coast close to kids and lots of fish. I am proud to have had the honor of taking 3 different dogs to Master National. 

I got involved in judging AKC events in the late 1990’s. I love the sport and am honored to still be involved in judging after retirement.

I look forward to setting up a quality test for each of you and wish you all the best of luck. 

Mark Watson

It is an honor to be selected once again to judge the Master National. I have been involved in the Hunt Test program since its beginnings, and over the years I have met many wonderful people and made friends across the country. There is nothing I enjoy more than watching dogs work doing what they love.

I have trained and titled 5 Labradors and 2 Standard Poodles as Master Hunters. My life and career have always revolved around dogs and horses. I retired after 30 years at the University of Minnesota Veterinary School as a Veterinary Rehab Practitioner where I established the Canine and Equine Rehab Center.  My expertise is in canine structure and its effect on performance; I am the author of Accelerate Performance through Conditioning. 

 I am an avid pheasant and goose hunter and spend every fall in the fields with my lab and my poodle. I am looking forward to returning to this year’s National and seeing great friends and great dogs.  

Lin Gelbmann

I would like to thank the Master National Board for having the confidence to allow me the honor in judging the 2026 Master National. I have been fortunate to have judged the Master National twice before, 2010 in California and 2018 in Oregon.

I am an avid waterfowl hunter and thoroughly enjoy watching my dogs. It is so rewarding to have a well-trained retriever sitting next to you and know they are part of your team. Our dogs love sharing that time and those experiences with us doing what they were trained to do.

 In 1996 I purchased a yellow lab and joined a local retriever club. This was the start of my involvement in the hunt test sport. I have been President of our local retriever club now for over 20 years plus my involvement on the Master National Board of Directors has kept me involved in this sport I enjoy.

Through many trials and tribulations, I have been fortunate to have handled 3 of my dogs into the Master National Hall of Fame and 2 of them into the Master Amateur Hall of Fame.  I now have a two-year-old that is working on his Master title.

I am married to my wonderful wife of 46 years Luann. She has been very patient and supporting as I spend time with the dogs, competing in hunt tests and judging others. Many have met her as she assists with line marshaling at many events. I have two grown children and nine grandchildren. I retired on June 1st of 2018 to spend more time with the dogs, grandchildren, hunting, fishing and working on the honey do list.

I thoroughly enjoy judging and have learned so much from many great dog handlers, professional and amateur, which has helped me become a better handler myself. I feel it is important to give back to this sport to make it better. I know first-hand, the challenges that volunteer organizations have in finding people to donate their time and talents to make the organizations survive and meet their obligations.

Hunt tests are a team sport. The dogs and handlers need to work as a team to be successful. I enjoy setting up tests that are challenging to bring out the best in the team. The tests need to be fair, that includes good bird placement and challenging blinds, no tricks needed.

I would like to wish all handlers teams the best of luck and know all the hard work you have done over that past year to prepare for this event. I look forward to meeting old friends, making new ones and watching your wonderful dogs.

Keith Kiesow

I would first like to thank my peers in the Central Region and the Master National Board for the opportunity to judge this year’s event. I’m truly humbled by the invitation and committed to fulfilling this role to the best of my ability. I also extend my congratulations to the owners and handlers who have qualified their dogs for this year’s Master National. I know firsthand the time, effort, and dedication it takes just to qualify for this event.

This will be my first time judging the Master National, and apparently that means I’m also required to write a short bio. With a little help from my favorite AI engine and some finely tuned bots, here we go:

After spending several hunting seasons perfecting the fine art of throwing rocks and empty shotgun shells at birds floating just out of reach of my meat dog, I finally accepted the obvious truth—I needed a trained retriever. In 2008, I joined the Southern Minnesota Hunting Retriever Association with an eight-week-old yellow lab named Gunner and absolutely no idea what I was doing.

Thanks to a tremendous amount of help and patience from my local professional trainer—along with the incredible support of the members of SMHRA—I somehow managed to turn that puppy into a Master Hunter.  I was hooked.

I’m a firm believer that to play this game, you need to give back to the game as well.  I’ve done pretty much all jobs required to put on a hunt test.  From Port-Potty hauler, to avian propulsion engineer (bird thrower), to Event Secretary and Judge.   It takes a village to put on a quality event.  No one job more important than the other.

I ran my first Master National in 2015 with my black Lab, Slick. I was fortunate to be invited by a couple of pro trainers, who I also call friends, to pre-train with them.    Pre-training is always my favorite part of the Master National events.   Getting together with friends and dogs from across the country trying to put forth our best while more importantly having fun doing it. 

Although that first Master National didn’t go according to plan, it certainly didn’t deter me—far from it. I kept coming back. And coming back again. Finally, in 2018, Slick and I reached our goal and got our hands (and paws) on that elusive plate. The moral of the story… Keep chopping that wood.

Today, I’m blessed to have two dogs—Hope (qualified in 2023) and Alli—who I’ve had the privilege of competing with at recent Master Nationals.

Pat Taphorn

First and foremost, I am very thankful and humbled to be nominated to represent Region 3 for the 2026 Master National in Oregon.

My story of Labrador Retrievers is quite lengthy as it began a long time ago.  In 1972, I purchased a yellow lab as I had grown to love upland bird and waterfowl hunting.  By 1975 I was traveling to four AKC sanctioned weekends throughout Central Iowa.   As my professional career evolved, I ended up in Nebraska in the 1980’s doing AKC field trials.  I also started running AKC hunt tests in that time frame.  I have served on two Nebraska clubs boards in multiple capacities for over 36 years. My wife and I have competed in five different venues for retrievers.

My wife, Helen, joined me in this retriever endeavor in the 1980’s, supporting me and being my main bird thrower!  We retired in 2021, bought an RV, and have traveled to compete in hunt tests and trials all over this great country.   We went to our first Master National in 2004.  We competed in our first MN at Flint Oak in Kansas in 2013.   We have entered eight Master Nationals with four different retrievers and have eight MN plates.   Most recently, we competed at Giddings and qualified Rainwater Isaac (Ike) for the MN Hall of Fame.   This June we will compete in the Master Amateur Invitational in Wisconsin hoping to get Ike in the Amateur Hall of Fame. 

I want to wish all the competitors and dogs the best of luck in Oregon.   I’m looking forward to helping set-up quality tests for the handlers and their dogs.  Have fun competing at Master National.

Larry Heil

Region 3, I am truly appreciative, honored, and humbled to have the opportunity to judge the upcoming Master National event in Oregon. Congratulations to all who have qualified! I can’t wait to witness the incredible talent and dedication of these elite teams.

Reflecting on my journey, I was introduced to the “Hunt Test” world several years ago. At that time, my husband, Tab, humorously urged me to either stop advising him on training his dog—or to get one of my own. The rest, as they say, is history! My involvement with our dogs has brought much joy to my life but also opened up a community of lifelong friends.

I’m very active in our local Club, Tulsa Retriever Club, currently serving as Vice-President, but have also been President.  The support and dedication of TRC is always appreciated.  Although my professional responsibilities keep me busy, I sought ways to remain connected and give back to our sport. Fortunately, judging has provided a wonderful avenue for that involvement. With a retirement goal by the end of the year, I am especially looking forward to dedicating more time to our two youngest dogs.

Our dogs are not just companions; they are integral to our family’s love of waterfowl and upland hunting. It is truly remarkable to witness them reach their full potential while creating cherished memories with my husband, our son Blake, and our grandsons, Crew and Cam.

Wishing the Best of Luck to everyone participating! Special thanks to all the workers and volunteers who make this event possible!  Enjoy the journey, and above all, remember to breathe!

Guns Up!

Sherri Rains

I am honored to have been selected to judge the 2026 Master National and look forward to being part of this event.

My wife (Cathy) and I dated in high school and will celebrate 45 years of marriage this year. We raised 3 children and are very proud to see them grow up and chase their dreams. I served 8 years in the US Navy and after getting out of the Navy I was able to get back to hunting and things I enjoyed. My interest in retrievers first started in the dove fields in South Georgia, and then after moving to East Texas in 1995 I got involved with duck hunting. It was duck hunting that nudged me into retrievers. Like so many other’s I read all of the Retriever training books and yes even watched some VHS videos, remember those?

It was a number of years and a few dogs before I found the retriever games. At first, it was a casual interest but as I hunted less it seemed that retriever games kept me interested in training. Then about 14 years ago Cathy decided she was going to be a dog trainer too and then it became our primary pastime. I started out training labs but along the way I got my first Chessie for my primary hunting dog and developed a love/hate for the breed. So yes, as those that know me will verify, we still run our Chessie’s… and a few labs.

I am looking forward to meeting many new friends and watching all of their awesome retrievers in Oregon. I hope to have an opportunity to meet everyone and wish everyone the best success this year.

Wade Scroggins

Dogs always have been a part of my life from the playful mutts of my childhood through my obedience, agility, and hunt test competitors. Achieving a Master Hunter title was a crowning achievement. Besides my own dogs, I have trained hundreds of dog/handler teams through obedience and tracking classes, with many achieving advanced titles in those sports. I have fostered over 30 golden retrievers, training and rehabilitating them for adoption into new homes and families.

Training, teaching, and judging dog sports has introduced me to many wonderful friends. Dog people always are eager to share their experience and ideas for improving performance and solve training problems. I have become a better handler and judge for it. Watching finely tuned dog/handler teams work together gives me immeasurable pleasure.

It is a great honor and privilege to be selected to judge the 2026 Master National Hunt Test. I look forward to being a part of the event and wish all the teams a spectacular success.

Elbert Traylor

I’m truly honored to have the opportunity to judge this year’s Master National. I’ve been involved in the hunt test community for more than 20 years, and what started as simple curiosity quickly turned into a lifelong passion—and a deep respect for just how much talent, heart, and determination our dogs bring to the line.

I grew up in Sydney, Australia, spending much of my childhood camping and exploring the outdoors. After our family moved to Washington State, my mother gave me my first field dog—a Brittany Spaniel—and encouraged me to try competing with him. That gift set the course for everything that followed and ultimately led me to Hudson, my first hunt test dog.

Hudson came home with me in 2003, an energetic and sometimes headstrong chocolate Labrador who opened my eyes to what was possible in this sport. Together we earned his Junior and Senior titles, and through him I began to understand the true importance of partnership, dedication, humility and teamwork. Since then, the support of weekly training groups and my professional trainers has been absolutely invaluable to both my personal growth and my dogs’ development.

I now live above the Columbia Gorge in Washington with my husband, Mark, and our two chocolate Labradors, Oliver (9) and McCormick (2). Over the years, I’ve done some upland and duck hunting, earned AKC and HRC titles with my dogs, served our local clubs in various leadership roles, and worn just about every hat available in the hunt test community—sometimes all at the same time—including judging at all levels.

I have attended and supported the Master Nationals for the past four years. During that time, two of our dogs—Vincent and Oliver—earned three plates between them, accomplishments of which I am immensely proud. Oliver and I competed in the Master Amateur in 2023 and are entered again this year. McCormick is just beginning his Master-level journey, and watching a young dog gain confidence and joy in their work remains one of the great rewards of this sport.

I strive to work closely with my co-judges to design fair, thoughtful, and appropriately challenging tests for both dogs and handlers. To me, the Master National represents an opportunity to learn, give back, and honor the dogs who give us everything they have.

I sincerely appreciate the trust placed in me to judge this event and wish all handlers and their dogs a successful and rewarding Master National.

Liz Gibson

My first order of business is to congratulate all the handler teams that have qualified for this year’s Master National.  Welcome to the beautiful Northwest. 

Like many dog handlers, my experience started as a waterfowl hunter. About 23 years ago, Jack came into my life. He was to be my hunting partner.  After some initial gun dog training we tried our hand at hunt tests.  I was hooked.  Jack became my first Master Hunter.  He qualified for his first Master National in 2009.  We didn’t go to Texas that year.  The next year, 2010, the Master National was in our backyard in Corning, California.  Jack went and we qualified.  Jack crossed the rainbow bridge in 2016 with 52 Master passes and he did get a second Master National qualification.  That was the start. 

After Jack, came Riley, he left us with 66 Master passes, 2 MN passes, 1 MA pass, and a QA2 title.  Currently I have Bert who in addition to his 38 Master passes, a QA2 title, last year he managed to get that third MN pass and earn his MNH title.  Additionally, now I have Willy who is a 2 year old work in process.  He has his SH title and is working on MH. 

Since 2010 I have brought at least one dog, frequently two dogs, to line in every Master National except the COVID year and 2018 when I last judged the Master National.  Along the way there have been some successes and a fair share of years that could have gone better.  This experience gives me a pretty good perspective of what it is to be hander at the Master National.  I think I understand all the hard work that goes into just getting to the event and the desire to do well and put a nice finish on your year. 

The whole experience in our sport has been gratifying. I have met so many fantastic people, traveled to lots of fun dog events and had the opportunity to travel around this great country. I knew I had to do something to give back. In addition to volunteering at weekend events and the MN, I thought judging would be something I would enjoy. It has been a real eye opener. I didn’t realize how much I would learn standing on the other side of the book.  Watching other handlers from that prospective, and working with many talented co-judges has been a great experience.

My philosophy is to set up straightforward, challenging tests without being tricky and let the handler/dog team do the test. Being an active handler myself, I know how difficult it can be to get through a weekend test, let alone a MN. While I understand the importance of maintaining the AKC standards and the Master National Mission Statement I still like to quietly root for every team that comes to the line.  I wish all those coming to the Master National success, but most of all, have a good time. You have already succeeded by just getting to Roseburg.

I would be remiss if I didn’t give some credit to my wife, Carol, for putting up with all the time spend training and traveling. She has encouraged me and had to put up with many deferred “honey-do’s” to support my passion for our sport.

I look forward to seeing lots of old friends, new friends, and all the great dogs in Roseburg. Good luck!

Michael O’Bannon

To begin with, I thank the Master National Board and the representatives from Region 4 for selecting me to judge at the 2026 Master National. It’s an absolute honor to be selected, and I also fully understand how important this event is to those participating and to our sport.

I earned my first Junior ribbon with my Labrador in 2007. Since then, I have owned, trained, and hunted with both Labrador Retrievers and German Shorthair Pointers. We enjoy the dogs in the field and in the Hunt Test venue.

I completed my judging credentials with AKC in 2016. Over the years, while training and judging hunt tests, I have had the good fortune to have excellent mentoring from extraordinary friends and colleagues.

Judging is very demanding and requires one’s full attention. It also provides a front row seat to observe incredibly talented dogs/ handler teams. I strive to set up fair and challenging tests which allow the dog/handler teams to highlight their hard work and dedication to the sport.

Training for this event takes an enormous amount of time and dedication, and a tremendous amount of support from both your family and friends. My Lab Eva and I earned a Master National Plate in 2022 and a Master Amateur Invitational Plate in 2024, additionally my young dog Astro is well on her way to becoming a Master Hunter.

Congratulations to you on your hard work getting your dog prepared and qualified for the event. I look forward to the opportunity to judge the finest hunting dog/handler teams in the country.

Good luck to everyone, safe travels to you and your dogs and I will see you in Roseburg, Oregon.

Betsy Reali