African American Upland Hunting History

The upland tradition in the American South was carried, in great part, by Black dog men and horsemen — the handlers who started the puppies, kept the kennels, scouted the field trials, and held the knowledge that made champions. Their names are written smaller than they should be, when they are written at all.

I was brought into the bird dog world by men who carried that tradition forward — mentors like Neal Carter Jr. and Curtis Brooks Sr. This chapter is my working attempt to write the record down: the handlers, the kennels, the plantations and the trials, and the living line that runs from them to a first-generation hunter like me.

“The door was never locked. It just didn’t have my name on it yet.”

This chapter is being researched and written — essays, oral histories, and photographs are on their way. If you hold a piece of this history, I want to hear from you.