News

Wayne Fishburn

Estimator

Start Date: 1989

Wayne’s life is going to the dogs.

And he wouldn’t want it any other way.

Wayne’s dad was a pilot. When RLTurner did some concrete work at his dad’s hangar, he suggested Wayne ask about a job. Not only did that launch a 30-year career, but it also sparked his love for bird hunting and German Shorthaired Pointers.

“Bob Turner got me into bird hunting,” Wayne says. “He took me to South Dakota to hunt pheasants, and I’ve gone every year after that.”

Bob also got Wayne hooked on GSPs and field trials. These competitions help keep bird dogs sharp during the off season and allow them to go head-to-head with other dogs. Wayne’s first dog, Zeus, was field trialing at six months old. He knew Zeus was special when he beat a national champion GSP—one of the top dogs in the country—4-0.

Zeus is 10 now, and he’s still running strong. He holds the second-highest point total scored in the U.S., and he’s a 16-time National Shoot-To-Retrieve Field Trial champion.

When Wayne bred Zeus, he kept a female from the litter—Athena. Like father like daughter, she rose quickly through the ranks and is an 8-time NSTRA champion.

Both are qualified for the Field Trial Hall of Fame. The honor, though, will be bittersweet as they’re awarded posthumously.

Wayne has two more young GSPs—Pinky and Thor. On any given weekend, you’ll find Wayne and his dogs either at a field trial or afield hunting pheasants.

When the day winds down, though, you’ll find Wayne on a couch with Athena lying next to him, Pinky and Thor sleeping in their beds, and Zeus staring intently and waiting to play fetch just one more time.