Durrell Smith

Durrell Smith is a Georgia native, visual artist, wing shooter, and dog handler. While creating compelling ink and watercolor illustrations based on his field experiences and hunting dogs, he also runs The Sporting Life Notebook and the Minority Outdoor Alliance. As a first generation hunter, Durrell seeks to learn and contribute to the community by connecting with visionaries and veterans within the bird dog community who are willing to share stories and knowledge about the various breeds, creating a bridge to welcome new and novice dog handlers to the gun dog community.

12 Articles Published | Follow:
Durrell Smith bobwhite quail hunting in Georgia with his pointers.
Get the Art – A Project Upland Original Film

The Host of The Gun Dog Notebook brings us on his personal journey into the…

Durrell Smith looks at an Englsih setter at the black handlers field trial
Georgia-Florida Shooting Dog Handlers Club – Ambition to Tradition

The Field Trials of The Georgia-Florida Shooting Dog Handlers Club Thinking about European traditions, I…

Group of Field Trial Pointers 1907
The Evolution of the Pointer in America from the English Pointer

Take a journey through the lineage and bloodlines that built the pointer in American as…

Early image of the English pointer during its development
Creating the English Pointer from the Pointer Dog Ancestry

A look at the history and development of the English pointer from the pointer dog…

Bird dog trainers riding horseback during a field trial
The Founding and Idea of the American Field

A Look at the History, Founding, and Idea of the American Field and Field Trialing.…

African-American of the Georgia-Florida Shooting Dog Handlers Association riding
Hard Day Riding – A Southern Field Trial Film

Journey into the overlooked world of African-American field trial history in the South Being a…

A pointer being whoa trained on a barrel with Durrell Smith
Whoa Training on a Barrel – the Why and How with Bud Moore

A short history and ‘how to’ of training bird dogs on the barrel with some…

A squirrel looks at a hunter
Squirrels and Rabbits help Define Versatility in Upland Hunting

Are we just bird hunters or are we lovers of things small game? It was…

A Bobwhite Quail hunting shoots at a covey of quail.
The Best Shot Size and Chokes for Bobwhite Quail

Take a look at selecting shot size and choke size for bobwhite quail hunting Nowadays,…

A bird hunter holding a bobwhite quail.
All the Bobwhite Quail In the South Aren’t Gone

Public bobwhite quail are still a part of the South — they just take some…

An African-American upland hunter in a field with his bird dog.
On Being an African-American Upland Hunter from the South

A candid and honest look at African-American upland culture. Where do upland hunting traditions go…

an art teacher making a drawing from the gun dig training field.
Teaching and Dog Training, It’s All the Same

It’s officially the summer. Why does that matter? Because I’m a high school teacher and…