Wingmasters

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Wingmasters develops complete gundogs and handlers through real hunting, real competition, real training, and proven standards. Upland and Waterfowl focused.

Protraining/Online Education/Seminars/Coaching/Podcast

This is the process. This is Wingmasters. We are a professional retriever training and breeding kennel. We pride ourselves in training retrievers for hunting waterfowl and upland at a high level. Beyond the hunt we train for both; Waterfowl AKC Hunt Tests and Upland Bird Dog Tournaments. Our Hunt Test Program trains dogs at all levels including Junior, Senior and Masters. With the ultimate goal of training our client dogs and our own personal dogs to be able to participate in the AKC Master Hunt Tests to earn the title of AKC Master Hunter (MH). We are Nationally known for training the top Upland dogs in the country. We are proud members of the Bird Dog Circuit (BDC). We are a Nationally recognized facility as we train, travel and compete dogs in Upland Bird Dog Tournaments across the country. We have trained others as well as our own dogs to be: National Champions, World Champions, Dog of Year Champions and Puppy Of The Year Champions. Beyond the National competitions we enjoy competing in local and state competitions. Our dogs have been featured on the Sportsman’s Channel, Pursuit Channel, You Tube, Local and National news, as well as many social media platforms. Although we enjoy campaigning our dogs in retriever events we are hunters first and foremost! We understand how great it is to have a highly trained dog on a hunt, be it waterfowl or upland. Therefore our first love is to train dogs for people who love to hunt and want a good obedient family dog. After all thats where most of the memories are made with friends and family! We pride ourselves in researching, breeding, raising and training our own line of High Quality Fox Red Retrievers. With Nationally known Fox Red stud dogs. We take great pride in our Yellow and Black litters as well. Throughout the year we raise genetically sound, health tested litters that meet our standards to be a good family companion, a rockstar when on the hunt and the intelligence to compete at a high level. Stud Service: Visit our website to meet our top Fox Red Studs as well as our Black Stud. We offer On Site breedings along with shipment of Fresh Chilled and Frozen semen anywhere in the country. Started or Trained Retrievers: Throughout the year we will raise a dog or two from some of our litters. These dogs will be trained to different levels and be ready to purchase to take afield for the fall hunting season. Contact us for more information on what color, hunting style and training ability you would like in a Hunt-Ready companion. On Site Dog Training Seminars:
Each spring and Summer Annually we have a Waterfowl/ Hunt Test seminar and a Upland/Tournament Hunting seminar. These seminars have become yearly events for attendees to learn about dog training, become a better handler and understanding the ins and outs of each competition venue. Be sure to stay tuned to this page to sign up for one of our next events. Host a Seminar: Host Mike Vaughn and his ever popular “Gaining The Edge” Seminar Series at your Retriever Club or Upland Hunt Club. Mike’s seminars are fun, informative and straight to the point learning that will ensure your members get the most out their experience. Mike caters each seminar with a wide variety of topics in world of dog training for both Waterfowl and Upland Hunting. His sought after coaching style is what sets Mike apart as he helps each dog handler on how to become a team with their dog. Beyond dog training Mike teaches his Practical Shooting Program for sportsman looking to improve their Shotgunning on the hunt and in competition. If you are interested in our training program, buying a puppy or a trained dog, using one of studs, participating in our annual seminars or hosting your own seminar- call us anytime. We are happy to talk dogs and help anyone- anytime
we can. Trainer Mike Vaughn www.theblastwsk.com 608 445 6149

10/12/2026

Sunday Funday: Swag’s on the Board! 🐾🪶

Just a man, his dog, the Northwoods, and our first ruffed grouse together of the season!

Every bird is another lesson. Every mile is more experience. And every day in the grouse woods with a dog is a pretty damn good Sunday.

Sunday Funday, Wingmasters style. 👊🐾🪶

This is the process. This is Wingmasters.

Nick Nelson
Mike Vaughn

10/09/2026

Your Friday Tidbit: Two Dogs Harmonizing

There are a lot of ways two dogs don’t harmonize.

Run two young, untrained dogs together? Complete chaos.

Run a trained dog with an untrained dog? That’s a whole other Friday Tidbit.

Run two trained dogs that simply don’t complement each other? I’ve seen that plenty of times too.

Just because you put two dogs on the ground together doesn’t mean you’re going to witness teamwork.

In the hound and beagle world, they call three or more dogs working game together “the pack.” There’s an art to dogs learning how to work independently while still working toward the same goal.

Upland hunting is no different.

If you’re going to hunt two dogs together, they need standards. They need to understand the same rules. They need enough independence to hunt their own piece of ground, but enough experience to recognize what their partner is telling them.

Because when two good dogs truly harmonize on a running rooster…

There’s nothing quite like it.

If you’ve hunted birds long enough, you know the picture.

One dog gets birdy.

The other dog catches it—not necessarily the scent, but the change in his partner.

The tail.

The pace.

The head.

That little shift in body language that says:

“He’s here.”

Suddenly two independent dogs become a team.

One dog pushes the track and gets outsmarted. The other picks it up.

The rooster hooks left. One dog loses him while the other already knows where he’s going.

They start reading the bird.

Then they start reading each other.

Two dogs covering different pieces of the same field. Two noses. Two sets of instincts. Two pedigrees full of generations of traits coming alive right in front of you.

They’re competitive enough that they both want to be the one who produces the bird—but experienced enough to respect each other’s work.

Then that rooster finally runs out of options.

CACKLE!

Bird in the air.

Gun comes up.

Feathers fall.

Both dogs race toward the fall, but one gets there first. The other recognizes it, honors the retrieve, and they both come back toward you.

Those are the moments you remember.

Years later, you might forget which field it was. You might forget how many birds you killed that day.

But you’ll remember those two dogs working together.

You’ll remember loading them into the truck before daylight.

You’ll remember switching them out throughout the day—one dog hunting while the other rested.

And you’ll remember that last hunt of the afternoon when you finally dropped the tailgate and said:

“Alright boys…both of you.”

There’s also a practical side to owning two hunting dogs.

I would never want to own just one.

Dogs get sick. Pads get cut. Thorns find feet. Muscles get sore. One bad twist chasing a rooster can change a hunting trip you’ve waited all year to take.

I often hunt one dog for an hour, switch dogs, and then hunt them together later in the day. On a weeklong trip, that rotation helps preserve their bodies and keeps both dogs fresh.

Having two good dogs is more than twice the enjoyment.

It’s also an insurance policy.

If one needs a day off, your hunt doesn’t have to end.

And yes, I still love watching one great dog work a bird alone. There’s something special about a dog figuring it out completely on his own and earning those feathers in his mouth.

But there is another kind of pride that comes from standing in a field and watching two dogs you’ve trained become something together that neither one could quite be alone.

Eventually, the dogs get older.

The seasons pile up.

And someday you’ll find yourself thinking back to those mornings when those two dogs were in their prime, standing beside each other at the tailgate, waiting for you to turn them loose.

That’s hunting nostalgia.

So if you have one good hunting dog sitting beside you while you’re drinking your coffee this morning…

Maybe the question isn’t:

“Why would I need another dog?”

Maybe it’s:

“I wonder who his hunting partner is going to be?”

Sometimes the best hunting memories come in pairs.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Mike Vaughn

10/08/2026

🔥 TWO FINISHED WATERFOWL MALES AVAILABLE 🔥

These aren’t young dogs you need to spend the next two years wondering what they might become.

These are finished, high-powered waterfowl dogs that are ready to go to work.

Both dogs need the right home — someone who hunts hard, guides, competes, or simply wants a serious retriever standing beside them when the birds start falling.

THE BLAST’S RED JOKESTER “JESTER”

2-Year-Old • 65 lb Fox Red Male •

Jester is an absolute athlete.

He is an extremely accurate marker, runs straight lines on blinds, has a tremendous water attitude, and carries the kind of motor that makes you wonder if there is an off switch.

He has 4 Master passes and is capable of running big.

Jester wants work. He wants distance. He wants another bird. Locks down intensely on memory birds.

He is the type of dog that will die before he quits, and with his athleticism, he can work all day.

Because of his drive and horsepower, I believe his best fit is with an experienced handler, serious hunter, guide, or someone wanting to play around with SRS or Qualifying-level Field Trial work.

He has limited wild upland experience, but he has shown tremendous natural ability in Upland Bird Dog tournaments, making finals in the limited number of tournaments I ran him in.

Jester also carries a very strong pedigree, and his talent reflects it.

https://www.huntinglabpedigree.com/pedigree.php?ID=195092

Full disclosure: Jester’s OFA elbows came back with a Grade 1 elbow, which removes him from consideration for our breeding program.

That does not change the dog standing in front of you.

For the person looking for a high-powered working retriever rather than a breeding prospect, our loss could be your gain.

⸻

FIELD OF DREAMS I’M A WINNER’S GOT GAME “VICTOR”

3-Year-Old • 80 lb Classic Male •

Victor is a completely different package — a big, classic-looking retriever with a heart of gold and an enormous desire to work.

He is trained to a Master-level standard, running multiple marks and blinds.

His marking is strong. He started as a Field Trial Prospect so he can run big as well.

His blinds are smooth.

And when Victor hits the water, he hits it like a Mack Truck.

He is another dog that simply does not want to quit on a retrieve.

Victor also has a fantastic demeanor in the house, giving someone the combination many people are looking for:

Serious dog in the marsh.
Good dog when the hunt is over.

His best fit would be a serious waterfowl hunter or guide who wants a dog capable of handling demanding hunting situations.

He will do best with someone who already has experience handling a trained retriever — or someone willing to learn how to properly handle one.

Victor has limited upland training, so I would place him primarily into a waterfowl or guide home.

Victors sire is FC AFC Field Of Dreams I’m A Winner

⸻

THESE DOGS NEED JOBS.

I don’t want either one sitting on somebody’s couch wondering where the birds went.

They were built to hunt.

Built to retrieve.

Built to work.

Put either one in a duck boat, flooded timber, corn field, goose spread, or guide string and give him something to do.

That is where these dogs belong.

Ten K each

🎥 Videos available upon request.

I — along with several trainers and colleagues — will be traveling extensively over the next month, so delivery or meeting somewhere along our travel routes may be very easy to arrange.

Serious inquiries only.

If you’re looking for a finished retriever that is ready to step into the blind and go to work…

Here are two of them.

Texts or Phone calls preferred
608 445 6149

10/02/2026

Friday Tidbit: Instilled In All Of Us

I find it fascinating what we grab onto in life.

The habits. The traditions. The lessons. The places we go when we need to reset. The things we refuse to miss.

Somewhere along the way, certain things become instilled in us.

Some of it starts when we’re children, long before we’re old enough to understand why. Family traditions. Work ethic. How we treat people. How we handle adversity. What makes us feel alive.

But growing up also means learning to decipher what deserves to stay instilled in us—and what needs to be let go.

I’m still working on that every day.

Because not everything that served you in the past belongs in your future. And sometimes the things you intentionally practice today become the very things that define you tomorrow.

For me, I can smell the fall leaves and see the colors changing, and something immediately wakes up inside me.

Hunter. Gatherer. Outdoorsman.

Instilled in me.

I would never miss Wisconsin’s opening gun deer season.

Instilled in me.

I would never miss the BDC National Championships.

Instilled in me.

More recently, the Ringneck Festival has become one of those traditions.

Instilled in me.

But sometimes it’s the smaller things that tell us the most about who we are.

When I feel out of sync, I go get grounded with my grandparents.

Instilled in me.

When I need to be alone, I take a walk. And if it’s fall, there’s probably a gun in my hand and a dog beside me.

Instilled in me.

When a dog comes into my care, I feel an obligation to develop that dog to its fullest potential.

Instilled in me.

For over a year, I’ve worked to make better food choices.

Instilled in me

Writing and working out every Monday through Friday morning.

Instilled in me

And I absolutely love my 4:00 a.m. mornings. That quiet time when the rest of the world is sleeping gives me a chance to think, write, plan my day, and prepare myself for whatever problems might come.

Instilled in me.

The spirit of being a martial artist since I was a kid.

Instilled in me

But maybe one of the greatest things dogs have ever instilled in me is patience.

People tell me all the time, “I don’t know how you have that much patience.”

Dogs taught me.

You cannot rush understanding. You cannot force experience. You cannot skip every step and expect the same result.

And when I teach people with their dogs, that same patience matters. I have to teach the dog. I have to teach the handler. Then I have to patiently help the two learn how to work together until they finally sync up.

That lesson reaches far beyond dog training.

Maybe that’s the real Friday Tidbit:

Pay attention to what you are instilling in yourself.

Every morning you get up when you don’t feel like it—you’re instilling something.

Every time you choose patience instead of frustration—you’re instilling something.

Every time you keep a tradition alive, spend time with someone you love, walk into the woods, train your dog, take care of your body, or simply stop long enough to appreciate where you are—you’re instilling something.

Eventually, enough repeated moments become habits.

Enough habits become character.

And enough character becomes who you are.

So keep the good things that were instilled in you.

Have the courage to let go of the things that no longer belong.

And intentionally instill more of the things that make you feel grateful, grounded, excited, and alive.

Because maybe gratitude isn’t just appreciating what you have.

Maybe gratitude is recognizing what has been instilled in you—and being thankful for the people, animals, experiences, traditions, and moments that put it there.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Mike Vaughn
National Bird Dog Circuit
Huron Ringneck Festival & Bird Dog Challenge

09/25/2026

Your Friday Tidbit: Default to Ultimate Control

In Waterfowl. In Upland. In Life.

Today’s Friday Tidbit is a little different.

No long write-up. No polishing it up.

Raw and Real Friday — straight to the point, podcast style.

When things start getting fast, chaotic, emotional, or out of control, you need somewhere to return to.

A default.

In dog training, your default gives you a place to reset the dog and regain control.

In hunting, your default gives you a place to reset the situation before things unravel.

And in life, it’s really no different.

When everything starts moving too fast, find your default. Reset. Regain control. Then move forward.

Because sometimes ultimate control isn’t about doing more.

It’s knowing exactly where to go when things start going wrong.

🎙️ Raw and Real Friday.

Find your default. Reset.

Happy Limits, everyone! 🦆🐕

Mike Vaughn

09/24/2026

Happy 9th Birthday, Cowboy! 🎂🐾

Hot off the press — a Cowboy daughter just earned her Grand title. And fittingly, she’s also a Journey granddaughter. Congratulations Bennett Sheltra and Roux!

That news couldn’t have come at a better time.

Because when I think about Cowboy turning 9 today, I don’t just think about the dog standing in front of me. I think about the impact he’s made behind him.

When you start with a stud dog dream like Journey, eventually you realize something:

At some point, people are going to start asking, “What do I breed my Journey female to?”

Myself included.

Then Cowboy came along.

Looking back now, knowing what I know today, I realize just how fortunate I was that the right dog showed up at exactly the right time.

And Cowboy didn’t take long to prove himself.

He went 13 for 14 in one summer on his way to earning his HRCH and MH titles. One week later, he won his first BDC Doubles Super Major.

His BDC career was impressive. Cowboy made finals almost everywhere I took him and eventually became a Reserve National Champion.

Ironically, one of his greatest strengths was sometimes his greatest weakness in tournament hunting.

Cowboy was a pointer.

He earned his GMPR, and his point was so strong that when I ran him as a flushing dog, getting him to break point could cost us precious time.

But as impressive as Cowboy was himself, I believe his greatest contribution has been what he has produced.

That’s where Cowboy became bigger than Cowboy.

When bred to Journey females, the combination produced phenomenal dogs. Cowboy added his athletic build, extreme intelligence, level-headed temperament and that powerful natural point.

Breed him to a flusher, and some of the pups would point.

Breed him to another Pointing Lab, and you better be ready for pointing dogs.

For years, I watched those genetics show themselves over and over again.

And as a trainer, I loved Cowboy pups.

Someone would call and say, “I have a Cowboy pup…”

My response was pretty simple:

We’ll find you a spot.

Because I knew what I was probably getting.

Cowboy also had a way of winning over everyone around him. Throughout my travels, he lived with different people, and everybody fell in love with him.

Then my friends Kelly took one set of pictures of him that seemed to set the internet on fire.

And I understood why.

Cowboy looks like a little bodybuilder — about 67 pounds at fighting weight, put together exactly the way I like a Labrador to be built.

His pedigree gave breeders in the Pointing Lab world another direction to go, and watching his influence spread has been incredibly rewarding.

But this birthday means a little more to me.

Because in January of 2026, we weren’t thinking about titles, breeding or tournaments.

Cowboy was fighting for his life.

A grass seed had migrated through his body and made its way into his lungs.

There was a point where all I wanted was my buddy to make it.

Through a lot of care, a lot of hope and a whole lot of prayer…

Cowboy made it.

That experience changed what I wanted the rest of his life to look like.

I retired him from tournament hunting. His hunting will be limited. He’ll still get to bring birds to the gun in the wild, he’ll continue to breed females, and most importantly, he’ll get plenty of house time, love and the good life.

He earned it.

But the Cowboy story isn’t finished.

Elon is now our next step in continuing that special Cowboy × Journey combination, and we’ve made the decision that we also want to keep a male directly out of Cowboy.

Because by the time that young dog grows up and proves himself, Cowboy will be around 11.

That’s the thing about breeding dogs that I appreciate more every year.

You can’t stop time.

You can only do your best to preserve the pieces of the great ones that are worth carrying forward.

Journey taught me that.

Cowboy reinforced it.

And someday, I hope I’ll look across the field and see a young dog do something that makes me smile and think…

“Yep. That’s Cowboy.”

Nine years.

Countless birds.

Titles.

Finals.

Puppies.

Grandpups.

Friends.

Memories.

And now another Cowboy daughter earning her Grand title.

That’s a pretty good birthday present.

If you own a Cowboy pup, grandpup, or have ever had the chance to hunt, train or spend time with Cowboy, drop your pictures and Cowboy stories in the comments. I’d love to see how far his influence has traveled.

Happy 9th Birthday, Cowboy.

You were the right dog at the right time, and you’ve given me more than I ever could’ve asked for.

Love ya, Buddy. ❤️

The great ones don’t just leave memories.
They leave pieces of themselves in the generations that follow.

This is the Process. This is Wingmasters.

Wingmasters
National Bird Dog Circuit
Master National Retriever Club

09/18/2026

Your Friday Tidbit: BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS

One of the hardest things to tell a dog owner—or someone I’m mentoring through Wingmasters—is:

Trust the Process. The breakthrough is coming.

Because breakthroughs rarely happen overnight.

A puppy keeps having accidents…until suddenly it’s housebroken.

A pup shows little interest in birds…until the day it finally CHASES one.

It won’t enter the water…until suddenly it swims.

Why?

Because you stayed committed to the Process long enough for the breakthrough to happen.

Then the moments get bigger.

Your first hunt together.

The first wild rooster your dog tracks.

The first grouse flushed from beneath a windfall.

The first blind through the decoys.

The 300-yard retrieve on a cripple.

The pointer mature enough to hold while you walk in for the flush.

The retriever steady through guns firing and birds falling everywhere—waiting for you to finally say its name.

Breakthroughs.

But eventually you realize something:

The dog isn’t the only one having them.

Maybe yours is buying your first well-bred puppy.

Buying your first sh***un.

Breaking your first clay.

Taking your first wild Wisconsin pheasant or grouse.

Maybe it has nothing to do with hunting.

Maybe it’s losing the weight.

Standing up for yourself.

Leaving a toxic relationship.

Taking the chance you’ve been afraid to take.

Or finally realizing nobody is coming to live your life for you.

Then comes one of life’s biggest breakthroughs:

Humility.

We all get a birth date.

We all get a passing date.

And between them is a little dash.

That dash is your life.

None of us knows how much of it we have left.

So here’s something worth thinking about:

Tearing down somebody else’s dash doesn’t make yours any better.

Being jealous of someone else’s success doesn’t create yours.

Rooting for someone’s failure doesn’t move you forward.

Mocking someone who’s trying doesn’t make you accomplished.

It reveals you.

While you’re busy keeping score of somebody else’s life, your own dash is still stale. And… nobody likes anything stale.

The person you’re criticizing is living their Process.

The person you’re jealous of survived a Process you probably never saw.

And the person you’re laughing at today might be one day away from the breakthrough you’ve already decided they’ll never have.

Someone else’s light doesn’t dim yours.

Celebrate people’s breakthroughs.

Encourage people through their Process.

Because we’re all running our own race, living our own dash, hoping the next joyful breakthrough is somewhere around the corner.

So when it feels like nothing is happening:

KEEP GOING.

When you’re struggling:

KEEP GOING.

When people criticize, laugh or hope you fail:

LET THEM.

They can spend their dash watching yours.

You spend yours living it.

I’ve trained enough dogs, mentored enough people and lived enough life to know:

Some of life’s greatest moments come right after the point where you wondered if the breakthrough was ever going to happen.

Trust the Process.

Celebrate the breakthroughs.

Keep believing in yours.

And remember—

You weren’t given your dash to measure somebody else’s life. You were given it to LIVE yours.

So build something.

Love somebody.

Encourage somebody.

Chase the breakthrough.

And when your dash is finally complete, make sure it tells the story of what you built. Because you are your own cheerleader.

Choose your Process.

I surely know what mine will be.

This is the Process.
This is Wingmasters.

Mike Vaughn

Address

Wausau, WI

Telephone

+16084456149

Website

http://www.theblastwsk.com/

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