09/22/2026
We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Delmar Smith.
Born in Big Cabin, Oklahoma in 1926, Delmar attended his first field trial before he was born, still in his mother's womb, as he loved to tell it. From the time he was a boy riding out across the tallgrass prairie to feed cattle before school, the outdoors was his classroom and animals were his teachers. He never wanted to do anything else, and he never did.
He was, in the words of Covey Rise Magazine, the Elvis of the bird dog world. His first name alone was all the introduction he ever needed. A member of both the Brittany and Pointer-Setter Halls of Fame. Author of a method reprinted 20 times over. Trainer of more bird dogs, and more trainers of bird dogs, than anyone who ever lived.
But if you asked Delmar how he did it, he'd shrug and say there was no secret. Just common sense. Just paying attention.
At our inaugural Dinner & Auction in 2025, we had the profound honor of presenting the Delmar Smith Lifetime Sportsman Award to the man himself, just a few months shy of his 100th birthday. He made it to 100, sharp as ever, and as gracious as anyone in that room had ever seen.
To be in his presence was something none of us will forget.
Rest in peace, Delmar. Pure bred and registered. Our prayers are with the Smith family.
