The Kings Mountain Herald
RTI
| Training hunting dogs
I | in Homesley’s bloo
ELIZABETH STEWART
Herald Correspondent
i
f
il
Y
Rocky Homesley has a knack for training dogs. Teaching dogs to point and
retrieve comes easy.
His Rock Haven Kennels & Shooting Preserve on Highway 274 three miles south
of Cherryville is a hunter’s paradise and outdoorsmen are now coming from all
over the country to enjoy Upland bird hunting in classic Southern tradition.
There's plenty of room to hunt and relax on the sprawling 116 acre preserve on
the 200 acre farm that once belonged to his father and grandfather. There's a lake
stocked with fish and the shooting preserve is well marked for hunters of quail,
chukar and pheasants. New state-of-the-art kennels are open for hoarding of dogs
and hunters can find lodging at “The Shed” in Fall and Winter Season.
Rocky, father Jim Homesley, Morris McGinnis and Ray, Ernst are the genial hosts
who welcome guests with a big smile and who treat them and all the dogs like
extended members of the family. They train as many as 16 dogs at a time and each
animal gets plenty of tender, loving care.
“We've been very blessed and are striving to make Rock Haven an even better
place to hunt and share in the comraderie that has been associated with bird hunt-
ing since the early days,” says Rocky.
In this fast-paced world where most people don’t take time to smell the roses,
Rock Haven Kennels & Hunting Preserve is a Shangra la - a perfect mini vacation
from the every day work place.
Rocky Homesley’s love for animals developed at an early age. When most of his
little friends were getting started in youth ball, Homesley was following his Dad
and his bird hunting friends John Butler and Clarence Plonk Jr. to the fields. Rocky
would hurry home from school every day to go hunting. “They'd let me carry the
sack for them,” he recalled.
* Homesley said his first real trained dog was a white German Shepherd named
Vaughn, a gift from the late Kings Mountain Police Chief Paul Sanders. The animal
knew right from left and how to play dead. That got Rocky loving dogs and he
started training dogs at age 12 when John Butler Plonk gave him some of his older
dogs to get him started. The first person he trained a dog for and got money was
at age 14 from Sid Thrift, who pitched in the World Series for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Rocky took Thrift wild bird hunting and Jerry Runaway Bandit was his first real
good pointer.
Homesley, who started training dogs in 1976 and who is the first to use an.elec-
tric training collar on a dog, opened Rock Haven Kennels and Hunting Preserve in
1992. Raised on Long Creek Church Road near Kings Mountain, he graduated
A from Chetryville High School in 1976, He is the son of Jim Homesley and the late
4 JoyececPutnam Homesley and grandson of Broughton Homesley who used to farm
+ the land where his preserve is located today.
Rocky worked for Lithium Corporation of America and ran a milk route for his
father who operated Jim's Distributing Company before turning his lifelong hobby
into full-time employment. During the past 10 years he has won 583 field trials and
has been National Bird Hunters Association Handler of the Year 11 times and run- : 4
ner-up five times. In addition, he has been voted Trainer of the Year in the two Rocky Homesley and Rocky's Cracker Jack, the English Pointer, used as the stud for breeding at Rock Haven A
Carolinas during this same period. Kennels & Hunting Preserve. ; A
Along with his multiple champions, Rocky has had many of his dogs featured on | kl
TV and in numerous national hunting publications. Rocky offers Bird dog training YEP on # T ava i
which includes force breaking to retrieve, steadying to wing and shot, and Man's
Best Friend's preseason tune-ups, also gun dog training and field trial dog train-
ing. He often has puppies from champions, started dogs or broke dogs for sale.
Guided hunts are popular and unguided hunts are always welcome. Guided
hunts require a minimum of 30 quail and include birds, hot country meal, unlimit-
ed practice on the multi-station skeet range, cleaning and travel packaging of game
for a total fee of $350 for as many as three people. Rock Haven can also provide
trained dogs necessary for a hunt, all steady to wing and shot, says Homesley.
Homesley credits his Dad for his career success.
; Rocky’s Cracker Jack, an English Pointer, is the stud for breeding. Pearl, an
English Pointer, died last year at age 11. Pearl's puppy, Ike, was bred and trained at
l Rock Haven and was the 2004 winner in the 17th NBA Futurity, judged the best
two year old dog in the nation.
Homesley’s reputation as a trainer of champion bird dogs is well known. He spe-
cialized in Pointers, Setters and Brittanys and has trained dogs for many well
known personalities and their pictures with champion dogs are displayed in the
lodge. His dogs consistently win in field trials all over the country and he says
there's nothing more enjoyable than watching a dog in field trials.
Rock Haven offers yearly memberships to businesses and organizations that enti-
tle the member to 100 free quail to be shot by Dec. 31, lodging at the Shed on site
for the Fall/Winter season, reduced rates for all birds bought, reduced rates for
boarding at the kennels on premise, members only activities, use of skeet range,
summer activities at the Shed which include cookouts and skeet shooting and dove
hunts.
The official hunting season is October 1-March 31 but it really gets busy during
the holidays from Thanksgiving through Dec. 31. To hunt you must possess a
North Carolina hunting license or a preserve license. North Carolina requires a
hunter’s safety course if you have never had a hunting license, cannot provide a
copy of a previous license or were born after 1958. Homesley said that 7.1/2, 81/5
you or 9 shot is allowed and hunters can take their own bird dogs if they are manage-
| able.
Maybe you are too young to remember bird hunting in the 50's and 60s or maybe
you remember and miss those days. Old fashioned bird hunting the Homesley way
is fast flying bobwhites, cackling pheasants or elusive chukars. A 2004 delegation
came to Cherryville from Japan to hunt at Rock Haven. Photos by Elizabeth Stewart !
It’s easy for a visitor to see how Rock Haven got its name. The farmhouse is Jim Homesley, left, Morris McGinnis and Rocky Homesley are pictured in the lodge at Rock Haven Kennels &
underpinned with rock and rock was used to build the chimney. And the owners Shooting Preserve. Pictures of champion dogs from the kennels are in the background. 1
added the word haven because hunters consider it that and much more.
Custom window coverings to fit your style!
3 Would you like to work with funeral
Tar J P nip I hb directors who understand how valuable
it is for you and your family to have a
iF ium pral truly meaningful funeral experience?
When the time comes to honor a loved
Hn me ; Hur 4 one’s memory in a personal way, give
Check out our great
selection of styles including:
Dilling Heating Co.
PREMIER DEALE
Shutters Draperies
Wood Blinds
Honeycomb Shades
HOME COMFORT SYSTEMS
us a call. Roller Shades Innovation never felt so good.™
PO. Box 607 Vertical Blinds « Silhouettes® mis
; a 0. Box ; : |
Shaping the Future of Caring Crorgville NG 20] ~ Woven Wood and more! Sales & Service Since 1955 |
J. Carroll Carpenter Tel: (704) 435-6711 Mai rn 410 York Road
Funeral Director Mi : Kings Ne
proud Memb, 704-739- A
il Ah iy J: 75 re hy Mobile: 704-297-0397
un ¢ ; : |
ed and Operated £9 |
inds. com § a style for every point of view
Fe or a Life e Wor th Celebrating iat Font Cp Assist
—