TRAINING

TRAINING WITH SEMI NAVHDA

SEMI NAVHDA follows the do-it-yourself training philosophy. Training days start in early March and run until early September. (Scroll down to see calendar of training days.) There are over 60 training days including most weekends and some weekdays. Training is held at the Highland Field Trial Grounds, encompassing three training courses and multiple bodies of water. Most of the training days are held at the Barn Course, which has three fields that allow for live fire and one field that is blanks only. At the Barn Course, members sign up for training times with their dogs in designated fields. We encourage a collaborative spirit: members are encouraged to both request and offer help to one another as needed.

If you are new to NAVHDA or thinking about joining NAVHDA and would like to see what we are about feel free to come out and observe a typical training day. We suggest that you come out on a scheduled Saturday, as that is the most popular training day. If possible, please print out and complete the Guest Waiver to bring with you.

Below you will find most of the information you will need to start training with SEMI NAVHDA when you join.

Typical Training Weekends consists of:

Order Birds from the Director of Resources
Pick up birds at the allocated time and place
Sign up for a field slot to train
Help others or train with others
HAVE FUN!

Training Rules:

Click to review all Safety Rules
Safety Orange Must be worn in all fields
All guests must fill out a waiver click here to download >
Only NAVHDA Approved breeds can be trained on NAVHDA-permitted training days
Only break-action shotguns are approved for use during SEMI NAVHDA training days
All Gunners must have a valid Michigan Base Hunting License

Suggested Training Gear:

Long lead
Water Bottles for the dog
Bird Bag
Bird Crate

Training Day Tips:

Training fields get busy very quickly, plan your day with that in mind.
Always check the schedule for training days and courses
Live fire is only allowed on permitted days for the permitted courses from 8am until dark
Always practice Firearm Safety
Training days are conducted on Public Land. This means that there could be people walking dogs, riding horses, and more on the grounds. Act accordingly and safely.
Become very familiar with the safety and training rules.

2025 TRAINING CALENDAR

Click here to open the full 2025 training calendar

TRAINING GROUNDS

(click the name of the training grounds to open in Google Maps)

DATE	BARN	SILO	SOD	MOORE
1/25		WORK DAY
2/15		WORK DAY
3/1	•			•
3/8	•			•
3/15	WORK DAY
3/16	•			•
3/22	•			•
3/23	•			•
3/29	•			•
3/30		•		•
4/5	•			•
4/6	•			•
4/12	•		•	•
4/13	•			• PM
4/20	•			•
4/26	•		•	•
4/27	•			• AM
5/3	•		•	•
5/4	•			• PM
5/7		•		•
5/8	•			•
5/10	•		•	•
5/11	•			• AM
5/13	•			•
5/15		•		•
5/17	•		•	•
5/18	•			•
5/20		•		•
5/21	•			•
5/24	•		•	•
5/25		•	•	• PM
5/26		•		• AM
5/27	•	•		•
5/28	•	•		•
5/29	•	•		•
5/30	TEST	TEST		TEST
5/31	TEST	TEST		TEST
6/1	TEST	TEST		TEST
6/7	•		•	• AM
6/8	•			• AM
6/14	•		•	• AM
6/15	•			• PM
6/17	•			•
6/18		•		•
6/21	•		•	•
6/22	•			•
6/24		•		•
6/25	•			•
6/28	•		•	•
6/29	•			• AM
7/3		•		•
7/4	•			• PM
7/5	•		•	•
7/6	•			• PM
7/8	•			•
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7/12	•		•	•
7/13	•			• PM
7/15		•		•
7/17	•			•
7/19	•	•	•	•
7/20	•	•		• AM
7/22	•			•
7/23		•		•
7/26	•	•	•	•
7/27	•			• PM
7/30	•			•
7/31		•		•
8/5	•			•
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8/10	•			•
8/12		•		•
8/13	•			•
8/16	•	•	•	•
8/17	•	•		• AM
8/18	•	•		•
8/19	•	•		•
8/20	•	•		•
8/21	•	•		•
8/22	TEST	TEST		TEST
8/23	TEST	TEST		TEST
8/24	TEST	TEST		TEST
8/30	•			•
8/31	•			• PM
9/1	•			• AM