The Large Munsterlander, a distinguished and rare breed in the U.S., has become the refined heartbeat of an Alabama sporting estate — blending elegance, instinct, and tradition in every stride.
Story by Alan Clemons, Photos by Eliza Daffin
Each autumn, one of the South’s oldest traditions awakens anew, as quail hunters and their loyal bird dogs step into the crisp dawn. Mornings brushed with dew carry the quail’s delicate scent, lingering in the cool air, allowing the dogs to sniff, detect, trail, and finally, point with unwavering focus. Then comes the hunter’s quiet moment — a breath held, a scene savored — before the flush, the shot, and the hope of witnessing a flawless retrieve of a fallen bird or two.
Today, most quail are born from careful hands at preserves. Wild quail, once abundant across Southern landscapes, have faded over the past five or six decades due to myriad reasons, including land development, a decline in trapping, protections for raptors, clear-cut commercial farming instead of patchwork plots, and a rise in the money-makers, the whitetail deer.
Quail hunting is nostalgia’s heartbeat — a link to a past when grandfathers walked these lands. Preserves nurture plump quail, train eager dogs, and offer paying guests a chance to dance with this timeless ritual.
Most hunters follow the steady rhythm of pointers and setters, sometimes a spaniel’s eager trot. But at The Reserve at Lakeside Farms, some 25 miles south of Montgomery, Alabama, autumn’s story includes the bounding Large Munsterlanders — floppy-eared, eyes bright with curiosity and soul. Hunting dogs carry character like a coat: obedient, headstrong, submissive, adventurous, faithful. The Large Munsterlander holds them all, a burst of energy capable of going from zero to full throttle in a heartbeat.
O.G. and Kristina Banks run Artemis Run Kennels at The Reserve. He was raised in the Florida Panhandle; she was from north-central California. Nashville was their recent home — him a songwriter and musician, her navigating corporate corridors. Together, they trained hunting dogs in city parks, but destiny had other plans. When the opportunity arose to take the helm of the kennels and the Reserve, the neon lights of Broadway were traded for the twinkling stars of rural Alabama. After exploring many breeds, they chose the Large Munsterlander, a German breed with a storied past.
