Sunday, June 18, 2006 |
Sunday arrived clear,and cool. At 6 a.m.,temperatures were in the low
40's with little wind. The 40+ mile drive to the Cole ranch was quite
picturesque.The road wound around the shore of Klamath lake and along
side several rivers. Lush foliage and swollen rivers indicated recent
heavy rains. Cattle dotted the valleys while snow could still be
observed on the distant mountains. Waterfowl were everywhere.
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Test One, Land Double -viewed from line . Second photo close up for detail
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Test 2 - Land Blind - Left photo viewed from line - Right photo close up (planter standing)
The route was well marked and terminated in a field just beyond the main ranch house. There, two mats lay on the lower edge of a hill. They faced a grassy meadow below that opened up deep to the left. Around the meadow's edge, sparsely spaced ,trees stumps, brush piles populated the side hills.The combined first and second series was a land double with a blind to the left. with the blind run from a different mat. Test dogs were called to line at 7:30 a.m. Foxfires Slight of Hand, LM ran first and encountered a good deal of trouble. He was followed by AFC B and J's Run around Sue, LF who produced a good job.
Announcer Dean Ellis welcomed all, wished everyone a happy Father's Day. then called the first dog to line. As each dog arrived , Dean announced it's name, titles, owner and handler.
At 8:05, the first running dog, #71 stepped from the blind.
The line mats were located near the bottom of a slope. The lower line mat faced two sets of gun. The first to throw was on the deep left, located at the edge of the woods. They threw a dead rooster angled back to the left. It fell amongst some short logs and stumps about 300 yards from line. The second set stood considerable closer and to the near right. They shot a flying rooster well ridden out to the right. It fell in the grassy meadow about 130 yards from line. As the dog was sent, the far left guns retired to a blind in the woods. A light wind switched from left to right across the marks during the day.
The flyer falls were quite varied but most recovered them with minimal hunts. However the exciting cackling rooster dimmed the memory of the now retired station bird. A number of dogs appeared to go to the left,wide of the flyer guns, probably trying to avoid getting to close the the previously retrieved bird. As they ran past,them, some winded the feathers that drifted to the left. That seemed to push a few farther one way or another. Others either appeared not to have studied the far bird as it fell, opting to swing to the flyer early. Some of those either ran into the woods to the right or drive past the fall area running deep into the meadow beyond. A few required a handle to recover the bird.
The handler received the last bird on the blind mat, located about 5-6 yards behind the previous one.
To recover the blind, dogs had to jump over a log just past the mat, angle the side hill going through random stumps, small brush piles and fallen trees. About a third of the way to the blind a fallen log blocked the way. To stay on line, dogs had to go over or under it. Those the went around it were soon off line. The blind, a dead rooster rested at the base of a small, obvious stump located between two tall pine trees,about 230 yards from line.
The slope of the hill, old marks and wind pushed dogs to the left. They could easily go off line as they dodged the various stumps and piles, too. Most completed it with 3 to 5 whistles, however.
The combined test took about 7 mpd to complete.
Most of the work was quite similar consisting of some hunts or the backsiding of the retired gun station. There were only a few that had serious difficulty, producing some handles and one pick up.
The combined series was completed at 7:54 p.m. when dog #70 returned with his blind.
The ride back to town took about an hour, so call backs were expected to be fairly late.
Callbacks came and 92 dogs remainesd Those dropped were: 11, 12, 26, 41, 74, and 75 was a scratch.
Dog #96 starts Monday at the same ranch - possibly water marks.
Announcer Dean Ellis welcomed all, wished everyone a happy Father's Day. then called the first dog to line. As each dog arrived , Dean announced it's name, titles, owner and handler.
At 8:05, the first running dog, #71 stepped from the blind.
The line mats were located near the bottom of a slope. The lower line mat faced two sets of gun. The first to throw was on the deep left, located at the edge of the woods. They threw a dead rooster angled back to the left. It fell amongst some short logs and stumps about 300 yards from line. The second set stood considerable closer and to the near right. They shot a flying rooster well ridden out to the right. It fell in the grassy meadow about 130 yards from line. As the dog was sent, the far left guns retired to a blind in the woods. A light wind switched from left to right across the marks during the day.
The flyer falls were quite varied but most recovered them with minimal hunts. However the exciting cackling rooster dimmed the memory of the now retired station bird. A number of dogs appeared to go to the left,wide of the flyer guns, probably trying to avoid getting to close the the previously retrieved bird. As they ran past,them, some winded the feathers that drifted to the left. That seemed to push a few farther one way or another. Others either appeared not to have studied the far bird as it fell, opting to swing to the flyer early. Some of those either ran into the woods to the right or drive past the fall area running deep into the meadow beyond. A few required a handle to recover the bird.
The handler received the last bird on the blind mat, located about 5-6 yards behind the previous one.
To recover the blind, dogs had to jump over a log just past the mat, angle the side hill going through random stumps, small brush piles and fallen trees. About a third of the way to the blind a fallen log blocked the way. To stay on line, dogs had to go over or under it. Those the went around it were soon off line. The blind, a dead rooster rested at the base of a small, obvious stump located between two tall pine trees,about 230 yards from line.
The slope of the hill, old marks and wind pushed dogs to the left. They could easily go off line as they dodged the various stumps and piles, too. Most completed it with 3 to 5 whistles, however.
The combined test took about 7 mpd to complete.
Most of the work was quite similar consisting of some hunts or the backsiding of the retired gun station. There were only a few that had serious difficulty, producing some handles and one pick up.
The combined series was completed at 7:54 p.m. when dog #70 returned with his blind.
The ride back to town took about an hour, so call backs were expected to be fairly late.
Callbacks came and 92 dogs remainesd Those dropped were: 11, 12, 26, 41, 74, and 75 was a scratch.
Dog #96 starts Monday at the same ranch - possibly water marks.
Handlers examining Line
Judy Greenleaf and Gordon Powers
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Mike Lardy and Judy Powers
(L to R) Bill Speck, Roy Pelton and Ken Andrews
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