Thursday, June 21, 2007 |
Thursday morning was a repeat of Wednesday - sunny, warm, with temps in the mid 50s - with little breeze.
The Workers Party had been a rollicking success, with good food, a four piece band, and door prizes. Surprisingly, everyone appeared at the site of test number 6 at Castle Rock Ranch off of Hwy 80. It was a long slow ride through the sage brush covered hills. The line was located near the base of a very steep hill. It faced a long narrow valley, below which was perpendicular to the line. Parallel and a short distance from the line, a runoff ditch stretched far to the right. It was lined with grass and sage brush. The center of the valley was meadow grass with two sage brush surrounded ditches - one to the right, the other to the left. In the distance beyond, a ridge paralleled the valley.
The Workers Party had been a rollicking success, with good food, a four piece band, and door prizes. Surprisingly, everyone appeared at the site of test number 6 at Castle Rock Ranch off of Hwy 80. It was a long slow ride through the sage brush covered hills. The line was located near the base of a very steep hill. It faced a long narrow valley, below which was perpendicular to the line. Parallel and a short distance from the line, a runoff ditch stretched far to the right. It was lined with grass and sage brush. The center of the valley was meadow grass with two sage brush surrounded ditches - one to the right, the other to the left. In the distance beyond, a ridge paralleled the valley.
Test 6 Land Triple
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Two Retired Guns
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Two Shot Flyers
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Around the valley, there were three sets of gunners stationed to the right. The first was located near the bottom of a hill on the near side of the ditch. They shot a flying rooster over the ditch, angled back to the right where it landed in mixed sage brush and grass cover about 227 yards from the line. To their left and on the far edge of the sage brush encircled ditches, a second set of gunners shot and threw a dead hen pheasant angled back to the right. It fell just into the sage brush about 265 yards from line. Farther to the left, behind the second encircled ditch, a third set of gunners shot a flying hen pheasant, well ridden out to the left. It fell about 227 yards in sparse grassy cover.
The order was middle, left, then right. The middle patch had a water filled ditch between the line and the mark. The left patch had a dry ditch. As the dog was sent for the right bird, the left and middle guns retired.
The first test dog was called to line at 7:35 am and handled on the middle bird. The test had been longer, but after this dog ran, they changed it to the above described test. Contestants were allowed on line for the second test dog only. He arrived at 7:50 and handled on two of the marks. At 8:15 am, dog 11 appeared on line.
The terrain was quite rough and dogs had to exercise care as they crossed some of the ditches and sage brush. Unfortunately, number 13 was impaled in the mouth by a piece of sage brush and would run again at the end. Early dogs had no wind to help them. Later dogs had wind, which did not help either, and temperatures had risen into the high 80s. The test averaged 10 minutes per dog. Of the first 17 dogs that ran, there were 6 handles and 2 pick-ups; 40% rate.
Most handlers took the outside marks first, then the tough middle mark. After hunting an earlier bird and crossing ditches, dogs seemed to lose a firm mark. Naturally it was complicated by the fact the two converging marks were retired. Many dogs drove up the hills behind the marks and hunted fruitlessley well out of the area. Only a few recovered, the rest were handled or picked up.
(On a happy note, the dog that was injured during the morning had recovered enough to run the series. Later she underwent treatment at a local veterinarian.)
The test was ominously dubbed the "Death Valley Test" by the set up crew- and it lived up to it's prophesy.It ended at 7:33 p.m when dog 10 returned to line. The carnage was spactacular. Of the 69 dogs that ran the series, 2 broke, 10 picked-up and approx 18 handled - (30) nearly half of the field.
There was no announcement of when call backs would be given nor what type of test and where test 7 would be held. As of 9:50 MDT no callbacks were posted, however it was rumored that the 7th would also be held at the Castle Rock Ranch. Callbacks posted later listed 43 survivors. 26 had been lost. They were: 1, 11, 14, 19, 23, 25, 26, 30, 34, 38, 42, 44, 46, 50, 54, 57, 62, 68, 71, 72, 73, 74, 82, 87, 102, and 105. Dog 20 starts. No word on what type of test would be run.
The order was middle, left, then right. The middle patch had a water filled ditch between the line and the mark. The left patch had a dry ditch. As the dog was sent for the right bird, the left and middle guns retired.
The first test dog was called to line at 7:35 am and handled on the middle bird. The test had been longer, but after this dog ran, they changed it to the above described test. Contestants were allowed on line for the second test dog only. He arrived at 7:50 and handled on two of the marks. At 8:15 am, dog 11 appeared on line.
The terrain was quite rough and dogs had to exercise care as they crossed some of the ditches and sage brush. Unfortunately, number 13 was impaled in the mouth by a piece of sage brush and would run again at the end. Early dogs had no wind to help them. Later dogs had wind, which did not help either, and temperatures had risen into the high 80s. The test averaged 10 minutes per dog. Of the first 17 dogs that ran, there were 6 handles and 2 pick-ups; 40% rate.
Most handlers took the outside marks first, then the tough middle mark. After hunting an earlier bird and crossing ditches, dogs seemed to lose a firm mark. Naturally it was complicated by the fact the two converging marks were retired. Many dogs drove up the hills behind the marks and hunted fruitlessley well out of the area. Only a few recovered, the rest were handled or picked up.
(On a happy note, the dog that was injured during the morning had recovered enough to run the series. Later she underwent treatment at a local veterinarian.)
The test was ominously dubbed the "Death Valley Test" by the set up crew- and it lived up to it's prophesy.It ended at 7:33 p.m when dog 10 returned to line. The carnage was spactacular. Of the 69 dogs that ran the series, 2 broke, 10 picked-up and approx 18 handled - (30) nearly half of the field.
There was no announcement of when call backs would be given nor what type of test and where test 7 would be held. As of 9:50 MDT no callbacks were posted, however it was rumored that the 7th would also be held at the Castle Rock Ranch. Callbacks posted later listed 43 survivors. 26 had been lost. They were: 1, 11, 14, 19, 23, 25, 26, 30, 34, 38, 42, 44, 46, 50, 54, 57, 62, 68, 71, 72, 73, 74, 82, 87, 102, and 105. Dog 20 starts. No word on what type of test would be run.
Test 6 overview showing left and middle guns
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L- Craig Stonesifer DVM and John Goettl
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