Wednesday, June 18, 2003 |
Test 5 left - from line
Close-up test 5 left
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Test 5 right from line
Close-up test 5 right
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Surprisingly, Wednesday again dawned clear and cool, oblivious to the forecast of temps near 100, gusty winds and thunderstorms predicted for later in the afternoon. Temperatures were in the low 50, with little breeze, similar to preceding days.
The fifth series site was located north of town. The line faced a meadow "bowl" ringed with sagebrush nearly half way down all around. At the bottom was a patch of brush and bushes on the left and a strip of brush continuing from it to the right. The strip hid a stream with another behind it.
To the left, across the bowl on the far hill a set of live guns stood. They shot a flying drake angled back to the right. it landed (usually) behind a dead, fallen tree that was next to a live one about 270 yards away. Closer to line, at the bottom of the bowl a second set stood next to the brushy cover and threw a dead hen mallard angled back to the right, across an opening. It landed behind a pair of bushes in grassy cover 195 yard out. The last set was to the right, about half way up the slope They shot a flying rooster pheasant ridden out to the right. Most landed in the patchy sagebrush approx. 163 yards from line. The order was around the clock: Left flyer, middle dead bird and right flyer. As the dog was sent for the right flyer, the other two stations retired to blinds in the bushes. (Originally it had been planned as a Quad, but one bird was deleted due to heat and time constraints
The first test dog, Ruby, came to line at 7:38 and handled on two marks. Rugby followed soon after and did the test cleanly. It took nearly 15 mpd.
The test appeared very challenging, but when the first dog or two did it, some began to wonder. Their concern quickly evaporated as dogs began to have difficulty. Varied right flyer marks combined with numerous cover changes and the excitement of 2 shot flyers seemed to scramble some dogs' minds. They raced out, and ran wildly trying to locate the elusive rooster. Those had loose long hunts that seemed to dim the memory of the other two, now retired marks. A wind increase and shift about noon only made matters worse.
Most tried to pull out the short mark first, but a number of dogs blew through it and recovered the long flyer or had wide, loose hunts between or to the right. Some needed to be handled. When resent for the short one, dogs tended to go to the right or went left, into the no-man's between the Those too, needed to be handled.
The wind rose and switched shortly after noon and the work disintegtated. By early afternoon 15 of the 34 run had handled on a bird in the 5th. It got really ugly for a while. Lightnening and thunder rolled above the test, although no rain fell. Temperatures were in the low 90's. The pressure was on!
Since the workers party was on tap for 6:30 p.m., judges said they would suspend the test about 5-5:30 ish. There would be no partial callbacks and those remaining would have all night to hope for better conditions in the morning. The test was later suspended at about 5:15 after dog 55 had run. The test will resume on Thursday. Test dog at 7:30, first running dog, #56 at 8 a.m.
The fifth series site was located north of town. The line faced a meadow "bowl" ringed with sagebrush nearly half way down all around. At the bottom was a patch of brush and bushes on the left and a strip of brush continuing from it to the right. The strip hid a stream with another behind it.
To the left, across the bowl on the far hill a set of live guns stood. They shot a flying drake angled back to the right. it landed (usually) behind a dead, fallen tree that was next to a live one about 270 yards away. Closer to line, at the bottom of the bowl a second set stood next to the brushy cover and threw a dead hen mallard angled back to the right, across an opening. It landed behind a pair of bushes in grassy cover 195 yard out. The last set was to the right, about half way up the slope They shot a flying rooster pheasant ridden out to the right. Most landed in the patchy sagebrush approx. 163 yards from line. The order was around the clock: Left flyer, middle dead bird and right flyer. As the dog was sent for the right flyer, the other two stations retired to blinds in the bushes. (Originally it had been planned as a Quad, but one bird was deleted due to heat and time constraints
The first test dog, Ruby, came to line at 7:38 and handled on two marks. Rugby followed soon after and did the test cleanly. It took nearly 15 mpd.
The test appeared very challenging, but when the first dog or two did it, some began to wonder. Their concern quickly evaporated as dogs began to have difficulty. Varied right flyer marks combined with numerous cover changes and the excitement of 2 shot flyers seemed to scramble some dogs' minds. They raced out, and ran wildly trying to locate the elusive rooster. Those had loose long hunts that seemed to dim the memory of the other two, now retired marks. A wind increase and shift about noon only made matters worse.
Most tried to pull out the short mark first, but a number of dogs blew through it and recovered the long flyer or had wide, loose hunts between or to the right. Some needed to be handled. When resent for the short one, dogs tended to go to the right or went left, into the no-man's between the Those too, needed to be handled.
The wind rose and switched shortly after noon and the work disintegtated. By early afternoon 15 of the 34 run had handled on a bird in the 5th. It got really ugly for a while. Lightnening and thunder rolled above the test, although no rain fell. Temperatures were in the low 90's. The pressure was on!
Since the workers party was on tap for 6:30 p.m., judges said they would suspend the test about 5-5:30 ish. There would be no partial callbacks and those remaining would have all night to hope for better conditions in the morning. The test was later suspended at about 5:15 after dog 55 had run. The test will resume on Thursday. Test dog at 7:30, first running dog, #56 at 8 a.m.
#25- Todd Scheuble (l) and Sal Gelardi
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Jackie Mertens
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