Wednesday, November 14, 2001 |
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Tests 4 and 5 - Land and Water Blinds with a Poison Bird.
In contrast to the last few days, Wednesday arrived cloudy, cold and damp with temperatures around 40 degrees. There was virtually no wind.
The site was the same as the previous day except the line had been moved to the left. It faced the pond same field containing rolling, uneven land, a long water filled ditch culminating in the distant, large pond. The line was located on top a steep dike. The test was a double blind, one land - one water. Both were ducks located across the water with a set of 3 gunners between them. The guns were in closer than either blind., approx. 158 yards. They fired twice threw a dead duck to the right and the handler was on his own for both blinds.
The left blind was mainly a land blind. It was placed deep of and tight to the back of the poison bird guns. To recover it, dogs had to go down the steep dike, angle across rough terrain, the end of a water filled channel and to the rising hill beyond where the duck lay, marked by a green bush 288 yards from line. The line to the right blind also went down the steep dike, angled over the rough terrain to the shore beyond. Then they had to angle into the pond, across the water to the land, then pass close to the poison bird to the dead duck that lay in front of the right side of a bush 240 yards away. The bird was down for both blinds and the dog never was sent for it.
At 7:15 the first test dog recovered the blinds in good order while the second was more creative, demonstrating how to select the poison bird over the blind. The first running dog #36 appeared on line at 7:25 a.m.
When running the left blind, dogs would go down the steep dike then either run toward the poison bird or flare the line to it. Some tried to square the water or avoid it, also causing corrections. Once out of the water, they would also flare the guns and drive deep up the hill, or suck toward the poison bird. Overall, most recovered it with several whistles. The right blind was at a fairly tight angle to the previous one and at a tight angle to the water. It was more difficult for the dogs to hold the line down the hill all the way to the water. A number either wanted to take the shore or square the pond. Those that squared the water were directly in line with the poison bird and needed an immediate correction(s) to put them back on line. A few passed so close to the poison bird they could wind it and turned toward it. Handlers had to be on guard for the unexpected.
The blind took about 8 minutes per dog and was completed at 2:20 p.m. when dog #34 returned.
None had picked up on the blinds.
A caravan was quickly organized to go to the Becker Gravel pit near Bennettsville for the Sixth series, reportedly a water triple. Call backs were to be given there.
Once on the scene, a test dogs was coming to line to run the either the 6th or 7th series, depending on if the previous two blinds were counted as one or two series. Call backs were available and listed 60 dogs back - 10 dropped. After the test dogs ran, it was announced that dog number 7 was reinstated into the callbacks. So those lost then totaled 9. There were: 1, 5, 13, 18, 42, 53, 56, 64, and 75. Sixty-one remained in competition.
The site was the same as the previous day except the line had been moved to the left. It faced the pond same field containing rolling, uneven land, a long water filled ditch culminating in the distant, large pond. The line was located on top a steep dike. The test was a double blind, one land - one water. Both were ducks located across the water with a set of 3 gunners between them. The guns were in closer than either blind., approx. 158 yards. They fired twice threw a dead duck to the right and the handler was on his own for both blinds.
The left blind was mainly a land blind. It was placed deep of and tight to the back of the poison bird guns. To recover it, dogs had to go down the steep dike, angle across rough terrain, the end of a water filled channel and to the rising hill beyond where the duck lay, marked by a green bush 288 yards from line. The line to the right blind also went down the steep dike, angled over the rough terrain to the shore beyond. Then they had to angle into the pond, across the water to the land, then pass close to the poison bird to the dead duck that lay in front of the right side of a bush 240 yards away. The bird was down for both blinds and the dog never was sent for it.
At 7:15 the first test dog recovered the blinds in good order while the second was more creative, demonstrating how to select the poison bird over the blind. The first running dog #36 appeared on line at 7:25 a.m.
When running the left blind, dogs would go down the steep dike then either run toward the poison bird or flare the line to it. Some tried to square the water or avoid it, also causing corrections. Once out of the water, they would also flare the guns and drive deep up the hill, or suck toward the poison bird. Overall, most recovered it with several whistles. The right blind was at a fairly tight angle to the previous one and at a tight angle to the water. It was more difficult for the dogs to hold the line down the hill all the way to the water. A number either wanted to take the shore or square the pond. Those that squared the water were directly in line with the poison bird and needed an immediate correction(s) to put them back on line. A few passed so close to the poison bird they could wind it and turned toward it. Handlers had to be on guard for the unexpected.
The blind took about 8 minutes per dog and was completed at 2:20 p.m. when dog #34 returned.
None had picked up on the blinds.
A caravan was quickly organized to go to the Becker Gravel pit near Bennettsville for the Sixth series, reportedly a water triple. Call backs were to be given there.
Once on the scene, a test dogs was coming to line to run the either the 6th or 7th series, depending on if the previous two blinds were counted as one or two series. Call backs were available and listed 60 dogs back - 10 dropped. After the test dogs ran, it was announced that dog number 7 was reinstated into the callbacks. So those lost then totaled 9. There were: 1, 5, 13, 18, 42, 53, 56, 64, and 75. Sixty-one remained in competition.
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The test was a wide open triple around a pond with the middle and right guns retired and an honor. All stations had three gunners in white. The first were on the far right. They threw a cock rooster angled back to the left where It fell on the on the shore across water about 206 yards away. The middle set was far across the pond. They threw a hen pheasant angled back to the left. It fell in grassy cover 250 yards from line. The last was on the near left, but also across the pond. They shot a flying hen angled back to the right. It, too landed in the grassy cover about 146 yards out. As the dog was sent for it, the middle and right guns retired
The first test dog ran at 3:07 and the second shortly thereafter. When he returned, judges decided to change the test a bit. They moved the right bird a good distance farther right, then ran another test dog. He handled on 2. With that, judges called the first running dog, #54 to line.
The runningthird dog was called in when the flyer disappeared. It was found alive a distance from the fall and he was granted a rerun. After, the test quickly disintergrated when there were several no birds, the light began to wane and Marshals struggled to reschedule reruns.
At 5:12 the test was suspended until Thursday when the honor dog was released.
The first test dog ran at 3:07 and the second shortly thereafter. When he returned, judges decided to change the test a bit. They moved the right bird a good distance farther right, then ran another test dog. He handled on 2. With that, judges called the first running dog, #54 to line.
The runningthird dog was called in when the flyer disappeared. It was found alive a distance from the fall and he was granted a rerun. After, the test quickly disintergrated when there were several no birds, the light began to wane and Marshals struggled to reschedule reruns.
At 5:12 the test was suspended until Thursday when the honor dog was released.
