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Dogs in Running Order |
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* All dogs still running in series 3 were called back to series 4 |
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The 2008 National Master Hunt Test will start on Monday morning at the Saskatoon Retriever Club grounds just outside of Bradwell, SK. You can feel the excitement in the air at the Club campsite and in the Clubhouse, which serves as Headquarters for this event. The campsite has been transformed into a small city, with campers and tents located in choice spots in the shade – as the forecast is for scorching heat at least until Wednesday. The Clubhouse is literally filled to overflowing with items for the silent auction. Some of the items generating the most interest so far include laydown blinds and an assortment of decoys from Avery, dog food from Purina, a Ducks Unlimited 12 gauge/ 20 gauge shotgun, a beautiful cedar folding table and bench built by Jim Couch’s father Doug, an electric collar and remote release from Tritronics, a chain link dog run from Nordic Industries and a soapstone carving by participant Byron Crabb. These items and many others are on display and the bidding will probably be fierce right until the auction ends Wednesday night at the Workers Party. The judges (Anne Everett from BC, Mike Cardinal from Ontario and Derek Dunn from Nova Scotia – see bios) have been here since Thursday and have been setting up tests with the help of a hard-working setup crew. They have been impressed by the beauty and diversity of the land and water that is available to them and are happy with the tests they have planned. Setup handlers and dogs (Char Couch with Flame, Louise Thorpe with Fen, Lynn Campbell with Wrinkles and Daryl Shmon with Shiver) report that they have been kept on their toes with some demanding tests. Tonight (Saturday, August 16) was the Banquet at the Sunset Estates Hall. Members of the committee had spent the afternoon decorating the hall under the direction of Anne Hildebrand, social committee chair. The walls were covered with flocks of flying duck silhouettes and banners from many of the major sponsors. Tables along the East wall were loaded up with red cooler bags stuffed full of goodies from Purina . At the front of the hall was a hunting blind display set up complete with swamp grass panels and decoys to serve as the backdrop for a table displaying the beautiful judges gifts – bronze statues of a pair of mallards feeding. After a cocktail hour to allow participants to visit and catch up with old friends and meet new ones, the banquet was called to order by Jeff Morari, President of the Saskatoon Retriever Club who served as Master of Ceremonies for the event. Jeff “sang” O’Canada on his duck call – getting the crowd going and making it clear this is going to be an entertaining week. John McDonald, Chairman of the event said Grace and then the buffet dinner was served. Dinner was catered and included turkey and all the fixings as well as numerous salads with chocolate layer cake for dessert – very enjoyable. After dinner, member Rhonda Morari played a keyboard and sang an original song for the crowd. She had written the song about a duck hunter’s bond with his dog and the pleasures of a day in the field hunting to honor the memory of some dedicated and much loved Club members who have passed on recently. Rhonda’s strong clear voice and her touching lyrics caused more than a few in attendance to wipe a tear from their eye – it was truly a beautiful tribute. A few door prizes were drawn, and Jeff thanked the CMNRC sponsors Purina and Tritronics as well as major sponsors of the 2008 event including Allan Construction, March Consulting , Inland Heidelberg Cement, Artisan Consulting, Sask Water, PCS Patience Lake, Avery, Ramdar Resource Management and Alberta Tubular. The support from all of these sponsors is greatly appreciated and will help to make this event a success. Chairman John McDonald welcomed everyone to the event and then presented the judges with their beautiful statues as well as with a copy of the poster advertizing the event and garment bags, both from Purina. Judge Anne Everett complimented the Club on their grounds and their workers. Doug Hildebrand, the Chief Marshal told handlers that many of the birds would be shot from the line so ear protection should be worn. The caravan will leave the Clubhouse at 7:30 am on Monday. Participant and Hunt test Secretary Sue Taylor was introduced. She explained that Purina was unable to send a representative to this event but in their absence she would represent them and hand out the goodies to participants and workers. Purina has been a supporter of the National Master Hunt test from the beginning, and their ongoing support is greatly appreciated. Sue explained that Purina rep Les Oakes was planning on attending and was looking forward to the week but he was seriously injured in a farm accident in early July. We will miss him this year, but send him best wishes for a complete recovery so we can enjoy his company at National events in the years to come. Sue said she is not as funny as Les and she does not have as many bags of candy to share (Les is a bit of a junk food junkie) but she will do her best to fill his shoes. Rhonda Morari then announced each handler in turn, and they came forward to get a pin from John McDonald, their Tritronics numbered handler hat and their numbered bib (and sometimes a smooch) from Fred Benjaminson (Secretary of the CMNRC) and a Purina Cooler bag full of goodies and two bags of dog cookies from Sue Taylor. Once this was completed young Hunter Shmon came to the front to select the starting dog number. In a “pond” within a plastic container were 35 floating miniature duckling decoys, each with a number on the bottom. Hunter reached in a grabbed a decoy, and turned it over to reveal that Monday ‘s first test will start with dog number 18: Goldn Guns Goin a Blue Streak, WCX, MH, owned by Rick and Louise Roberts and handled by Louise. That concluded the official program. Tomorrow the bitch check will be from 1-2pm, followed by official participant photos from 2-4pm (taken by member Katherine Brewster). Commentary by Sue Taylor At just after 7:30 in the morning Jim Couch led a caravan of participants down the road to the “New” Club Land. The group followed the winding trail up and down hills (yes there are hills in Saskatchewan) to the South end of the property. When they got to the test site they were treated to a panoramic view of rolling farmland in the distance, with the valley between the running line and a line of bushes and trees literally filled with more than 8 dozen goose decoys. There were large shells, small shells, wind socks, silhouettes and flying Canada goose kites as well as a selection of Speckled Goose decoys donated by Avery Sorting Dog for the occasion. At the running line there was a hunting blind dressed up and hidden with willow branches and sitting in the blind were your hunting partners – Wally Turk and Hans Berin waiting with shotguns ready. At the center of the blind there was a gap just large enough for the dog to sit, and willows were woven over the top of the dog to form an arch. To the right of the dog, in the blind, was a pail for the handler to sit on as well as a “fake” shotgun. The handler was instructed to start the test with a duck or goose called, which initiated calling from all of the hidden gun stations. When that calling stopped, the judges signaled to the first gunner with a call. The left gun station, enclosed in a holding blind at the left edge of the line of bushes, called back and then launched a mallard drake from a winger with a tight angle back trajectory to the left, landing 92 yards from line. When that bird was launched the judges yelled “Take em” and a shotgun was fired from the line. The judges then called again, were answered by the center gunner and a bird was launched using a winger with a tight angle back trajectory to the right, landing in what appeared to be heavy grass cover 68 yards from line. That bird was also shot using a shotgun by one of the shooters in the holding blind with the dog. The judges called again and a bird was launched from behind the right edge of the line of trees and bushes, a 90 throw to the right landing in light cover with buckbrush. That bird was 77 yards from line. That bird was also shot by the gunner in the holding blind with a shotgun and then there were two more shots, to set up the blinds before the dog was released to retrieve. The handler could send their dog or could walk around to the outside of the blind to send their dog. All of the marks were beautiful mature mallards. In addition to the marks there were two hot blinds in the field. The first was 116 yards away, very close to being in-line with where the go-bird mark landed. The second was 117 yards away, in line with the center mark from the running line – that blind was run from a post 10 yards to the right of the hunting blind. The instructions given to the handler were that the dog was to retrieve one mark, and then must retrieve the right hand blind before retrieving the other marks. Finally the left blind was to be retrieved. Honorary test dog GMH BigSky’s Windancer WCX CD, a ten year old yellow Labrador owned by Lynn and Ross Campbell and handled by Ross was sent for a single mark which she completed with no difficulties. Dancer was the first GMH in Western Canada. The next honorary test dog was Sandpocket Char, owned and handled by Jeff Morari. Char is 13.5 years old and was well known in his day as the ultimate hunting dog – the “terror of teal, master of mallards”. Char also did well. All of the test dogs and running dogs were announced today by Rhonda Morari as they came to line. At 8:25 the female official test dog, Burlab’s Raven SH, WCX was run on the first series handled by Dave MacDonald from Regina This dog did well on the go bird but could not be handled to the right hand blind and was picked up. He then did a good job on the other marks and the left blind. At 8:35 the male official test dog, OTCH CH BigSky’s Sun Runner WCX, SH began the test. This dog did well on the go bird and the right hand blind, as well as the other marks but could not be handled through the narrow passage leading to the left hand blind and was picked up. The judges consulted, and decided to proceed with the test as planned. The work on the test was mixed. Over the day there was at least one break, and one handler forgot the judge’s directions and picked up two marks before the right blind, so was dropped. The marks presented little difficulty, with only a handful of dogs handling on one mark, usually because of concerns that they might end up at one of the hot blinds. The blinds proved to be very challenging. Dogs that got a little off line on the way to the right blind would disappear into acres of wolf willow and would only rarely cast back into the wind. The left hand blind was in a narrow window between bushes and trees and tall grass, so dogs that got off line either direction were often lost. A few late running dogs had trouble handling out of the scent from the old fall on one or both of the blinds. Callbacks were given at the Clubhouse, where many participants chose to cool their dogs off with a swim in Number one pond while they waited (designated as training and playing site by the judges for the entire week). Callbacks to tomorrow’s test are: 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, and 35. Dog 26 will start tomorrow morning (water marks and water blind).
There was an amendment in the callbacks issued after Monday’s test, and dog 14 was now called back to run the second series. The second series started a little later Tuesday morning, as before 8am the sun rising in the East interfered with the visibility of one of the birds. The caravan was once again led by Jim Couch, this time a short 600 yard drive North on the property to pond 3; a picturesque long narrow pond with 3 points, 2 islands and multiple pockets of cattails and bush along the edges. At least 5 dozen mallard decoys dressed up the South end of the pond in preparation for the hunt and 6 Canada goose decoys surrounded the islands to the North. The judges set up on and adjacent to a mound on the Southwest corner of the pond while the test unfolded below. The instructions were that the handler and dog were to do a walk up from the holding blind to a bit of ribbon beside the mound, at which point calling started from out in the field and the running dog could be told to sit. A single duck was then thrown and shot – a severe in-throw from beside a tree landing on the base of a point 69yards from line. This single was then picked up as the 4th marked retrieve by the dog that had just completed the triple and blind, making it a cold honor for the running dog. The dog that retrieved this single then remained on honor while the triple went down for the next running dog. The running dog and handler then moved 5-6 yards closer to the waters edge, into a makeshift blind to watch the triple go down. After some calling from the gunners in a boat anchored behind the right island, a bird was thrown and shot from the right island to land on the left island, 102 yards from line. Next, gunners called and threw and shot the center bird from behind a stand of trees throwing right to left, to land in a clearing on the sidehill 89 yards from the running line. The point of exit from the water for this center 2nd bird was not far (15-20 yards) from the point of exit from the water for the single (4th bird) – a factor that caused problems during the test for many dogs on either the center 2nd bird or on the single 4th bird or both. The 3rd bird, a very tempting breaking bird, was thrown and shot following a call from a holding blind well right of line to land in the decoys with a splash 15 yards in front of the running dog. The running dog was then released to retrieve the triple, and the honoring dog was released. After the third bird of the triple was delivered to hand a blind (hot during the triple) was run from the honoring post, 10 yards to the right of the running line for the triple. The line to the blind carried across the end 20% of the same point where the single 4th mark had landed on the base, and with the steady strong Southeast wind this provided some challenges as dogs crossed the point enroute to the blind. Once over the point, the dog (temporarily out of sight from the judges and handler) had to stay in the water down the shore for another 30 to 40 yards before exiting the water and going up the hill for the blind, 119 yards from line. After running the blind, the running dog was required to run the single (4th marked retrieve) from the honor post while the next running dog did a cold honor. Finally, the running dog had to do an honor for the triple before being released by the judges. The first test dog was Burlab’s Raven SH, WCX , run by Dave MacDonald. Raven did fine on the cold honor (the single was run by Goldn Guns Goin A Blue Streak WCX, MH, handled by Louise Roberts - this dog over-ran the mark and was whistled back). Raven then broke on the third bird thrown of the triple. She went on to retrieve all of the birds, handling on the island (left) bird. Running the blind, Raven made it to the point but then cut right to shore and hunted around the gunner for the single. He refused many casts and was picked up. He ran the single while the next test dog (GMH GoldnGuns Double Darn Dare Ya CDX,WCX, handled by Louise Roberts) did the cold honor, and then honored on-leash while that dog did the triple. Dare completed the triple, handling on the island bird and then had a good blind. The judges indicated that this would be the test, and the running dogs were lined up in the holding blinds. The test dogs took approximately 19 minutes/dog for the test. As the day proceeded the average time was between 16 and 18 minutes to complete the test. The wind was from the Southeast at the start of the test, shifting to a little more South by late morning. By 12:30 the winds were very strong and steady, and building, creating whitecaps in the water and making into-the wind casting unlikely to be successful. The day was another hot one ; 38 degrees by mid afternoon. Judges sat out in the sun as there was not a good place near the line for the Tritronics tent – it was enjoyed instead by the marshal Doug Hildebrand and his crew. The gallery clustered underneath the two Purina tents , where shade was at a premium. This test proved to be very challenging for the dogs. Most of the dogs handled on one or more birds. There was one pickup and at least three breaks as well as some rough blinds. There were also a few nearly perfect jobs. The left island mark created some problems when dogs either faded with the wind and went to the left shore or hunted upwind of the bird near the boat and needed to be handled to the other island. Several dogs, when being sent for the center bird (bird 2) on the sidehill clearing got caught up in the scent at the base of the point from the single and had to be handled out of it to the mark. Many dogs got into trouble when they were sent to retrieve the single – if they crossed the point upwind of that bird, they very quickly found themselves in the area and the scent cone of the old fall from the 2nd bird. The wind was steady and strong all afternoon, and work in the afternoon was similar to the morning. The last participating dog finished running at approximately 6 pm. Eighteen dogs were called back to tomorrow’s test : the upland test. Dogs called back are: 1,5,8,12,13,16,17,19,20,21,24,25,26,28,29,30,31, and 32. Dog 31 will start tomorrow morning. Plans are for the caravan to leave at 9am to start the upland hunt and flush.
This morning was scheduled to be a late start to allow for delivery of the live chukar partridges for the upland test. This was appreciated by the participants and workers who needed some recovery sleep after the exhausting intense heat and wind of Tuesday – also a few might have appreciated some recovery time from Tuesday evening spent around the campfire enjoying Beth Crabb’s gourmet s’mores and a variety of liquid refreshments as well as some true stories and lies told into the evening. The participants were summoned to the new Club property at approximately 9am. They marveled at the beauty and variety of the terrain as they winded their way to the test site. The hills were colored with a patchwork of color from the wildflowers and natural prairie grasses. At the test site the gallery and judges were on a hill overlooking farmland and bush all the way to the horizon. The scenario was that your hunting group had spotted a covey of chukar partridge go down in the edge of the brush and trees at the bottom of a hill. The plan was to quarter the dog down the hill, into the wind in hopes of finding and flushing the birds. Along the way, it was possible that the dogs might find some dead ducks in the field – escapees that were wounded in an evening hunt the day before. The judges explained that there were two launch boxes down at the bottom of the hill in the cover – the first was just before the line of trees and brush, and the intention was to launch the bird from that box as soon as the dog caught the scent of the birds and moved in towards them. They did not want to launch the bird if a dog got too close too fast, however, for fear of injuring or frightening a dog so they also placed a second launch box approximately 80 yards further down the field to use as a backup if they chose not to launch the first box. The wind was strong and temperatures were more moderate in the morning, a perfect combination for making the dogs a little wild and crazy. One of the judges and Club member Hans Berin (the shooter once again) accompanied the dog handler teams on the hunt. Hans fired the shotgun into the air when the birds launched, allowing the birds to fly away. All of the birds flew well and wild. Both test dogs: Goldn Guns Goin a Blue Streak WCX MH handled by Louise Roberts and CH Cedarbrae’s Esoteric Dream CD MH WCX, handled by Tracy Griffin did an excellent job of quartering and were steady to flush. The test was not a problem for most of the dogs. Many of the dogs scented the ducks or the chukars shortly after starting the test, so there was some challenge in getting them to quarter within gun range, but they all responded well to direction. A couple of handlers needed more than one whistle to bring their dogs under control after the flush. All dogs were called back to the fourth series, a water blind. Dogs called back were: 1,5,8,12,13,16,17,19,20,21,24,25,26,28,29,30,31, and 32. Dog 8 was to start the next series, a water blind. Following a brief break for lunch, the judges called the participants to a water blind. The blind was run from the Northeast corner of number 4 pond, up on the dike road. The line to the blind was a long downhill slicing entry into the water for a shoreline blind placed at the base of a point. There was a pod of water decoys placed well off line to the right. A gunner behind a tree to the left of the water fired a shot before the dog left the holding blind, then blew a duck call before the dog was sent for the blind and while the dog was in route to the blind (before they entered the water) a bird was shot and thrown towards the dog. The dog then had to be handled to the blind (presumably a cripple before picking up the dead bird diversion. The wind was very strong from the Southeast, almost directly in the dog’s face, with a little crosswind pushing to shore. The first test dog, TaylorLabs Magic Spell (Maggie) had a late diversion bird which she did not see. She started out fat in the water, but then once Maggie was on line Tim was up to the considerable challenge of keeping her off shore on the way to the blind. The second test dog, CH Cedarbrae’s Esoteric Dream CD MH WCX, handled by Tracy Griffin had more trouble ignoring the diversion bird and after making it about halfway to the blind in the water Herschel exited and picked up the diversion bird. A third test dog, GMH GoldnGuns Double Darn Dare Ya CDX WCX, handled by Louise Roberts also picked up the diversion bird. The judges decided to drop the diversion bird from the test and try the test with another test dog. The fourth test dog was picked up and the fifth test dog got the blind with much difficulty. The wind was building and there was some concern that dogs might not be able to hear the whistle, especially since there were areas of splash water on-line to the blind. Participating dogs 8, 12, 13, 16 and 17 ran the blind and it became very clear that dogs were having trouble hearing the whistles, so the judges scrapped the test. They decided to end testing for the day so that everyone could prepare for the Workers Party. Plans are for a land test tomorrow morning. Dog 19 will start that test (as they were next in the holding blind for the water blind). The normal rotation by 20% will resume for series five. Purina Workers Party - Wednesday August 20 The early end to the day on Wednesday with a number of handlers relieved that the water blind had been scrapped led to a festive air at the campground that afternoon and evening. The bar opened early, many non-participant Club workers showed up and the party was on. Bidding was fast and furious in the Silent Auction, and groups congregated under the big tent outdoors. Table raffle tickets were distributed in a contest where dogs paid $5 to run a blind and then got 10 raffle tickets if their dog brought back an orange bumper, 5 for bringing back a black bumper and 2 for a white bumper from the pile. This provided considerable entertainment. Dinner was catered – an excellent beef dinner with numerous salads and fresh vegetables. For dessert there was Saskatoon berry crisp – a true crowd pleaser. At the conclusion of dinner event Chairman John McDonald thanked everyone for coming and he and Fred Benjaminson (Secretary of the Master National Club) handed out workers pins to all the workers. Each worker also got a National hat donated by Tritronics. Sue and Garry Taylor, acting Purina representatives for the event thanked Purina for sponsoring the event and informed the crowd that each worker should also visit the equipment shed to get a Purina knapsack filled with goodies as well as a 40lb bag of Purina Pro Plan Performance. This was a considerable contribution, as there were 54 workers recognized at this event. Jim Couch and Jeff Morari handled the Silent Auction, and many of the items were very popular. A draw was done from the list of workers (won by Sue Taylor) for a pair of hunting boots from Traxx. A card raffle was done for a Tritronics collar – won by 16 year old Brayden McDonald (son of chairman John) – everyone’s favorite hired thrower. The Club raffle (organized by Don Lardner) was then drawn – first prize was a Ducks unlimited leather chair, second prize was a Garmin Street Pilot GPS and third prize was cash. A good time was had by all, and the event was a great success. After the workers party, with dusk turning to nightfall club members John and Brayden McDonald, marshal Doug Hildebrand, Sue and Garry Taylor and Tim Fahl went to set out the snow goose decoys. It was getting dark and there was a light rain and a chill in the air – much like setting up for a daybreak shoot in the Fall.
Day 4 - Thursday August 21, 2008 Series 4: Land triple and Blind with Poison Bird At 8am the caravan led by Jim Couch drove approximately 700 yards North on the Club trails to the site of a snow goose hunt. You could see the decoys – white shells, rags and socks from quite a distance. You could also hear the unmistakable din of snow geese screaming – actually it was an electronic call positioned by a bale close to line. The test was an inline triple followed by a poison bird blind. As dogs moved from holding blind to holding blind and as they came to line the electronic call would blare, falling silent when the handler arrived at line and knelt beside their dog. The judge then called to each set of guns, the guns returned the call, threw the bird (all mallards) and then shot. The first bird down (56 yards) was thrown from right to left to land in cover that was waist to shoulder high, making depth perception a challenge. The second bird down (79 yards) was also thrown right to left, with the winger located close to the line of the short first bird thrown and the bird landing just at the edge of some heavy onion weed cover. The third bird was thrown from left to right (106 yards), landing nearly in line with the second bird down. This bird variably landed in a pocket of heavy cover or to the left of that pocket and caused considerable difficulty for some dogs even once they got to the area of the fall. Once the dogs picked up the triple the judge would call again and a thrower from behind a bale would call and throw a poison bird from right to left (89 yards). The dog was then required to retrieve the blind which was hot during the triple and located between the bale hiding the poison bird thrower and the holding blind hiding the thrower and gunner for the third bird of the triple. After they picked up the bind they retrieved the poison bird and then honored for the shooting of the triple. The test was run from North to South, and the wind was variable from the Southwest for most of the dogs. The first test dog, called to line at 8:20am was Byron Crabb with GMH Kab’s Black Raven. Raven self selected the short right hand bird (1st bird thrown) but after a short hunt worked her way back to the middle bird and picked it up (switched). She was then sent for the long bird, but faded a little left and was in danger of getting into the area of the hot blind, so had to be handled to the long bird. She was then sent for the short bird and over-ran it but returned on her own. Her blind was good, as was her pickup of the poison bird. The second test dog was OTCH CH BigSky’s Sun Runner WCX, SH handled by Louise Thorpe. Runner was sent for the go bird first, but faded with the wind and away from the heavy cover and found himself in the area of the hot blind and had to be handled to the long left bird. He then selected the short right hand bird and got it easily. Louise then sent him for the middle bird and he passed only a few feet upwind of this bird, ending up in the old fall of the long bird and was handled back to the center bird with considerable difficulty. On the blind, he could not be convinced to leave the poison bird alone so required multiple casts to get out of the area and finally got the blind. By this point the handlers (and presumably the judges) were a little nervous, so the judges had the throwers come out and re-scent the areas of the fall. There were only a few clean jobs on the triple. Fourteen dogs handled on one or two of the birds, and one handled on all three. Some dogs winded the middle bird on the way to the go bird and then had trouble getting the line back to the long left bird. Any dog getting left of the long gunners found themselves very close to the hot blind, so had to be handled. One dog picked up the blind when hunting for the long mark. Many dogs over-ran the short mark, and handlers had the run up the mound behind the line to see their dog to handle before they disappeared into the heavy cover between the throwers of the middle bird and the middle bird. The blind did not present a problem for any of the dogs, and most dogs got the poison bird single without handling. Dogs called back to the next series (a water blind) were: Dogs 5, 8,12,13,17,19,20,21,24,25,26,28,29,30,31 and 32. Series 5: Double water blind The judges and participants took a short break for lunch at the Clubhouse and then travelled North on the property again to the SouthWest edge of pond 4B, a long narrow channel running west to east. There were two gunners on the far (north) side of the channel, separated by approximately 100 yards. The left gunner planted the left (short) blind and the right gunner planted the longer blind on the right. As well, the right gunner stood up when the dog was on line and shot two shots, one towards each of the two blinds. The left blind was a very slight angle entry into the water, crossing the main channel and tickling the tip of a sparse grassy point on the right before proceeding a short distance down a small side channel to the bird at the waters edge, marked by an orange painted bush. The correct line to the right blind was a very narrow corridor between two willow bushes, providing a very long slicing entry to the water. Once in the water, dogs had to continue angling slightly across the long channel to exit at the blind on their left, 112 yards from line. The first test dog was GMH Kab’s Black Raven, handled by Byron Crabb. During the short blind she got right up on the grass point but handled off easily and got the blind with no problem. When running the long blind she wanted to get into the channel early, but once in the water handled down the channel well. The second test dog was CH Cedarbrae’s Esoteric Dream, CD, MH, WCX run by Tracey Griffin. Hershel also got on the point enroute to the short blind and had a few casts to launch into the small channel. Once in the channel he got the blind easily. On the long blind this dog, similar to the first test dog, wanted to get in the water too early (fat) and Tracey handled him down the shore and then needed a couple of casts to convince him to enter the water. Once he was in the channel he handled well to the blind. The short left blind resented some minor challenges for a few of the dogs once they got their feet up on the grass point but most dogs did very well. The long right blind was more difficult to get a good initial line and a few dogs had trouble either getting into the channel too early or too late. A few dogs squared the channel once they did get in the water, requiring multiple casts before the dogs “got the picture” and angled down the channel. Most of the work was good to excellent on both blinds.
Day 5 -Friday, August 22, 2008 Howling winds shook the trailers in the Campground most of the night, and participants awoke to a grey, blustery, very chilly morning. At 6am the temperature was 7 degrees Celsius (45 F) and predictions were for a high of around 12C ( 54F). The wind was strong from the Northwest already at 8am, and promised to build to 50km/hour by early afternoon. After an early morning conference between the judges and the committee, dog 12 was added to the callbacks and invited to run the final series. The participants and gallery were called to line at 8:10 am, parking along the dike road East of number 2 pond. The judges were hunkered down in front of some bushes, out of the wind, and the running line was at shores edge in front of them. It felt like a late fall duck hunting morning, and numerous wild ducks had visited the pods of decoys during setup, flying at warp speed just over the water surface. Handlers were instructed to do a sneak (walkup) to the line when a duck call from the judges summoned them to line. They were then to kneel by their dog’s side while the birds went down for the quad. The judges called for the first bird, and the call was answered by a gunner in a holding blind to the left of the pond running two wingers. The first bird was launched and shot, landing with a splash at the waters edge, 38 yards from line, with the correct line being a slicing entry into the water through a dozen decoys. The second bird was launched as soon as the first shot was fired, and this bird was also shot in its arc – it landed 55 yards away in some wolf willow and shorter brush, and the line to this second bird was only a few feet from the edge of the water. After some calling back and forth, the third bird was thrown from a holding blind hidden behind a mound across the water to the handler’s right. The bird was thrown right to left and then shot, landing approximately 10 yards from the waters edge in short cover. The distance to that bird was 61 yards. The fourth bird was thrown and shot after a call from a holding blind, thrown right to left to land at the waters edge, 102 yards away. The correct line to this bird was to stay in the water past the grassy point on the land mass where the third bird had been thrown. The first test dog was TaylorLab’s Sugar and Spice, MH handled by Sue Taylor. Candy selected the water bird on the left first, taking a good line in the water right to the bird. She then decided to make the big swim to the middle bird, scenting it just as she hit the far shore. She then retrieved the right hand mark with no trouble. She came back and took a slicing entry to the land bird on the left, over-running the mark slightly on the upwind side but after a short hunt she got the bird. The second test dog was GMH TaylorLab Muddy’s Crew, handled by John McDonald. John and Crew picked up the birds in the same order as Sue and Candy and experienced little difficulty, perhaps giving participants a false sense of security. Only 5 of the participating dogs were able to find all 4 birds without a handle, and several dogs handled on two birds. The gallery and participants watched nervously as the test progressed and the wind continued to howl. Late Fall hunting gear was fashionable and large quantities of hot chocolate and coffee were consumed. The test concluded just before noon, and everyone returned to the warmth and shelter of the Clubhouse to await the results of the judges’ deliberations. Canadian Master National Club Secretary Fred Benjaminson and 2008 National Master Hunt test Chairman John McDonald prepared the qualifier ribbons and bands, as well as duck calls provided by Zink. Anne Hildebrand, Char Couch and the rest of the social crew set out glasses of champagne to toast the qualifiers. The qualifiers were announced and congratulated: Dog 5. NMH HIGH MILEAGE FIRESTORM MH, AmMH (Pixie) Dog 8. NMH GMH Bailey’s Misty Lake WCX (Bailey) Dog 12. HRCH UH GMH OTCH Am/Can CH COASTALIGHT WIND OVER TIDE AmUD WCX TD DD (Rip) Dog 13. HIGH MILEAGE HILLTOP’S HUSTLE MH, AmMH, MNH (Hustle) Dog 17. GMH CLUBMEAD’S THUNDERING THOR (Thor) Dog 19. CANDLEWOOD’S HIGH MILEAGE HOPE AmMH (Hope) Dog 21. FTCH AFTCH TAYLORLABS TRUE BLUE MH (Blue) Dog 24. FTCH AFTCH GMH CLUBMEADS AUTUMN BREEZE CDX (Breeze) Dog 25. NMH FTCH AFTCH GMH DUDLEY DO RIGHT XXXII CDX AmMH (Dudley) Dog 26. PRAIRIESTORM HAWK CDX WCX MH (Hawk) Dog 28. MISTY MARSH’S MINNESOTA MAGGIE WCX MH JFTR (Maggie) Dog 29. SASKQUILL’S PRAIRIE THUNDER MH (Thunder) Dog 30. HIGH MILEAGE JB’S BELIEVER AmMH (Faith) Dog 32. MOSSY'S DANGLING PARTICIPLES MH (Rebel) All of the handlers were congratulated and toasted. Photos were taken in the Clubhouse area and the Master National Club sponsors Purina and Tritronics were thanked as well as all of the major sponsors for 2008. The judges were thanked for putting in the time and effort to make this a memorable National and the Club workers and committee were congratulated for a job well done. The bar was opened and refreshments were served including a feast of buns, meats, cheese, veggies and fresh fruit. See you next year in Prince Edward Island!
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