|
SERIES I, DAY 1, THURSDAY AUGUST 31 Day 1, which dawned clear and cool, saw the convoy of handlers leaving Kinburn Hall at 9:45 am. First test dog, handled by Orley Hamilton, ran at 10:10, followed by the second test dog handled by Karen Greener. After a few adjustments, the first dog (#20) ran at 10:50.
Scenario : As we are setting up for a goose hunt, a number of ducks come in and three are shot immediately. As the dog is returning from the third bird, another is knocked down and must be retrieved as a blind. The dogs were positioned in front of a holding blind with the handlers behind them and were thus solely responsible for marking the falls. The high excitement of the "go" bird, located in a gully at about 38yds in the midst of a full flock of goose silhouettes, created a few problems for some dogs. The right hand bird, thrown second and at 100yds, was through a slot parallel to a tree line. A big swing of over 90 degrees meant some dogs had problems marking this bird. In addition, the bird placement meant the dogs had to punch through some heavy cover and many followed a path around to behind the gun station. The middle bird, thrown first at about 95yds, was directly behind the go bird. Many dogs headed right and disappeared into thick cover only to reappear, sometimes with the bird and sometimes further right. There were handles on all three birds but there were also many excellent jobs. Two dogs were dropped - #18 and 22. SERIES II, DAY 1, THURSDAY AUGUST 31 As the day rolled on, the weather warmed up and remained clear and bright. Judges, workers and handlers moved to a nearby pond and got ready to start Series II.
Scenario : We arrive for an evening duck hunt. As we are getting into our boat, a flock comes in and are shot by our hunting companions, one group in a canoe, one on a point of shoreline to our right and one on an island across from us. The realism of this series was enhanced by the spread of 60 decoys directly in front of the line through which the dogs had to swim for two of the marks. In addition, the handler and the dog were located in a John boat firmly placed on shore. The directions from the judges were that the handler must remain in the boat at all times and that the dog must deliver all birds to the handler. The go bird, at 60yds, was at the mid point of an island directly across from the line. The bird was thrown at the water's edge, almost directly at the dog. This bird was fairly straightforward although a couple of dogs did get caught up in the decoys. The right bird, thrown second at 95yds, was a winger bird launched from a point on shore across the water to the right hand end of the island. Most handlers took this bird second, with some dogs beaching early but eventually making their way across a small bay to where the bird lay in swamp grass. The left boat bird was thrown right to left with a splash at 115yds. The canoe was obscured from line by the left end of the island and was a good test of memory. The correct line was past the island fight both the wind and the temptation to beach. Some dogs did beach but continued through, off the island and to the back side of the boat. A couple of dogs got lost in the tall swamp grass of the island and had to be handled. Dogs dropped in this series were #4, 8, 9, 10 & 21. Pre-test | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Final Results
|
