Sunday, June 19, 2011

Brought to you by Eukanuba

Test 1 -- Double with a Flyer and a Retired

Test 2 -- Land Blind

It is a cloudy morning in Big Sky Montana. We got out to the test site at 6:20 a.m. Marshal Linda Harger is organizing the workers into a ship shape team. Guns and birds are moving to their stations, holding blinds and tents are up and the food wagon has a line for coffee on this brisk 50 degree morning.

Test Dog Knollwood's Sweet Lily " Lily," handled by Nancy White 

The handlers view the tests.

Barbara Furlano and Test Dog FC-AFC Chippewa Wilson "Wilson"

Wayne Bleazard & Swede Anderson

The test is set on both sides of a long draw. The mat is on the Southwest side of the hill with a view to the North. To the Northeast side of the draw at 208 yards is a gun station with a dead rooster pheasant thrown to the left. At 311 yards sits the flyer station with a rooster pheasant shot to the left. The blind is at 175 yards and is a hen duck. From the mat, the handler will turn to his right to run the blind which is across the draw and up the opposite hill.

7:30 a.m. – The first test dog  Knollwood's Sweet Lily (LF) “Lily,” handled by Nancy White, completed the test without a handle but a hunt on the memory bird. The second test dog FC-AFC Chippewa Wilson (LM) "Wilson,” handled by Barbara Furlano, handled on the go bird flyer.

Scotty Seward take a "dog's eye view" of the test

Big trucks .... Big Sky Country!

There are four scratches 42, 54, 66, and 30. The test is taking about ten minutes per dog with some hunts in the cover. The Field Trial Asst. Chairman, Tom Vaughn is pretty sure that this test will not finish today.

Our faithful Game Stewards

Dean Ellis, Official Announcer

The first running dog, #68 "Jazz"

So far the dogs are doing extremely well. Three dogs picked up the birds in reverse order, retrieving the retired bird first. Blind work has been good. There have been handles on the following dogs: 70, 78, 79, 84, 87, 90, 96 and 101. #87 was an eventual pick-up.

The test is not getting easier. There has been a wind change and a thrower change--the throw is not clearing the mountain in the background as it was before. More dogs seem to be confused by the retired mark and and are hunting deep. The weather is clouding up, making the birds harder to see in the darker conditions. Most of the dogs have done well on the blind, but very few have had a good run on all three birds.

The gallery claps for a job well done.

Deb Bredeson, Jeff Schuett & Jim Powers

The food wagon ... a welcome treat!

A couple of Gunners and a "Gun Mom"

Dave Rorem, Mac DuBose and Dave Furin

It is late afternoon and has started a light on and off rain. The difficulties of the terrain have carried through the day. Just a few moments ago, #15 Watuaga's Bull Gator "Bull" suffered an injury going out for the flyer. Luckily Bruce Ahlers and Jeff Schuett were both in attendance and came to his aid. He was transported by his owner, Steve O'Connell, in a mule. Our prayers go out to "Bull." 

During the last gun change of the day, the announcement was made that tomorrow's test dog will run at 6:45 a.m. with the first dog running shortly after at 7. There was a change made to the running order during the same break. Dogs 23 and 24 were moved and follow dog 29. Both of these handlers are vets who worked with our injured dog today.

We wrapped up at 8 pm. Being so far North here, it stays light fairly late, especially at this time of the year ... thankfully, the Field Trial Committee has decided to stop the tests at 8 pm. They had hoped to get through dog #44--which was at a regular gun change, but with the three late no-birds, this simply was not possible. Test Dog runs tomorrow at 6:45 am sharp!