10th Series – Land Quad with Three Flyers and Two Retired

Test Ten is a Land Quad with Three Flyers and Two Retired. The mat sits on the north side of a large bowl depression. There is a lake behind the mat and the wind is 10 mph at the handlers back.

There is a cove that comes in from the right and goes through most of the bottom of the bowl. One third of this is water and balance is a dried depression. A road is on the left of the mat and goes down the left side of the bowl and makes a hard right turn as it starts up the far side.

Bird One is a rooster flyer located at the top of the bowl on the far side away from the mat. This flyer is shot to the left, landing approximately 391 yards from the line.

Bird Two is a dead hen duck. The gunners retire behind a large "hairy" mound of brush that is located at the side of the far hill below and to the right of the rooster flyer station. The dead hen is thrown to the left landing 223 yards from the line.

Bird Three, a hen flyer is located just left of the road as it bends at the bottom of the hill. The hen flyer is shot to the left landing approximately 197 yards from the line. The gunners retire behind a large green bush.

Bird Four is a green head flyer. The flyer is on the right rim of the bowl. The line to this bird is to the right of the mat, down the hill and through heavy cover. The dog will then swim between 20 and 30 yards back through the heavy cover to go up the hill and to the bird. The green head is shot to the left and lands approximately 210 yards from the line.

10th Series – Land Quad with Three Flyers

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK THIS WEEK, Missy Bell!!

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK THIS WEEK, Rich Pingatore!!

9th Series - Water Triple with Two Flyers, Two Retired and an Honor – Day 2

Refreshing your memory of the Ninth Series from yesterday afternoon ...

9th Series - Water Triple with Two Flyers, Two Retired and an Honor

Test Nine is a water triple with two flyers, two retired and an honor. The mat sits on the right side of a dirt field road facing south. This little road goes straight and then angles to the left as it goes through the test. The terrain is all parched grass and clumps of brush that are all the same color. There is a small pond in front and to the left of the line with an even smaller pond beyond it that is not visible from the line.

Bird One (Middle) is a drake duck flyer. The gunners stand on the road where it starts to bend to the left. They are beside the only green bush in the field. This is a long flyer and is shot to the left landing approximately 197 yards from the line on the open field as it rises away from the pond.

Bird Two (Left Retired) is a dead hen duck. These gunners stand on the far right side of the pond and throw to the left and the bird lands 115 yards from the line. The line to this bird takes the dog across the field and across the right end of the pond to stop for the bird before crossing the next piece of hidden water. The gunners retired into a brush pile at the right corner of the pond.

Bird Three (Right Flyer) is a hen mallard flyer. The guns are positioned to the right of the mat half way up the sloping field. This flyer is shot to the right landing approximately 160 yards from the mat.

This water triple is fairly short and tight. The stand out guns on the right are almost retired when they sit down in the ground cover. This test is taking approximately five minutes per dog/handler team.

There is an honor to the left of the mat.

Series 9 – Water Triple with Two Flyers, Two Retired and an Honor

Bird # 1 – Retired Drake Flyer – 197 yards

Bird # 2 – Retired Hen Duck – 115 yards

Bird # 3 – Flyer Hen Duck – 160 yards

Test 9 sketch by Missy Bell

Test Nine diagram by Rich Pingatore

9th Series - Water Triple with Two Flyers, Two Retired and an Honor

Test Nine is a water triple with two flyers, two retired and an honor. The mat sits on the right side of a dirt field road facing south. This little road goes straight and then angles to the left as it goes through the test. The terrain is all parched grass and clumps of brush that are all the same color. There is a small pond in front and to the left of the line with an even smaller pond beyond it that is not visible from the line.

Bird One (Middle) is a drake duck flyer. The gunners stand on the road where it starts to bend to the left. They are beside the only green bush in the field. This is a long flyer and is shot to the left landing approximately 197 yards from the line on the open field as it rises away from the pond.

Bird Two (Left Retired) is a dead hen duck. These gunners stand on the far right side of the pond and throw to the left and the bird lands 115 yards from the line. The line to this bird takes the dog across the field and across the right end of the pond to stop for the bird before crossing the next piece of hidden water. The gunners retired into a brush pile at the right corner of the pond.

Bird Three (Right Flyer) is a hen mallard flyer. The guns are positioned to the right of the mat half way up the sloping field. This flyer is shot to the right landing approximately 160 yards from the mat.

This water triple is fairly short and tight. The stand out guns on the right are almost retired when they sit down in the ground cover. This test is taking approximately five minutes per dog/handler team.

There is an honor to the left of the mat.

Series 9 – Water Triple with Two Flyers, Two Retired and an Honor

Bird # 1 – Retired Drake Flyer – 197 yards

Bird # 2 – Retired Hen Duck – 115 yards

Bird # 3 – Flyer Hen Duck – 160 yards

Test 9 sketch by Missy Bell

Test Nine diagram by Rich Pingatore

Refresh Your Memory - 8th Series Test Description

A quick reminder of our 8th Series!!!

The 8th Series Test is a Water Quad with One Flyer and Three Retired

The mat faces NE and is on top of a mound. The wind is SSE at about 4 mph and the clouds have cleared and it is warming up. This test will take roughly 13 minutes per dog.

In front of the mound are a series of potholes running North. The field is filled with water structures criss-crossing it.

The first mark is a retired hen pheasant (Long Retired) thrown angle back right at 248 yards.

The second bird is a short retired (Short Retired) hen pheasant at 130 yards, thrown to the right  and lands on an island with the gunners retiring behind a tree on shore.

The third bird is a retired hen duck thrown to the left at 141 yards. The line will be through a  different pothole across a field road and through another water structure to the bird.

The fourth station is a flyer duck (Flyer) shot approximately 200 yards to the left. The dog will cross the pothole at the back of the field road, area of cover, another water structure and out into the field to retrieve the bird.

Bird #1 – Long Retired Hen Pheasant – 248 yards

Bird # 2 – Short Retired Hen Pheasant – 130 yards

Bird # 3 – Retired Hen Duck – 141 yards

Bird # 4 – Flyer Hen Duck – 200 yards

Eighth Series sketch by Missy Bell

Diagram of Eighth Series by Rich Pingatore

Recap - Still Early in the 8th Series Water Quad – Can You Handle It?

Retrieving a retired island bird in front of a flyer can be a tough challenge and this test is no exception. With nine dogs having run we have seen 5 handles on this bird alone, 3 pick ups, and only one clean job.

Dogs sent for this bird and missing the need to check down for the island can end up perilously close to the flyer guns and need a handle, or else work their way to the long retired bird and then need a handle on the short bird. The dogs that commit to hunt the area of the retired guns can show us that – where island birds are concerned – the saying "Find the bird boy find the bird" does not necessarily apply. The many pieces of water and tall cover that dot this test area make handling to the island bird far from easy.

A Closer look at the Eighth Series

The 8th Series Test is a Water Quad with One Flyer and Three Retired

We apologize for the error, but the first bird thrown actually a retired hen pheasant (Long Retired) thrown angle back right at 248 yards (not a rooster).

Bird #1 – Long Retired Hen Pheasant – 248 yards

Bird # 2 – Retired Hen Pheasant – 130 yards

Bird # 3 – Retired Hen Duck – 141 yards

Bird # 4 – Flyer Hen Duck – 200 yards

Eighth Series sketch by Missy Bell

Diagram of Eighth Series by Rich Pingatore

8th Series – Water Quad with One Flyer Three Retired

The 8th Series Test is a Water Quad with One Flyer and Three Retired

The mat faces NE and is on top of a mound. The wind is SSE at about 4 mph and the clouds have cleared and it is warming up. This test will take roughly 13 minutes per dog.

In front of the mound are a series of potholes running North. The field is filled with water structures criss-crossing it.

The first mark is a retired hen pheasant (Long Retired) thrown angle back right at 248 yards.

The second bird is a short retired (Short Retired) hen pheasant at 130 yards, thrown to the right  and lands on an island with the gunners retiring behind a tree on shore.

The third bird is a retired hen duck thrown to the left at 141 yards. The line will be through a  different pothole across a field road and through another water structure to the bird.

The fourth station is a flyer duck (Flyer) shot approximately 200 yards to the left. The dog will cross the pothole at the back of the field road, area of cover, another water structure and out into the field to retrieve the bird.

The 8th Series Test is a Water Quad with One Flyer and Three Retired

We apologize for the error, but the first bird thrown actually a retired hen pheasant (Long Retired) thrown angle back right at 248 yards (not a rooster).

Bird #1 – Long Retired Hen Pheasant – 248 yards

Bird # 2 – Short Retired Hen Pheasant – 130 yards

Bird # 3 – Retired Hen Duck – 141 yards

Bird # 4 – Flyer Hen Duck – 200 yards

Eighth Series sketch by Missy Bell

Diagram of Eighth Series by Rich Pingatore

Recap - A Look at the 7th Series Water Blind

While yesterday's land blind was a "put your right hand in your pocket" sort of blind because it required numerous left casts to complete, today's water blind through a serpentine pond is requiring handlers to cast in both directions. A dog that is on line will enter water three times on this blind, and visibility is a recurring challenge because the lowered water level puts a dog out of sight for several yards after each water entry. A handler with good powers of dog prediction can be rewarded in a blind like this. The converse can be the case as well.

   

A few yards after leaving the mat the line enters a point of cover. Most dogs go into this cover without needing a cast but often tend to take too much of it, which pushes them to the left and causes them to want to "square" when crossing the first piece of water instead of carrying it at the angle. An angle across this first water will best position a dog when he gets onto the next piece of land, which is the large - and scented - point. Once the dog is on this point, the handler needs a healthy amount of right-hand influence to put the dog in the next water in a place where the handler will be able to see him again in time to pilot him back out of the water again. Most dogs are getting off this second point cleanly, after which they angle cross the final piece of water and exit to take a longish run through tall cover before arriving at the blind. A dog that is on line will show his bouncing head and tail to his handler, who is straining to keep him in view in case more casts are needed - as they sometimes have been - to get a dog to scale the side of the large mound where the blind is planted. (Since the tall cover is yellowish-brown it's easy to guess which color of bouncing dog shows up best!) As a final hazard in this blind the blind planter is on the back side of the mound. Quick whistles are in order to keep a dog from going over or around the mound and finding a blind planter before finding a blind.

   

Although it's a tough blind with plenty of places for a team to stumble, many who compete at the level of the 7th Series of a National Open are able to complete it with polish.

7th Series – Water Blind

Test Seven is a Water Blind.

The mat sits on a slight rise on the side of a farm road and faces east. The dog must take off and enter the end of a piece of broom straw. Breaking through the straw, they cross a piece of land and go down a bank into a piece of water. After swimming across, they come out to cross a good chunk of a point – which has been scented – and re-enter the pond. Swimming to the next point, they must cross the slope and re-enter a short channel. The judges said to just get on the low part, it was not necessary to climb to the top of this second point. After the dogs exit the water, they cross a flat field with heavy broom straw. The blind is on the top right of the largest of three mounds at 260 yards from the line. There is a branch that has been placed about 30 feet in front of the mat to the right. This is as far as the handler is allowed to move. The test is taking approximately four minutes for the dog to return with their hen duck.

Water Blind – 260 yards

Test 7 Sketch by Missy Bell

Test 7 Diagram by Rich Pingatore

6th Series - Land Blind

Series Six is on the same field that was used for the Fifth Series. The mat will be down the road about 20 yards. It will angle across the marks and run parallel to the left hand flyer.

The line will drop into the field from the mat on the road. It cuts through the small stream of water clipping off the right hen flyer station, crossing through the line of the right middle bird, crossing to the left of where the left middle bird gunners stood and then continuing 245 yards in a line parallel to the left flyer station to a planted rooster pheasant.

The hen flyer crates remain stacked at the gunner locations where the hen pheasant was shot in Test Five. There is cluster of dark clumps of vegetation on the line. The darker cover is behind the area where the left gunners stood.

Land Blind – 245 yards

In the sketch by Missy Bell, she left in the Fifth Series Quad marks to show perspective.

Drone shot by Rich Pingatore

Reminder Of The 5th Series - Test Description

5th Series

Test Five is a Land Quad with Two Flyers and three of the four marks retire. All of the birds are pheasants. The mat sits on the side of the road facing southeast. The test is at angle to the handler's left. There are two flyers shot out of the test and two hen pheasants converging in the middle.

The first bird, Left Flyer Station, is a Rooster Pheasant Flyer at approximately 230 yards from the mat. The gunners face left and shoot the rooster out to the left. This bird lands in heavy, dry straw-like cover. The gunners then retire.

The second station, Left Middle Station, is 190 yards from the line. These gunners throw a hen pheasant right angled back. The bird lands in a group of moguls with patches of cover. These gunners also retire.

The third station, Right Middle Station, is 270 yards from the line. these gunners throw a hen pheasant to the left. They then retire behind a clump of trees.

The fourth and final station is the Right Flyer Station, which is a hen pheasant flyer at approximately 110 yards from the line. The gunners sit on a small mound and shoot out of the test to the right. They are the only stand out guns of this test. This test is taking between eight and ten minutes to complete.

#1 – Retired Rooster Flyer – 230 yards

#2 – Retired Hen Pheasant – 190 yards

#3 – Retired Hen Pheasant – 270 yards

#4 – Hen Pheasant Flyer – 110 yards

Test 5 sketch by Missy Bell

Test 5 diagram by Rich Pingatore