Day 4
Test 4, the water triple, continued this morning under scattered clouds and temperatures climbing quickly into the high 60's. Twelve dogs were left to run. The test dog was off at 7:20 and the first running dog, #10 at 7:45. Although the wind was similarly variable and light like yesterday, the dogs seemed to have more trouble. Certainly with the earlier start the lighting conditions were different. There were quite a few handles mixed in with some excellent work. The test was finished at 11:20. Callbacks showed only 36 dogs back with numbers 3, 9, 11, 19, 23, 32, 33, 37, 40, 44, and 45 gone.
Everybody packed up and headed to the "tamarack field" to prepare for a land triple. Mrs. Lloyds blue-eyed Boy, the Golden Boy from the west and the Dr. Pepper Man were about to show no more Mr. Nice Guy.
The land triple involved a set-up with similar concepts to the last water test - a hip-pocket and a short-retired gun with a go-bird on the right. The center bird, a duck, at 200 yards was thrown first to the left. Next, the left-hand gunners at 125 yards threw a hen pheasant to the left across a ditch and then proceeded to retire behind a brush camouflaged holding blind. The last bird down was on the right at 160 yards and was a duck thrown to the right. Both the center bird and the right bird were across the same ditch that curved to the left bird.. The wind remained light and from right to left. Test dog # 1 ran at 1pm and handled as did the second test dog although on a different bird. Number 39 initiated the series. The real danger appeared to be running though the left-hand pheasant after picking up the last bird down duck. The center gun station was quite visible and helped attract the dogs.
Nonetheless most handlers attempted to secondary select and get the retired gun second. Results were variable. The first dog, at 1:20 did an excellent job but when the test was over at 6:10 pm, there had been quite a few pick ups, as well as handles some of which were quite poor because of all the cover. Mixed in were some excellent jobs but several dogs that had been clean got hurt on this test. Nixing plans to do a land blind through the marks, the judges spared everybody to escape to the Workers Party back at headquarters. Callbacks were given out at the party showing 25 dogs back. Dogs dropped were numbers 1, 2, 12, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 36, 52, and 58. A land blind is on deck for 7:30 Friday morning. Dog 47 will start.
