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Master
National Tuesday,September 19, 2000 - Day 3 |
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Today we have followed
form and were back on the site at 6 AM. This
seems to be the norm now and since most of the crew
doesn’t leave until 7:30 PM this makes for some
very long days. This is also why some of these
reports may not get to you until the next day, since
I’m mailing them to the Internet at midnight.
Please be patient because we are trying to keep
you informed. |
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| Back
to the tests. The wind has come back but in
as a slight breeze but we also have some high clouds
now that should bring a little rain tonight.
Test dogs ran at approximately 7:30 AM under great
conditions. Since today is Tuesday (I think!)
the annual and highly awaited Worker’s Party is
tonight. That’s why I came back to the hotel
to get this done because I plan to party.
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| There
is only 1 new test that hasn’t been posted and Group
A moved to it yesterday. They made it thru
2 test dogs and about 20 running dogs before we
lost light and had to shut down. This is Test
3 and it is a water test that is basically set around
the blind, which is not hot by the way. |
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| Group
B moved at 4:30 PM to Test 1, which is land.
Since they came in later, they had only made it
through 15 or so dogs. I may be wrong on this
figure. Everything is well under way now and
when both groups started their respective second
series they each started with dog #25 or the closest
one to it. This is a system of rotation that
the MN uses so that dog #1 isn’t always the first
dog to run. In fact, when each group gets
to the next few series they will do the same rotation
and will start with #50 and then #75 etc.
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Scenario
Test 3 Water |
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Last week you received a call from this guy who
knows a guy that owns this fantastic private ranch,
which includes an irregular shaped pond that just
draws in the ducks. You have no choice (not
that you’d refuse anyway being the avid hunter type)
but to accept the invitation to go there and hunt
today. He’s invited a couple of his friends
but allows you to bring a few as well. He’s
already set up the decoys and blinds so all you
have to do is bring your gun and of course your
retriever. The owner has heard from many sources
that you own the best dog in the county for duck
hunting. As you get settled in front of the
blind they’ve placed right at the water’s edge and
everyone else is in place as well, a flight of ducks
start to circle the pond. They come in from
over and to your right. Much to your surprise
(because no one has told you yet) the two gunners
to your right about 50 yds are dead on shots.
Before you can count to 3 they have 2 ducks in the
pond about 40 yds from you. But don’t get
too excited because this flock has circled out and
around and are now coming from the left side.
The owner is there and he also downs a single duck
into (and sometimes beyond) the decoys there.
This is no problem for you because it is only about
45 yards out. You wait but there isn’t any
more flocks coming in and the remainder of the original
one has left. Only thing to do is to send
this fantastic dog out to retrieve everything.
Just when he brings in the last bird, one of the
gunners lets you know that after much discussion
between these two, they’ve decided that they really
hit 3 birds and the last one is way out about 90
yds around a bushy mound. This is way to the
right and slightly in front of where you sit.
No problem here because not only is your dog the
county’s best marker but he handles too. Even
though some of the marshy grass by this mound is
pretty tall you are quite capable of getting the
dog there to pick up their bird. |
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| (What
is it about this place because so many hunters don’t
have or bring retrievers????) |
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