Series 1 - Land Triple and Land Blind (Series 2)
Test #1 left retired at 130 yds, middle bird at 128 yds, right go bird at 96 yds Blind at 296 yds.
The test was set on a rise at the intersection of a steep hydro-line cut and a wide open grazed pastureland. The running line was situated facing southeast at the crest of a slope that dropped down into a shallow draw before climbing up the slope of the cut. The bottom of the draw held moderate grassy cover and the cut was populated with numerous pine sapplings and young yellow-leaved aspen. Either side of the cut was flanked by open stands of mature pine.
The test consisted of a triple (with one retired) and a blind deep of the go-bird. The 1st bird shot was thrown right to left across the cut and landing amongst the aspen. (The gunners retired up the hill to the right). The 2nd bird shot was thrown from left to right landing behind a log at the opening of the pine stand on the right of the cut. The go-bird was thrown from right to left across the draw and landing in open cover.
The handler received the last bird and sent the dog for the blind to the left of the original line. The line to the blind was down through the draw to the right of the go-bird and along the edge of the pine stand out into the open pastureland. It was a sunny day with partial cloud cover. The temperature rose from 5?C when the test dogs ran to up to 38?C by mid afternoon.
There was virtually no wind for the test dogs but as the temperature rose, winds built from the south and southeast to up to 25 miles per hour. This presented an increased challenge to dogs driving deep for the retired gun and increased potential for dogs to overrun the blind and wind the planter.
Most dogs got the marks and blind without difficulty. Some however did not get a good look at the 2nd bird thrown and others split the 1st and 2nd guns, driving up the cut upwind of the retired bird. Four dogs were scratched.
After the combined first and second series there were 72 dogs left to run the third series on Tuesday, a water blind.
4 dogs were dropped : 17, 29, 57, and 70. There was also a no-show - #20
