Report and photos by Dennis Voigt with Larry Baker assisting,
5th series continued
Rain threatened at daybreak and before the first test dog was run at 7:30 am the rain had come. Thunder and lightening was in the distance. After the test dog the judges decided to wait until 8:00 am because the lighting conditions were poor for the longer birds. 10 dogs were run to finish the 5th test. Overall work was similar to the day before. Callbacks to the 6th showed 3 dogs lost, 24, 28, 46. Unfortunately dog 49 was also scratched due to an injury.
Gunner^ Gunner^ Gunner^ Gunner^
6th series Water quad marks.
The judges set up a water quad near the site of the last two tests. The area was a complex of water ponds, channels, islands and extensive cattails and floating marsh. Key areas had been cut for visibility. Test dogs ran shortly after 11:00 am with the first doing an excellent job and the second handling. It was a 12-18 minute test that would take all day. The left middle guns on an island threw a duck to the right to land on their island at 103 yards. The far right guns threw a duck across a channel to the left at 114 yards. The middle right guns at 140 yards threw a duck to the left and retired in a boat behind a blind. The line to this bird was very tight to the first island bird. Finally a set of guns at 57 yards threw a duck from an island to the shore behind them. Although the wind started out from the south it soon changed to the north west as the clouds cleared and both temperature and humidity climbed. Some excellent work was turned in but also some handles on marks occurred. The major problem seemed to be with the left middle island bird. Dogs went behind this station and got lost in the tules. Quite a few dogs landed behind the long retired bird but eventually worked it out. The test was not finished until 8:45 pm when dog number 1 ran. Fortunately at this northern latitude the sun still shone on the gunners although the wind dropped considerably for later dogs. Callbacks showed the following dogs dropped: 5,6,8,23,29, 32, 37, 38, 42, 47.
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