Day two of the 2007 Master National event started early for some participants as both sets of judges elected to go for 7:30AM start time. Test dogs were called to the line at both A and B Flights at 7:30 with the first running dog appeared shortly thereafter. Temperatures started around 40 degrees but quickly rose to the mid 60s after the sun rose over the Virginia country side.
Work was very similar to the day before at both tests. The B group finished first, as expected with dog 141 leaving the line at 11:05 am. The equipment committee headed by Sidney Williams had already started setting up the next series and the gallery anxiously awaited callbacks. Callbacks were announced around 11:50 and 118 were called to the 2nd series which was only a few hundred yards away.
Judge Lynn Morrison with Test Dog Handler Linda Downey and Windy
As the B group walked up to this new test they found out that judges Lynn Morrison and Kevin Bunnell had arranged for a wood duck hunt at C.F. Phelps to go along with pheasant hunt just completed. Unfortunately, you have arrived late for the hunt and your companions are already station around the wood duck pond. Your closest companion also has a dog, but has agreed to let you pick up the next flight of birds while he honors your dogs work. The first mark is thrown right to left and lands in medium cover angled across the pond. It is a dead mallard. The second bird is the flyer and lands to the left of the first bird and is another angle entry. The last bird is to your right and is thru a gap in the tree line.
After test dogs were run the judges called dog 10 to the line at 1:05pm. Work was generally better than the last test but several pickups did occur when dogs became lost behind the middle gun station that was tucked into several large cedar trees. Most handlers elected to try and get the flyer second but had difficulty with the angle entry that often beached the dog early and in front of the middle bird. The flyer had no real consistent fall area, but the upward sloping terrain allowed great visibility and zero no birds were observed. This test was suspended at 5:10pm as the setting sun was created visibility problems on the middle bird. At 6:00 the test resumed and ran until 6:35pm, Group B will resume at 7:30 am and should finish this test tomorrow in time to start the 3 rd series.
Group A finished their first series around 4:00 pm and after callbacks were announced 127 dogs made the 15 minute trip to C.F. Phelps to start their third series: A land triple with Flyer.
