A cool Sunday morning greeted the workers and participants of the 2007 Master National. Temperatures at dawn were in the mid 30s as handlers arrived at the A series test at Neil Selby’s’ Shady Grove Preserve and the B participants at C. F. Phelps WMA in the Remington, VA area. Test dogs at both sites were called to the line at 8:15 and both flights began running dogs at 8:30 am.
Shady Grove Goose Hunt
Flight A’s test was a cold land blind followed by two marks and combination land-water-land blind. The scenario given by Judges Sam Ferguson and Rich Pyka was you had been invited to a goose hunt at Shady Grove but you arrived late. As you hurried to your makeshift hay bale blind your companion knocks down a goose in the trees off to your right. The line to this 31 yard blind is clearly between two trees. After retrieving this bird you set up in your blind and three more geese work their way into your spread of decoys. A dead mallard duck (simulated goose) is dropped in the cattails in the o the right of the corner of the pond off to your left at 84 yards. Next a mallard flyer (simulated goose) is shot to the right of the first mark and at about 115 yards. But, before you can get those two birds you must first pickup the third bird that is up the hill behind the left hand gun station and located 113 yards from the line.
Reports from Test A indicated that most dogs did not have much difficulty with the short blind, but the influence of the two marks was seen on the work of the second blind. Most handlers opted to get the long flyer after the blind which left them with the short bird in what now could only be described as indented situation, with the short bird splitting the middle of the long blind and flyer. Handles were not uncommon as dogs failed to check up onto the cattails, preferring to hunt the open areas everywhere else. It was estimated that 40% of the dogs handled on a least one bird with a few double handles thrown in. The test was suspended after dog 65 completed its run at 6:25 PM.
Phelps Checkerboard
Over at Phelps WMA, Flight B Judges Kevin Bunnell and Lynn Morrison had arranged for a pheasant hunt complete with blockers already in the field. Shortly after you let your hunting companions know that you were ready, birds started to kick up all around in the sorghum field planted and manicured especially for this test by the dedicated staff of C F Phelps WMA. A dead rooster was thrown left to right in front of you at 80 yards followed by a rooster flyer off to your right that landed at 65 yards, Finally another dead rooster was thrown to your left and down the hill at 42 yards. The unique mowing of strips in this field led to it being named “the Checkerboard” by the MNRC setup crew earlier in the week.
This test started with an amusing moment. Missy Lemoi, who had “won” the starting number the day before by virtue of the unique draw methodology at the handlers meeting (see the handler’s meeting writeup), had a no bird on the flyer. As she walked off the line, she took off her special “I ran the first Dog at the 2007 Master National” cap and handed it to Randal Ayres. The gallery roared their approval of her sportsman like gesture. She later said to those that asked, “I was first to the line, but I was not first to run. I was more than happy to give that honor……and that cap to someone else.”
Group B Gallery
