MONDAY, DAY 2

The clear, hot weather had gone. Monday started overcast, with temperatures in the 50's, and occasional light rain in the early morning. The judges returned to the site of Test One/Two to run the last seven dogs, starting at 7:00 and ending at 8:10. Dropped were 2, 8, 14, 18, 27, 74, 84, 93, 100,107. 36 and 90 were scratches announced on Sunday.

The next test was a water triple run in a heavy tulle pond near Cascade. The first bird, a dead hen pheasant, was thrown from right to left, landing on a dry spot just behind heavy tulles, approximately 140 yards. Bird No. 2, a dead hen mallard, was thrown also into heavy tulles, about 50 yards, with the gunners retiring behind a brush blind. The flyer, a hen mallard at about 20 yards,  was thrown to the right.  Dogs showed a tendency to cheat the tulles on the long, right-hand bird and hunt in the open meadow behind the guns. They also overran the short retired gun, also thrown into heavy tulles, and had to be handled back into the bird area.

After about 1:00 PM, the work began to improve.  The afternoon breeze came up, blowing from left to right.  This made the long bird and the center bird considerably easier.  The center bird was also made easier by the trails made in the tulles by the earlier dogs.  The dogs going for the long bird were able to wind it from the right hand side behind the guns, and the center bird was almost an into-the-wind bird for some.

There were several 'no birds,' which added time to the test.

GALLERY COMMENTS :

"Dogs may think they recovered the middle bird when retrieving the flyer because of the converging mark effect.  They then ignore the middle bird and try for the long one."

"Lots of praise for yesterday's first test.  The only real critique was that the gunners sometimes faced the wrong way."

"HAPPY 41st WEDDING ANNIVERSARY, MEL AND JOAN MILTON."  This is the first anniversary that they haven't been together.  Next year!!!

"Second short mark had very difficult scenting conditions.  Hard to see the dog to handle on the center bird."

"The flyer's only consistency was its inconsistency.  The location where the flyer gunners and throwers had to work did not lend itself for a good back swing or a real power throw."

""8,9, and 10 may be singles in open water."

"Tulles and cattails trail up; it's just not going fast enough."

"They wanted a six minute test, and this one's taking nine."

"The long bird winded well.  The middle bird did not wind at all."

STATISTICS FROM THE FIRST 25 DOGS:

15 handles; one pickup; three double handles; two breaks (47,53); 8 clean jobs; three no-birds; the first ten dogs handled!

From Dog 28 to Dog 107, 27 dogs had handled, some on two birds.  Two dogs broke, 47 and 53.

The test concluded at 8:25 PM, with six dogs left to run on Tuesday.  No partial callbacks were given.  The next test will be a water blind at the same location.