Day: 2 Tuesday July 13, 1999
Tuesday began clear and sunny with a strong cool wind out of the west northwest which became stronger until about 2:30 and then gradually dropped off. The day began with a water triple at a abandoned coal mine 5 mile south of the campground. The post was on top of large berm approx 40 feet high with a very steep slope down to small kidney shaped pond. Two smaller berms converged on the other side leaving a narrow slot out into a large rough pasture area. About 125 yards out into the pasture was a large water body surrounded with low tulles.
One dozen floating duck decoys were placed in the right end of the pond just off the line to the right bird.Guns 1 on the far side of the pond threw a drake mallard to the right away from the pond into light buckbrush cover. Guns 2 were in a boat at the nearer side of the pond and threw a hen mallard to a tulle island. These 2 marks were approx 225 yards long. Guns 3 to the left were about 40 yards from line on top of a large mound and threw a drake mallard left to the back edge of this mound. All dogs got this bird ok but the water at the bottom of the steep slopeand the slot between the berms caused lots of problems as dogs tended to funnel into the center and theovercorrect. However there were some very good jobs.
Lost to this series were 40, 26, and 2. After a short move to another pond at the same site Test 4 which was a water blind began. The post was on a hillside with a steep drop to a narrow channel across which was a large point then off the point , along a shoreline about 40 yds past a large bay to the right and then a small point on the left to the bird at the shore approx 125 yds total. Several dogs either lined or had 1 or 2 whistle blinds, however quite a few who had poor initial lines towards the right had a lot of trouble getting off the shoreline and into the water. 4 dogs were dropped here leaving 32 for Weds am which will be a land triple in a large bale field. Dropped were 48, 6, 11, 45.
