Well, we have made it to the Big D Hunting Retriever Club test in Fairfield at the May Sel Ranch. The trip down to this point has been completely uneventful! Praise the Lord! We left Bonham around 4pm Thursday and after several stops we made it to our super Super 8 motel around 9pm. Yeah! Relax time!
We are currently sitting at the Master B where Watermark's Pistolpack'n Sagon (Pete) will be running today. Hopefully soon. Hunt tests don't usually start on Friday, but this is a double Master. Pete is the only dog running in the Master. He will be running in both Masters on Friday and Saturday. He needs to pass just one of the tests to get his Master title. If he passes both he will be only one pass short of qualifying for the Master National. All the other tests start tomorrow and then again on Sunday. We have 7 dogs besides Pete running this weekend.
- Pete – Owned by Gary and Linda Noga (aka. Mom & Pops)
- Pete is a 6 ½ year old chocolate male Labrador retriever. He didn't start his Hunt Test career until last spring where he ran 3 Masters and passed all 3, then 3 in the fall where he passed 2 and failed 1. He will be running in the Master today and on Saturday.
- Bin – Owned by Larry & Kathy Kimble
- Bin is a 2 ½ year old male yellow Labrador retriever. He will be running in the Senior on Saturday and Sunday. He already has his Junior Hunter title. This will be his first Senior Hunt Test.
- Biscuit – Owned by Tom Webb
- Biscuit is a 2 ½ year old chocolate female Labrador retriever. She will be running in the Senior on Saturday and Sunday. She already has her Junior Hunter Title. This will be her 1st Senior.
- Gunner – Owned by Derek O'Rear
- Gunner is a 1yr old black male Labrador retriever. He will be running in the Junior on Saturday and Sunday. This will be his first Junior Hunt Test.
- Scout – Owned by Joel and Aileen Durrett
- Scout (aka. Scouty Pants, Scouty Bear & hey guys Scout needs to see the vet again) is a 1 ½ year old male yellow Labrador retriever. He will be running in the Junior on Saturday and Sunday. He ran in one Junior Test last fall and passed! He needs 3 more to get his title.
- Lu – Owned by Jim & Amy Cadena
- Lu is a 1 year old female yellow Labrador retriever. She will be running in the Junior on Saturday and Sunday. This will be her first Junior Hunt Test.
- Slinger – Owned by Woody Jackson
- Slinger is a 1 year old black male Labrador retriever. He will be running in the Junior on Saturday and Sunday. This will be his first Junior Hunt Test.
- King – Owned by Eric Smith
- King is a 15 month old black male Labrador retriever. He will be running in the Junior on Saturday and Sunday. He ran in 2 Juniors last fall and got 2 passes! He will earn his title this weekend if he passes both tests.
So, back to the here and now. Pete is running #12 today. They are on dog #7. The test is an inverted walkup triple with the flyer shot first up the middle, followed by the left hand mark thrown to the outside of the test with the final third mark converging with the flyer. The long bird is approximately 80 yards. Once you pick up the triple you have a blind deep into the left of the middle flyer at about 100 yards.
Pete went to the line the first time and the honor dog broke so he had to come off the line and move 2 dogs back to run again. When he came to the line the second time all went well. The birds fell into place and he marked them well. He picked up the first mark without a hunt, then the second he ran around the blind to get the bird with a minimal hunt, and then he literally stepped on the flyer bird. He had a 3 whistle blind that was just great!
We are headed back to the hotel now. Pete was number 12 to run out of 50 dogs. He just got finished and it is already 10:30. We will probably head back around 3:00.
OK, so we left the hotel at 3:00 to come check the progression of the test. When we pulled up they had moved but were still setting the test up (!), so we drove down the road and let the dogs air for about an hour. When we came back they had run 8 dogs. It was around 5:30 by now and there were still about 30 dogs to run before it was Pete's turn so we decided it wasn't going to happen today and went back to the motel.
Saturday March 28, 2009
We left the motel this morning at around 7:15 and went to air the dogs. We arrived at the Master around 8:30 and they were getting ready to start. There were not many people there so Pete got to run 2nd. The first dog had a "no" bird (they had a problem with the test) so it went back to the truck and will get to try again later. Pete lined up to run the blind, he started out, they threw the "poison" bird (a bird that's thrown while the dog is running to trick him up, they pick it up later) Eddie whistled to stop him, gave him a "back" cast and whistled to stop him again when the "mark" station got confused and threw their bird. So, Pete had a botched up run in the second series as well, but Eddie decided to go ahead and run him again instead of taking a break.
This test started off with a blind and an in route poison bird, after you pick up the blind they shoot a double. You pick up the double then the poison bird. After that you have one more blind and you're done. Pete had a squirrely blind but then picked up all the birds and the second blind beautifully. Still one leg to go.
After that we moved on to the Senior to run Bin & Biscuit. Bin was up first. This test was an out of order double (Short bird is thrown first followed by the long "Go Bird") with a flyer followed by a blind. Fairly straight forward and simple, so we thought. Bin picked up the marks like a champ, then Eddie lined him up for the blind and he "no-go-ed" him (he just sat there when Eddie called him to go get the bird), so Eddie took him off the line and that was the end of Bin's first Senior.
Biscuit lined up for the marks, the first bird came out just fine , then they threw the flyer and it went up about 1ft then straight to the ground. Eddie too her back and let 1 dog run then he went up again. She picked up the flyer bird great then had to handle to the second bird. He lined her up for the blind and sent her. She would not take a cast well and after several attempts to get her to the bird he pulled her and that was the end of her second attempted Senior.
Now on to the Junior. The Junior was set on a large flat piece of land bordered with trees and some water scattered around. There were 2 single marks. One to the right first at about 100 yards then one to the left at about 90 yards landing just over the back side of a little ridge. Gunner was the first up. He ran out and flew past the bird on the up wind side. He went way deep of the bird and hunted there for what seemed like forever. Finally with a little help he picked up the bird and that was it for him.
Scout was the second to run. He lined up, sprinted to the bird, did a small loop and picked it up. He lined up for the second bird; it came out of the blind and fell just short of the base of the tree. Now, there is about a 20mph cross wind, so if you don't go down wind of the bird your in trouble. He came off the starting line in true Scout form, fought the wind, kept a perfect line and ran right past it up wind. Well, it gets ugly after that, he hunted deep of the bird for a while before finally getting down wind of the bird and picking it up. That was the end of Scouts first Junior.
Slinger was the 3rd dog to run and boy did he show up the dogs that ran before him and save our name. He smacked both birds with a "hey, I've been doing this all my life" attitude. Go Slinger!
Lu was next to the line. Jim & Amy where here to watch her run her first Junior. She was typical Lu all the way to the line. Give me a bird, where's the bird? Jumping around like a rabid deer but still under control. Her marks were beautiful and graceful (gazelle like) like only Lu (aka. Sweet Lu or Skinny Lu) can do.
King, the seasoned Hunt Tester (2 Junior passes last fall) was next up to bat. He was much more composed than the others and did just great on his marks. No doubt he will be advancing to Senior soon.
After the Junior we searched the countryside for our Saturday Master Test (Master C). The sign was placed right before a gate entrance. Shortly after you entered the gate the road split and went in totally opposite directions. Unfortunately we took the wrong road and drove way out of the way to find that out. Eventually we did find the test.
We got out to see what was going on and were told they had not started the test for lack of bird throwers and dogs to run. My husband (God love him.) offered the services of the Cadena's and I. So, we went out and worked for 7 dogs until more help arrived. This was a nice test with one minor problem. They had to run a blind through a ditch filled with thorns and the result was some minor injuries. It started with the flyer being shot as the long bird which you had to "No" them off of and run 2 blinds. The first to the left and deep of the flyer, then another through a ditch with thorns, over a road and to the right of the whole test. After you picked up the blinds two marks were thrown. The first, coming out of a blind at the base of the hill that landed angled back at the end of a row trees in the ditch directly under where the flier landed (only separated by a mere 30 yards) and the second, was shot to the outside of the test over the line to the blind that you have already picked up. After picking up the double you then picked up the flyer.
I was in the field working the second "mark" station when Pete ran, but this is what I saw. He nearly lined the first blind. Eddie stopped him right before it to make sure he was on track. He had a bit more trouble with the second blind but managed to work through it without too much fuss. He picked up the first mark no problem but ran behind the gunner on the second mark. He ran past the flyer and had a bit of a hunt but worked it out and picked it up.
After we were relieved of bird duty we went to find Master B (from Friday). They had moved to the third and final series. This was a straight up triple in some running water with one bird being only 10 yards from the line. Pete went to the line and in true Pete form he got a "no" bird. Eddie pulled him off the line while they fixed the winger then he went right back to the line. Pete went right to the first mark; it was short and splashed in the water. Eddie lined him up right to the second mark. The third mark he went a little right and a quick cast got him back on track. That was the only handle Pete had in this Master. He should have passed and that will give him his Master title! Go Pete!
Next we went back to finish the Junior. When we got there they were waiting for dogs so we got to run them one after another. Lu went first this time. The test was very simple singles on flat land with a channel of water to cross. Lu took off for the first bird and jumped the channel! She picked up the bird then came back and jumped the channel again! The next bird was just the same. Everyone was amazed at her jumping abilities. She should have passed and earned her first leg of her Junior Title.
Slinger ran next and did just as well. His second bird went into the woods, but he went right in and got it. He should have passed and earned his first leg of his Junior as well. Plus, he has a little gazelle in him too!
King was the last dog of the day to run. He was solid as expected and we are proud of him.
We are headed to have dinner with the Cadena's at Gilbertos Mexican Restaurant. Then we will air the dogs one final time before we return to the motel for much needed rest. The wind was blowing 90-to-nothing all day and it really wore us all out. Not to mention all the dirt I have in my eyes, nose and hair. It was fairly cold most of the day but warmed up nicely when the sun was out. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be perfect. And hopefully the dogs that failed today will do better tomorrow.
Sunday March 29, 2009
Today started out with a minor mishap, flat tire on the trailer. After airing the dogs we drove to Mexia to the Wal-Mart tire center and they said it couldn't be fixed, so we had them put on the spare. Then we headed back to Fairfield for the Hunt Test.
Now, this may sound very trivial to have to put on a spare, but before Thursday we didn't have a spare. The last one mysteriously disappeared when the bolt that holds it on top of the trailer snapped. It has been missing for around 6 months. You see God didn't prevent us from getting a flat tire, but he provided us with a spare!
When we finally arrived we went straight to the Senior. Bin was first again today, and had just as many problems. The test was a diversion pop blind followed by a double. The marks were to the right of the blind, out of order, with the "go" bird landing across a small channel. Bin never got to experience the marks, because he refused to leave the line again. So disappointing!
Biscuit was next and she had a nice blind! She picked up the first mark then let the out-of-order-ness mess her up on the second mark. Eddie handled her to it, but it was not pretty.. Hopefully she will get called back, but won't be too surprised if she doesn't. After that we left to go to the Junior.
When we arrived at the Junior Lu was the first to run. The test was two singles up a hill with the first bird being the short bird on the left and the second bird being the long bird on the right. Lu went out and picked up the first bird, then went out and hunted a little on the second bird (I think she secretly knew where the bird was the whole time, she just wanted to stretch her legs).
Scout was the next to go. He went out and picked up the birds no problemo! See you next series.
King ran 3rd and made it look like he had done it 100 times before. He was a little disappointed it was over so quickly!
Gunner ran after King and made it look just as easy. Great come back from yesterday!
Slinger got the first bird just fine, but he got a little confused on the second and headed back to the first mark. So sad! Poor Slinger! Better luck next time buddy.
At the moment we are waiting at the Master to run Pete.. This is a great test! It's set at the end of a pond surrounded by trees and it actually looks like it would have ducks. It's a triple with the first two birds converging into the water with the third bird going on land up a hill across the water through the trees to the right of the first marks. After the marks are picked up a blind is planted just to the right of the second bird.
Pete, oh Pete. What can I say? If you have something that works, stick to it.. He lined up for the marks, boom, bird, boom………………..no bird. Yes, again! So Pete took a little break, let another dog run and then came back. This time he lined up and had no problems with the birds. He picked up the first one no problem, the second one no problem (although he could have taken a bit more water) the third one was a bit ugly. He took off ok then too a sudden left and ran through the woods instead of taking the water. The blind wasn't top notch either. He started off by leaving the line on his own, way off track, but handled well from there and got the bird without too much fuss.
So, back to the Junior for the final test. Wow, what a mess! They had the line on a peninsula with the first mark coming out and landing on land at about 8:30 if the line is at noon. The dog had every opportunity to run around the water and pick up the bird. Oh, and trust me they did! The second bird came up and landed at about 2:30, but it at least splashed in the water. The judges said the dog had to get wet, but if they didn't they would "talk about it"!? Not at all a fair Junior test.
Lu was the first on to attempt this debacle. She did great! She started off by popping-a-wheelie and flying into the water. She could care less about running around. Just don't get between her and the bird.
Scout went next and ran as quickly as he could all the way around the water. But, he did get the bird, and picked up the next one no problem.
King ran 3rd again and showed us again why he deserves to be here. He should have earned his Junior title!
Gunner was the last dog on our truck subjected to mass unfairness. He must have talked to Scout and found out it was easier to run around than swim, because he did the same thing. He did actually get in the water and splash around before picking up the bird though. Hope that counts! The last bird was a breeze for him, of course.
Well, it's now 4:40 and we are back at the Master for our final series and the last dog of the day. We just found out Biscuit failed this morning and won't be able to run the second series. They just moved the final Master test and are setting it up. Hopefully that won't take long and we will be able to run Pete soon and head for the big B.
Yeah! Pete is # 3 to run. This is water double with a poison bird shot coming in from the first mark. Pete was amazing! He so deserves to be a Master Hunter! He picked up all the birds with careful precision.
All in all it was a great weekend. Boring at times, ridiculous at times, but also exciting and relaxing at times. It is always nice to get away from the house and the everyday routine. The next hunt test is DFW Retriever Club April 18 & 19 in Ravenna . It is super close to home and I will be taking pictures there, but I will try to keep up with all the dogs and give a report.
Posts
