Callbacks for the Fifth Series

Here are the callbacks, 60 dogs back:  1, 2, 3, 5, 15, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 33, 34, 35, 37, 41, 42, 43, 48, 49, 50, 51, 53, 54, 57, 59, 63, 67, 68, 71, 72, 73, 74, 76, 80, 81, 85, 90, 92, 95, 96, 97, 99, 101, 102, 103, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 113, 117, 118, 120. 

Dog #57 will start the fifth test. Land marks are slated for Gary McIlwain's property. Test dogs will begin at 7:30 a.m. with the first running dog at 8 a.m. sharp.

The Bye-Dog Has Been Sent!

Callbacks will be given later at the hotel headquarters. 

It's Like A Jinx...

...but the LAST dog has a no-bird on the flyer. Only extra trouble is that this dog has already been through the "wait six" routine for an earlier no-bird...this is his second one, and he has to come right back. He's back, and he's off...

We Shall Finish!

...Second to last running dog is on line as we "speak" ... and the gallery is dwindling...

Loons Are Talking...

...In the distance every now and then, as the day winds down. They are to our northwest. There are the occasional frogs and evening birds "twittering" (seems to be a popular word these days) as well. 

Dog #24 and Al Wilson have just left the line with a good job to boot. 

Unfortunately, yet another handle...

...This on the left bird for #23. 

Another no-bird...

...while #20 sits on the honor mat, and now #2 comes back for his re-run which releases #20. 

Another Handle, this time for #12...

...on the short retired left-hand bird.  Now, while Norman is on honor, #15 has had a no-bird on the flyer.

No-bird Again

.....For dog #2, and he waits six dogs as another "Cutter" is about to run with 08 NAFC "Cutter" in the honor box.   

In the photo, Rob Reuter concentrates as #5, call name "Cutter" FC-AFC Inherit the River is just about to pick up the left-hand retired mark. 

Two performances...

...Worth watching, from #1 and #117, who came back for a rerun following a no-bird.  

A pop can undo things...

...Dog #122 popped in the heavy clumpy marsh grass en route to the left-hand bird and just before reaching the road this side of the water. A handle ensued which has become a pickup. 

No bird on the flyer...For dog #121

...which flew in toward line. Dog #122 is off and running...

...and unfortunately, on #121's rerun, a handle was needed and the Judges requested the dog be picked up. 

Here, Judge Peter Goodale talks with handler Tammy Zornacki on the honor mat.  

Gun Changes Have Been Timely...

...And handlers hurry to the line to view test four. 

Hunt, and Handle...

Oh, #119 had a hunt out of the area of the left retired and wound up with the long middle. Then, he handled on the left-hand bird. 

Another handle--uh, oh--is the tide changing...

...as #116 has just handled on the left-hand bird. Two in a row. 

Well, the good spell is broken...

...as #113 just now handled on the left bird. 

There Is A Chance...

...although it will certainly make for a very long day...

...to finish this test tonight. 

Time will tell.

A Word (or several) About Policy On Viewing The Test

...The policy thus far at this National, regarding viewing the test from the line, has been reserved to handlers only. 

This was put in place by the Judges because of the high entry number of dogs and a concern for time management. 

There is a chance that by the sixth series, if things seem to be well in hand, this policy will change and that once the handlers have had the opportunity to view the line, any interested folks in the gallery will be allowed to do the same.   

What the dogs are doing...

The terrain in this test is affecting the dogs in many ways...add to this a relatively close and rather exciting flyer (high and wide) and memory factors. 

A number of dogs are going wide on the left bird and then driving up the rise. While a portion of them bound several strides and then check down and produce numerous and varied hunts--including some out in the field and others around the tree which harbors the holding blind and retired guns/thrower--others are driving deep and never recovering. Some have taken this route to recover the long bird. Also on this shorter retired, some dogs are staying in the water and as it narrows to a channel to the right, some dogs stay wet and go up the channel and then get out on the near shore and hunt between the water's edge and the flyer guns before recovering and going back across the water and over to the bird. 

On the long bird, some dogs are driving straight up the slot and coming up with the bird in nice fashion. Others eventually round it up. Still others fall to the right on the first hill that's online (about equi-distant to the flyer guns) and then go over the left edge of the mound and out in no-man's land well to the right of the gun station, which is of course now retired. Hunts are produced there in which the dogs sometimes recover but more often result in handles. Other dogs get way left, often left of the left bird while attempting to recover the middle mark; some of these eventually wind the bird while others have to handle. Still others get deep in the woods and the brush-line at its edge; a few of these have picked up while others work their way back to the bird. 

Work on the flyer has also been interesting; many dogs get behind the flyer guns and end up hunting around the mound and the sloping hills found there and seem to get lost in the process. The bird is wide to the right from where these dogs are hunting, and when handled some dogs still can't get there in acceptable fashion.

It's a tough test and it's taking its toll.   

No-Bird on the Flyer...

...While #98 stays on the honor mat, #99 gets a straight in flyer and waits six. Here comes #100...

Here's Another Flyer Handle... Is Now A Pickup

...Dog #98 came apart on the flyer hunt and is now handling...  Now has said "Heel" ... this has got to hurt. 

Am sad to report...

...that #93, a handle, has now become a pickup at the judges request. And a gun change is now in progress.

Well...yes, you guessed it...

...another handle. This is #91, and the handle is on the shorter retired. 

Here's a truncated view of the gallery for your viewing pleasure.

Another Flyer Handle

...This is # 89...

Has now become a double-handle as he's had to handle on the short retired bird. 

It's raining, folks...

...the occasional sprinkle has given way to a bit more diligent rain...the radar doesn't look too ominous at this point...so we can hope this will be short-lived. 

#88 is attentive on his honor, rain or shine. 

Another going deep and left...

...and #88 handles on the left-hand retired bird.

Going deep and left...

...creates yet another handle, this time for #86. It has now become a double-handle/pickup. Ouch. 

Unfortunately, a Pickup for #84..and Now a No-Bird

...It appeared #84 never saw the flyer, and the dog retrieved the left retired first. When sent for the flyer he hunted for several minutes and then had to handle. The judges requested the long bird be picked up.

When #85 came to the line with #84 on honor, the flyer became a no-bird; it went way long behind the trees on the right. 

Another Handle on Left-Hand Bird

...#83 went way left en route to the left-hand bird, out of the parameters of the drawing near another island left of those pictured and then deep and had to handle from there. 

Add to the List...

Dog #78 has just handled on the long bird. 

Updated Summary on Handles and Pickups

Up to this point, here is a summary of handles and pickups on this test thus far, not necessarily in the order they ran, but in numerical order:

HANDLES: 30; 37; 46; 47--ALSO PU; 52; 55--WAS A RERUN--ALSO PU; 58; 59; 60; 62--THEN BROKE ON HONOR; 68; and 75.  

Handle on the Short Bird...

...After a nearly perfect line out to the shorter left-hand retired bird, #75 kept going and is now handling back to the mark. 

Here Is Series Four Sketch

Handle for #68

...Again on the long bird, :(

He Broke The Spell...

...Just now, #66 had quite a hunt on the long bird, but eventually worked it out. He was in the area, but couldn't come up with it and finally rounded it up. 

Honor Dog Just Broke...

#62 just broke on the honor...the dog on line, #63, will wait six dogs to run again. 

Ouch--A Bad Precedent Right Now...

Five dogs in a row have handled or picked up, this most current being #62; please see previous posting for the pickup. 

Sadly, Another Pickup

Unfortunately, #55 disappeared on the long middle bird and eventually had to be picked up.

Breaking Down At Short Station and Handling Deep...

...for dog #60, who went in to the right of the evergreen and made a few hunting loops...and was then handled deep to the middle bird.   

Another handle....

...On the long middle bird...for #59, this is a clean handle.  This test is drawing handles on both retired birds, and includes one on the flyer as well...for those of you keeping track. 

More Vivid Test Details...

...for inquiring minds...hope this is helpful. 

Also let me state that Suzanne King is on a quest to find sketch and drawing materials. Once I receive those things I will attempt to construct diagrams for all the test, including previous ones. We've been spoiled the past two Blogs with Pam Ingham drawings and mine won't measure up to those, but I'll attempt to give you an idea of the layout on each test. Although Jean Wu is here doing drawings for the upcoming published Retriever News write-up in the National coverage, her work is very technical and requires much time to complete. Once we get to later series where things are moving quickly, her drawings wouldn't be done. Hence, you'll have to suffer with me. 

The line to this test is situated on the top flat of a hill and faces primarily north. Teams are faced with a picturesque grassy field dotted with trees and mounds. An oblong pond scattered with islands is on the left and more or less mid-way out as handlers view the test, and a ribbon of water winds out of it to the north toward the back of the field. A point comes out from the right hand side of the pond, somewhat en route to the shorter bird, and forms the beginning of the "channel" of water that then winds out into the field, again in a more or less "S" pattern, or at least a boomerang. 

--The left hand station at 165 yards is hidden behind a large fat evergreen and the gun and thrower come out from its right side (from our perspective) and stand in front of it to throw left down the far bank. The line to this bird is down the steep of the hill, through grasses, a line of shrubbery and bushes, into wet bunchy cover, over a road (this road goes through the field on the near side of the pond and continues on and out of the test to the right) and into the corner of water on this side of the aforementioned point, over the point, back in the ribbon of water, and out up the bank a few feet. 

--The middle station is long in the middle of the field and about 40-50 yards from the far wood-line that rims the field. These gun/throwers come out similarly to the left bird from around a bush to the front of it and then they retire within it. This bird is thrown to the left at 260 yards and falls behind the ribbon/channel lined with tules as this channel runs from southeast to northwest at that point. The line to this bird is down the hill, through the same cover changes as the left bird and then out over a rising hill from the point, into the channel of water and then out while shaving the right side of the evergreen where the left bird is retired, across a grassy area, into and out of the ribbon/swale through tules to the bird. 

--Well to the right and much shorter at 130 yards is the flyer station, positioned to the right of a mound and in front the leading edge of a point of trees. They flight and shoot a hen mallard to the right. It falls across the road that traverses the field in light cover dotted with early summer flowers. The line to this bird is down and through the same challenges as the other two birds, then up a hill that slopes left, right, and up.            

Wind is primarily southeast and holding pretty steady compared to our first two days. It sometimes blows from the east and even northeast, however, which helps some dogs that are left of the long middle bird or even the short bird. Thus far it's been holding at around 5 mph. The temperature is now 74 degrees, up from high 40s this morning. 

Handle for #58

...this dog went left of the short bird area and required a handle deep to the middle retired bird.

Handler Kim Johnston waits on the honor mat. 

Storm Search

A watchful eye has been on radar all morning. There is a storm about eighty miles wide and a hundred miles long that is moving slowly to our west. It may miss us entirely, or... we may get wet. There are other smaller areas of precipitation dotted around the radar but nothing presenting warnings to us just yet. 

In this photo, #57, "Bingo" doesn't seem phased by the weather. 

...The Birds In The Field...

...Have been picked up, and a bye-dog took the honor spot for the next running dog, #49, who is up for his re-run following his no-bird and the "wait six" dogs.  

Dog #55 was released for the birds...

...but had a flyer that many considered no-bird status, which the judges decided as soon as the dog was released...

The dog was picked up under control and will run again in six dogs.

FYI--Technical Difficulties With "Report"

FYI--Tina's report is not up yet due to technical difficulties with her equipment, in part being that every time she completes her post/information and goes to "publish" it, the entire text/photos are wiped out. 

This is being worked on and will hopefully be resolved soon. Thanks in advance for your understanding. 

Update On Handles..And One Help/Pickup

 Okay, just an update for summary purposes...there have been four handles on this test thus far, those numbers being 30, 37, 46, and 52. IN addition, #47 required help from the guns on the long middle bird. 

I'm putting together a more elaborate description of this test and will put it in a new post shortly.

A Handle Back To The Flyer...

...Dog #52 is now being handled back into the flyer...

No-Bird Right After Gun Change

...The first dog up after the gun change, #49, had a no-bird on the short retired, and waits six dogs... 

After an island hunt and a deep run...

...Dog #46 has handled back into the short bird.

Following this performance, #47 needed help to recover the long bird. 

Here is a view of the holding blinds from behind the test to the right. 

An unusual route...

...Dog #40 went left of the short bird "true line" and skimmed the island, went deep and then worked his way to the right into the area of the long bird and rounded it up. 

A few dogs later, #42's handler, Wendell Williams, had to round up his dog after leaving the honor. Some folks in the gallery helped in this effort. 

Dog #30 is handling...

...on the long retired. The dog went in to the right of the tree where the short retired is ensconced, and broke down, requiring the handle to the long bird. 

Dog #37 also handled...on the middle bird. 

Variety of Hunts...

...There are a variety of hunts being turned in thus far on this test.

This dog is licking her lips while viewing birds on the honor.

Dog #29 had an extremely long, wide and ranging hunt on the shorter retired, and then went and pinned the long retired bird.  

Two Hunts That Many Would Like To Have...

...for the second dog, as he turned in a respectable performance...

She Set the Standard...

...for the day...for this test. :) Here the team sets up on the honor mat after delivering the last bird.

Crowd-pleasing Short Bird

...Jerry Lee just put the shorter retired bird right between her front paws...

Guns are going off...

...for the first dog, #25, with Lynne DuBose handling.

Short bird handle for Sunny...And Test Description

...He crossed the water left of the bird and was going to drive deep; he was then handled to the right and in back to the bird. 

This test is all hen mallards, with a flyer on the right shot to the right at 130 yards, and the two retired marks are both thrown to the left. The shorter of the two is out at 160 yards and the long bird is at a distance of 265 yards. There is an honor on this test.

Still more to come on description details...   

Double Handle...

on the first test dog of Lorraine and Fannie. 

Guns have just gone off for Gary and Sunny. 

First Test Dog is Handling

...First test dog stepped to the line at 6:44 a.m. and is handling on this land/water triple...with two retired marks.

More to come...

Could be a Wet One...

...Currently is 47 degrees and cloudy...forecast is for 50% chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. Winds are expected of 5 mph and increasing to 10-15 mph from the southeast. 

More to come...we'll see what the day brings!