Last Dog For The Day...

...is on line. Brooke wants that pheasant! (see photo later tonight)

And #34 does well to close out the day. 

There will be no partial callbacks.

Sadly, another pickup...

...as #33 requires help...and then the handle becomes a pickup.

Am Sorry to Break the News...

...after numerous pretty nice jobs, which also include 24, 25, 26, and 27...the long bird proves too much for yet another dog as #29 handles to recover it.  

Roll Tide... !

... That is a Southern thang... it was a golden opportunity... I just couldn't help myself!

Back to the subject at hand... 

Tide, #28, just turned in a beauty :)

Another nice one in the books...

...so to speak. This one for dog #22. 

Official Announcement...

...The last running dog for today will be #34. 

This test will resume in the morning with dog #35. Test dog will run at 6:30 a.m. and the first running dog will take the mat at 7:00 a.m.

A Nice One!

For dog #21 on this test :)

This Makes Three in a Row...

...and four out of five. Dog #20 has just handled on the long bird as well. 

Unfortunately, another handle...

...on the long bird, for #15. He went way to the right initially but then went deep and curled left toward the bird, kept correcting and kept correcting and then kept going, right past the bird and on toward the flyer...producing the handle. 

Inherit the River "Cutter" is Handling on the Long Bird...

....after three nice marks, including the long flyer. .. just as Rob put his hand down and sent him, Cutter looked off to the left. The catbird was talking and let me tell you--that catbird can be loud, and is close, and is down where the short retired bird is...may not have had a thing to do with it, but everything happened within that split second...and furthermore, it just took one cast, from down there, to take Cutter all the way to the long retired. That hurts...

NAFC Cutter

A beauty was just knocked out by 2008 NAFC Cutter. 

John Stracka Studies...

...the performance of his dog, #106, who delivers a good job for him. 

Nellie Handles...

...on the long right retired. She got quite a bit right of the bird, which is also upwind. 

Going Left on the Right Bird...

...and then, #118 handles to recover the long retired.

Auggie Virtually Speared the Long Retired...

...but also did have a long flyer hunt.

No-Bird Jinx for Stracka?

Up with #96, he had a no-bird. Now, up with #106, he has another no-bird. Hmmm. Good luck, #106, on your rerun.  

On the Heels...

...of a big right-middle flyer hunt, dog #113 had to handle on the right retired mark. 

"Tommie Figured It Out"

...on dog #103's rerun after starting a bit right in the first water for the long retired, he worked out the bird. 

This picture is from a left angle and doesn't show the mound that the bird is on.  

Winds are Increasing...

...10 miles an hour is now the norm, with gusts pushing 20 mph... although it's pretty much staying at a southeasterly direction overall.  

No-Bird on #109...

...on the rooster flyer, which curled hard in a big gust of wind. 

Shaq smiles for the camera. Legs: Courtesy of Bill Fruehling. Nice re-run when Shaq came back. :)

...It Can Happen At Any Time...

...Dog #108 came unglued while questing for the short retired bird, hunting wide and in until he almost made his way back to the line before he was handled to the bird. ,

Ouch--Louie Churack and #97 with Second No-Bird

...so, he comes back in six more dogs for his third trip to the line.  

Uh--oh, A Handle

...for #96 on the right long retired. This was on his second trip up here after a no-bird, for what that's worth...

Is The Catbird Unhappy?... But Pirate is Psyched...

...Yes, indeed, we have a catbird sitting in one of the close evergreen trees this side of the short retired holding blind. 

...And Ms. Catbird is voicing her opinions of our activities...quite regularly. 

In the meantime, Pirate, #107, jogs off the line. 

Good On You!

That's how Jimmy Darnell feels with #105 after having a nice job on the test. 

No-Bird for #103

... again on the drake mallard flyer...this one went hard back and deep of the guns.

The flyers are being shot into the wind which is blowing mostly about 5 mph from the southeast. However, the wind puffs up with more substantial gusts unpredictably. It's also doing the variable dance as we've seen over the past few days.

Pogo Finished This Test...

...with a flair. Although she had a hunt behind the long flyer, she went out after that and quite simply drilled the long retired hen pheasant in crowd-pleasing fashion.  

Here she worships co-owner and handler Martha in the holding blind. 

That Pesky Drake Flyer...

...while it's not producing many handles, it sure is producing many hunts of every description. Behind the gun and way behind the gun, looping and circling and running, also hunts short of the bird that eventually work into the mark. These are the primary hunt patterns thus far...with others of course.   

Here's Another No-Bird

...This one for #97.  The no-bird was on the long right-middle station which is the drake mallard flyer. It went way long...

Dog #96 Gets A No-bird

...on the rooster flyer. 

Way Ta Go, Pard!

...It got a little spicy out there, but Pard stayed out of trouble and brought home four birds.

Here, Brad Clow prepares to send him for his last bird.

Another Record Gun Change

...These folks get the job done. Handlers and gallery view the line in the interim. 

Here some of the crowd heads for a look.

A Handle For Birdie

Dog #92 handled  on the right hand bird after not missing it by much and then heading off the mound toward the long flyer.

Also, this long flyer is producing quite a number of varied hunts as well...more on this as I'm able...  

We Just Had Another Handle...

...A quick one on #85 on the right-hand retired bird...it appeared that the dog marked the wrong mound from this perspective. 

Handling with Trouble...

...Dog #81 went left for the right-hand bird, and handled, got deep between the right-middle (flyer) and the right-hand bird during the handle, and now has the bird. 

Missy and Blue are in the Clubhouse...

...Rounding up all the birds...and Blue feels good... 

Unfortunately, the Start of a Handle...

...sadly became a pickup for #63. Tiger went way right for the right-hand bird and ended up in the area of the right-middle long bird. He tried to handle but had to pick up as it deteriorated.

Here's Your Sign...

...Today's sign in the final holding blind tells handlers that they have 20 seconds on the mat to call for the birds.

Gallery Was Allowed To View This Test...

...Which means that this courtesy was moved up from the rumored sixth series to current times. It appeared to be greatly appreciated, as everyone invests much time, money and often work to attend these Nationals. An extra dimension is added when it's possible to see--from the line--what the dogs must tackle for each test.

A Scratch In Mid-stream

Dog #37 is no longer with us, having been scratched by his handler this morning.

A Handle on the Short Bird Just Now...

...with #71...this dog is still running...

A Nice Performance...

...was just turned in by #68.

We Have the First Handle... Amend That

On #67...Change that to a pick-up. Ouch.

First No-Bird of the Day...

...was on the rooster flyer for #63. Now, #67 is currently running the test.

This Test is Rolling...

...at 8:13 a.m. with the oldest dog in the field trial running first, #57, DOB 1/14/98. Currently the second dog is on line.

Brief Test Description for Now...

...Gary and Sunny, the first test dog team, did the test without handling and with a hunt. Lorraine and Fannie are after their fourth bird at this time.

Insert: Lorraine is currently handling.

The test is a land quad...there are pieces of water in this beautiful field at Gary McIlwains property; for those of you that were here four years ago, we are in the portion of field where the 10th series was held at that time.

This test is a mixed bag--meaning several different birds--and has two flyers and two retired birds. A long right-hand bird, a dead hen pheasant, is thrown first at 306 yards distant, followed by a left middle short dead hen pheasant at 106 yards across a road. These two both retire. Third is a drake mallard flyer at right-middle position and at a distance of 310 yards...yes, this bird and the first dead bird are about equi-distant, but it doesn't really look like it from line. Then, in a swing to the left, a big rooster pheasant flyer is shot into the test at 155 yards.

A Lot Goes Into Setting Up Tests

...And the efforts of many workers and much equipment is needed to get the job done in a timely fashion. Here, you can catch a view of setup for the rooster flyer on this setup in one photo, and the brushing of the holding blind for the short retired bird.

Note its proximity to the throw of the short left-middle bird, which is a tight angle back across the road.

The first test dog has kicked off...

...the beginning of this land quad. Gary McIlwain is on the line with Sunny.

A new day is dawning...

...45 degree a.m. temperature and a forecast for just 72 degrees at the high...30% rain chance. We'll see what the day brings.

Out at the grounds, anxious handlers and gallery watch the fifth test being set up out in the field.