Today's test will consist of a Land / Water Quad, and three gun stations will retire. The line is facing south and is gently rolling down hill to a mowed hay field with patches high cover. There are two little pothole ponds at the base of the hill from the line. The right pothole has an island. The left hand pothole is open. The second larger water is a more technical pond with points coming out from the east and west sides and islands to the left and right with high cover on the shores and on the points. Just behind the set of ponds are large square hay bales dotting the field with a treeline and mountains at the end of the field. The larger body of water will have irregular shore line with two extended points and dotted with islands.
The first bird down is a rooster pheasant flyer shot to the left. The gunners will retire behind a large stack of double height square bales that present themselves as veritable wall in the middle of the field. The distance to this mark is 340 yards. The dog will navigate the small pond with an island that sits in front of the large pond. The swim across the large pond takes the dog primarily through open water, but a small island and peninsula on the right could be options to grab some land.
Next bird down is a dead duck hen thrown from the end of the peninsula that juts out into the largest pond from the right. The bird is thrown to the right and lands at 178 yards. There is a small pond in front with an island that is in line with the right end of the big pond. The line to this bird is inline with the right end of the big pond. The dog will cross through the small pothole pond and over the island which lies in the middle across to the large pond where it will enter a cove to the peninsula to retrieve the bird.
The third bird down is a dead hen pheasant thrown to the right into the corner of a large patch of cover 196 yards from the line. There is a narrow cove on the left side of the large pond that dogs catch before running through mowed hay to get to the bird.This station also retires after the dog is sent.
The final bird down is a flyer hen duck shot to the left at 320 yards. The dog will encounter a small pothole pond on the way to the large pond that has a prominent point protruding from the left edge. The mark will fall in the field beyond the pond among the hay bales.
This test is taking about 20 minutes per dog.
Tenth Series – Land / Water with 2 Flyers and 3 Retired |
Right Retired Flyer – 340 yards |
Right Retired – 178 yards |
Left Retired – 196 yards |
Left Flyer – 320 yards |