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Southern California RC

9K views 37 replies 13 participants last post by  PaulaE 
#1 ·
The Open is starting with a double. The dog comes to the line and sees a black and white kite with two gunners way out in the field on a mound. They watch that single thrown left to right onto the flat. Then three gunners appear coming up from behind a mound short and to the right and shoot a flyer right to left down onto the flat in a corner formed by two roads. The line is on top of the road leading toward the flyer with a row of thick tumbleweeds right in front of the line on the way to the long bird. Some dogs are taking the cover. Others are going around the end and having to readjust their line. There is a shallow channel-like piece of water on the flat after the cover. Then the dogs must negotiate a dike, a road, and two channels of water on the way to the bird. The crosswind was blowing left to right for the early dogs but is expected to shift the other way later in the day. Many of the dogs are squaring the road and the two channels which throws them right (currently downwind) and they have to readjust or they end up way to the right and downwind where they are winding the bird. However, if the wind shifts, those dogs will be upwind and unable to wind the bird. A few dogs are not making it all the way out to the long bird and are having to be handled or picked up.

The judges asked the handlers to help them move the large field through the test efficiently by having the dog off leash in the holding blind before being called and moving offline to take the bird from the dog while the next dog is moving to the line. They started on time and it's taking about 4 minutes a dog.
 
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#2 ·
The Derby started with a basic double, both the memory bird on the left and the flyer go bird on the right thrown left to right. There were tumbleweed and thick cover to negotiate, especially on the way to the memory bird. All dogs were called back except #11 and #13.
 
#4 ·
The second series of the Derby had a tight double with marks converging but with the go bird short and the memory bird long. Both birds were thrown from dikes down to behind bushes below, although some birds were landing in the open. Many of the dogs ran up and over the dikes and hunted behind before coming back to find the birds. Call backs (27 dogs):
1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,15,16,17,18,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32
 
#7 ·
Open callbacks to the 2nd series. 62 Dogs. Dog #13 starts at 7am Saturday morning

1,2,4,5,6,7,13,15,16,19,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,29,30,31,32,33,34,36,38,41,42,43,44,45,47,51,52,54,56,57,58,59,62,66,67,71,72,73,74,76,78,81,83,85,86,90,91,92,94,95,96,97,98,101,102,104
 
#8 · (Edited)
Thank you, Judy...sounds like you saw the Open from the line..fantastic description.

After the long bird......"three gunners appear coming up from behind a mound short and to the right and shoot a flyer..."

Have had that just one time..in VT..part of a triple and the flyer was last and shot into a pond....quite exciting..caused some memory issues on the retired middle and left birds.

Thanks for the callbacks, Russ..

From the still frozen Northeast ..
 
#10 ·
The Derby finished the third series today. It was very difficult and confusing to many dogs. A memory bird was thrown right to left across a point on the far side of the pond, landing with a splash in the water. The longer go bird was on land beyond a big mound thrown right to left and fairly tight behind the other gunners. The terrain and water caused many dogs to take the memory bird first. As they dropped from the line on a mound down onto the flat, the long gunners disappeared while the memory bird gunners were very visible. Some dogs hunted long on the memory bird, winded the go bird, and either switched or returned to an old fall if they had already picked it up. Some got the memory bird but then could not get out to the go bird, often returning to the old fall on the water. There was a variety of work including some very good marks. Callbacks will be announced at the barbeque tonight.
 
#15 ·
Unofficial Derby Results:
1st - Rocky - van der Lee
2nd - Smoke - Koeth
3rd - Ford - Moore
4th - Emma - Redifer/Kiernan
RJ - Christensen - not sure which dog

There were several JAM's but I don't have them.
 
#16 ·
The Open land blind is long and with a narrow corridor. It starts as a no-see-em with a dry pop. The gunner in white is not visible to the dogs at the start but plays a part in the corridor later in the blind. The dog goes up over a road, sidehills a mound, goes through a narrow slot between the gunner on the right and a bush, down off a plateau onto the flat, over a point of cover, through a channel of water, to the left of a bush, into another channel of water and on to the blind on the face of a mound. The handler can move up to the road to handle once the dog gets to the first mound and can move up to the mound to handle once the dog gets past the gunner. Handlers have to move quickly to keep the dog in sight. There is a lot of suction to the right, first because of the gunner who the dogs think might have thrown a bird and then the heavy cover to the right of the line to the blind where the dogs want to go hunting. Another hazard is losing the dog in one of the channels. They should be about done with it now so I'll be heading over there to get the callbacks soon.
 
#17 ·
The Amateur began with a tight triple with two retired. First bird down is the long bird in the middle thrown left to right and landing near a small bush just short of a road. The second bird down is the short retired on the right thrown right to left and landing in front of a large bush. Last down is the flyer on the left shot right to left with three small channels of water to cross. Both memory gunners retire behind natural bushes. Most of the dogs are getting the birds, but there is a fair amount of hunting, especially on the long mark because there is a square shaped natural bush that attracts the dogs short of the long mark. Some have hunted the short bird and then switched to the long mark. The judges announced that they are hoping to complete the first series and run the second series today.
 
#18 ·
Thanks Judy for your detailed report. Good luck to you. Even though I no longer have a dog in anything I am following you all.
 
#20 ·
The Q started but I heard they scrapped the test.
 
#21 ·
Unofficial Open Callbacks (31 dogs):

1,2,6,7,17,22,27,32,33,38,41,42,43,45,47,51,52,56,62,72,73,74,82,83,91,93,94,95,97,98,104 And, yes, I know some of these were not listed in those called back from the first series last night. I don't know why the discrepancy. I did not hear either callback list first hand.
 
#22 ·
I heard that the Open scrapped the third series water blind because the dogs could not hear the whistles. They are setting up another test now.
 
#23 ·
The Open has scrapped it's second water blind and will start again tomorrow morning.
 
#24 ·
Unofficial Amateur Callbacks to the second series (41 dogs):
1,2,4,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,16,17,18,19,21,25,26,27,30,31,32,34,35,38,39,40,41,42,43,46,47,48,49,51,52,53,54,55,56,58,60

Scratches: 23,33,45
 
#25 ·
I got a quick peek at the Qual first series test although not from the line which is on a mound. It's a triple with the middle gunner retired. First down is the short mark on the left thrown right to left and landing in cover near the far side of a road that runs through the test. Second down is the longer retired mark also thrown right to left and landing nearly hip pocket behind the short gunner. Way off to the right is the flyer station with the flyer shot right to left. Lots of room to run between the retired gunner and the flyer. It's a very tough test and I'm told not many are doing it. There have been lots of handles and pickups.
 
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