Qualifying stake Question.

[Jon Hass]

So I am chewing on the idea of running a qualifying stake next month. I spent the majority of last night looking for rule books outlining distance of marks and so forth but to no avail. Can some one walk me through a basic "kinda what to expect". i have played the Master game. How does it compare to a master? How many series? Distances and so on.

Thanks in advance!

[Kyle B]

Typically 4 series, unless they combine blinds with either marks are double blinds. Expect a land triple in the first series with a simple retired mark and a water triple with a simple retired mark in the last series. There is no distance restrictions in field trials, but you could expect the long mark to be in the 250-300 yard range. Blinds may have an exposed gunner or dry pop but usually not a poison bird, expect them to also be in the 250-300 yard range. Water blinds shouldn't be as difficult as AA blinds, but will probably have points, angle entries & shorelines if they are available on the piece of water. Have fun and let the Marshal (and judges if they will listen) know that this is your first qualifying, they may take more time explaining things to you.

[Russ]

There is usually a set of land marks, a land blind, a water blind and a set of water marks.There is no limitation on distance. The blinds may be run in conjunction with the marks

You may see 400 yd marks or blinds but they are usually less than 300 yds. There is usually one retired gunner on each set of marks. The required precision on the blinds may be tighter than you may be used to at Master. For the marking tests, work on long retired punch birds past a shorter mark, check downs, two down the shore, etc. Work on getting your dog to focus on the 275 retired gun station when there is a live bird station 100 degrees off it at 100 yds. For the blinds, work on getting through tight keyholes, channel blinds, going over points & islands and going past points & islands.

I would recommend watching a Qual if you have any opportunity ahead of time.

Russ

[Scott Adams]

Getting into FT's is best looked at when you are new, as setting your goals with baby steps. Your first trial you could win, or maybe just get through the 1st series. When you start finishing them, it is only a matter of time until you start placing. That attitude kept me playing. I'm most competitive with my last accomplishment.

[Mary Lynn Metras]

Yes I agree with Scott. Set goals and go at it in baby steps. I had no idea what to expect b/c had done HRC. Then I spent several days training this summer in MI with Al Arthur (great teacher and person) and loved FT and the work involved. I would say just try the Qual and go from there. Good luck to you!

[Jon Hass]

Thanks everyone. My girl can go big. But like I said we do the hunt test game. She has seen white coats but not in a good while. Sounds like a lot of fun. I have a few more weeks before I have to enter. Thanks for the info.

[DoubleHaul]

The difficulty of the Q will vary significantly, usually depending on the number of dogs to get through. If I were to describe the typical FT Q around these parts, it would be:

First series--triple with one retired. The memory birds will usually be a hip pocket of some sort.
Second series--land blind, probably tight to the flyer station from the first with at least some other good tough factor (keyhole, batch of cover,etc)
Third series--water blind. Longish angle entry. Either swim by a point or get on or off, but not both. If the water is not great, there may be a poison bird.
Fourth series--water marks. Will vary significantly depending on what the field looks like to that point and what kind of water the judges have to work with. Usually will be a triple with one retired and long run to get in the water.