[Miriam Wade]

Jerry wrote:

My wife has been hunting but you would NEVER want her to attempt to set up a test and Judge your dog. That ability is not there. Experience is a fickle thing. As the saying goes, "one day's experience, repeated 20 times, sitll equals ONE DAY'S experience.

I'm less concerned with the person who doesn't hunt than the person who hunts, but doesn't run a dog in tests & claims "My dog picks up x amount of birds a season-I don't have anything to prove by running tests". Then turns around & sets up ridiculous (& sometimes illegal) tests. These are hunt tests NOT hunting. I have a huge admiration for the person who hunts & can bring their experience to the game, but the bottom line is that being an avid hunter does not necessarily mean you know bird placement in hunt test situations.

M

 

[Miriam Wade]

But what about the avid hunter who can't get his dogs to perform successfully at hunt tests? As much as I agree 100% that a judge should have hunted over a retriever, I also expect him to walk the walk in hunt tests. The excuse that "My dog picks up x amount of geese/ducks per season" doesn't cut it when they can't demonstrate that they can run the test level they are judging. The amount of control asked for in a Master/Finished blind or marking situation is far different than what you may find acceptable when it's you & the dog hunting & getting birds in your bag however you choose.

Disclaimer here-I am not hell bent on judging myself, so I'm not arguing the point in my defense & yes-I hunt.

Someone mentioned Uncle Bill as an example of a good judge who is also a hunter. In my neck of the woods I'd say Paul Young & Paul Stuart are of the same caliber. Again-though "just" being a hunter doesn't cut it. Show me you can walk the walk with your retriever & I'll respect your test a whole lot more than if you just tell me how many birds you bagged last year. M