[UGA Quackhead]

I am not trying to call anyone out but, I have never been hunting when the birds kept coming toward me as I was shooting at them. I believe that we should make "hunt test" as much like hunting as possible and the bird order is one way that this can easily be done. In "hunt test" senario's, I believe that the first bird to fall should be the closest and the last bird to fall should be the longest bird you have. I agree that there should be challengin marks but you should be able to accomplish this without building the dog up to break with a close flyer for the third bird down (I have never seen this hunting). I some of these senario's seen here make for great training but I personally do not want to train when I pay to enter a hunt test, I can train anytime. I guess I am making this comment to try explain that I think you can get good answers from dogs with well placed marks and not by making the dog do something that goes totally against what happens when hunting. (This does not pertain to AA or any field trial concepts.)

When I judges master test I try to make it as much like hunting possible and I think our sport will continue to grow if we keep it as close to hunting as we can.

 

[GulfCoast]

There are many of us who were taught to "leave the candy for last" and work from the back of the flock to the front when a wad of ducks has thier feet down. Its very typical to have a short splash bird last when you do it that way. I have found you kill more ducks that way, too.

 

[fishduck]

By always having the short bird first you are often setting up an indented concept. When I am hunting I will blow the whistle and put the dog on the bird. In a test the handle will be penalized. With a fully committed flock I will often let the first birds land and take the back birds first.

Not really trying to say you are wrong because an upper level hunt test dog should be trained to handle an indent. But wanted you to think about why you are setting up this concept. It is impossible to recreate a flock of 20 mallards dumping in the decoys.
Mark Land

 

[HYDROPHILIC]

Here's a playground for yall. About 10,000 set-ups you can do on this pond.

 

[HYDROPHILIC]

Can't get my PowerPoint to work on laptop so I cobbled up some PAINT lines on here. Pretty lame....

What do yall think of this test?

 

[Buzz]

Is #1 thrown straight at the line?

 

[2tall]

I want to know WHERE!!!! And I agree with Buzz, not sure about that throwing straight at the line, especially memory bird?? I sure am not saying its wrong, I just need an explanation of the test here.

 

[Huff]

looks to me to be thrown away from the line. It looks like to me the boxes are the holding blinds or gunners and the circle is the fall.

Russell

 

[HYDROPHILIC]

Yep the boxes are the wingers and the circles are the birds. I thought this would simulate a flock of birds coming in left to right killing them as the flare back and go away. If ran as HRC test I'd have the honor shoot bird two and both the honor and working shoot the last bird to setup the blind.

Would do a flyer for bird 2 if running as MH test.

This pond is ridiculous. Created by some guy with a trackhoe and way too much time. Filled with gators during the summer Gonna try to train it this winter and spring till the water warms up.

 

[Juli H]

I'd be interested to know what people think about the pitfalls of the blind (to the dog)..Looks like a very challenging blind - swim past the fall that was just picked up, stay along the shoreline, then on the point, off the point, stay in the water - possibly suck to the island due to wind and temptation, then near the last point and stay wet again...

what is the vegetation on the islands like?

tough blind -but, IMHO, acceptable for master....

Juli

 

[HYDROPHILIC]

Sandy banks. Broomsedge and Bermuda grass.

Pond is full of stick ups and covered with duckweed and watermeal.

I'll take a pic with my CrackBerry.