***** ATTENTION ******

The 10th Series will be held at Scott & Alice Carruth's Pin Oak Kennels in Raveanna, Texas

Callbacks to the 10th will be given at Pin Oak Kennels

******** We have very poor cell coverage here. We will do the best we can but we will be delayed in reporting ******************

Conclusion Of The 9th Series

We concluded Series 9 Water Quad at 11:38 am

We will announce callbacks to the 10th and final Series.

Granny Lou's

Granny Lou's B&B – an oasis of hospitality in Bonham, Texas …
"What happens on the patio, stays on the patio."

Setting Up The 9th Series Water Quad With An Honor

hustle and bustle.......getting gunners..........birds..........shells..........holding blinds.......

 

Directions To The 9th Series

We will be having the 9th Series at Dave Fowler's property.

Callbacks to the 9th

18 are back to the 9th Series

7, 8, 11, 31, 36, 43, 46, 48, 51, 59, 72, 76, 89, 90, 92, 94, 95, 96

Dogs dropped are

1, 5, 17, 20, 25, 27, 28, 30, 33, 39, 40, 44, 45, 54, 61, 68, 71, 77, 79, 80, 83, 85

22 dogs dropped

#72 will start 

End Of The Day

Conclusion of the 8th Series Land/Water Quad at 3:41 pm

We will hold Series 9 at Dave Fowler's.

Callbacks will be posted later tonight.

Test dog 6:30 am

Running dog at 7:00 am

Chatter Part 2

Gallery Chatter


"there are many ways to win a national but running at 7 am is not one of them"

"you don't need good luck, you just can't have bad luck"

"it isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, its what we know that ain't so."

"Sometimes they just throw out an anchor and hunt"

"I need me some more cow bell!"

"you know what the lama says? Gunga galuna"

"if you fill a room with clowns a circus will break out"

"dogs go where dogs have gone"

"non shall be as blind as ye who will not see"

End Of The Day

Series 6 & 7 concluded at   3: 48 pm.

We will be back at Edwards Training facility for Series 8. Edwards Training facility is located east of downtown Bonham, Texas on TX-56.

Test dog will be at 6:30 am

Running dog will be at 7:00 am

We will have callbacks to the 8th series later tonight. 

Conclusion Of Series 5

The test was in the books at 9:57 am

Now we make a mad dash to the opposite side of the southern field at Edwards Training facility for  the Series 6 blind.

Drive Safe!

Conditions Report.

at 7:30 am

59'F is the current temp, but it does not feel like almost 60 degrees with the wind whipping at my back. There is a nip in the air even tho it is blowing out of the south at 13 mph with it gusting to 22 mph.

End Of The Day

The test ended at 5:30 pm

#64 ran and Picked Up on the Flyer.

This dog will be rerun in the morning.


We will resume Series 5 in the am at the Edwards Training Kennel.

Test dog will be at 6:30 am

First running dog will be at 7:00 am

Tips for using the Blog "Tabs"

A NEW FEATURE!

Along with the new look of our blog, came a few new features! Almost everything works exactly the same as it has in years past, but here is a quick tip to help you navigate your way!
 

Using the Top Tabs…

This part of the blog is pretty simple. The new tabs on top make finding certain information on the blog really easy for you! It works just like a regular website!

Here are the top tabs highlighted in "web view" or from a laptop or desktop computer:

Here is what the top tabs look like on a device, or phone:

On your phone you click the arrow as shown above, and all of the available tabs will appear for you to choose from. On a desktop computer or web view, you just click on any tab, such as the Order of the Draw, to see the information on that page. In the case of "The Order of the Draw" you will see....The Order of the Draw!!

Or click "1st Series" to see the Test 1 info, "2nd Series" to see test 2 info, and so on . There are also tabs for "The Finalists", "Our Sponsors" and "Blog Instructions". When you click on each of these tabs it will open up that page of info on the blog, when you are done viewing it that tab, simply click on the "Home" tab to get back into the regular blog action!

Conditions Report

at 10:28 am

When we began Series 5 Water Triple it was 58'F on a beautiful Bonham blue bird day! Winds began light and variable. At 9:30 am it has warmed to 61'F winds are out of the south to southwest creating gentle ripples on the pond. Its a great day for a dog trial!!

Series 5 Water Triple with An Honor

We arrived bright and early at Edwards Training Kennel owned by Mark Edwards. We drove the ranch road over a large dam to a big hillside overlooking two ponds. The two ponds are about a half acre each and they are nestled in the bottom of a bowl shaped piece of terrain. The sun is rising over our shoulders and the steam is dissipating from the ponds for a picturesque view a top of this big hill.

The mat faces due north overlooking the south side of the Edwards Training property located on TX-56 just east of downtown Bonham, Texas. This test for Series 5 is a Water Triple with an Honor. It will be the first honor included in this 2016 National Retriever Championship. The first bird to be thrown in this triple is due north of the mat measuring a distance of 340 yards. The gunners are positioned high on the far hillside across the first pond to the east. This gun station throws a dead Rooster to the right landing in a depression of heavy cover. The fall of the bird lands deep and tight to the back side of the Flyer station, some refer to this concept as a reverse "Hip Pocket" or affectionately referred to as the "Sanger Special," a phrase coined by none than old-time field trial pro, Jim Swan who happens to reside in Sanger, Texas to this day. A good line to this bird seems to be a bit of a swim cutting a sizable corner of the first pond. The first mark will be referred to as the middle retired or MR since these gunners retired behind a bulky tight group of trees.

The next mark to be thrown in this triple is about 20 degrees to the west located on a point protruding from the north western shoreline of the second pond. The second mark to be thrown is a dead Hen Pheasant landing at the on the opposite shore from the base where the gun station sit. This Hen is landing on the shore in medium to heavy cover. This station retires into an clump of dark brown grasses. The second mark will be referred to as the left retired or LR and it is measuring a distance of 204 yards.

The "go-bird" or last bird down as some say is a big swing across the test to the northeast. It is a Drake Mallard Flyer thrown to the right landing in a and around a enormous gully with heavy cover. We will refer to this mark as a Flyer and it measures a distance of 228 yards from the mat. All birds require a swim of vary distance en route to the fall area. We are average between 15 and 17 minutes per dog to complete. Once the dog has delivered the last bird the handler moves to another mat east of the first. Here the handler dog team will honor the shots and throws of the next competing dog before they are excused and considered to have completed the test. This is a big test with some meat to it! Good Luck To All!

Middle Retired – Rooster Pheasant

Left Retired – Hen Pheasant 

Right Flyer – Hen Duck

End of the Day

We finished Series 3 and 4 at 4:58 pm.

We will continue the rest of the posts with some pictures, etc. We will announce the callbacks and the test site for Series 5 as soon as we can.

Test Dogs Series 3rd Land Blind and 4th Water Blind

Craig Stonesifer and "Krumz"

Land: Down first berm on the right up next berm, then down; casted back up the berm; worked to keep the line.

Water: got to the top of the mound, out into flat; missed the water and got the bird.

"Maddie" & Misty and Craig & "Krumz"

Missy Melo and "Maddie"

LB: down the first berm, onto the 2nd berm angling the eastern hillside, up to the crest and got the bird.

WB: gave a cast to carry to the crest, gave two casts to adjust line on the land just shy of the pond, a cast into the water the dog swam to the dam and retrieved the bird clean.

Series 3 – Land Blind and Series 4 – Water Blind

Series 3 and 4 is a land blind, water blind combination series. The land blind will began at the top of a highly elevated, long slender mound. The mat faces due north and is positioned directly to the south of the mound where Series 1 of the 2016 National Retriever Championship started. The land blind is measuring at roughly 210 yards. The objective for this blind appears to run straight off of the first mound angling the western face of the mound to the dead Rooster Pheasant. The end of the blind is a bit tricky as a little bush marking the bird sits on the northern crest of the 2nd mound where the line to Series 1 began. One quick move and the dog could go disappear quickly. 

Once the land blind is complete the handler moves to the east where a mat is place on the eastern side of this large lengthy mound. The water blind starts with the dog and handler east of the land blind on the angle of the side hill. The water blind is a "no see-um" start and intersects the line to the land blind. When the dog reaches the crest of the mound the handlers may walk to the top to handle their dog. However, it was instructed that there is only lateral movement allowed and no forward movement permitted while the handler is handling the dog. 

The water blind is measuring a total of 270 yards with majority of the blind being on land approximately 220 yards from the water edge. The dogs must cross over a four-wheeler path that leads to the top of the dam. The line to the blind carries the dogs to the west away from the action of Series 1 Land Triple. As the dog approaches the pond they need to catch a small corner of water just south of the dam. The dead Drake Mallard is sitting on top of the dam indicated with a tiny green bush. Again, if the dog makes any unexpected moves on top of the dam they will go out of sight from the handler. This seems to be the theme for both the land and water blind. Handlers are going to have to aggressively attack these blinds and challenge the line to the blind to be in contention for this 2016 National Retriever Championship. To complete both blinds it is taking between 4 to 4.5 minutes per dog/handler team. Good Luck To All!!!

Land Blind – the bush at the end of the right side of the berm

Water Blind – "no see-um" start

The view of the blind with the blind planter standing at the base of it

***** ATTENTION *****

The excitement continues as we go into the third series today. The 3rd/4th Series is located in area with very limited connectivity, so our posting will be delayed due to the RURAL internet service and bandwidth we have available to us. For now we will be posting text only with pictures and video to post when the news team returns to the hotel at the conclusion of the day.  Thank You for your understanding and patience!!!

Series 2 Complete

Series 2 Land & Water Triple is in the books at 9:37 am. We now expeditiously move equipment and workers to the next testing site for Series 3 and 4. Series 3 and 4 will be in the general area of Series 1 on Pin Oak Kennels.