Wednesday, November 16, 2011
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This is a Land Triple with a mixed bag of birds and an Honor. The mat faces south, the terrain drops gently to the base of a draw. All three guns are up the hill across the draw. To the handler's left, the first bird down is a hen pheasant flyer shot to the left at 266 yards. The gunners will retire behind a natural blind of tules. The second birds is 149 yards left of the mat. These gunners throw a dead hen pheasant behind a heavy clump of cover. The throw is angled back to the left. The last bird is a hen duck flyer shot at 195 yards. The Gunners are in front of the mat, across the draw, and up to the right of the middle guns. The throw is a left angle back. There is a huge pat h of tules between the mat and the bird, forcing the dog to drive through the tules or else alter the line to the bird. The Honor is to the left of the mat.
Good morning! Once again the thick morning mist is hovering over the test area and it's moving slowly down towards the water. We will be waiting for some of it to burn off as the sun rises before testing gets under way.
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| The sun may set in the west, but the sunrises here in California are equally spectacular! |
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| Just look at the sunrise now!! |
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| Mary Alhgren with the Test Dog of the morning--"Poncho" |
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| Avery was kind enough to supply the Retriever News Team with a new tent since theirs was damaged yesterday. |
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| Bill Eckett, Dave Rorem and Alan Pleasant
The sun has risen now and it has warmed up! It has taken an hour and a half to run the first eight dogs....extremely large hunts have been the rule with a few exceptions. Out of ten dogs, there has been one pick-up and two handles.
The water is very low here and the dogs are running across the dry lake bed to get to the right hand flyer station.
   
Mary Ahlgren and "Poncho"
 
Arnie Erwin and Gary Zellner
   We have just had to take "Louie" off the line in an ATV...he was the Honor dog and was laying down on the honor mat after an exhausting hunt, so the Judges excused him from the line. Then Paul Sletten was up with "Shock" and he was given a rerun due to the fact that there was noise coming from the gunners in the field which caused confusion.
Food Wagon Menu for Today's Lunch
Stew
Hot Ham Sandwiches
Fresh Fruit
Ice Cream
....yum!Worker's Party Tonight is the much anticipated Worker's Party. It is at 6 pm at the FES Hall (140 N. Lee Ave., Oakdale). The map to get there is posted at the headquarters hotel. We're sure that everyone will look forward to a fun evening where they can blow off a little steam from all the hard work everyone has done to make this National Happen. Thanks, too to the Sponsors and Clubs who have donated towards this event. An announcement was made that the Chairman of each committee has been asked to go pick-up their worker's pins from this National at the Hostess Wagon. Molly Schlachter is set-up by the Hostess Wagon and is selling Portrait Prints of the contestants as well as a selection of Photographic Montages and Books. 
Julie Cole and the Official Bye Dog
   
Gwen Jones from Retriever News and Mitch Patterson
 
The Gunners return from their turn in the field
Ray Voigt
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The 2011 National Open is Dedicated To...
Dick and Claudia Fenner
It is with profound gratitude and extreme pleasure that the National Retriever Club dedicates the 2011 National Championship Stake to “The Legend” Dick Fenner and his loving wife, Claudia.
Dick Fenner began shooting National Championship Retriever Trials in 1974.
Sixty-four Nationals later, including sixteen as Pacific Zone Gun Captain; Dick is still shooting both Nationals each year. Dick has been shooting and gun captaining as a member of the Northern California Gunner’s Guild since 1974 and served as their president from 1982-2000.
Over the years, Dick’s involvement and leadership has cultivated and maintained the quality of shooting, camaraderie and member dedication that gives these organizations their purpose and legacy.
Through the decades as the consummate outdoorsman, field trial gunning has been a special part of Dick’s life, providing him with lifelong friendships, countless memories, and the continued opportunities to meet new friend and greet old ones. All of this would not be possible without the support and devotion of his wonderful wife of 39 years, Claudia. As the ultimate “Gun Mother”, Claudia is a key member of the behind the scenes team that makes gunning at Nationals such a rewarding and memorable experience.
We all are beneficiaries of their hard work and friendship, and offer our sincere thanks and wish them all the best.
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| Jerry Patopea |
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| Gary Zellner and Paul Sletten |
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| Paul Sletten and "Shock" in the final holding blind |
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| " S H O C K " |
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| "Shock" on Honor |
The Call of a Lifetime
They all count; however, some count more than others…
Squeaking in just under the wire -- FC Drake’s Bay Parting of the Sea, ‘Moses,’ managed to earn his first 1st in the very last qualifying Open of the season.
It was only nine days ago, late on Sunday afternoon, that Bill received the call of a lifetime. “Wayne [Curtis] called me and wondered if I wanted to go to the National.”
On his way back to Wisconsin from Georgia, Wayne decided to run the Open of the Mobile Amateur Club’s trial. “Moses needed a win and he got one,” says Bill.
Wayne arrived home last Tuesday evening, and then flew out to California the following morning. “That just shows the commitment on his part,” says the ecstatic owner. “He could very easily have said, Bill, I’m just worn out.”
Bill, who loves training, wanted to do more of it. He asked Wayne to find him a pup. Wayne did. Even beforehand, Bill and co-owner/wife Judy were thinking about a name. “Most Labs like water and my wife is biblically-inclined.” Hence, the selection of ‘Moses’ and his AKC registered name.
Moses ran fourth in the Fourth Series water blind. “It was a tough test. There was a lot of suction to the left. The wind and current is pushing them left. Everything is sucking them left.”
Bill is very admiring of the “very professional” group of folks who are here. “If you do bad, you’ve got competitors who’ll hug you and keep you going to the next series,” says Bill.
“This is a real thrill. This is it. This is for the marbles,” exclaims Bill.
~Joule Charney, Contributing Writer
Callbacks to the Sixth Series:
Dogs called back are: 2, 4, 5, 7, 14, 15, 18, 20, 22, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 36, 37, 38, 40, 42, 46, 47, 48, 49, 51, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 60, 70, 71, 72, 74, 78, 84, 85 and 88
Dogs dropped are: 23, 33, 35, 44, 61, 65, 67 and 75
38 Dogs are called back, starting at Dog#51
We are not moving to a new location for the Sixth Series.
Sixth Series -- Land Blind
The Sixth Series is a 290 yard land blind. The mat remains in the same position as the Fifth Series marks. The line faces southeast skimming a row of tules and proceeding up the far slope just to the right of the cl;ump of cover that hid the retired middle guns from the Fifth Series. They must then pass a pass a clump of cover where the middle bird was thrown. Once past those hazards, the dog climbs through a heavy row of weeds, across a mowed patch and then up the hill to the blind to retrieve a hen pheasant.
Dog #51 starts and Dog #55 will run last since he just completed his rerun. The Marshal, Linda Harger, has asked that all four holding blinds stay full so that we can finish this test today. At 2:47 pm, Test Dog Ruby came to the line and did a magnificent job., She was followed by Horns Or Halo who also did an excellent job.
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| Don Graves and "Ruby" |
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| Dean Ellis and Gary Ahlgren |
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| Mark Edwards, Chris Ledford and Ray Voigt |
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| Janis Olson with Horns Or Halo |
posted by Retriever News Team
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2:00 AM
