This morning, we are back at the Third and Fourth Test Combination Series located on Jack and Laraine Unbehaun's beautiful property. We are beginning the morning with different conditions than yesterday with cloudy skies, the sun peeking through and a stiff wind out of the east that has just come up. Cover is medium to heavy in this gorgeous field over-looking a slightly technical pond. The tests consists of a set of double interrupted watermarks with a water blind.
The handler instructions are that the marks will be shot first and the handler is to pull the dog off of the marks and then run a water blind. The water blind is to be completed and then the marks are to be picked up. We have a long bird throwing a mallard drake, shooting twice and throwing the bird from left to right. This bird is at 330 yards and will retire after the flyer has been shot. The flyer is shorter and left of the long bird measuring 118 yards. It is a mallard as well. This bird is thrown from right to left. The gunners have been instructed to maintain a neutral position. (meaning they are to be facing the handler at the line, not indicating which way the bird has been thrown)
The blind is run down a hill along the side of a pond for about 68 yards, before the dog reaches the water, where then the dog is required to get into a small channel, and angle the channel to the shore where the rooster pheasant is planted. at the base of tree. The blind is calculated at 173 yards.
