2011 MNRC Report

Day 8 - Sunday, October 9, 2011 - Closing Ceremony

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Brought To You By

Good morning! Well, the last day of the 2011 Master National is upon us. This morning the Headquarters hotel is buzzing with activity as people prepare for their trip home later today.

All smiles at while looking at Steve Surfman's photos.

The Pavilion was being readied for the Closing Ceremonies ...

... while the MNRC trailer was being cleaned out ...

... while the "Official Catalogs" were being prepared ...

.... while the plates and ribbons were being laid out ...

... more finishing touches ...

Commemorative Qualifier Bands

People were busy taking photos in front of the Master National logo.

Bowlers were the hat of the day.

At 10:00 am, the closing ceremonies will commence, and this years qualifiers will be announced. We congratulate all of this years entrants, great job!

The MNRC Board of Directors congratulated each and every handler that qualified.

Everyone wanted the commemorate this moment.

Hey All! It was a beautiful morning here at Anatidae Farms as the closing ceremonies were completed this morning.

After thank you's from John Marchica to all the sponsors, workers, board members, land owners and the Judges, all of the 259, 2011 Master National qualifiers were announced and congratulated by the 2011 MNRC Board and this years judges...as well as all those in attendance.

Congratulations to All the Qualifiers!

Flight A Qualifiers
Dogs Entered: 192
Total Starters: 185
Qualifiers: 95
5, 6, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 36,

38, 41, 42, 43, 45, 47, 52, 55, 56, 57, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 72, 73, 74,

76, 77, 81, 84, 85, 88, 90, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 99, 101, 105, 107, 109, 112, 116,

118, 119, 120, 128, 129, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 153,

154, 157, 158, 160, 163, 165, 166, 172, 177, 178, 179, 181, 182, 183, 186 and 187.

Flight B Qualifiers
Dogs Entered: 191
Total Starters: 185
Qualifiers: 73
1, 11, 14, 19, 21, 24, 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 37, 43, 45,56, 59, 61, 65, 69, 71, 73, 75,

76, 78, 80, 81, 84, 86, 87, 88, 90, 92, 98, 99, 100, 102, 108, 109, 118, 119, 121,

122, 123, 127, 129, 132, 134, 136, 143, 144, 148, 150, 151, 152, 153, 158, 162, 164,

165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 179, 183 and 186.

Flight C Qualifiers
Dogs Entered: 192
Total Starters: 191
Qualifiers: 91
1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 32, 33, 34, 41, 42, 43, 44,

45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 62, 67, 70, 71, 72, 76, 78, 80,

82, 85, 89, 90, 93, 98, 100, 102, 103, 106, 110, 112, 113, 118, 120, 124, 129, 130,

131, 134, 138, 139, 140, 143, 149, 152, 153, 154, 155, 157, 160, 162, 163, 165, 166,

167, 168, 169, 170, 174, 176, 177, 178, 181, 183, 184, 190, and 192.

Day 7 - Saturday, October 8, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Brought To You By

Please note, the closing ceremonies with be Sunday at 10:00 am at the Pavilion at Anatidae Farm.

Steve Surfman will be serving up approximately 75,000 photos in his kiosk near the Pavilion. Go look for your dog's photograph. Any orders placed at the event will receive a discount, otherwise the photos will be available for viewing online at his website as soon as Wednesday.

Flight A "4 Mil Pond" Water Triple with an Honor, Diversion Pop and a Blind

Judges Dorothy Ruehman & Steve Elliott

Flight A began today with dog #73 at 8:00 am. There's nothing but sun today and it beings the warmth. There is barely any breeze out here, much different than earlier in the week. There have been some handles and 1 dog broke, but many are smokin' it! The remaining dogs in this Flight are here for a reason.

Flight B "Crazy 8's" Land Triple with a Double Blind

Judges Duwayne Bickel & Jim Wonnel

Nicknamed "Crazy 8's" for the patterns of "8" that were mowed into the tall grass by Frank Durham, the landowner, is a land triple with a double blind. The Judges designed this test on the edge of corn rows, in the "Crazy 8's" field that sloped slightly away from the line and in grass that stood around 15 inches in height.

All birds used in this Flight are rooster pheasants. The first bird is a flyer shot to the right at 99 yards followed by the memory bird thrown from to the left and another dead bird thrown to the left along a tree line. There are two blinds in this test; the first blind is planted directly right of the line at 65 yards, along the rows of corn against the treeline; the second blind is planted 99 yards straight away from the line, between the falls of bird's one and two. The normal order of pick up has been the third bird, followed by the flyer, then the second dead bird at 75 yards, the short blind to the right ending with the straight-away blind.

Flight B began today with dog #165 at 8:00 am. It was 55 degrees and completely sunny as dog #175 was at the line with 22 to go at 9:15 am. The wind is very calm and the dogs are running at a great pace. The test should be completed around noon. There have been some really good blinds and very, very solid marks. The cream of the crop remain and they are proving it today.

Flight C "12 Point Corner" Land Triple with a Diversion Shot – Blind & Walk Up

Judges Martha Kress & Dave Illias

The test, a walk up land triple with a diversion shot blind, is set in a high brush area that opens into a cut corn field to the right, flanked by a line of trees to the left. The wind is blowing from the left at around 7 mph, at times gusting to around 10 mph. The area in front of the blind rises slightly into the distance. The Judges put together a challenging test. To the left of the line, a rooster pheasant is thrown to the right at 59 yards, almost away from the line near the trees on the left. The second rooster is thrown from to the right landing at 89 yards in/near standing corn stalks. The rooster flyer is shot to the right at 105 yards. Finally, the blind is planted just inside the standing corn stalks, straight from the line. Typically, the dogs have been sent to retrieve the flyer first, followed by the left bird (upon returning with this bird, a diversion shot is fired to set up the blind), the second dead rooster and, finally, the blind. The test is running just over 5 minutes per dog, with all dogs staying pretty level with their work.

Flight C begins work today with dog #170 at 7:30 am.

Of a total of 111 dogs, 96 are back and 15 were dropped.

1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 31, 32, 33, 34, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 62, 67, 70, 71, 72, 76, 78, 80, 82, 85, 89, 90, 93, 97, 98, 100, 102, 103, 104, 106, 109, 110, 112, 113, 118, 120, 123, 124, 129, 130, 131, 134, 138, 139, 140, 143, 149, 152, 153, 154, 155, 157, 160, 162, 163, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 174, 176, 177, 178, 181, 183, 184, 190 and 192.

The dogs dropped are: 3, 4, 5, 20, 35, 55, 65, 73, 74, 77, 92, 147, 151, 159 and 191.

Flight C "Flooded Timber" Land Single Mark and Blind / Pick-up Blind Before Mark

Judges Martha Kress & Dave Illias

This test is set in a circular stick pond, 40 foot trees protrude from the water creating a canopy, shading the area of the fall and the blind. The bird is thrown to the left, away from the line at about 45 yards. There is one shot for the mark, then another shot to set up the blind. The blind is planted at 75 yards on the far shoreline of the stick pond laying on top of a log. The line to the blind cuts the corner of the pond requiring a swim and a passing of the mark. The test requires the handler to sit on a bucket until both shots are fired then runs the blind and then picks up the mark. The judges are judging this as a mark, not a poison bird. This test is using drake mallards.

Flight C started this test at 11:15 am with dog #41. From what started as a no breeze day, the wind has picked up just a bit where it has begun to swirl like previous days. The test remains quick, at just under 3 minutes a dog. The area of the fall for the flyer is well lit (but not in the sun) due to the positioning of the sun but the blind remains in the shadows on top of the log.

The blind work has looked very good and the flyer is looking great, but there are a few handles. Some dogs are just smokin' the whole test, getting hoots and hollers from the Gallery. At 11:40 am, dog #45 was on the line.

The handlers line up to get their photos taken in front of the MNRC sign.

Alan Sandifer assists Tommy Landers and "Hank" gets the bird.

HUGS ALL 'ROUND

Tommy is presented with a t-shirt signed by all the "C" gallery

Another Black Snake decided to enter the Test.

We scared him off with a direct hit from a stick! And...he was gone.

Frank Barton, "Head Jelly Bean Counter" looks on.

Day 6 - Friday, October 7, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Brought To You By

Today, MNRC Store hours will be 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. There are items on sale! So, grab your wallet or pocket book or whatever, and get some deals!

Steve Surfman, Official MNRC Photographer, would like to annouce that if your photo order is placed at the MNRC, there will be a discount given. Otherwise the photos will begin to be available for viewing online as soon as Wednesday, October 12.

Flight A "Flooded Timber" Land Single Mark and Blind / Pick-up Blind Before Mark

Judges Dorothy Ruehman & Steve Elliott

This test is set in a circular stick pond, 40 foot trees protrude from the water creating a canopy, shading the area of the fall and the blind. The bird is thrown to the left, away from the line at about 45 yards. There is one shot for the mark, then another shot to set up the blind. The blind is planted at 75 yards on the far shoreline of the stick pond laying on top of a log. The line to the blind cuts the corner of the pond requiring a swim and a passing of the mark. The test requires the handler to sit on a bucket until both shots are fired then runs the blind and then picks up the mark. The judges are judging this as a mark, not a poison bird. This test is using drake mallards.

The began today with dog #5 at 8:00 am. The sun is bright and is shining through the canopy just enough to illuminate some of the test area. Dogs are running at an average of 3 minutes per. There is a calm breeze that continues to swirl in the trees causing a little less havoc than yesterday. Some dogs are having trouble finding the bird on top of the log but the marks have mostly been good.

So far there have been no snake sightings!!

Of a total of 108 dogs, 103 are back, 5 were dropped.

The dogs called back are: 5, 6, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 27, 28, 29 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 41, 42, 43, 45, 47, 52, 55, 56, 57, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 72, 73, 74, 76, 77, 79, 80, 81, 84, 85, 88, 90, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 101, 105, 107, 109, 110, 112, 116, 118, 119, 120, 122, 125, 128, 129, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 142, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 153, 154, 157, 158, 160, 163, 165, 166, 172, 177, 178, 179, 181, 182, 183, 186, 187 and193.

The dogs dropped are: 48, 82, 93, 121 and 123.

Flight B "Crazy 8's" Land Triple with a Double Blind

Judges Duwayne Bickel & Jim Wonnel

This test, nicknamed "Crazy 8's" for the patterns of "8" that were mowed into the tall grass by Frank Durham, the landowner, was a land triple with a double blind. The Judges designed this test on the edge of corn rows, in the "Crazy 8's" field that sloped slightly away from the line and in grass that stood around 15 inches in height.

All birds used in this Flight are rooster pheasants. The first bird is a flyer shot to the right at 99 yards followed by the memory bird thrown from to the left and another dead bird thrown to the left along a tree line. There are two blinds in this test; the first blind is planted directly right of the line at 65 yards, along the rows of corn against the treeline; the second blind is planted 99 yards straight away from the line, between the falls of bird's one and two. The normal order of pick up has been the third bird, followed by the flyer, then the second dead bird at 75 yards, the short blind to the right ending with the straight-away blind.

The test began at 8:30 am with dog #39. It's all sun here at "Crazy 8's." The calm breeze is flowing from right to left. According to reports, there have not been many clean dogs up until 10:15 am. The flyer is landing inconsistently some short and some very long...there's a lot of scent out there.

As of 10:15 am, dog #77 was at the line.

Brian Hartfield

Who needs a dog when you can have a chauffeur!!

Flight C "12 Point Corner" Land Triple with a Diversion Shot – Blind & Walk Up

Judges Martha Kress & Dave Illias

The test, a walk up land triple with a diversion shot blind, is set in a high brush area that opens into a cut corn field to the right, flanked by a line of trees to the left. The wind is blowing from the left at around 7 mph, at times gusting to around 10 mph. The area in front of the blind rises slightly into the distance. The Judges put together a challenging test. To the left of the line, a rooster pheasant is thrown to the right at 59 yards, almost away from the line near the trees on the left. The second rooster is thrown from to the right landing at 89 yards in/near standing corn stalks. The rooster flyer is shot to the right at 105 yards. Finally, the blind is planted just inside the standing corn stalks, straight from the line. Typically, the dogs have been sent to retrieve the flyer first, followed by the left bird (upon returning with this bird, a diversion shot is fired to set up the blind), the second dead rooster and, finally, the blind. The test is running just over 5 minutes per dog, with all dogs staying pretty level with their work.

This test began with dog #1 at 7:30 am. As of 11: 35 am, there have been 9 handles out of 40 dogs, 3 breaks and 1 no-bird. Most of the handles have been on the middle bird, but overall, there's been some really, really good work.

At 11:35 am, dog #57 was at the line.

Spectator Sports...

"12 Point Corner" has been nicknamed "Pet Cemetery"

A real pet cemetery was just down the road ... at a safe distance. Picture provided by Janel & Tim Mumford

The dynamic duo on the back of Frank Barton's truck.

Our Icelandic Friends all the way from Iceland!!

Sightseeing in St. Michaels

We took a quick trip to see picturesque St. Michaels this evening...

Here are some of our experiences...

What a neat fountain!!

A great place for dinner!

Now that's a bumper!

A salty dog...

Okay, this is a REAL bumper!

We found a "Crab Spa" along the way!! :-)

Day 5 - Thursday, October 6, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Brought To You By

MNRC Store hours for today are 9:00 am to Noon. Tomorrow, store hours will be 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. There are items on sale! So, grab your wallet or pocket book or whatever, and get some deals!

Tonight, we will be heading back to the Anatidae Pavilion for Frankie's Party! We look forward to another great party from the one and only, Frank Prendergast. See you there!

Steve Surfman, Official Photographer of the MNRC has multiple computers set up near the Pavilion where handlers can view the photographs that his team has taken of their dogs. There is a simple process where you input your phone number into the system in order to log on and see your photos. Just choose the flight and day and ENJOY.... All of the shots are available to purchase online. Steve has taken over 40,000 shots so far and expects the number to climb to over 75,000! So go take a look.

Flight A "Wet Willie" Land/Water Triple with a
Walk Up and Honor

Judges Dorothy Ruehman & Steve Elliott

Nicknamed "Wet Willie" because of the torrential downpour and sudden thunderstorm that called off work during test set-up, this test is a land/water triple with a walk up and honor.

There is a small pond of water in front of the line, surrounded by some high grasses. On the far side of the left corner of this pond, there are a few rows of standing corn. The wind was blowing at a steady 12 mph from the northwest, blowing in on the handlers from the right.

The first mallard drake was thrown from to the right, landing in a wet patch 46 yards away from the right of the line. The second mallard drake was thrown from to the left, landing straight away from the line creating a line through the small pond at 71 yards. The final bird was a flyer, shot from to the right, along the corn rows at 71 yards, shot far enough away that the dog needs to run through the small pond. The order was the flyer first, the right bird and then the middle bird.

Starting dog this morning was dog #157 at 7:30 am. There is a calm breeze and the sun is the sole proprietor of the sky; what a day!

Many dogs are hunting the left flyer as there seems to be an abundance of scent in the field of knee-high volunteer corn. The test is running smoothly and there are few whistles.

At 12:45 pm, dog #109 was at the line. They are expected to finish later today, callbacks to follow.

Mark Koenig, Retriever News reporter at large...

Steve Surfman, Official MNRC Photographer

Another beautiful day in the sunshine!

Of a total of 114 dogs, 108 are back, 6 were dropped.

The dogs called back are: 5, 6, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 27, 28, 29 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 41, 42, 43, 45, 47, 52, 55, 56, 57, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 72, 73, 74, 76, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 88, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 101, 105, 107, 109, 110, 112, 116, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 125, 128, 129, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 142, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 153, 154, 157, 158, 160, 163, 165, 166, 172, 177, 178, 179, 181, 182, 183, 186, 187 and193.

The dogs dropped are: 3, 16, 19, 39, 64 and 141.

Flight B "4 Mil Pond" Water Triple with an Honor, Diversion Pop and a Blind

Judges Duwayne Bickel & Jim Wonnel

Flight B began this morning with dog #1 at 7:40 am. The sun is high in the sky, no clouds and it is comfortable at 63 degrees. There is a very light wind present this afternoon with a few headwind gusts.

The dog work has looked very good. A few dogs left on the honor and there was one break noted. The test is running very quick and will end ahead of schedule, and should be done by 3:30 pm.

A resident of the Maryland Shore Pet Resort

A great vantage point!

Bill Teague and Mark Koenig

Beth Klein, from Kuranda Dog Beds, and David Kress

Of a total of 99 dogs, 90 are back, 9 were dropped.

The dogs called back are: 1, 3, 11, 13, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 37, 39, 43, 45, 47, 56, 59, 61, 63, 65, 69, 71, 73, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 84, 87, 87, 90, 92, 96, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 108, 109, 118, 119, 121, 122, 123, 127, 128, 129, 132, 134, 135, 136, 143, 144, 147, 148, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 158, 159, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 179, 181, 183, 186, and 192.

The dogs dropped are: 26, 42, 46, 58, 62, 68, 94, 95 and 111.

Flight C "Crazy 8's" Land Triple with a Double Blind

Judges Dorothy Ruehman & Steve Elliott

All birds used in this Flight are rooster pheasants. The first bird is a flyer shot to the right at 99 yards followed by the memory bird thrown from to the left and another dead bird thrown to the left along a tree line. There are two blinds in this test; the first blind is planted directly right of the line at 65 yards, along the rows of corn against the treeline; the second blind is planted 99 yards straight away from the line, between the falls of bird's one and two. The normal order of pick up has been the third bird, followed by the flyer, then the second dead bird at 75 yards, the short blind to the right ending with the straight-away blind.

Flight C continued this morning with dog #34 at 7:50 am. It was 63 degrees and warm in the constant sun - no clouds again today! The wind was blowing lightly from left to right.

Dogs have been averaging 6 minutes and 50 seconds for the test. According to workers, the dogs are doing a little bit better than yesterday with the wind not being as high. There were some handles on the flyer and a few on the middle bird, like yesterday but not as many. The left blind is not being much of a problem today because of the wind.

The test should finish at around 5:00 pm. At 11:45 am, dog #74 was at the line.

The Master "INTER-National"

The 2011 Master National is such a big event. The biggest list of entries ever ... over 200 first-time entries ... 8 days of tests running ALL day. Traveling hundreds of miles from all across the country ... or, the world!

Malcolm and Pamela Tyrie traveled far. The farthest to be exact. Oh, only around 11,000 miles. No, they didn't drive a dog truck, but after talking with them and experiencing their passion for these dogs, I bet they would have if they could have!

They are members of the Wide Bay Working Gundog Club in Queensland, Australia (the northeastern part of the country) part of the Australian National Kennel Council.

Malcolm and Pamela are the proud owners of the only dog in Australia to hold both the National and Field Champion titles. The dog, RTCH-FTCH Haighenhauf Golden One, won the Australian National in 2003 and the Field Trial Champion in 2004.

RTCH-FTCH Haighenhauf Golden One

If you happen to see them among the Gallery, please spend a few moments with them. They are wonderful people and came all this way to share in our wonderful event.

Thank you for coming, Malcolm and Pamela. Enjoy your stay, and travel safe.

Frankie's Party

The Man of the Hour

Well ... I guess we know who these TWO steaks are for??!!

John Blackbird serves up the delicious fare.

All three Flights had completed their tests this evening allowing that little extra snippet of relaxation for the Judges and handlers. And what better way to relax than at Frankie's Party?!

By 6:00 pm people slowly began to trickle under the pavilion at Anatidae Farm. The sun was lowering in the sky and the comfortable temperatures began to dip a bit putting a chill in the air. Just before 7:00 pm, Frankie called the food lines open. The menu, for once during our abundance of MNRC parties, did NOT include crab! A releif for some, but an end of a long streak for others.

Frankie and his assistants were busy late this afternoon huddled around a trailer grill that could probably fit a family of pigs and a chicken or two, but they had it covered in steak...juicy, perfectly seasoned steak. The food lines started with linked sausages, baked beans, potato salad and coleslaw, then it all was topped off with the steak...the cherry on top of Frankie's Party.

As we all ate, cocktails were being poured, some whiskey's ,some vodkas and plenty of beers, and like every other gathering of this crew, there were plenty of laughs.

A massive bon fire was light once again warming anyone within 30 yards of it. And as mentioned before, it got chilly as it became dark, so the 15 foot flames offered a bit of comfort to those without long sleeves.The night began closing down with carrot cake and little ice cream cups. Whoever was slicing the cake must love to share, those peices were quite large!

As sugar rushes tookhold, there was a quick raffle of gift baskets containing some wine and vodka. A little bird told me one of these baskets ended up in the Headquarters hotel hallway with a group-attack of its contents. Those of you with headaches this morning are all suspects.

Thanks for another great party Frankie! Here's to you and the sponsors that help made it all possible. Thank you.

Field Fashion

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0000

"Why Bee Fashionable?"

Be there, or be square!!

Get a load of this belt!!

Just guess who these overalls belong to!!

Girlie Camo...

Minnesota Viking Crocs

HUNTER'S B L I N G ! !

… that's all folks!

License Plates

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 03:00:00 +0000

"The Vanity of License Plates!"

… that's all folks!

Truck Signs

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 02:00:00 +0000

Truck Signs … "The Players"

Ok, not really a truck...

Ok, not really a truck...AGAIN


OKAY....DEFINITELY NOT A TRUCK!!!

…that's all folks!

Worker's Party

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:00:00 +0000

Worker's Party Scrapbook

… that's all folks!

Day 4 - Wednesday, October 5, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Brought To You By Purina & Avery

Good morning all! The sun is shining and the temperatures is currently at 62 degrees with a projected high of 73! Action continues today at Flights A and C, while Flight B is moving to start a new test this morning. More information on where Flight B will be heading along with complete updates to be posted soon.

New Store MNRC Store hours, 12-4 pm, new merhcandise is now available! It's always time to shop!

TONIGHT - The MNRC Workers Party starts at 7:00 pm and will be located at the Sail Winds Conference Center in Cambridge, MD. Can't wait to see all of you there.

Flight A "12 Point Corner" Land Triple with a Diversion Shot – Blind & Walk Up

Judges Dorothy Ruehman & Steve Elliott

The test, a walk up land triple with a diversion shot blind, is set in a high brush area that opens into a cut corn field to the right, flanked by a line of trees to the left. The wind is blowing from the left at around 7 mph, at times gusting to around 10 mph. The area in front of the blind rises slightly into the distance. The Judges put together a challenging test. To the left of the line, a rooster pheasant is thrown to the right at 59 yards, almost away from the line near the trees on the left. The second rooster is thrown from to the right landing at 89 yards in/near standing corn stalks. The rooster flyer is shot to the right at 105 yards. Finally, the blind is planted just inside the standing corn stalks, straight from the line. Typically, the dogs have been sent to retrieve the flyer first, followed by the left bird (upon returning with this bird, a diversion shot is fired to set up the blind), the second dead rooster and, finally, the blind. The test is running just over 5 minutes per dog, with all dogs staying pretty level with their work.

Flight A starts this morning with dog #22.

In the early hours of the morning/test, the wind was almost non-existent. Those first 10-12 dogs that ran in those conditions did very well. As the wind picked up throughout the morning and afternoon, the flyer got longer and it made the go-bird tough to get. Throughout the day there were quite a few of both handles and pick-ups. But, there was some great work done today.

Waiting for Callbacks in the sunshine!

The test ended at 3:30 pm.

Of a total of 138 dogs, 114 are back, 24 were dropped.

The dogs called back are: 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 27, 28, 29 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 45, 47, 52, 55, 56, 57, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 72, 73, 74, 76, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 88, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 101, 105, 107, 109, 110, 112, 116, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 125, 128, 129, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 141, 142, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 153, 154, 157, 158, 160, 163, 165, 166, 172, 177, 178, 179, 181, 182, 183, 186, 187 and193.

The dogs dropped are: 8, 11, 31, 35, 37, 46, 49, 51, 59, 75, 78, 102, 104, 124, 126, 127, 139, 143, 151, 152, 168, 169, 176, 180, and 185.

Flight A ended the day with their callbacks. They will begin running "Wet Willie" at 7:00 am tomorrow morning.

Flight B "Flooded Timber" Land Single Mark and Blind / Pick-up Blind Before Mark

Judges Duwayne Bickel & Jim Wonnel

This test is set in a circular stick pond, 40 foot trees protrude from the water creating a canopy, shading the area of the fall and the blind. The bird is thrown to the left, away from the line at about 45 yards. There is one shot for the mark, then another shot to set up the blind. The blind is planted at 75 yards on the far shoreline of the stick pond laying on top of a log. The line to the blind cuts the corner of the pond requiring a swim and a passing of the mark. The test requires the handler to sit on a bucket until both shots are fired then runs the blind and then picks up the mark. The judges are judging this as a mark, not a poison bird. This test is using drake mallards.

The sun is shining bright, but it is very comfortable with a 7-10 mph swirling breeze which causes many dogs to scent the blind holders station and gun station. The test is expected to finish this afternoon. At 2:42 pm, there were 4 dogs left to complete the test.

The intruding Black Snake......ssssssssss

At one point in the afternoon, an uninvited guest arrived causing a few of those in the Gallery to give a yelp and jump out of their chairs. The black snake seemed to come out of nowhere, but thankfully a few in the Gallery were able to charm it away from the feet of the spectators and off into the brush.

A perfect time for a snooze!

Of a total of 111 dogs, 100 are back, 11 were dropped.

The dogs called back are: 1, 3, 11, 13, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 37, 39, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 56, 58, 59, 61, 62, 63, 65, 68, 69, 71, 73, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 84, 87, 87, 90, 92, 94, 95, 96, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 108, 109, 111, 118, 119, 121, 122, 123, 127, 128, 129, 132, 134, 135, 136, 143, 144, 147, 148, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 158, 159, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 179, 181, 183, 186, and 192.

The dogs dropped are: 36, 38, 57, 93, 133, 139, 140, 180, 182 188, and 191.

Flight C "4 Mil Pond" Water Triple with an Honor, Diversion Pop and a Blind

Judges Martha Kress & Dave Illias

The fourth test of the Master National is a Water Triple with an Honor, Diversion Pop and a Blind. The water in this pond is lungable and swimmable. The birds used in this test are drake mallards. The first bird is thrown from the close shore of the pond to the right, over a small inlet to the opposite side of the pond at 83 yards. The second bird is also thrown from the close shore, but it lands 49 yards away on the left edge of an island. The final bird, a flyer, is shot to the left on the shoreline with the area of the fall varying in distance from the water. Upon return with the far left bird, there is a diversion pop to set up the blind. Finally, the blind is planted 75 yards out on the far shoreline of the pond. The line to the blind clips the right edge of the island. There are goose decoys placed on the middle-right area of the island, while duck decoys are placed between the island and the far shore visible when the dog clears the edge of the island on line to the blind.

The order of pick-up has been (thus far) from right to left; the flyer, followed by the shorter island bird, then the dead bird at 83 yards first dead bird at 83 yards ending with the blind.

Flight C finished the "4 Mil Pond" this morning and will move on to the "Crazy 8's" test.

Of a total of 167 dogs, 141 are back and 26 were dropped.

The dogs called back are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58,59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 76, 77, 78, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 89, 90, 92, 93, 94, 97 98, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 106, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 116, 118, 120, 122, 123, 124, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 134, 135, 138, 139, 140, 143, 145, 147, 149, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 157, 159, 160, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 174, 176, 177, 178, 180, 181, 183, 184, 190, 191, 192 and 193.

The dogs that were dropped are: 28, 38, 64, 75, 81, 91, 95, 96, 99, 117, 119, 121, 125, 126, 133, 136, 137, 141, 142, 148, 150, 161, 173, 185, 186 and 187.

Flight C "Crazy 8's" Land Triple with a Double Blind

Judges Martha Kress & Dave Illias

Flight C began "Crazy 8's" this morning at 11:46 am. The skies are cloudless, the breeze remains gusty topping out at around 12 mph and the forecast it great for the rest of the event!

Four out of the first 5 dogs have handled, some difficulty is showing on the 99 yard blind, and the right to left wind is proving difficult for those dogs who turn right. But, most of the work has looked quite good. NOTE: The blinds are handlers choice, they choose the order of pick-up. Dogs are averaging about 6 and a half minutes per.

Worker's Party

It was back to the Sail Winds Conference Center for the 2011 MNRC Worker's Party. By 7:00 pm the parking lot was filled to the brim with dog trucks. Inside, the lines at the bar and around the hors d'oeuvres table were long as the worker's looked to quench their thirst and extinguish their hunger.

As people milled about in conversation, they snacked on smoked salmon and cucumber and mini steak sandwiches that were passed around by the Sail Winds staff. At the hors d'oeuvres table, there were meatballs, crab and spinach dip, a variety of cheeses with grapes, and assorted veggies with hummus. And, I can say as an repeated attendee to the snack table and the traveling salmon and beef, that it was all delicious!

As the sun set, the large dining area teemed with stories of the days tests, what to expect for tomorrow and, of course, much reminiscing, many jokes and an abundance of laughter. Although this bunch has been working very hard over the last four days, they still know how to enjoy themselves.

The nights DJ kept the ambiance jovial with a background soundtrack of country tunes. It was announced that following dinner, there would be an area cleared for dancing. More on what developed here shortly.

Soon, table by table, the hungry crowd filled their plates at one of two buffet style stations. At each, there was a salad with a sweet dressing and the option to top with tomatoes and feta cheese. Then, you had your choice of sliced ham or turkey - or, you could have both! Veggies included broccoli and cauliflower; there were rolls and of course, crab cakes (Maryland’s state food). Walking around, I don’t think I saw a plate that didn’t have a crab cake on it. So, oh so good!

Following dinner there were a handful of tables that decided they needed to head back, and lay their heads on a pillow. For those that stuck around, the lights went down and the music got turned up! Before too long, a song by the Isley Brothers got people dancing and “Shout”-ing. The DJ brought out some funk, some southern rock and a string of choreographed dance tunes … it IS electric!

Little by little, the crowd began to dwindle and a John Mellencamp tune closed the night out. And just like that, the party was over. Time for bed.

Thank you to all of the sponsors and the caterer for the wonderful Worker’s Party. It was a great evening, thank you.

Day 3 - Tuesday, October 4, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Brought To You By Eukanuba

Good morning! The skies are mostly sunny this morning, with temperatures predicted to reach 69 degrees! Quite the change from the cloudy, rainy cool days we've been experiencing. Plus, the remaining days of the event are to be just as nice, if not better, than today. Winds are predicted to be quite breezy in the next few days with gusts up to 20 mph.

The starting numbers for the three tests today are as follows:

Flight A #70

Flight B #77

Flight C #161

(Both Flights A and B will be finishing up this morning)

Tonight, there is a "Camo Party" at Millies Roadhouse (event caterer) in Vienna, MD. Millies has been providing wonderful meals throughout these early days of the event and we expect their delicious shore-fare will continue to impress all those who attend the event tonight. Activities begin at 7:00 pm, there will be a band, so be prepared to dance, dance, dance. See you there!

Flight A "Crazy 8's" Land Triple with a Double Blind
Judges Dorothy Ruehman & Steve Elliott

Flight A, nicknamed "Crazy 8's" for the patterns of "8" that were mowed into the tall grass by Frank Durham, the landowner, was a land triple with a double blind. The Judges designed this test on the edge of corn rows, in the "Crazy 8's" field that sloped slightly away from the line and in grass that stood around 15 inches in height.

All birds used in this Flight are rooster pheasants. The first bird is a flyer shot to the right at 99 yards followed by the memory bird thrown from to the left and another dead bird thrown to the left along a tree line. There are two blinds in this test; the first blind is planted directly right of the line at 65 yards, along the rows of corn against the treeline; the second blind is planted 99 yards straight away from the line, between the falls of bird's one and two. The normal order of pick up has been the third bird, followed by the flyer, then the second dead bird at 75 yards, the short blind to the right ending with the straight-away blind.

Of a total of 185 dogs, 136 are back, 49 were dropped and 7 were scratched.

The dogs called back are: 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 27, 28, 29 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 49, 51, 52, 55, 56, 57, 59, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 88, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 101, 102, 104, 105, 107, 109, 110, 112, 116, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 139, 141, 142, 143, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 157, 158, 160, 163, 165, 166, 168, 169, 172, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 185, 186, 187 and193.

The dogs dropped are: 1, 2(scratch) 4, 7, 9, 13 (scratch), 33, 40, 44, 48 (scratch), 50, 53, 54, 58, 60 (scratch), 61, 71, 83, 86, 87, 89, 98, 100, 103, 106, 108, 111, 113, 114, 115, 117, 130, 136, 137, 138, 140, 144, 155, 156, 159, 161, 162, 164, 167, 170, 171, 173, 174 (scratch), 175, 178, 184 (scratch) 188, 189, 190, 191 and 192 (scratch).

Flight A will be moving to the "12 Point Corner" test.

Flight A "12 Point Corner" Land Triple with a Diversion Shot – Blind & Walk Up

Judges Dorothy Ruehman & Steve Elliott

The test, a walk up land triple with a diversion shot blind, is set in a high brush area that opens into a cut corn field to the right, flanked by a line of trees to the left. The wind is blowing from the left at around 7 mph, at times gusting to around 10 mph. The area in front of the blind rises slightly into the distance. The Judges put together a challenging test. To the left of the line, a rooster pheasant is thrown to the right at 59 yards, almost away from the line near the trees on the left. The second rooster is thrown from to the right landing at 89 yards in/near standing corn stalks. The rooster flyer is shot to the right at 105 yards. Finally, the blind is planted just inside the standing corn stalks, straight from the line. Typically, the dogs have been sent to retrieve the flyer first, followed by the left bird (upon returning with this bird, a diversion shot is fired to set up the blind), the second dead rooster and, finally, the blind. The test is running just over 5 minutes per dog, with all dogs staying pretty level with their work.

Flight A started "12 Point Corner" at 11:00 am this morning with dog #117.

The Gallery was finally enjoying some sun.

Steve Surfman, the MNRC Official Photographer, has a great vantage point.

Conditions are very windy, with gusts blowing upwards of 15 mph directly into the line. It is sunny and warmer than yesterday, but with the wind, temperatures feel cooler than they should be.

Most of the dogs are doing the mark and there are some good blinds. At 1:00 pm, 22 dogs have run, there were three pick-ups and one no-bird.

The WBOC News helicopter

Shortly after 1:30 pm, local television station WBOC had their helicopter hovering overhead observing the three tests on the Anatidae Farm. We will assume they are going to share our wonderful event with their viewing area sometime today.

Flight A will start Wednesday morning with dog #22.

Flight B "12 Point Corner" Land Triple with a Diversion Shot – Blind & Walk Up

Judges Duwayne Bickel & Jim Wonnel

The test, a walk up land triple with a diversion shot blind, is set in a high brush area that opens into a cut corn field to the right, flanked by a line of trees to the left. The wind is blowing from the left at around 7 mph, at times gusting to around 10 mph. The area in front of the blind rises slightly into the distance. The Judges put together a challenging test. To the left of the line, a rooster pheasant is thrown to the right at 59 yards, almost away from the line near the trees on the left. The second rooster is thrown from to the right landing at 89 yards in/near standing corn stalks. The rooster flyer is shot to the right at 105 yards. Finally, the blind is planted just inside the standing corn stalks, straight from the line. Typically, the dogs have been sent to retrieve the flyer first, followed by the left bird (upon returning with this bird, a diversion shot is fired to set up the blind), the second dead rooster and, finally, the blind. The test is running just over 5 minutes per dog, with all dogs staying pretty level with their work.

Of a total of 186 dogs, 127 are back, 59 were dropped and 7 were scratched.

The dogs called back are: 1, 3, 4, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 26, 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 68, 69, 71, 73, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 84, 87, 87, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 106, 108, 109, 111, 116, 117, 118, 119, 121, 122, 123, 127, 128, 129, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 139, 140, 143, 144, 146, 147, 148, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 158, 159, 160, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 186, 188, 190, 191 and 192.

The dogs dropped are: 2 (scratch), 5, 6, 7 (scratch), 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18 (scratch), 20, 23, 25 (scratch), 27, 29, 30, 35, 40, 41 (scratch), 44, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 66, 67, 70, 72, 74, 82, 83, 85, 89, 104, 105, 107, 110, 112, 113, 114, 115, 120, 124, 125, 126, 130, 131, 137, 138, 141, 142, 145, 149, 155, 156 (scratch), 157, 161, 170 (scratch), 178, 184, 185, 187 and 189.

Flight B will be moving to the "Wet Willie" test...

Flight B "Wet Willie" Land/Water Triple with a
Walk Up and Honor

Judges Duwayne Bickel & Jim Wonnel

Test 3, nicknamed "Wet Willie" because of the torrential downpour and sudden thunderstorm that called off work during test set-up, is a land/water triple with a walk up and honor.

There is a small pond of water in front of the line, surrounded by some high grasses. On the far side of the left corner of this pond, there are a few rows of standing corn. The wind was blowing at a steady 12 mph from the northwest, blowing in on the handlers from the right.

The first mallard drake was thrown from to the right, landing in a wet patch 46 yards away from the right of the line. The second mallard drake was thrown from to the left, landing straight away from the line creating a line through the small pond at 71 yards. The final bird was a flyer, shot from to the right, along the corn rows at 71 yards, shot far enough away that the dog needs to run through the small pond. The order was the flyer first, the right bird and then the middle bird.

By late afternoon, the skies were partly cloudy, it was breezy with gusts reaching 10 mph nad temps reached 66 degrees ... ahh!

According to a few handlers, people were smiling in the early morning simply because the sun was out. Can you blame them after the last few days?

Who doesn't love a puppy?

Who wears "Wingtips" in the middle of a cornfield? -- See answer below.

Reid Sterrett stopped by when he saw the signs in the surrounding area pointing to this event.
He is a Charter Member of the MNRC, but has been out of touch with the sport for some time, now.

Anyway, the middle bird was beginning to be difficult to see as the day wore on, the shadows along the treeline camoflaouged the majority of the birds arc. But, hunts seemed relatively short.

By the end of the day, the test was completed.

Of a total of 127 dogs, 111 are back, 16 were dropped.

The dogs called back are: 1, 3, 11, 13, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 62, 63, 65, 68, 69, 71, 73, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 84, 87, 87, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 108, 109, 111, 118, 119, 121, 122, 123, 127, 128, 129, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 139, 140, 143, 144, 147, 148, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 158, 159, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 186, 188, 191 and 192.

The dogs dropped are: 4, 16, 22, 48, 60, 64, 79, 91, 97, 103, 106, 116, 117, 146, 160 and 190.

Flight C "4 Mil Pond" Water Triple with an Honor, Diversion Pop and a Blind

Judges Martha Kress & Dave Illias

The fourth test of the Master National is a Water Triple with an Honor, Diversion Pop and a Blind. The water in this pond is lungable and swimmable. The birds used in this test are drake mallards. The first bird is thrown from the close shore of the pond to the right, over a small inlet to the opposite side of the pond at 83 yards. The second bird is also thrown from the close shore, but it lands 49 yards away on the left edge of an island. The final bird, a flyer, is shot to the left on the shoreline with the area of the fall varying in distance from the water. Upon return with the far left bird, there is a diversion pop to set up the blind. Finally, the blind is planted 75 yards out on the far shoreline of the pond. The line to the blind clips the right edge of the island. There are goose decoys placed on the middle-right area of the island, while duck decoys are placed between the island and the far shore visible when the dog clears the edge of the island on line to the blind.

The order of pick-up has been (thus far) from right to left; the flyer, followed by the shorter island bird, then the dead bird at 83 yards first dead bird at 83 yards ending with the blind.

It's late morning here at "4 Mil" and we have a dteady breeaze of about 7 mph with gusts up to around 12 mph. The sun is out, the temperature is hanging in the high 60's (let's push for 70!) and with that, everyone is much more comfortable.

Come visit Frank Barton's truck for some delicious gourmet jelly beans.

Alan Sandifer and Tommy Landers with "Hank"

Bob Amen, Doug Ljungren and Jerry Mann of the AKC enjoy the event.

At 11:10 am, around 38 dogs of the remaining 167 have run and reports are good. There have been some clean blinds and not too many handles with many rounds of applause from the Gallery. Dogs are averaging a 6 minute test.

Flight C will start Wednesday morning with dog #95.

Late night Callbacks in the lobby of the Headquarters Hotel--Holiday Inn Express.

Trivia
Cue the Jeopardy theme song...

1. What test dog attempted to pick-up a flyer in a different series?

2. What was the "catch of the day" on the 1st day of the 2011 Master National?

Day 2 - Monday, October 3, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Brought To You By Purina & Avery

The first day of the 2011 Master National wrapped up late with dark clouds rolling in. The workers put in many hours in the field and everyone was ready to get inside, warm up and relax for the evening.

The starting numbers for the three tests today are as follows:

Flight A #168

Flight B #163

Flight C #36

(Flight C expects to wrap up in three hours this morning and move to the fourth test).

Tonight, the Susquehanna Retriever Club is hosting a Crab Feast at the Anatidae Farm Pavillion in Vienna, MD. The feast begins at 7:00 pm and more information regarding the event and tickets can be found here. There are still tickets available and they can be purchased at the door. If you have pre-paid, make sure to wear your orange wristband when arriving. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Flight A "Crazy 8's" Land Triple with a Double Blind

Judges Dorothy Ruehman & Steve Elliott

This test, nicknamed "Crazy 8's" for the patterns of "8" that were mowed into the tall grass by Frank Durham, the landowner, was a land triple with a double blind. The Judges designed this test on the edge of corn rows, in the "Crazy 8's" field that sloped slightly away from the line and in grass that stood around 15 inches in height.

All birds used in this Flight are rooster pheasants. The first bird is a flyer shot to the right at 99 yards followed by the memory bird thrown from to the left and another dead bird thrown to the left along a tree line. There are two blinds in this test; the first blind is planted directly right of the line at 65 yards, along the rows of corn against the treeline; the second blind is planted 99 yards straight away from the line, between the falls of bird's one and two. The normal order of pick up has been the third bird, followed by the flyer, then the second dead bird at 75 yards, the short blind to the right ending with the straight-away blind.

By 3:00 pm 143 dogs had run the test. The skies are partly cloudy with a subtle breeze and temps are holding in the mid/low 50's.

Work had improved today since yesterday with the wind change providing assistance this morning. There were a few pick-ups and one noted break and a few no-birds. It was reported that during the mid-morning rain, there were two dogs that did perfectly, said one worker.

As of now, it looks as if the test will finish early tomorrow morning.

It was smiles all around as the sun came out!!

John Weller snoozes in the sun as he waits for a rebird...

The song "Build Me Up Buttercup" played while a rebird was in progress.

Flight B "12 Point Corner" Land Triple with a Diversion Shot – Blind & Walk Up

Judges Duwayne Bickel & Jim Wonnel

The test, a walk up land triple with a diversion shot blind, is set in a high brush area that opens into a cut corn field to the right, flanked by a line of trees to the left. The wind is blowing from the left at around 7 mph, at times gusting to around 10 mph. The area in front of the blind rises slightly into the distance. The Judges put together a challenging test. To the left of the line, a rooster pheasant is thrown to the right at 59 yards, almost away from the line near the trees on the left. The second rooster is thrown from to the right landing at 89 yards in/near standing corn stalks. The rooster flyer is shot to the right at 105 yards. Finally, the blind is planted just inside the standing corn stalks, straight from the line. Typically, the dogs have been sent to retrieve the flyer first, followed by the left bird (upon returning with this bird, a diversion shot is fired to set up the blind), the second dead rooster and, finally, the blind. The test is running just over 5 minutes per dog, with all dogs staying pretty level with their work.

By late afternoon, all but 20 dogs had to run the test. The dogs were averaging about 6 minutes, when a little math was done, this meant, a few dogs would have to finish in the morning.

A vast majority of the dogs had been handling, the center bird being the biggest issue, according to one worker. There were a few pick-ups throughout the day and at least two no-birds.

The weather remained calm and cool in the afternoon, a few sprinkles here and there but nothing becoming a bother. The slight breeze forced some dogs to hunt short on the flyer, causing a few whistles.

One of the roosters flew off and had to be retrieved...

Flight C "Wet Willie" Land/Water Triple with a
Walk Up and Honor

Judges Martha Kress & Dave Illias

Flight C, nicknamed "Wet Willie" because of the torrential downpour and sudden thunderstorm that called off work during test set-up, is a land/water triple with a walk up and honor and Judged by Martha Kress and Dave Illias.

There is a small pond of water in front of the line, surrounded by some high grasses. On the far side of the left corner of this pond, there are a few rows of standing corn. The wind was blowing at a steady 12 mph from the northwest, blowing in on the handlers from the right.

The first mallard drake was thrown from to the right, landing in a wet patch 46 yards away from the right of the line. The second mallard drake was thrown from to the left, landing straight away from the line creating a line through the small pond at 71 yards. The final bird was a flyer, shot from to the right, along the corn rows at 71 yards, shot far enough away that the dog needs to run through the small pond. The order was the flyer first, the right bird and then the middle bird.

The gallery was waiting for Callbacks.

This is what happens to a corn field in the rain.

Just one of seven, SO FAR, trucks that have gotten stuck in the muck.

We revisited Flight C this morning with just a few dogs to run. There was a short downpour which dispersed the crowd waiting for callbacks. As it brightened up their judges gave their sheet to the announcer as they drove away from the test site alerting the folks sheltering in their cars that the callbacks were ready.

C A L L B A C K S ! ! !

Of a total of 192 dogs, 167 are back and 25 were dropped and 1 scratched.

The dogs called back are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58,59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 106, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 145, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 157, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 176, 177, 178, 180, 181, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 190, 191, 192 and 193.

The dogs that were dropped are: 14, 17, 19, 21, 36, 39, 40, 47, 79, 87, 88, 105, 107, 108, 114, 115, 127, 144, 146, 156 (scratch), 158, 175, 179, 182, 188 and 189.

We are on our way to the fourth test site. The sun is beginning to peek out and we are all anticipating an exciting water test.

Flight C "4 Mil Pond" Water Triple with an Honor, Diversion Pop and a Blind

Judges Martha Kress & Dave Illias

The fourth test of the Master National is a Water Triple with an Honor, Diversion Pop and a Blind. The water in this pond is lungable and swimmable. The birds used in this test are drake mallards. The first bird is thrown from the close shore of the pond to the right, over a small inlet to the opposite side of the pond at 83 yards. The second bird is also thrown from the close shore, but it lands 49 yards away on the left edge of an island. The final bird, a flyer, is shot to the left on the shoreline with the area of the fall varying in distance from the water. Upon return with the far left bird, there is a diversion pop to set up the blind. Finally, the blind is planted 75 yards out on the far shoreline of the pond. The line to the blind clips the right edge of the island. There are goose decoys placed on the middle-right area of the island, while duck decoys are placed between the island and the far shore visible when the dog clears the edge of the island on line to the blind.

The order of pick-up has been (thus far) from right to left; the flyer, followed by the shorter island bird, then the dead bird at 83 yardsfirst dead bird at 83 yards ending with the blind.

Test dog's began running at 1:45 pm with #117. The wind is blowing out of the NW at a breezy 3-5 mph. The skies are mostly cloudy with short periods of direct sun keeping the temperature in the low-mid 50's.

The test is running at 5 plus minutes and the first handful of dogs ran very well with few whistles and some clean blinds.

BOSOM BUDDIES!!

Today we're serving up Dog # 117!!

Crab Feast
As the sun set behind a blanket of dark clouds, hungry workers and handlers began arriving at the pavilion at Anatidae Farm, just a few hundred yards away from Flights A and C. Our gracious hosts, the Susquehanna Retriever Club, Theresa Stevens and Frank Durham (landowners) and Millie's Roadhouse planned a shore-fare feast for all to enjoy.

The preparations begin for the Susquehanna Club Crab Feast!

As folks arrived, the music was playing, the beer was flowing and the level of hunger was rising after a long, cool day in the field. Shortly after 7:00 pm, Frank Durham announced that the food line was open. The throng of eaters received large platters filled with freshly steamed blue crab, seasoned shrimp and corn on the cob. But, that was only one food station. Near-by, Millie's catering had also provided fried chicken, mac 'n' cheese, coleslaw and hush puppies. Needles to say, plates ... were ... FULL!

These folks got in line early and are digging in!

Rick & Lo Dirmeyer of Eukanuba with Mark Parman

This huge bonfire sure helped warm us up!

The sound of mallets cracking crab shells along with the friendly chatter backgrounded by music created an outdoor atmosphere much-like a family reunion - which, this entire event is, in a way. The large bon-fire had some folks huddled around for warmth as the temperatures were very much fall-like. Finishing our meals, a few raindrops began to fall keeping our evening in line with the previous few days - cool and wet. But, as usual, spirits remained jovial.

The last glimpses of the sun could be seen through the clouds...as we settled in for dinner.


A typical meal platter....Y U M M Y ! !

Thanks again to the Susquehanna Retriever Club, Terri Stevens and Frank Durham and Millie's Roadhouse for a wonderful evening, a fantastic meal and great company!

Day 1 - Sunday, October 2, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 06:00:00 +0000

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GOOD MORNING! Test descriptions and pictures for the three flights will be posted as soon as they are available.

Test dogs at A, B and C will all be running at 7 am. Well, the three tests are well underway. We have visited all three which are all held on Terri Stevens and Frank Durham's property "Anatidae Farm." We have the test photos to load and then detailed descriptions will come shortly thereafter. It was rainy and cold this morning and it is still cold this afternoon.

Flight A "Crazy 8's" Land Triple with a Double Blind

Judges Dorothy Ruehman & Steve Elliott

Judges Dorothy Ruehman and Steve Elliott discuss the test set up.

The first day of tests began cool with some precipitation as we awoke at Headquarters. Arriving at the test sites at the Anatidae Farm in Vienna, MD, the sun was peeking through the clouds and the dog trucks were lined up waiting for what the Judges has been preparing for the last few days. Again, the starting number is #79.

This test, nicknamed "Crazy 8's" for the patterns of "8" that were mowed into the tall grass by Frank Durham, the landowner, was a land triple, double blind. The Judges designed this test on the edge of corn rows, in the "Crazy 8's" field that sloped slightly away from the line and in grass that stood around 15 inches in height.

All birds used in this test are rooster pheasants. The first bird is a flyer shot to the right at 99 yards followed by the memory bird thrown from to the left and another dead bird thrown to the left along a tree line. There are two blinds in this test; the first blind is planted directly right of the line at 65 yards, along the rows of corn against the treeline; the second blind is planted 99 yards straight away from the line, between the falls of bird's one and two. The normal order of pick up has been the third bird, followed by the flyer, then the second dead bird at 75 yards, the short blind to the right ending with the straight-away blind.

The first test dog, Walker Branch CEO Is A Sailor, handled by Frank Durham, ran at 7:40 am. Followed by the second test dog, Four Star Molly, handled Deonard Quillen, at 7:50 am The test is taking just over 5 minutes with a SW wind from right to left at around 5 mph. The temperature was hovering around the 50 degree range, in mostly cloudy skies but the sun showed it's warm smile every now and then, if only for just a moment.

Shortly after the test dogs ran, the first 20 handlers were invited to view the test from the line. As the line was cleared, dog #79, Starlight's Mikayla Sue, MH handled by Steve Raney, began the running of the 2011 Master National test in this Flight A. "Kayla" had a hunt on the memory bird and a few whistles on the blinds, but overall, Steve and "Kayla" did a good job.

The second dog, #80, JW's Star River Rylee, MH took the line with handler Ed Thibodeaux. "Rylee" also had a hunt on the memory bird and whistles for the blinds, but again, a very nice test. As the marshal organized the running order, the clouds rolled in, some appearing quite ominous... as of yet, we haven't experienced any rain.

On our afternoon return trip to "Crazy 8's," we learned of a couple of pick-ups between the time we first arrived in the morning, until the time we returned as around 65 dogs had completed the test. Reports from the gallery and the workers say that overall, the work has been good although there were many handles earlier in the day.

Winds held throughout the afternoon, remaining SW @ around 8-12 mph, with light gusts at times. The clouds dominated the skies from late morning on with very little to no sunshine making it through keeping temps around 51 degrees. By around 4:30 pm a little sprinkle was felt in the gallery, but nothing requiring rain gear.

Judges are finding their answers in the dog work with the satisfactory wind conditions. Around 4:15 pm, there was a streak of 5 dogs showing fantastic work, making for an excited gallery.

The Gallery had to stay behind the roped barrier.

Frank Durham ran Test Dog # 2.

Dorothy Ruehman counsels Deonard Quillen.

The Judges give instructions to the handlers.

Frank Durham and Test Dog # 2

Denard Quillen and Test Dog # 1.

Flight B "12 Point Corner" Land Triple with a Diversion Shot – Blind & Walk Up

Judges Duwayne Bickel & Jim Wonnel

Judges Jim Wonnel and Duwayne Bickel.

Following a short drive around the property, we arrive at Flight B, or, "12 Point Corner," so named for the 12-point buck Frank Durham shot in this area.

The test, a walk up land triple with a diversion shot blind, is set in a high brush area that opens into a cut corn field to the right, flanked by a line of trees to the left. The wind is blowing from the left at around 7 mph, at times gusting to around 10 mph. The area in front of the blind rises slightly into the distance. The Judges put together a challenging test. To the left of the line, a rooster pheasant is thrown to the right at 59 yards, almost away from the line near the trees on the left. The second rooster is thrown from to the right landing at 89 yards in/near standing corn stalks. The rooster flyer is shot to the right at 105 yards. Finally, the blind is planted just inside the standing corn stalks, straight from the line. Typically, the dogs have been sent to retrieve the flyer first, followed by the left bird (upon returning with this bird, a diversion shot is fired to set up the blind), the second dead rooster and, finally, the blind. The test is running just over 5 minutes per dog, with all dogs staying pretty level with their work.

Work has been fairly consistent. The temperature is still cool as the morning moves along. The sun, when it decides to come out, makes a great deal of difference in temperature providing relief from the cool breeze.

By 6:00 pm, around 76 dogs had completed the test, the clouds withheld their stronghold of the skies dropping a few raindrops on the "12 Point Corner." The temp remained cool and the winds seemed to calm at this darkening hour of the day, down to 5 mph.

Reports from the workers say there were 28 handles out of 34 dogs and 7 known pickups during the mid-afternoon hours.

Thanks to the Sponsors for providing the tents for the holding blinds.

Ida Richards and "Spook"

Bruce Halverson and "Flip"

Janet Peters and Ron Sauls

The Gallery seems happy, despite the cold.

Flight C "Wet Willie" Land/Water Triple with a Walk Up and Honor

Judges Martha Kress & Dave Illias

Judges Dave Illias and Martha Kress.

This test, nicknamed "Wet Willie" because of the torrential downpour and sudden thunderstorm that called off work during test set-up, is a land/water triple with a walk up and honor and Judged by Martha Kress and Dave Illias.

There is a small pond of water in front of the line, surrounded by some high grasses. On the far side of the left corner of this pond, there are a few rows of standing corn. The wind was blowing at a steady 12 mph from the northwest, blowing in on the handlers from the right. In the early part of the morning, during one of the running of the test dogs, a test dog from Flight B decided to make an appearance...running from some 1500 yards away straight into this test! Both dogs were called in and were rerun following the surprise guest appearance.

The first mallard drake was thrown from to the right, landing in a wet patch 46 yards away from the right of the line. The second mallard drake was thrown from to the left, landing straight away from the line creating a line through the small pond at 71 yards. The final bird was a flyer, shot from to the right, along the corn rows at 71 yards, shot far enough away that the dog needs to run through the small pond. The order was the flyer first, the right bird and then the middle bird. Within the first ten dogs, there were 2 pick-ups and three handles--this is going to be a challenge!

After just 11 dogs there was a re-bird, completed in just over a minute! These volunteers are working hard! Thanks again to all of you, you are doing a great job.

By the mid-afternoon hours, "Wet Willie" was moving along quickly as dog #23 had taken the line at around 5:00 pm. Reports say that this Flight will be moving on tomorrow sometime before the lunch hour.

All-in-all, 22 handles and 6 pick-ups were reported through dog #23. Work had improved over the 1:00-3:00 pm hours as the wind leveled and shifted. At around 5:00 pm the work returned to the same satisfactory levels as the morning hours. Note: there was 1 no-bird for #191.

Becky Malphus and Lyle Steinman sport eye-catching head gear.

Meetings and Judges Instructions

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 02:51:00 +0000

Sail Winds Conference Center is the site of today's meetings.

The merch sales were a complete success this morning. Following the blast of purchases, the Master National crowd began making its way back, once again, to the Sail Winds Conference Center for some MNRC housekeeping and Judges instructions.

Gloria Mundell, Chief Marshall, addresses the crowd with the Handler's Instructions.

The Board Members of the MNRC.

Mark Koeneig and Dennis Bath, President & Editor-in-Chief of Retriever News.

The harbor view outside Sail Winds Conference Center

The Delegates began registering for the meetings as the Committee Chairs met with their workers in preparation of the upcoming week's activities. There is plenty of work to do, and not enough people to do it. If you have time and would like to volunteer, take a look at the following club committee listings and contact the respective Chairperson to set up some volunteer hours. Flight A, Flight B and Flight C

As the handlers began flowing in, Gloria Mundell, emcee extraordinaire and Chief Marshall, announced the important Judges Flight information. With a little help from Lyle Steinman’s hat, the Judges pairings were picked and their Flights assigned.

Front row: John Marchica and Frank Barton

Judges Dorothy Ruehman, Steve Elliott and Duwayne Bickel.

Judges Denard Quillen, Dave Illias and Martha Kress

Bill Teague of the RHTAC

Jerry Mann of the AKC

Here's how it ran down: Flight A (nicknamed Crazy 8) Judges are Dorothy Ruehman and Steve Elliott (substitute judge for Jim Morris who had a family emergency). The Flight B (or 12 Point Corner) judging duo is Duwayne Bickle and Jim Wonnell and finishing out the list for Flight C (or Wet Willie) has Martha Kress and Dave Illias. We thank the Judges again for taking their time to Judge this 20th Anniversary Master National!

As announced last night at the Opening Ceremony, the starting dog is #79, and the complete rotation is 79 - 117 - 155 - 1 - 39.

Gloria continued on with the Judges instrux to the handlers, here's the breakdown:
Guns - First and foremost, gun safety is key ... and shoulder the gun.

Birds - When the dog delivers the bird, hand it directly to the judge. If there are any special instructions, they will be posted in the final holding blind.

Honor Dog - The handler will stand for ALL honors and ALL marks. NO intimidation, loud voices. The honor dog will have a bye dog during a shift change.

Handling - If you handle, handle to the blind. If you receive a no-bird, you will go back 3 dogs. If you get 2 no birds, go back 6 dogs. If you receive 3 no-birds, go back 12 dogs. If, god forbid, you receive 4 no-birds, you go to the end of the line.

Walk-ups - Keep walking ... STOP when the bird is in the air.

Blinds - The line to the blind IS the line to the blind...challenge it. Release your dog when your number is called.

"Time is of the essence," says Gloria. "The judges are looking for quality ... there's no rush. Be mindful of the running order, be watching and be there."

Regarding test dogs, each morning there will be one test dog, unless it's the beginning of a new series.

Judge, Steve Elliott, offered his thanks to the AKC, the Master National, the host club and to all the attendees at this years National. "Good luck, relax...if you're calm and confident the handler will do better." Most importantly, Elliott brought to everyone’s attention that we need to be respectful of the grounds, be safe and watch your dogs.

Following all of the Judges info, the Retriever Hunting Test Advisory Committee provided information on the communication between them and the AKC in the last year. Topics for discussion may derive from Hunting Test participants or from the RHTAC's members themselves. More on these announcements during the Master National Report in the Retriever News.

The Master National Retriever Club's Annual Meeting began with an overview of the Club's financials from Secretary/Treasurer, Frank Barton. And as Frank mentioned, this would be the last time he will be acting as the MNRC Treasurer.

As fun as it is to talk about money, it was time to move on ... on to the slate of Judging candidates for 2010 MN, emceed by John Marchica.
Listed below are the 6 Judges:

Ballot #1
Region 1 - Michelle Love
Region 2 - Carol Hynes
Region 3 - Bill Teague
Region 4 - Jim Charboneau

Ballot #2
Region 1 - Sidney Williams
Region 3 - Bruce Bachert

Congratulations to the 2012 Judges! See you next year!

Finally, there were two Amendments to the Constitution up for review, discussion and vote. After much discussion, a variety of votes, yay/nay, colored delegate papers and secret ballot, both proposed changes to the Constitution did not pass.

As the democratic process began and ended, handlers picked up their handler bags and a variety of treats.

Jerry Cacchio and Mike Witt from Purina.

Rick Dirmeyer, Missy Heard and Mike from Eukanuba.

Millie's Roadhouse shows of their gear...."BODY by MILLIE's."

Thank you to all of the Sponsors and their representatives:
Cabela’s
Purina
Eukanuba
Avery
Tri-Tronics
Tangelo Products
Dogtra
Sherwood of Salisbury

Whew! What a day! Time to get some rest and prepare for the running of the 2011 Master National!

Stores Are Open!

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 15:13:00 +0000

At 9:00 a.m., the MNRC and the Susquehanna Retriever Club merchandise sales began in the Cambridge conference rooms at the Headquarters in the Holiday Inn Express. The lines are long, the merchandise is moving quickly and the customers are leaving happy!

Retriever News magazine provided reading materials to the waiting crowd of shoppers.

The Retriever News issue covering last year's event was a great hit!

It was like "Black Friday" when the doors finally opened.

In the near future, registration and assignments will be underway, followed by the instruction to handlers (info on that to follow) and the annual meetings. There was a bitch check this morning outside the Sail Winds Conference Center, and a second one is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. During that same time is the all important Handlers Registration (this will be the only time available to pick up handlers bags).

Opening Ceremony

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 13:51:00 +0000

The Opening Ceremony at the Sail Winds Conference Center was a complete success and quite the entertaining experience. Local dignitaries gave their thanks to the Master National and all the attendees while current MN president John Marchica thanked the host club, the Susquehanna Retriever Club, and all the sponsors for their contributions.

As the rain fell on this opening night, attendees enjoyed a variety of cocktails as they chatted with old friends and new aquaintences. The honoring of Frank Predergast put the crowd on their feet in recognition for his 20 years of work at EVERY Master National. A slideshow showcasing Frankie's best moments, including his year judging as the "Mad Hatter," garnered many laughs and rounds of applause. Thanks Frankie, for all your years of service!

A slideshow praised the latest entrants to the MN Hall of Fame as Queen's "We Are The Champions" played in the background. Smiles were shining and owners and handlers cheered for their famed friends.

Dinner was self-served, complete with deep-fried crab balls, green beans, cornish game hens, pork and sweet potato biscuits, all courtesy and with great thanks to Millie's for catering the Opening Ceremony. NOTE: Millie's will be serving at the Flights throughout the week to fill bellies and quench thirsts...stop by and see them!

Thanks to everyone involved in the Opening Ceremony!

...and it begins!

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:07:00 +0000

The dog trucks are filling the parking lot here at the Master National Headquarters as handlers, workers and the whole lot of dog people here in Cambridge, MD, are preparing for the Opening Ceremonies at the Sail Winds Conference Center. Tonight's events begin at 5:30 pm with a social reception followed by the Opening Ceremony and the selection of the starting dog number. Soon after is the handlers dinner and the auction.

We welcome you to the 2011 Master National Report, please check back often as we will post updates and highlights throughout the entire event.

noreply@blogger.com (Retriever News Team) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:57:00 +0000

2011 Master National Report is coming soon!!