Started

[goosebruce]

[gator]

[wesley hamm]

[Meeka]

Gator wrote: . . . hell I'm not sure what he wrote! But I'm glad he did. I bet you have to work tomorrow, huh?

Started is what it is. It is a good starting point; a place we almost all have been at least once. To me the title is not important, but it is to some people, so why take that pleasure away?

Finished. It is what it is. It aint a derby, and especially aint higher up field trials. If you want to go higher than finished, run grands or move to trials. If you cant get a kick out of Grands anymore, is that even possible?, then run trials, i guess, or take up golf or tennis.

But Finished was the carrot at the end of my stick, what cranked my tractor so to speak, for 10 years after I couldn't get my meat dog through every Seasoned test. And finished has cranked a lot of tractors belonging to people who moved on, then talked ugly. In my opinion, as always.

I dont throw rocks at them field trialers, nor should I. Thier game requires more, better, different training than I can do where I am in life. I admire what they do and what the dogs do. But for most of those people, they came through finished and it served thier purpose well at the time. We should all remember from whence we came.

Wes, I dont get whatever the argument was about your test and, generally about 1,2,3 right to left marking tests. I would like to see what was said so I can understand the viewpoint that is so memorable. I guess I acknowledge a slim few people who might think that way, but almost all of the people I have been associated with in HRC in these last few years feel the same way that you do - lets use as much realism as we can in our tests. If its fun, lets do it!

At the same time, we have to judge and test across the board according to some standard. You gotta have a rulebook and it has to say something. I'd really like to know what the contrary view is (the other side of you).

Wes, I am glad you are gonna be at the meeting. If somebody hosed you on a forum, then lets kick thier azzzz. You went out of your way to help West Miss and you splained casting into the wind and away from factors in running water to me, so you are allright in my book, FWIW.

Wes that sounds like a really kewl started test. Wanna know why we don't see more tests like that first started you ran and more tests with 30+ decoys? Because those type judges are few and far between. Get more dedicated hunters to set up hunting tests, and you have more hunting tests. When Brian W came to judge started at West Miss, he came to HUNT. He had his little pirogue, waders, decoys, calls, . . . and his hunting frame of mind. I wish as a committee we had given better land to him the first day.

Maybe we only need ONE more rule: Judges must regularly demonstrate the ability to be set out somewhere with a dozen dekes in a bag, a call, a gun and shells and dog and actually kill ducks. I wonder if the people who criticized Wes' test could pass that test? (no snide remarks from Gator about my calling are needed at this point)

[wesley hamm]

Meeka,

I'll be glad to explain the beef I have gone through tommorow at the meeting and I'm really looking forward to it, I respect Cade very much in any dog game he steps to the line and I also enjoy running and judging in his region.

Here are just a few things I was "informed" that were "wrong" with the last two test I judged last year and they both came from the same "gallery" of people

1. Using the finisher blind was a destraction and a bucket should have been used without the finisher blind.

2. A dog can't "officially" break after the last bird has hit the ground (especially if the judges say in the briefing that the dog may be released after the last bird hits the ground).

3. running a blind back over a mark is bad setup and judging.

Those were a few from my West Ms. experience and honestly I thought they were good and fair test, especially since we were running in a disced field with no cover, but that's just me!LOL

Now on to Amite River a month later:

1. I threw a quad

2. I threw a "mark" that the dogs didn't pick up but it was still on their mind so that made my "marking" test a circus and also a quad.

3. my mark's were too close together and caused confusion for dogs, they should have been more around the horn and in open cover.

That is just a couple of things and I'll be happy to sit down and draw out the test and explain exactly what the problems in some peoples minds were on those test.

I am sorry for taking this thread way off of line so I'll quit talking now

[greenheadgrimreaper]

Damn I learn alot on this forum. Still a little lost on some of the terminology used where can I go to get info on what can and can't be done, the rules and regs and so forth on UKC and AKC hunt test?

[Troy Williams]

[skuna]

[gator]

[wesley hamm]

[Duck Chaser]

[skuna]

[kaustin]

[Troy Williams]

[Troy Williams]