I am adding this post to the dog blog to check that I CAN!
And a picture too! WOW! I am cooking with gas with the new website! Its absolutely fantastic, THANK you Gill!
I have always rated it, marginally, over any other part of gundog work, however, there are always a few grey areas. 😉 I hope seasoned pickers up will appreciate this:
A Keeper says as a briefing to his pickers up….:
” Yes well you know… stick to the rules… but make your own judgement call most times. Never nick a bird when a gun has a dog, but, then again, never trust any of the guns dogs to actually pick the birds – so if its Harry, John, Frank A, Frank C or Micky Useless then send your dog immediately when he shoots at something. It will NOT be dead.
Only pick running birds during the drive. This is an UNSHAKEABLE rule…. But, then again, probably best send even if stone dead incase they are only pricked. Only pick up dead birds AFTER the whistle…. unless you are so far away you can’t HEAR the whistle then probably best make your own judgement on if i’ve blown it…. because I don’t want you standing down there in 100 mile hollow, like a tit in a trance, if you could be doing something useful to earn your twenty quid.
If its a last years Cock Bird then please pick it during the drive. BUT if its a ‘this year’ Cock please hang on till the end. You will know the difference by the fact that as they fly over you at twenty miles an hour you will PLAINLY see that their tail feathers are a quarter of an inch longer on a ‘last years’ Cock. And there is a twenty quid fine for anyone who gets it wrong…
Oh and please report ALL cases of dangerous shooting to me immediately and we shall deal with them in the strongest manner. UNLESS, of course, the gun is me, my best mate Larry Lowshot (hes such a laugh at the Christmas Do we couldn’t be without him…!) my father in law, or the landowner. Also excluded are the husband of the lady who bakes us blinding cakes for teatime, the rich git who drives a 400 mile trip to shoot and is a Loader for Prince William or the pretty lady I quite fancy who’s husband just pegged off…drifts off…. by GOD she has some REALLY tight breeks on today…… drools a bit…. snaps back to the job in hand….
SO please adhere STRICTLY to these crystal clear instructions…. and you might JUST get asked back…. ”
😉 😉 😉 ……….
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Thomas had his first days picking up this Saturday. I can say, without bias, that he was an uncomplicated, mature, level headed, interested, OBVIOUSLY raw but ‘keen to understand what I wanted’ individual! He was an idiot before we started, hands up! He charged round the farmyard saying ‘Hi!’ to everyone like the over social individual he really is, but then come first drive, he settled straight away, and whilst nothing taxing was asked of him, he gave me the feeling ‘This youngster will be fine… ‘, and I hope readers will understand that on all the important points. He was a Picking up dog First, and a Brown dog second. And THAT is how I like it!
What a lovely day and a seriously encouraging start….
The SEGS Novice Stake for 14 AV Retrievers (Walked Up) Was held today at Knowle Game Farm – Ulcombe – Kent, By the kind permission of Mr Steve King and at the kind invitation of Mr Graham Roberts & Guns.
The Judges were Mr Kevin Doughty, Mr Peter Avery, Mr Graham Home & Mrs Sue Berman
We arrived at knowle game with plenty of time to spare, fortunately Di was helping today and had an early breakfast appointment at the local pub (tough job for some! 😉 ). I dropped her off and carried onwards.
Having been 8th reserve, I found myself actually in the running order also at No.8. With four dogs inline at anyone time I was actually releaved to find out we would get a little while walking with the holding group before our big moment would come.
Now not to say I was nervous would be a slight understatement. Reminding myself to breathe was a good start! . 😀
Enough waffling!
The trial started for those of you that know the ground in the top field by the carpark. We were walking up in a mixed beet. No.5 was the first dog to complete both first round retrieves, with dogs 1-3 failing on their first or second retrieve. Dog No. 4 then eyewiped No’s 6 & 7. Bloody Hell! I’m in! These things really move fast when they get going. 🙂
So initially we were in on the right. Our first retrieve came near the end of the field. A hen bird flew left to right down the line and was taken by the end gun, It cleared the edge of the beet and landed some 70yds into an open area of grass field. Fish was locked on, straight line and was right side of wind, bird picked no handling needed. Fantastic 😀
So 2nd retrieve needed. Now it would appear that whilst we were all walking round this first field, that two forward guns had been having some excellent sport on the same patch of grass where fish had just had his first bird. The other judges on the left moved forward and sent one of there dogs for a blind, dog collected and returned.
We then moved forward with our judges. Now the dog i was backing up was sent for a blind near a feed bin on the edge of a wood. Dog found and retrived no problem. We were then sent for a blind that had fell near an old farm trailer also on the edge of the wood and to the left of the feed bin. Sent fish, he got his head down in the area and hunted and hunted, then he pushed back in the wood and disappeared. He then re-appeared over to the right near the feed bin, and had a hen pheasent in his mouth.
The Judges thought this may have been a bird that was not known about, so I had to re-send back to the same area. Gulp! But I had been told that if nothing is found i would be credited with that retrieve. Fish went out, held the area and was called up after a while. The dog backing me up also failed to find anything. So out go all 4 judges and begin hunting! I cant really explain the feeling, but I know my heart was in my mouth.
The judges returned empty handed. I was still in and returned to the holding group. At the end of the first round 7 out of 14 dogs had gone.
Only 1 retrieve in the second round (you’ll be pleased to know 😉 )
In the second field most of the action happened directly in front of us, but of course it was cross over retrieves! so dogs were being sent from the other end of the line. Our retrieve came at the end of the field when a bird was shot behind and across the line. I marked it, but i knew fish hadn’t! I lined him out and sent him, direct line to the area. I gave a couple of hunt commands and he was on his way back with the bird. 😀
All 7 of us left in for the 3rd round. On to another field, this time it was seedy beet about 4foot tall and very thick. You could see the look of horror on people’s faces as we approached it. Straight away a bird was shot no more than 20 yards in front (happily i was in the holding group!!)
1st dog sent, failed to find, but atleast 7 more birds got up from this small area directly in front of the line. (I don’t think i was the only one that gulped at the thought of just how much game is in this field then!)
2 more dogs were put on this same bird no more than 20yards away and also didn’t find. The 4th dog however did find and completed a 3 dog eye wipe. (Roger Wade & Faybourne Ace of Wadeshot)
Bloody hell! That means there’s only four of us left in. So four of us back into line. Whilst the judges were having a disscusion a very well taken pigeon dropped in front of us. No.5 was sent first with myself to back him up. Dog picked, no problem. On we go, hen bird across the line left to right dropped near the edge of the field. Fish had locked on (thank god) because of the height of the beet, I took no chances lined him out and sent him. Straight out, straight back.
No10 completed both 3rd round retrieves first and left the line, the three of us left in line were then moved to the middle. All of us needing a second bird to complete the third round. At bit further on up comes a **** bird and in a flurry of shots hit the ground out front and to the right. No.5 was sent and collected nicely.
Just Roger and myself left in line. Now then I’m thinking off we go, when a judge on the left hand side raises his stick and points to another area. It would appear a second bird was shot at the same time! Time to confess, I never saw it drop and fish was transfixed by the **** bird on the right.
So we get given an area, fish goes out nicely and hunts, eventually we called up. Roger’s turn, out goes his dog and also covers the ground where this bird had fallen. Finally the judges go out to look, heart in mouth time again. Then one of the judges bends down and picked this bird up! my heart sank. But it was there to be found! Both Roger and myself out.
This just left two dogs in No.5 and No.10 The dogs went back into line and unfortunately suffered the same fate as what had just happened to Roger and Myself. The Trial was closed with no obvious winner.
Final Results
COM & Guns choice – Mr Ron Jeffery with Faircotelabs Moss (FT CH Mansengreen Diesel of Birdsgreen x Hyndford Heat)
COM – Mr Ron Taylor with Norlands Ruby of Echobrook (Norlands Teal x Garendon Laura of Norlands)
So all in all. We came so close, yet so far. But I cannot tell you how chuffed I was and still am to have made it to the last four dogs in our first trial. What a day and what an experience, I cant thank everyone involved enough, especially those kind people in the holding group that kept passing me the sloe gin as time ticked on.
Wonderful, wonderful day – Al
(Pic below is not from today but will do till we get one of Mathew’s brilliant shots!!!)
Today was one of those… 😉 You can raise a dog as well as you can. Put him through the health schemes and get all good results from those. Take him as part of the family and adore him. Have some working test and training days that give you a flicker of hope. But till you sit him up on a few drives with live game falling, you don’t know the dog. Not as a trial/working dog. Anyway, Bondy was so very promising today, on the most wonderful shoot that I could ever have been asked on (thank you Gilly and Clive So much!), that I am bubbling over tonight. Five drives steady and quiet. Uncomplicated picking of partridge and duck. Handling fine. Hey!? Who am I to complain that it was raining!!! So the nominations go in for Nov/Dec & Jan and lets see. I know some will cringe that he is just 17 months old. Some will rejoice in it. But either way, darling, sweet Bondy had a wonderful day, even if reasonably lightly taxed as regards diffculty of retrieves went…. and I am THRILLED! Had to share!!! Roll on Saturday and a walked up training day. Unlike Fish might be less of his thing than a Driven…. but we shall see!
It was an amazing holiday and gave me FAR too much time to lay around and think, plan and dream, but its cemented many things – including the fact, most importantly, that Al must NEVER think of singing as a viable career – his Robbie Williams was touching. Its was moving. The crowds put their hands in the air and swayed…. but it WAS 1am and we HAD all had copious amounts of Mythos beer and Santorini wine and I feel it slightly gave us a false reading on the ‘talent factor…’ 😉 I can talk!!! My ‘Unbreak my Heart’ had cats galloping for the comparative safety of the main roads to take their chances with the masses of hired quad bikes rather than listen!
It was a corker. A funny time of year, admittedly, knowing *everyone else* was marching up and down the fields of Knowle Game Farm, picking partridge, and getting ‘good’, whilst I was picking sunbeds and getting brown, AND whilst the dogs sat on their cute arses! But anyway, enough of the sun, fun, sand, mountains, volcanos, boat trips, sunsets, wine, relaxation and MASSIVE delays at Gatwick… and onto doggy matters! Of which there are plenty!
We returned with a new enthusiasm for our sport after a slightly indifferent working test season. Our sport of shooting and our sport of trialing. Its a lovely kind of title to have. A ‘trialer’. In its own way it covers a multitude of abilities, sucesses (or lack of them!), dedication, blood, sweat, gravy and egg! It can be used as a compliament or an insult depending on how your dog goes…. but it does mean several things for certain I have decided:
– You will always be poor.
– You will never have enough cheque books to send nomination fees with. Your bank will start after a year or two to think you are onto some kind of ‘fraud’ scam as you request new ones weekly August to December 😉
– You will sleep well only on nights AFTER a reasonably or very successful trial
– You will spend your evenings listening for the phone to ring to see if you have a run
– You will fall out with your boss multiple times all winter as you take the p*ss on how many last minute days off you beg for!
– You will develop a dual personality where you are thrilled AND gutted to see your name on the running order in the sacred ’12 or 14′ who have a definate run!
…. Ok well i’m only talking about ME here of course. I see so many calm, collected, unflapable types trialing that I know at some point I may have to take up Valium as a regular thing to make it through winters !!!
So a few days after returning home, Allan and Fish ran on a FT training day with a private group. To say this was a turning point for Al is an understatement. The day at Knowle, run by Neil Franklin and asked by Graham Home was unsupassed in making Al smile. I have NEVER made him as happy as that day. I never WILL. Its impossible. He came home floating as Fish went very well and Al realised he *could* do it. REALLY, maybe, possibly, actually DO IT! And I reckon he could. Fish is a strong, powerful, line taking dog who revels in going out. He doesn’t QUITE so revel in being handled *out there*, but its coming. ‘Coming’ to the level we want it anyway, the ‘bang on the money almost everytime making it look fluid and easy’ level. Not the ‘Ok Dad if I believe you something is there, but otherwise, I may just make my own mind up on this one, and if you get angry by that, I will pack it in and look shit scared as you run towards me, then go PERFECTLY immediately afterwards…’ Bloody dogs 😉
So that was Thursday last week. Friday saw me up with the larks and going to help at one of the SEGS Novice trials at the lovely Orsett. The trial went well. The drives were heavy and it was easy to see why all the retrieves look easy when you haven’t got a dog there. 😉 When you HAVE they were 120 yards. When you HAVEN’T they were 60 yards 😉 Enjoyed the day and saw some good friends do well and came home very happy and itching to get going myself with Le Bond.
Now the thing is I’d decided Le Bond would not trial this winter. And he may not… but I’m going to give him a chance to at least show me maybe he *could*. So i’ve been lucky to be offered two training days in the next week, and so am going to take him to both. Meantime, because the little chap hasn’t ever picked fresh shot game, he is coming out with Granny Nickols (grin!) on a shoot in the next day or two which I will be on my VERY best behaviour at ,and I am HUGELY grateful to be given the chance to go there. It will show me enough to decide for sure on the training days. Otherwise I’ll take the Fishy one.
So back to Friday and coming home to charge back out again to a HUGELY fun evening at the UGS Kent ‘Bangers and Tossers dinner’. A GREAT idea (especially if you are a Banger or a Tosser – and there were a good few of us there it has to be said!!) and very generous. A Chinese buffet, great company and a big thank you all round! We weren’t even the last to leave but I felt I was hugely generous offering to drive THERE…. can’t think why Al looked sorrowfully at his two pints all evening like a kicked puppy 😉
However he had to be on the ball as the next morning, Saturday, bright and early we were off to Kent to Goudhurst for him to run Fish, and me to Chief Steward, the SEGS FT training day. What a day! What a ground! I’ve never seen Wallabees and Pheasants sharing a pen myself before, but this place had exactly that going on. Really??? Yes REALLY. Mini Kangas and Cock birds… a seriously strange mix! However they didn’t flush the Wallabees…. they may of taken more picking than the cock birds… 😉 Fish went well…. Al himself would say not as well as Thursday but better than he expected having never sat him in drives before. The good lad was quiet and steady for all four drives and picked everything asked including two runners, which again, he had not had experience of before so was great!
We came home chatting and fired up, so roll on the next few trials Fish has a nomination in for. I can’t say that he will set the world on fire immediately for sure, but this year is about taking it steady, and cranking it up NEXT year. Both for Fish and Bondy I suppose. Its been a funny old year in every possible way.
Tom is coming on nicely. Nicely in a Tomshoes kind of a way. He makes me smile, I can’t wait to have him on the real thing, and whilst he is like a roller skate… (only has backwards and forwards), he has a heart of gold and bursts with instinct so as we are ploughing on almost daily, he is coming on in hops and skips. Leaps and bounds might be stretching it…and would *I* lie to you, dear reader!!!?? 😉 😉
Progress on planning my puppy and beginner gundog training CLASSES, is in the final stages, so hope to have some news on that very soon indeed! Its very exciting, and one of my main priorities right now (alongside EVERYTHING else!!!) And the sire of our next litter is also decided on (cross fingers!) and I now hope to stop tearing myself apart trying to decide what route we walk 😉 Its certainly been a crossroads couple of years breeding wise, but i’m finally happy! 😉 Fate and field trial training days have finally made my mind up! 😉
So a full report on Bondys first day picking up, his first FT training days and a few more running orders back for Fish will be reported on next week!
Meantime….. take care…. and why DID Cheryl pick that blonde Madonna wannabe drama queen for her final three? Its a travesty!!!! The fragile Amy Winehouse clone was scarey enough, but I can sort of see why, however …. ‘got it all planned out’ blondie??? NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! 😉
