Now on the 2nd half of the dogs on the 2nd day of this test at Libertyville and with over half the dogs having run, we have watched over half the field use handles on this test, including some double handles. The middle-right bird, a retired dead hen pheasant, has proven to be far and away the most troublesome bird.
All four birds are part way up the far side of the drainage and the mid-way-up-the-hillside picture the gun stations present to the dog is similar for all birds, making it impossible for a dog to rely on taught concepts such as "punch bird' and "check down bird" to differentiate them. The line to each bird is angles down a hillside, crosses water, then climbs the hill on the other side. There are also two small ponds up on the far hillside that can affect the dogs' navigation to the fall areas of the three memory birds. The water crossings are at an angle for each bird and can affect the dogs' navigation in various ways - with some "squaring out" early and a some even staying in too long when going for the farthest right bird.
The strategy on preferred order of bird pick-up has stabilized to the following for most of the teams: (1) go bird (flyer duck), (2) middle left retired bird (dead rooster), (3) far right bird (flyer pheasant), and finally (4) the bird that can cause most of the trouble, the middle right bird, a dead hen pheasant.
Now we'll take a look at some of the other influences on the dog work, going bird by bird and using the retrieval order the majority of the handlers seem to prefer when attacking this quad:
On the go-bird flyer duck, which is the left-most bird, we see very good work for the most part. When there is a hunt it can be caused by the fact that this bird is shot "down the hill," which is a place that dogs not experienced in finding hillside birds tend to hunt only after they have first climbed too high on the hill. For the most part the go-bird has not caused trouble.
The middle-left bird, a retired rooster, which is the shortest bird in the test, has proven straightforward for many. The line to it crosses a small pond at a friendly angle followed by a short hillside climb. The navigation needed to get to the fall area does not include a lot to confuse dogs trained at this level.
The right-most bird, a flyer hen pheasant, produces variable work, with some dogs virtually pinning it and others needing hunts which in some cases are rather lengthy. This flyer is shot away from the test (a diverging bird). With the three guns sitting out and visible, and with it landing in a defined bowl, most dogs anchor their hunts well and work the area until they find this hen pheasant. On day 2 we now have light variable winds (a new wind condition), and it has proven possible for a dog to wind the middle-right bird or throwing station while hunting for the right-hand bird, of course leading to need for an urgent handle.
The final bird retrieved, the retired middle-right bird, is a dead hen pheasant and depending on the time the dog runs, the grass where it lands can be wet. This is a notoriously difficult scenting challenge. But the line needed to get to this bird presents another challenge. The line to this bird crosses the same pond that the dog previously crossed to get to the middle left bird then continues at an angle up hill to cross the tip of another small pond (if the dogs stay on line). This second little pond and its dam face can influence dogs off course in many directions. Now thrown off the route to the bird, the dogs can respond in various ways - such as by "lining out" over the ridge above the test, hunting backside off the flyer and never enlarging to find the target bird, hunting in some "no-man's land" area, or switching. As noted above many handlers are opting for the quick handle rather than playing the lottery on recovery of this bird.
