The quail wagon at the hunt test.
Gallery watching the call back.
Tur Bo waiting his turn.
Tur Bo is registered with American Field and American Kennel Club so he can run in either field trials or hunt tests with AKC clubs. He ran in a hunt test on Saturday, 4/16/16 and Sunday 4/17/16. This was a first for him and me both. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived at Hillsdale Lake for the hunt test.
Master hunt test would be run first followed by Senior hunters then Junior hunters which is what Tur Bo was in. Master hunters have to be steady to wing, shot and fall but, also, have to be steady to the other dog’s retrieve, without any handling. Senior hunters have to be steady to wing, shot and fall but on the other dog’s retrieve the handler can hold his dog. Both of these classes also have to have an honor. Junior hunters are scored on; Hunting, Bird finding ability, Pointing and Train-ability.
Saturday morning Tur Bo and I got there about 9:00 am. I checked in with the Hunt Test Secretary, Mark Swanson. He said we would probably run in about 5 hours, give or take a little. At least I wasn’t late. I talked to several people, asking lots of questions, since this is our first time. I staked Tur Bo out to a fence that was close to the truck. After a little while I decided I had time to go to town and get breakfast so I loaded Tur Bo into the truck.
When I got back I staked Tur Bo out under a tree with his water bucket close. Someone kept the hunt test runs on a white board near the grounds so I checked it to see the progress. There were several call backs which would delay our run. I’m not good at waiting. I paced back and forth talking to anyone that slowed down close to me. About noon I decided that Tur Bo needed some exercise so I loaded him into the truck and drove a few miles away. (It may have been me that needed the exercise.) I found an area that had a hedge row on the east and west sides of about 40 acres of plowed ground. Where I parked the truck was a big puddle of water.
I put the Garmin GPS collar and the Sport Dog e-collar on him before turning him loose. I walked the edge of the plowed ground as he hunted the hillside to the west. It was 70 degrees but he was soon out too far. I beeped him with the e-collar and he came back in. We circled the field and when we got back to the truck he laid down in the puddle. When I got back to the hunt test he was wet and muddy but cooler.
Tur Bo was in the first brace in the Juniors. I got ready to go out and they had to run a couple of call backs. They were close enough that Tur Bo watched and got fired up. He had been really calm all morning. I think he figured I had the nervousness covered so he could be calm. His brace mate was a young German Short-haired Pointer ran by a young lady. (I didn’t hear her name or write her dog’s name down.)
The course started with a short run to a turn then a long run to a water trough where we wet the dogs down good to cool them. It was about 75 degrees by this time. Just a little way from the water was the bird field. Tur Bo entered the field and went on point within a minute. I walked in front of him without flushing anything. I asked the judge if I could relocate and she gave me permission. He made a circle and pointed again in almost the same place. Again, I couldn’t flush anything so I relocated him and he left the area but about 30 yards away he pointed again. This time when I went in front of him a bird flushed and I shot the blank pistol. He chased it but came back.
We moved on through the bird field and he pointed again. He was closer to this bird and when I flushed it it got tangled in the grass. He’s fast. He caught it. I didn’t even have time to shoot the blank pistol. He started away from me and I grabbed for his collar. He dropped the quail and it tried to fly away again. He grabbed it again. This time I caught his collar and said,”give”. He spit it out. I handed it to the judge but I believe it would still fly. He didn’t hurt it.
The young short hair pointed and just as the judge said, “get your dog, hers is on point” Tur Bo honored. The bird flushed, the handler shot her blank pistol and they both chased. We walked them back to the truck stopping to get them wet, at a water trough, at the starting gate. Mark gave me a ribbon for his qualifying run.
Sunday I went to church then left about 11:30 getting to Hillsdale Lake about 1:00 pm. On Sunday I was in the fourth brace. I still paced a lot but I had fewer hours to do it in. I staked Tur Bo out and he was even calmer than the day before. He has always heeled real well when I use the piggin’ string but pulls when I use a leash. Not today, he heels like he should. He doesn’t try to jump on anyone or anything.
A young man had parked next to my truck with a Red setter that turned out to be our brace mate. At a GSP hunt test not a lot of dogs with tails. I saw a Gordon setter, also. When it came our turn it was even hotter than the day before. It was 79 degrees by temperature gauge in my truck when I left. We wet our dogs down at the gate before we started. Tur Bo started out not wanting me to put water on him but learned to like it before the day was over.
Since he had caught the quail the day before I was afraid Tur Bo would go straight to the bird field and try to catch another but he hunted in front of me real well. It was hot but both dogs hunted well. Had it been 40 degrees cooler they would have done better but for the conditions they did well.
Just before the bird field we wet them down again. We entered the bird field and Tur Bo checked where he had found a bird the day before but just slowed a little and went on. He was well into the bird field when he went on point. I had to walk about 75 yards to get to him and as I got close the young red setter ran by him, smelled the bird and went on point just in front of him. I continued to walk toward the dogs and the bird flushed. We both shot our blank pistols. (I think, I didn’t ask, but I think that counted as a point for both dogs.) Juniors aren’t judged on an honor.
Tur Bo was hunting really well and I had my camera so I decided to take a picture. I take a lot of pictures and he is usually on point, on the whoa board or at least stopped when I snap the picture. He was running really hard and I couldn’t keep up. Finally, he looped back close to me and I held the camera up and he stopped. I took a picture then said, “okay” and he went back to hunting. The judge started laughing and said, “I’ve never seen a dog stop for a picture before”. I told him, “it takes lots of training to get them to stop for photo ops”. It was a surprise for me too.
He pointed again and as I started to him I saw the quail in some brush running on the ground. Tur Bo saw it and gave chase. I shot the blank pistol. A little later I heard another shot from the red setter’s handler. We had a few more minutes but neither dog came up with a bird. When I got back to the water trough Tur Bo got in it and laid down. Just 30 minutes before he didn’t even want to get close.
Both dogs had had two points on a 79 degree day. That was the last leg for Junior Hunter for the red setter. Tur Bo needs two more qualifying runs for his Junior Hunter.
I wasn’t sure whether I would enjoy the hunt tests. I have done some field trials. Hunt tests don’t have the same competitiveness as the field trials. Everyone was friendly and they were okay with your dog doing well. You aren’t competing against their dog. You either qualify or you don’t. I like that atmosphere better and it still makes you train to a higher level.
More pictures of the gallery.
Tur Bo
Tur Bo