10th Series – Water Triple with Two Retired, a Flyer and a Sluice

The mat faces south overlooking Goose Pond. The near shore has an irregular shoreline with clumps of growth. The far shore is framed with mature timber of intermittent pine and deciduous trees in fall color. The wind is constant, coming from the northeast.

Bird One – Middle Retired: These gunners are on the opposite shore and up the hill, and will be throwing to the right. The line will go up between two large trees. The bird is a hen pheasant at 330 yards. The line will take an angle down, skimming the tip of a point, and across the pond. Coming out, they will cross the road and drive the hill. Guns are retired.

Bird Two – Left Retired: The hen pheasant is 310 yards. This bird is thrown left, almost straight back, into shade of trees that extend from the timber. The line takes them across the base of the point, across the road, and up the finger of timber. Guns are retired.

Bird Three – Flyer: The flyer station is a hen mallard at 135 yards. It sits on the near shore at the base of a point. The line from the mat will angle down the slope across the road, then across some grassy areas, to another section of road, and entering the water at the base of the point. Dogs will swim past some decoys to the bird. The shot will be followed by a sluice.

10th Series – Water Triple with Two Retired and a Flyer

Middle Retired – 330 yards

Left Retired – 310 yards

Flyer – 135 yards

10th Series sketch by Official Artist Jean Wu

Ninth Series – Land Triple with Two Retired, a Flyer and an Honor

Test Nine is an indented Land Triple with an Honor. The mat sits on the side of a hill facing southwest. There are swells out across the field and the ground has wide mowed strips with heavy cover of broom straw.

Bird one is an indented station. The two guns are 145 yards straight in front of the mat throwing a dead hen pheasant to the right and into the cover at the base of a group of small trees. They then retire into a well-brushed blind, which is the second group of bushes from the line.

Bird two is a also a hen pheasant. The two gunners come out from a clump of bushes and throw to the right into a large area of broom straw. There is a line of sparse trees on the way to this fall area that pushes the dog left and away from the bird. This bird is to the handler's right, and it lands 230 yards from the line.

Bird three is a hen duck flyer on the handler's left. The gunners throw and shoot the hen angled back to the left landing approximately 190 yards from the line.

There is an Honor to the left of the working dog. This test takes between 3 1/2-5 minutes per dog.

 

Ninth Series – Land Triple with an Honor

Middle Retired – 145 yards

Right Retired –230 yards

Flyer – 190 yards

Sketch of the Ninth by Jean Wu

Eighth Series – Water Triple

Test Eight is a Water Triple with a flyer, two retired gun stations and an honor on Goose Pond. The mat faces south and the wind is out of the north at the handler's back. 

The first bird shot will be a drake thrown right to left landing 450 yards from the line. These middle gunners will retire. The line to this bird takes the dog through the right corner of the pond number one, over a levee through pond two, and out across a deep field to the bird.

Bird two is a hen mallard thrown angled back on the handler's left to the edge of the woods. The gunners stand by a well-brushed blind to the left of the mat. The line to this bird takes the dog across the right end of pond one, over a levee, across the left corner of pond two, across a road, past the blind, and to the tree line 183 yards from the line.

Bird three is a hen duck flyer thrown and shot, landing approximately 235 yards from the line. The bird is slightly right of the mat. The gunners are positioned by a small tree on the side of a hill, shooting uphill. Finally, there is an Honor to the right of the working dog.

This test will take approximately 10 minutes per dog.

 

Eighth Series – Water Triple with a Flyer, Two Retired Guns & an Honor

Middle Retired – 450 yards

Left Retired – 183 yards

Flyer – 235 yards

Eighth Series sketch by Jean Wu

 

Sixth & Seventh Series – Land Blind & Water Blind – Mallard Pond

Series Six and Seven

The mat is facing north over a rolling field that's on the right and a pond to the handler's left. The field on the right is framed by mature yellow pines. It's striped with native grasses, and there is a road along the pond that runs between the land and pond.

Test Six – Land Blind

The line skims along the side of taller cover. The dog progresses left of a hay bale laying at the right edge of a mowed path. It goes up the mowed strip to a rooster pheasant 70 yards from the line.

 

Land Blind – 70 yards

Land Blind – Close-up

 

Test Seven – Water Blind

From the same mat, the dog is sent toward the pond. They'll cross the road, go left of the hay bale near the shore, and enter the water. They'll angle across the cove to hit the end of a point. Then, they'll re-enter the water to swim to a second point where they'll take a larger piece of this point to angle through another corner of water to reach the duck on the far shore 175 yards from the line.

Water Blind – 175 yards

Water Blind – Close-up

Sketch of the Sixth and Seventh Series by Jean Wu

Day Three – Fifth Series – Land Quad

Test Five is a Land Quad in Palmetto Field with two flyers and two retired birds. The mat faces north and looks over a rolling field covered in broom sage.

The first bird is a live duck flyer (Right Flyer) 300 yards from the line on the handler's front right. The bird is shot left to right to land in the broom sage. The line to this bird takes the dog straight out from the line toward the gunners and angling right across a mowed strip into cover.

The second bird is a Short Retired dead hen pheasant. The gunners are in front of the mat 250 yards from the line. Their holding blind is by a small tree and their bird is thrown left to right, aimed toward the gunners at the right flyer.

The third bird, the Long Retired, is a dead hen pheasant thrown left and lands visually behind a hay bale. However, it's actually deep of the bale landing in heavy broom straw 305 yards out. These gunners are retired in a group of trees, deep and slightly left of the short retired gunners.

The last bird is a hen pheasant Flyer shot to the left. These gunners are on the handler's left, 260 yards from the line, sitting on the side of a hill. They shoot up the hill away from the mat.

Fifth Series – Land Quad

First Bird – Drake Mallard Flyer – 300 yards

Second Bird – Hen Pheasant Short Retired – 250 yards

Third Bird – Hen Pheasant Long Retired – 305 yards

Fourth Bird – Hen Pheasant Flyer – 260 yards

Fifth Series Sketch by Jean Wu

Day Two – Fifth Series – Land Quad

Test Five is a Land Quad in Palmetto Field with two flyers and two retired birds. The mat faces north and looks over a rolling field covered in broom sage.

The first bird is a live duck flyer (Right Flyer) 300 yards from the line on the handler's front right. The bird is shot left to right to land in the broom sage. The line to this bird takes the dog straight out from the line toward the gunners and angling right across a mowed strip into cover.

The second bird is a Short Retired dead hen pheasant. The gunners are in front of the mat 250 yards from the line. Their holding blind is by a small tree and their bird is thrown left to right, aimed toward the gunners at the right flyer.

The third bird, the Long Retired, is a dead hen pheasant thrown left and lands visually behind a hay bale. However, it's actually deep of the bale landing in heavy broom straw 305 yards out. These gunners are retired in a group of trees, deep and slightly left of the short retired gunners.

The last bird is a hen pheasant Flyer shot to the left. These gunners are on the handler's left, 260 yards from the line, sitting on the side of a hill. They shoot up the hill away from the mat.

Fifth Series – Land Quad

First Bird – Drake Mallard Flyer – 300 yards

Second Bird – Hen Pheasant Short Retired – 250 yards

Third Bird – Hen Pheasant Long Retired – 305 yards

Fourth Bird – Hen Pheasant Flyer – 260 yards

Fifth Series Sketch by Jean Wu

Fifth Series - Land Quad

Test Five is a Land Quad in Palmetto Field with two flyers and two retired birds. The mat faces north and looks over a rolling field covered in broom sage.

The first bird is a live duck flyer (Right Flyer) 300 yards from the line on the handler's front right. The bird is shot left to right to land in the broom sage. The line to this bird takes the dog straight out from the line toward the gunners and angling right across a mowed strip into cover.

The second bird is a Short Retired dead hen pheasant. The gunners are in front of the mat 250 yards from the line. Their holding blind is by a small tree and their bird is thrown left to right, aimed toward the gunners at the right flyer.

The third bird, the Long Retired, is a dead hen pheasant thrown left and lands visually behind a hay bale. However, it's actually deep of the bale landing in heavy broom straw 305 yards out. These gunners are retired in a group of trees, deep and slightly left of the short retired gunners.

The last bird is a hen pheasant Flyer shot to the left. These gunners are on the handler's left, 260 yards from the line, sitting on the side of a hill. They shoot up the hill away from the mat.

Fifth Series – Land Quad

First bird – Drake Mallard Flyer – 300 yards

Second bird – Hen Pheasant Short Retired – 250 yards

Third Bird – Hen Pheasant Long Retired – 305 yards

Fourth Bird – Hen Pheasant Flyer – 260 yards

Fifth Series Sketch – by Jean Wu

Fourth Series – Water Blind

The Test Four Water Blind is located in the same field as Test Three at Mallard Pond. The line moved back and now faces south. The mat sits on a hill with the lake on the handler's right. The terrain is covered with tall broom straw and native grasses.

The line to the 315 yard blind takes the dog down the hill through the tall broom straw just right of a mowed path. There is a half bale surrounded by brush at the base of the hill. In the area of this bale there is a dip where the dog appears to be out of sight for two or three seconds. The dog must stay right of this bale, go up a rise, cross a road, go through some cover, and into the pond. The dog must cut the corner end of the pond on a right angle, to get out on the far shore, and head for a small pine tree approximately 30 feet from the water.

Test Four – Water Blind

Fourth Series Sketch by Jean Wu

Day Three - Third Series Continued - Test Description

Good morning on day three of NRC 202! from Mallard Pond at H. Cooper Black Memorial Field. We'll continue the Third Series right after the test dog runs.

It's currently 37 degrees and clear with 10 mph winds blowing in the handler's face (west-northwest) at a brisk 10 mph. We have it on good authority that the weather should stay this way most of this morning.

The Third Series is a Water Triple at Mallard Pond.

The mat faces west and sits on the east side of a draw that has been dammed. The terrain has patches of exposed sand with clumps of brown sage but is predominantly low cover of native grasses. Skies are clear and the lighting should be consistent throughout the day. The background of the field is lined by mature trees. The water structure contains stumps throughout. There is a road between the water structures that creates the left margin of our field. The road goes up to the gunners on the far side and comes along the area between the line and pond on the near side.

The first station is the Right Retired gun on the far side of the pond. The two-man team has a flat throw of a mallard hen at 230 yards. It lands on the far shore in cover. The line will take the dog downhill, across the road, over some slight terraces, and angle through the stump-filled pond. 

The Short Retired gun is a rooster at 200 yards thrown right. The bird lands near the base of a tree behind a ribbon of cover. The dog will need to cross the pond, drive the hill, and go through the cover.

The Flyer station sits to the right of the road, and the hen mallard flyer is shot and thrown angled back to the left at approximately 250 yards.

 

Third Series Water Triple at Mallard Pond

Right Retired – 230 yards

Short Retired – 200 yards

Flyer – 250 yards

 

Sketch of the Third Series by Jean Wu

Third Series Test Description

The Third Series is a Water Triple at Mallard Pond.

The mat faces west and sits on the east side of a draw that has been dammed. The terrain has patches of exposed sand with clumps of brown sage but is predominantly low cover of native grasses. Skies are clear and the lighting should be consistent throughout the day. The background of the field is lined by mature trees. The water structure contains stumps throughout. There is a road between the water structures that creates the left margin of our field. The road goes up to the gunners on the far side and comes along the area between the line and pond on the near side.

The first station is the Right Retired gun on the far side of the pond. The two-man team has a flat throw of a mallard hen at 230 yards. It lands on the far shore in cover. The line will take the dog downhill, across the road, over some slight terraces, and angle through the stump-filled pond. 

The Short Retired gun is a rooster at 200 yards thrown right. The bird lands near the base of a tree behind a ribbon of cover. The dog will need to cross the pond, drive the hill, and go through the cover.

The Flyer station sits to the right of the road, and the hen mallard flyer is shot and thrown angled back to the left at approximately 250 yards.

 

Third Series Water Triple at Mallard Pond

Right Retired – 230 yards

Short Retired – 200 yards

Flyer – 250 yards

 

Sketch of the Third Series by Jean Wu