# 2020 Test and Trial Plans?



## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

Heading to Texas this Friday, Valentines Day. Training for a couple weeks with a group and running a couple trials. 
Entered Red River Q and AM 2/21. Will also run the PRTA at Ravenna 2/28, probably AM and Open.
Some serious competition at Red River, no doubt Ravenna will be the same.
Jake has been looking very good in training this winter. Hoping for good weather to get a week of water work in ahead of the trial. 
Plan to run Mississippi Valley in April, would like to go to Sedalia too if I have time.
Best of luck to everyone, unless Jake and I are running the same stake. Then I can only wish second best of luck.


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

SRW said:


> Heading to Texas this Friday, Valentines Day. Training for a couple weeks with a group and running a couple trials.
> Entered Red River Q and AM 2/21. Will also run the PRTA at Ravenna 2/28, probably AM and Open.
> Some serious competition at Red River, no doubt Ravenna will be the same.
> Jake has been looking very good in training this winter. Hoping for good weather to get a week of water work in ahead of the trial.
> ...


Holy Smokes! Red River has a huge Qual!
Regarding the competition there ... you're right! I've noticed that in the last few years, more top-tier pros are running dogs in the Qual than in the past. But that's okay ... it's fun to kick their rears in the minor stakes too!
[BTW, if you get a chance to watch Qual dog #1, Ryder, handled by Danny Farmer, it'll be a hoot ... that dog has more horsepower than any other dog that I've seen in 20 years. He is very talented and could be one of the great ones unless he implodes.]

I may see you at Mississippi Valley!

I like your honesty about the luck! I tell folks that if we are both in the last series and I wish them luck, I probably don't _reeeally_ mean it.

Go get' m!

FTGoldens


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## myluckypenny (Nov 29, 2016)

Well, I'm contemplating running Fisher in our HRC upland test in March. I know he can do it, I'm just not sure my gun handling skills are up to par yet. We have a training day this Sunday so I'll decide after that if we are ready. 

For our regular tests, a lot will depend on how early the water opens up around here. If we get an early spring and I get swim-by and decheating done by June then I'd like to run both dogs in the Rushmore HRC seasoned test. It's my favorite test outside of my club's because the grounds are so beautiful! Otherwise I will wait and run the end of July/August tests. 

I'm debating entering Rio in a derby after some club members said he could be ready by fall. But I won't push our training to make it happen, if we are ready I'll try it, if not I'll wait to enter the field trial game until he's ready for quals. I wish I was going to the national specialty in Florida this year, then I'd run him in the derby there!


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

FTGoldens said:


> Holy Smokes! Red River has a huge Qual!
> Regarding the competition there ... you're right! I've noticed that in the last few years, more top-tier pros are running dogs in the Qual than in the past. But that's okay ... it's fun to kick their rears in the minor stakes too!
> [BTW, if you get a chance to watch Qual dog #1, Ryder, handled by Danny Farmer, it'll be a hoot ... that dog has more horsepower than any other dog that I've seen in 20 years. He is very talented and could be one of the great ones unless he implodes.]
> 
> ...


The serious competition I was referring to is in the AM. The high point Open and AM dog, the reining NFC and a bunch of other great dogs.
It is a big Q though and I'm sure there is no shortage talent . My mistakes have cost Jake a blue ribbon in 2 or 3 Q's. This will be the biggest one we have entered and probably Jake's last. If I can hold up my end Jake might get the color ribbon he deserves this time, he has all the others.
We'll take it one step at a time. Work on what we need to until our number is called, then pick up the chickens one at a time.


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## Edward Lee Nelson (Jan 2, 2017)

Well this winter kinda sucked with training as the fields we train on were used this year for Goose hunting this year, plus she came into heat a few weeks ago. (No use to field train/tough set ups when she is in heat, she is a basket case) So back at it tomorrow. 5 trials this spring with the first at the end of March. The first 2 should be low entries with most pros still down south. Land blinds have gotten much better this winter though so hopefully it will carry to the water. Needs to warm up now. Puppy is wearing us out  24/7 non stop. Little bugger can mark her butt off though. She is a alpha,extremely high strung pup but is responsive to commands and can flat out fly! WOW! She will will be exciting I believe.4.5 months now. Good luck everyone!


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

I took most of last year off with work being so busy, which is good, but it means the dogs spent a lot of time on the couch.
Lucy died in December of cancer, so I've gotten a new puppy in January. She is a hunt test breeding. She's small and counts well already (puppy doubles and triples are going well). We're working on the basics and trying to have a lot of fun. I plan on running her in NAHRA started and AKC JH. She'll be 6 months old in May, so that will be lots of fun running her in puppy stuff. She's a very fun little pup.

Riot I'm not sure what to do with. We've had almost no time in training for so long now. I think I need to start out at the beginning. I hate to repeat double T and everything else, but it's been forever since we ran a blind, and I should probably go back and make sure we're in sync again. 
Work is still very busy, and when you're in construction, you have to work when you can because it might not be there tomorrow. Riot and I have been competing in obedience. Obedience doesn't take much space or the time that field work does. An obedience definitely helps in the field since Riot doesn't lack momentum... I'd love to get Riot QAA 

This fall I want to get down to Homer and see if we can find the fabled Alaskan pheasants. I think my dogs would love that!


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## myluckypenny (Nov 29, 2016)

Just curious who's plans are now being altered due to COVID-19? I know hunt test season is starting to pick up in places a little south of me. I know OH cancelled tests, but haven't heard of any others yet. What are some of the discussions happening at your local club level?


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## Edward Lee Nelson (Jan 2, 2017)

We are still planing to hold the Talbot Trial (MD) starting the 27th. Entries are very low at this point. We will see tonight. I personally haven't seen any other cancellations other than the ones on EE. Someone asked First State (DE) if they plan to cancel their HT in Mid April and they said no at this point.


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

I am not quite a germiphobe(sp?), but have always been a handwasher. As a field-dog person, I've been careful when training or trialing to clean my hands after touching birds/before eating ... to the extent possible. Frankly, I'm surprised that more of us haven't come down with some sort of disease from handling the birds (my doc says that my lungs have evidence of histoplasmosis(sp?), but I never knew that I had it).
I'm planning to go to a trial next weekend so long as it's not cancelled. "Social distancing" is a normal practice at most field trials ... at least for me ... but maybe that says something about my personality ....
FTGoldens


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

We don't have a lot of outdoor events yet. Our current obedience trials and dog shows are indoors and all have been canceled this month. The weather here has been nice and cold, -5 or -10 at night and 20-25 during the day. Cold enough I think to kill things. On Saturday we went to field training and we had a really nice large group 20 or so people. Several of us at training are involved with the various clubs putting on the events and/or judging. So we had some good discussions of what we are thinking about doing. First event is a NAHRA hunt test in mid-May. First AKC event is a field trial end of May. We're hoping everything goes away by then.

Our big issue for events has nothing to do with the virus. Canada has changed their laws about driving livestock through their country up here to Alaska. It takes a good 45 hours of driving to get through Canada from Washington. Now when we haul our ducks north by truck, if the animals are on a truck for more than 24 hours, we have to stop, unload all the animals for 24 hours, before re-loading and continuing on to Alaska. We know in that stopping and unloading we would easily have a 25% or more die off with ducks if we are forced to do that (some people think 50% dead rate). We are petitioning AKC to run our all events with all dead ducks. Our chukar can still fly by air. I have no idea why Canada would ever think it was a good idea to unload all animals from a truckload for 24 hours. This puts a huge burden on anyone hauling any kind of livestock and far too much stress on the animals. In our case if we can't get through in 48 hours, we will have to do a second 24 hour layover in Canada. Then we would definitely see most of our birds die before reaching Alaska. I have no idea what we would do with all those dead birds??? Does Canada expect us to bring shovels and bury them on that 24 hour layover as they die?


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## Edward Lee Nelson (Jan 2, 2017)

Just came out in Maryland so we shall see: Gov. Larry Hogan has ordered all restaurants, bars, movie theaters and gyms in Maryland to close effective 5 p.m. today (3/16). Under the executive order, local authorities, the Maryland State Police and the National Guard — if necessary — will enforce the governor’s orders on bars and restaurants and social gatherings. “We’re no longer asking for people’s cooperation,” Hogan said, adding: “We’re not fooling around anymore.” 

Social, community, religious or sports events drawing more than 50 people are also now banned on the heels of a CDC recommendation to limit mass gatherings of that size or larger for at least eight weeks.


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