Ferns Field Trial Forays

[Amberquest]

Well on Tuesday I received a phone call from the Secretary asking me if I’d like a run in the Spaniel Club Novice Cocker at Stiperstones. I was a little surprised, as I was number 25 as a non-member entry so quickly confirmed with my boss I could have a days leave and confirmed I’d take the run, I was to run at number 7.

The alarm went off at 4:30am on Wednesday morning and I was beginning to regret saying yes! Nevertheless, I loaded up the car and begun the 180 mile journey to Shropshire at 5:20am. The meet was at 9am for a 9:30 start, and the sat nav was saying that my journey time was 3 hours 39 minutes. If I’d have known how long it would actually have taken me I wouldn’t have stopped at Greggs at the service station for a bacon buttie! I hit standing traffic around Warrington/Liverpool on the M6 and again on the A49. My estimated time of arrival had shifted from 8:50 to 9:28! Shocker!!!

I tried to contact the secretary but there was no signal, tried Darren Skidmore who was also running, no answer!!! By this point I just thought get the foot down and hope they don’t start without me. I finally arrived at 9:30am but was told by Steve Russell not to worry, given how far I’d come they were going to give me until 10am if needs be. Quickly laced the boots up and let Fern out to clean herself and away we went.

Started in a fairly open section of woodland with bracken and bramble for cover and it wasn’t too long before the first dogs were into game. I was soon backing up and unfortunately the dog which was running got put out for running in, I was up!

I was in under Steve Bolton who immediately put me at ease and explained what he wanted to see and where to aim with the dog. I cast fern off into some light bracken and bramble and she was going really nicely, probably the best she’s hunted in any of the trial so far, not pulling, covering her ground nicely and I started to feel relaxed. She got into a thick bracken pile to my right and had a lovely contact flush on a cock bird which made its way right to left across the line but was unfortunately missed. I’d instinctively blown the stop whistle on the flush, I really need to stop doing that.

I cast her off again and she indicated a bird in a thick bracken pile, I pushed her in and out came another cock bird, which she was steady to……until it came down. Another over enthusiastic retrieve putting us out of the trial. Balls.

I got some good feedback from Steve, and James Starkey gave some nice feedback. Interestingly both suggested getting rid of the silent whistle I was using, as Steve put it: “when the blood’s pumping, she won’t take a bit of notice of that”. So that’s something I might consider.

Overall it was half expected. I’ve been gearing her up for a trial next week, and hadn’t shot over her since the last trial due to work, but it was an enjoyable day out. I’ve another trial next week with both Fern and Ria, my other novice dog, so a couple of days training this weekend will hopefully straighten her out. Admittedly I don’t think I shoot enough over her in a trial style situation, most of the time it’s on my own and she’s is normally steady, it just seems that when the bloods pumping, jealousy of other dogs around etc she seems to crack. Back to the drawing board but roll on next week!

[shropshirelad]

Another good write up. It just goes to show how much work/time/dedication is involved. Good luck next week.

[Martinp]

ahhh not to worry scott, better luck next week mate , hope you can steady her up in time!!

[WGD]

There's nothing like other dogs, guns and whistles to bring out the worst Scott! Even in the shooting field. Keep at it mate, enjoy reading your reports.

Binning the silent whistle is interesting, I don't use mine much now because when you do actually need to blow in earnest you need to do it quite hard... and I don't know about you but the harder I blow the thing the quieter it seems to get 210.5 you can have right good puff at, and when the dog ignores it anyway they're easier to chew

[Amberquest]

Haha I know what you mean Will. She listens to the 210.5 as well so I might just bin the metal one, I wonder how much I'd get for scrap. Either way, it sounds like the problem is training and not the whistle anyway haha!

[David]

Do you have your whistle set so you can hear it? I don't agree that the whistle type is the issue. If the dog has flushed in range then it will hear whatever whistle you use.

I'd be sitting her up 10 yards away and then do some dummy set's with your other cocker. I know what it's like to train on your own, makes simulating trial situations difficult.

[Amberquest]

Yeah I can hear it David, but only just when blown normally.

It is indeed!!! But you've got to play the cards you're dealt I suppose and just get on with it. Setting up a couple of situations at the weekend ahead of next week, hopefully we can sort her.

[Amberquest]

Yesterday I ran in the North West Counties Field Trial Associations Novice Cocker trial at Bleasdale in Lancashire. When I received the draw I noticed that there was only 17 dogs on the card, so gave the secretary a call and speculatively put Ria my other novice dog in to make the card up. A few days later I got a call letting me know I had a run with both dogs – great news!

Travelled down to Bleasdale from Cumbria, setting off at 6:30am (a lie in!!!), in gale force wind and rain. It certainly woke me up when I got out of the car in the keepers yard and gave the four dogs a run on the field next to it. Was badgered for the obligatory raffle ticket purchase and briefed before the raffle was drawn before the trial. In my previous 4 trials I’d never stayed long enough to see the raffle be drawn something I had a bit of banter with Darren Skidmore about. It needn’t have mattered, I never won ha!

Anyway, I was drawn number 7 with Fern and 16 with Ria. The trial begun in a field of sieves and newly planted trees with a gale force back wind – testing conditions for the novice dogs, no sooner had Number 1 set off, the young dog was out for pulling too far out. The birds were getting up well in front of the line because of the wind and it was only when we got to the end of the field a couple were shot and retrieved.

We were into a wood next, a brief respite from the wind and rain and I was called over to back up behind Linda Hudson who had to nice retrieves with her young dog. I’ve met Linda a few times now at the trials I’ve been to and she’s always a friendly face. I was soon in once Linda had completed her run and cast Fern off under Ray Casey. I’d only got 15 yards or so when a shot went off on the left. A minute or so later I was called over to try and eye wipe the dog on the left.

The bird was supposedly a runner and had landed outside of the wood in a field of sieves and newly planted trees. I was given a mark by both judges approximately 15 yards out from where we were stood. I cast Fern out to the fall and let her hunt her area, before calling her in as I was worried she was going too far in the wrong direction. I cast her again, no bird, judge gave me one last attempt but it was fruitless. I stood nervously as both judges went out to see if they could find it, before I noticed Ray started to bend down approx 30 yards away and then standing up with a dead cock bird in his hand.

I knew I’d be out for that so stuck my lead on and waited for Ray to come back to shake his hand. I was a little disappointed as the fall mark was quite a way from where the bird was found, although I know runners can go on and subsequently die, I just wish I’d been able to get her out that bit further but I was trying to hold her in the area to try and find the line the bird took.

I then had quite a long wait until I was in again under Jo Jareno (Cool name!). the patch I was given was a strip of sieves approx 3 yards wide along a fence line against a wood where the other dog was working. I wasn’t looking forward to this as I thought Ria would try and pull down the fence line if the birds had run on. I worked Ria nicely down this section until we came to the fence at the end where I was asked to jump over and hunt another narrow gutter of sieves.

I noticed that Ria was ‘going’ at all at this point, in stark contrast to what I thought would happen. She is normally incredibly driven and takes some handling; I couldn’t put my finger on why she had dried up. We were then asked to go out into a fairly bare field with a few patches of sieves. I hunted Ria for approx 50 yards or so at which point I pulled her up. I can’t understand why, first time nerves maybe in an unfamiliar environment. If you’d have asked me what I thought would happen with Ria at the start of the day I’d have said she’ll either pull me all over the place or get put out for fidgeting, to which she did neither. Back to the drawing board with her I think.

I was fairly disappointed with the day, I hadn’t gotten a chance to see whether I’d cured Ferns’ running in. Ray Casey said she was a good hunting dog, I just wish I’d had a chance to show more of what she can do. I wasn’t expecting anything of Ria so can’t be too despondent, just got to try and get her in a similar environment in training and see how she goes then.

That’s me done for trialling for this year, there’s a couple of Novice AVs I may put in for in January but the dogs will get a couple of weeks off ‘trialling training’ now and have a few days rough shooting, beating, picking up, wildfowling etc before I start again with them in January I think. There’s been a lot of expectation and pressure put on them over the last few months, like humans I think they sometimes need some time off so can’t wait to get them going again in a few weeks.

[Naj]

Shame about that but interesting to hear how you got on. Thanks for sharing.

Many years ago Bleasdale (Towers?) was run early season & was a trial most used to dread entering because it was so chock full of birds. I ran there on one of my first trials, & as we entered the field we were going to begin the trial in we had to wait what seemed like an age as the whole field seemed to lift with birds. There was a big stone wall bounding the far end of the field & pheasants were perched all along it, almost shoulder to shoulder, watching us as we worked through. Of course, all the birds that stayed on the ground eventually got 'backed-up' against this wall. As the first dogs hunted through birds were continuously rising in numbers & I remember being sent for a runner & my dog had to work it out while fresh birds were flushing all around her almost at every stride. To her credit she stuck to the job & wasn't distracted but that runner was never picked. It was all a bit of a lottery.

Naj

[Bryn]

Real shame, at least you got a run with Ria