Trials, Mounties and Stubble Quail
It has been a good few years now that I have wanted to attend the Club l'Epagneul Breton of Victoria (Australia)'s trial so the resolution was made that this year would be the year. With an invitation to also go and see stubble quail and ducks, I simply could not pass it up.
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The club's trial ended with a French Brittany qualifying for her field trial championship title. There were also Vizslas and German Shorthair Pointers running. A very cold morning burnt off into a very hot day and I was in awe of both how the dogs and handlers worked the fields in such heat. Those dogs that qualified for the second round also had to complete a blind water retrieve. The lack of dew or any moisture in the grass meant the quail were not in any mood to be 'sticky' with many being runners...and boy can those little birds run, and can they fly. It was also of interest to me to see that we were in the company of a kestrel for most of the day, hanging in the air waiting for a quail to make a flight path error.
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Then it was off to do some quail shooting. Another hot day with the quail ready to fly like lead out of a .270 on steroids, the dogs were tested. Some excellent work resulted in good bags, which not only proved to be fantastic shooting but utterly delicious in the pot!
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The following day my host and hostess took me to a lake for a spot of duck shooting. Two friends also joined us for the late night set up of decoys and makeshift maimai's. The very early morning start, although very cold, saw some birds coming into the decoys, then as the dawn passed, a screaming wind came up and the birds left for the sheltered shores some kilometres away. It was difficult to picture that many of these lakes had been dry for many years until last year.
It was a fantastic week having the opportunity to meet gundog people and see the birds that they and their dogs have to contend with.
