Nebraskaland

NEBRASKAland May 2018

NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.

Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/977334

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30 NEBRASKAland • MAY 2018 T wo wiry bird dogs sprint crisscross patterns through frosted brown Nebraska grasslands. Two dog handlers follow distantly, double- barreled shotguns cracked open over their shoulders. Close behind them, two judges bundled for the cold ride horseback and observe. Back at the starting point, dozens of restless dogs sniff the air, their olfactory systems flooded with a magnitude of information we cannot imagine. Their eagerness is palpable; soon they will run and hunt, too, which is their deepest desire. The pointing breeds are here. German shorthaired and wirehaired pointers, setters, Brittanys, vizslas, Weimaraners and a few others trained to lock up at the smell of certain birds. Far afield, one zigzagging dog freezes in place. "Buster has one," proclaims the dog's handler. Fifty yards out, the speckled brown and white German shorthaired pointer stands unmoving on point, eyes locked on an area of tall grass. The second dog notices Buster and snaps to a stop. She is far from Buster's patch of grass and cannot smell the hunkered-down quail within, but she is trained not to interfere. These dogs are masters. Buster's handler pulls a starting gun from his pocket and slowly walks the grass in front of Buster. The dull staccato of a fleeing quail's wings breaks the silence and is followed by a harmless pop from the starting gun. As the bird flies free, Buster must not flinch or move until commanded to heel at his handler's side. Later in the live-fire area, quail will be shot and retrieved but Buster never knows what will happen next, intensifying the challenge of perfect behavior. This is a hunting test and the judges are taking notes. Organized by local hunting dog clubs and sanctioned by several national organizations, the most prevalent being the American Kennel Club, hunting Field Trial Dogs Masters of the Hunt Story and photos by Mark Harris Tilly, a master-level German wirehaired pointer, waits her turn to hunt. In a hunting test she will either pass or fail. In field trials her skills are judged against those of other dogs.

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