Second outing on the new field

Bill was there, as was Cathy with Humphrey and Zelda.  It was a glorious and surprisingly cool August morning, with temperatures in the mid- or high-50s.  Low, smoke-like clouds ringed the field.  The field itself was wet and heavy, and the grass was cut low, but it was still a fine sight overall and a good day to be out with hunting spaniels.

I quartered Larsen and stopped him to the whistle.  His stops were pretty good considering I had been gone all week and that was the first whistle work he'd heard since the prior Sunday.  He quartered some more, I tossed a dead and Bill gave it a shot.  Larsen sat.  I may have had to correct him a foot or so to make it more perfect.

Then we set up the drill.  I walked 40-50 yards away and planted a bird in full sight of Larsen.  Then I pipped him to me and to the bird.  He found it, flushed it, and sat to wing & shot.  It wasn't pretty, I hit the whistle hard and he started to break but then sat.  Bill shot the bird and we all stood around until Larsen calmed.  I pipped him to me and set him up for a "dead".  His return was messy, off by about two feet.  I grabbed him by the collar and pipped him to me and picked up the bird.

Larsen had a couple more drills and did well.  He broke on one low flyer that Bill could not shoot.  He trapped the bird and brought him in.  Still, 2 for 3 or 3 for 4 (I forget how many we ran) with a steady dog was a pretty good morning's work.