Gone are the fields that we've used for practice and Hunt Tests. The hedgerows around the old "junior" and "master" fields have been being torn up. The new owner hopes to grow corn. Danny does not think he will be successful. The Circle W is a Hunting Preserve and not a farm because, for whatever reason, crops won't grow in that river valley.
Danny also gave up the two fields off River Road. We used the front field for pre-Hunt Test practice. Larsen and I did our first real hunt together on that back field. We went after a dozen birds that Danny set out in a not-too-challenging configuration. It gave Larsen a chance to go after bird after bird after bird- - precisely what Allen W. said that dog needed. Allen was right, and that hunt largely developed Larsen from a junior dog to a senior dog.
That far back field also has three enormous walnut trees. According to Danny, the walnut trees will be cut down and the lumber sold off as the new owner tries to pay the loan. I told Danny that I had envisioned that I'd always assumed that one of those trees would provide a shotgun stock for his grandson or great grandson.
The new fields look promising. They are wide and provide gunners with plenty of room for a shot. The front field is across from Danny's sporting clays course and is easy to find. The back fields are another mile down River Road. These fields are picturesque and ringed with trees, and the the Tallapoosa River is just beyond the tree line. Under Danny's management, the fields should be ready for the November WSSCA Hunt Test.
Cathy and Jeanne pull out of the new fields after a good day of practice on Danny's new fields.
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