Have you ever felt like a wannabee?  I sure have felt like one for the last few years as I have field-trained my Flat-Coat, earning a WC and a Jr. Hunter title.  Non hunt-test people, non-dog people for that matter, have asked me if I hunt with my dogs.  I would always say, "No, actually I do simulated hunting with them (my layman's description of a hunt test)".  I do my best to explain the hunt test program to them and they listen patiently, but never bring up the subject again.

Sometimes I walk away from these conversations a little self-conscious as I piece together once again the logical thread that explains why I'm involved in the Hunt Test program when I don't hunt with my dog.  I feel a little like John Travolta in Urban Cowboy, riding a mechanical bucking bronco and wearing the clothes, but far from being or doing the real thing.  But as I allow my mind to recall some of the memorable field-training sessions when I saw real progress in my dog and I remember some of the hunt tests where the passing rate was low, but my boy did it, I grab on to that one piece of sound reasoning for what I'm doing.  I enjoy it!

The ironic thing about my being a wannabee (hunter that is) is that I truly WANT TO BE.  Well, by the grace of God, I finally hunted with my dog.  On September 1^st, opening day of Dove Season, I took my wife's dog, Grace (also WC and JH titled) since my dog, Jericho, was still recovering from recent surgery, out for an evening hunt in Banning, Riverside County.

We had a great time.  The weather was beautiful, there were plenty of birds and it wasn't overcrowded - a common complaint I have heard in regard to Dove Hunting.  I ended up bagging six birds, three of which Grace "marked" as they fell from the sky.  She cleanly retrieved them.  Two more she didn't see fall but sniffed out of the brush for me, which was a major time saver.  And the last bird I retrieved unassisted.

It was a lot of fun to see Grace start to comprehend that we weren't doing simulated hunting.  This was something different.  At first, she would be watching the other hunters to see if they were going to throw a bird up in the air for her, as is done in hunt tests.  As my gun began to go off more frequently and as I would lead her to an area for her to sniff out a bird that she missed seeing fall, she began to start focusing on the sky and watching for incoming birds.  All her marked retrieves were later in the day.  She became so intent on watching the birds that she would whine if they flew by out of range and I didn't shoot, or she would bolt a couple of feet and stop if I shot at one and missed.  I will confess we had a little problem with steadiness that day (my shooting, her sitting).  Both of our excitement levels were quite high.

I am no longer a wannabee, but a bonafide hunter.  At any rate, I am looking forward to entering senior level hunt tests with Jericho this fall and looking forward to quail hunting in October.  My life overflows with good things.

P.S.  I would bet that overall there are fewer hunting dog owners who become hunters than there are hunters who become hunting dog owners.  However, within the world of Flat-Coat owners I would wager that the two camps are pretty equally populated.     

October 99