The Spelga Dam
Don’t know the direction of the wind but 3 -4. 20c. Bright but not sunny.
Went to the car park at the Kilkeel end of the dam. Wind was from an unusual direction so I went up the hill just beside the car park. I was walking up hill into the wind and the dogs were up and down the slope which must be 45 degrees going up from left to right. I set off intending to give Judy and Basso 15 minutes into the wind and they both did it quite easily but Basso was taking fifty yards more than Judy at the end of each cast and was still ahead of her at the end of the next. With the breeze it was cool enough for water not to be an issue and there was the odd small pool so they didn’t have to look too hard if they did want a mouthful. Judy had a find, well she pointed at least and I did see something away but couldn’t say for definite if it was a snipe. Basso backed her quite naturally.
Jalad got the the downwind beat which was down hill for me but he still had to contend with the steep slope. I thought he handled the down wind aspect quite well and he did just about the whole beat available,as had Basso, going right down to the fence at the bottom and I was turning him just before the skyline, far above. Jalad pointed, interestingly just about where Judy had, but he definitely didn’t produce anything. It sort of confirms that Judy may have had a snipe.
18:15 The Signal Centre.
Coco.
This is nearly getting too easy. Placed the launcher as far away as I could in the same paddock as last night. Coco looks to be more on a mission when I let him off now. He has no pattern but he is hunting after a fashion. I dropped him a few times before be got anywhere near the bird as much to calm him down as anything else. He pointed the bird at about twenty yards. He relocated across the wind, maybe a couple of yards but he had the bird.I walked up beside him, waited a short while and roaded him in a few yards where he pointed staunchly for another short while. As I triggered the launcher I blew the drop whistle and he sat, watching the bird away. I worked him in to the launcher, and let him hunt about a bit before putting him on the lead and going home for tea.
19:30
Used a different place this time and gave Coco a bit of a run around till he got down wind of the bird. Interesting in that this time he stood up on his toes but this was his least convincing find and whereas I don’t think he saw the launcher when he initially pointed by the time the bird flushed he could see it. It is quite pleaseing that he doesn’t show any inclination to chase.
