SaberTails

ISummer2014

www.pbgv.org

37

6:30,androllcallwasstartedat7.Atrollcall,eachdog
enteredhasitsnamecalled,withtheownergivingashout
thatthedogispresentandreadytohunt.Numberswere
drawnbingo-styletodecidetherunorderfortheday,and
finalpaperworkforthejudgeswasprepared.Thehounds
wereoutonthetwoside-by-sidefencedhuntfieldsbythe
8a.m.starttime.

Eachfieldconsistedofrollinghillswithsomeopenflat

grassyareas.Heavycover,whichattimeswassodenseitwas
hardtoseethedogsonlyafewfeetaway,didnotdetour
someofthemoredeterminedPBGVs.Severalareashad
standingwaterfromthepreviousfewdaysofheavyrain,
andmostdogsseemedtofindthoseareasatsomepoint
duringtheirtimeonthefield.Severalhoundscameoff
thefieldadarkercolorthanwhentheyentered.Most
PBGVsseemtothinkofmudasaspatreatment.One
doghuntedwhilewadingthroughasmallcreek,from
onesideoftheenclosurealmosttotheotherside.That
techniquepaidoffasshedidpoparabbithidingin
coveratthecreek’sedge,takingoffinfullhoundcry
afterflushingtherabbit.

Dayonesaw57dogshuntingwith30qualifying.

Severalmorejustmissedpassingbyoneortwocriteria.
Ofthe57,11werenewdogstryingtopasstheHunting
InstinctTest(HIT).AdogmustpasstheHITtomoveup
totheregularhunttestwherethedogstartstoearnlegs
towardsahunttitle.IntheHIT,youreceiveapassorfail
scoreandmustpasssixofthesevencriteria.Thehounds
arescoredonendurance,useofnose,useofvoice,
pursuingability,searchingability,cooperationwith
handlerandwillingnesstogointocover.Arabbitdoes
nothavetobefoundtopassthistestasthejudgesare
justlookingtoseeifthepiecesaretheretobecomea
goodrabbithunterwithmoretimeandpractice.The

judgesdon’texpectasmuchoutofthehoundstopass
eachcriterionintheHITastheymustseetopassthesame
criterionintheregularhunttest.ThreeoftheHITdogs
passed,andtheirownerseagerlymovedthemuptothe
regularhunttestthenextdaywithhighhopesofusing
theirfirstdayofhuntexperiencetohelpthemintheregular
hunttestforthesecondday.

Dinnerwaspreparedasthefirstdaywounddown,with

rosettespresentedtothehappyandproudownerswhose
dogshadhuntedwellandqualifiedthatday.Someother
awardswerepresentedtopeoplewhowerenotstayingover
forthePBGVCAAwardsBanquet

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MeganandDavidEsherickwiththreegenerationsofdogs.
Fromleft:GCHGebebaClancyPoeticJusticeVCD1RAEOA
AXPAXJAJPPCMHXCGC(Maya),Maya’sdaughterCH
Clancy’sTheWildN’TheInnocentRAPCSHCGC(C.C.);
Maya’smotherCHMACHClancy’sBhutJolokiaVCD1RAE
MXSMJST2BNFPCMHXCGC(Salsa);andSalsa’smother
MACH3Clancy'sCapsaicinRushVCD2RAEMXS2MJG2
T2BOFPCMHXCGC(Chili).