Safety – In the
event of an obstruction resulting in a safety, the appropriate points shall be
awarded as determined by the judge. GUNDOG CHALLENGE
COMING FALL 2012
The End Zone Gundog Challenge was held Saturday March 28th. There were pointer and flusher divisions with awards for the winners in each division each day. Participants were eligible to win door prizes.
The challenge consists of two persons, one dog, 5 pheasants, 10 shells, and 20 minutes. You, a teammate, and your dog race against other teams to find, shoot, and retrieve the five birds in the shortest amount of time with the fewest penalty points. Join the challenge to see how well your dog does in a timed field situation.
Click for entry forms. The entry fee per team is $90, which includes lunch. The rules of the Gundog Challenge follow. 2009 Results
Gundog Challenge Rules
Pre-Event and Pre-Run
1. All competitors must arrive and check in at the office one hour prior to their first run.
2. Guns may be 12 gauge or smaller, no shells over 2 3/4”. No shot larger than #5.
3. All entries must arrive at the field check-in area 30 minutes prior to the run.
4. Teams will not be allowed to watch the run preceding nor the stocking of their run, nor will they be allowed to communicate with the spectators while in the field.
5. Teams will be escorted to their field.
Dogs
1. Dogs shall be leashed at all times other than during runs.
2. Dogs in heat will not be accepted for entry unless placed last in the day.
Safety & Sportsmanship Rules
1. Guns will remain unloaded with actions open at all times, except during runs.
2. Spectators will be limited to designated areas only, unless brought to the field by escort.
3. No vehicles will be permitted in the area other than those that are absolutely necessary
4. Hunters may not run with firearms, loaded or unloaded, at any time. Teams will be given one warning for running, after which if running continues, the score for that bird will be zero. Judges may regulate the speed at which hunters may walk as field conditions may dictate. Not running means one foot on the ground at all times.
5. Hunters (not the club or the judge) are responsible for the safe use of firearms at all times.
6. Competitors may be disqualified for: a) Shooting any bird on the ground. b) Shooting more than the allowed limit. c) A dog completely out of control that is out of bounds. d) Stomping or “drop kicking” birds. e) Careless use of firearms. f) Failure to arrive at a field more than 30 minutes prior to the scheduled run time.
7. A team may also be disqualified without refund or re-run for poor sportsmanship, abusing event officials, abusing a dog, or failure to obey rules. The effect of disqualification on other teams shall be considered luck of the draw.
8. Competitors must wear blaze orange clothing.
Setting of Birds
1. Fields will not be stocked without an on deck team. Any bird leaving the field after stockers have left the field shall be considered luck of the draw and will not be replaced. Birds accidentally released from crates or by stockers that land in bounds shall be considered part of the “set”. Birds entering the field from out of bounds during the run shall be legal game and considered luck of the draw.
2. First run of the day will receive 1 extra bird per field.
3. In the event a bird is bumped out of the field by a stocker, an additional bird will be planted to replace the bumped bird. Replacement birds will be set as quickly as possible in the front half of the field.
4. If the run begins before the Judge is notified of bumped bird(s) out of the field, the run shall stand as scored, and a re-run will not be allowed.
Competition in field
1. All sets will be 5 birds.
2. Hunters may not go out of bounds, and dogs will not be permitted to hunt in other competitors' fields. All birds must originate from in bounds. Retrieve points shall be awarded only if the dog brings the bird back to the hunter in bounds. A bird that is found in bounds, flushed and safely shot out of bounds, and retrieved to the the handler who remained in bounds is a legal bird.
3. Shells are not interchangeable between hunters. Once the total amount of shells allotted for the run have been used, the run shall stop and full time shall be assessed. The hunter(s) must leash the dog and leave the field immediately. The effect of the run finishing early on the next run(s) shall be considered luck of the draw.
4. Finds/Points
a. Flushers - shall be awarded a find when, in the judge’s opinion, the bird was trapped or caused to take flight by any action of the dog or by a hunter in close proximity to a dog making game. 15 points will be awarded to a "flushed bird" find.
1. One shell will be charged against each shot taken.
2. If a dog catches a bird without being shot, the scoring shall be as follows: full credit for find=15 points, use of shell will be assessed, bagged bird will be 30 (for the first one). After that the bird will be thrown in the air and shot.
b. Pointers - 15 points shall be awarded per find, when, in the judge’s opinion, a dog shows point, feet fixed at any time prior to the bird being flushed either by the dog, by a competitor in close proximity to the dog, or a bird flushing on its own in close proximity to the dog, regardless whether or not, or for whatever reason, it is trapped by the dog. Should the bird be trapped by the dog, and in the judge’s opinion, the trap was due to poor bird performance or previous injury to the bird, the find will be scored in full.
1. A “whoa” or “command to point” on a bird found by competitors, but not by the dog, is not a find! However, a dog already on point may be steadied by a whoa command for full credit.
2. Half credit will be awarded per find if the dog fails to hold point until released by the handler or the handler takes other actions. (Scores totaling a half will be rounded up.)
5. Retrieves/Partial Retrieves
a. 12 points will be awarded for each full retrieve up to the established quota.
b. 6 points or ½ credit will be awarded for each partial retrieve. A partial retrieve is defined as the dog finding and picking up the bird and making an attempt to bring the bird to the handler, or retrieving to the non-handler.
c. To receive full retrieve points, the dog handler must keep one foot stationary after a bird is shot, or once the dog is released to retrieve. The dog must retrieve the bird to the dog handler.
d. A hunter may kneel down but not lay down to retrieve a bird.
e. A hunter may not physically assist a dog (outside the one-step distance limit) in a retrieve and receive full points.
f. A hunter may not use any objects (a stick, gun, jacket, etc.) to reach a bird dropped past the single-step distance limit.
g. If the time limit has elapsed and a bird has been shot, the hunter has a thirty-second grace period to complete the retrieve. If the retrieve is not completed within the allotted time limit, no points will be awarded for a bagged bird or a retrieve.
h. In the event of a shot bird dropped or crash lands in another competitor’s field, the retrieve will be allowed at the judge’s discretion.
i. If a pointing dog goes on point or a flushing dog gets birdie while making a retrieve, the dog handler and shooter may move to flush the second bird with no penalty on the first bird. However, he must use the second flush as a stationary position for both birds, and if no bird is produced (seen by the judge) the first bird can be scored as no more than a partial retrieve.
6. A gun malfunction by either teammate shall be considered bad luck. The remaining gun may be shared.
7. A. Should an errant dog from another field enter the legal field after the clock has started, all birds flushed out of the field shall be scored in full at the time of the flush. In the event a bird flushed out of the legal field is the last bird for that run, the clock shall stop. If the errant dog flushes more birds that what would end the run, those birds will be replaced on the next run that day. If an errant dog enters the field before the clock starts, only those birds flushed out of the field shall be replaced.
B. Should a Judge/Scorekeeper cause a bird to flush during the course of the run, the bird shall be scored as a “Safety Bird” and all points shall be awarded in full with a shell taken from the competitor. If the bird flushed is the last bird of the run, the clock shall stop. If a competitor shoots at a bird flushed by a Judge/Scorekeeper, the safety is “off”, and points shall be awarded as earned. Note: If the dog was not making game at the time of the flush, and a shot is fired, find points shall not be awarded.
8. Birds must show life at the beginning of the find to be scored in any way.
9. In situations not specifically covered under the rules, the judge will be allowed to use common sense to arrive at a decision. Judges decisions can be appealed to the Field Marshall only after the run has been completed. The Field Marshall shall have the final say in all matter or rules, written or not written.
10. A competitor may not follow himself into the field. If a competitor must run back to back, and the first run does not harvest all the bird(s), any bird(s) left from the set must be removed from the field prior to the second run.
Calling a Safety
Safety – In the
event of an obstruction resulting in a safety, the appropriate points shall be
awarded as determined by the judge.
A safety may be
requested in the event of an obstruction, such as a judge, vehicle, spectator,
paved roadway or building. A judge may grant the “Safety” by yelling out “Safety.”
A judge may deny a safety by yelling out “Denied.”
Hunters
intentionally flushing birds toward obstructions shall be disqualified.
Safety points
cannot be awarded on a partner or dog.
Should one member
of the team be, in the judge’s opinion, in a position for a clear shot and fail
to do so, the request for safety shall be denied.
If at any time
prior to or following the request for safety, the subject bird has been shot at,
the safety is off.
A bird for which a safety has been awarded shall be scored as
appropriate and a shell forfeited by the hunter that requested a safety.
In the event of a
bird being shot at and turning toward an obstruction after being missed, it
shall be considered luck of the draw.
In the event of a
request for safety where the dog has failed to establish a find, safety points
shall be awarded in full less the points for the find. Note: If the flush
involves multiple birds flying towards an obstruction, the maximum of two (2)
birds shall be allowed as safety birds.
All other safety
requirements must apply.
Following the Hunt
1. Immediately following the clock being stopped or time expiring, guns will be unloaded and the dog brought to leash.
2. Competitors will use the least intrusive route leaving the field so as not to disturb any remaining birds. If any birds are bumped out of the field from the time the run is over until the bird stockers plant the next run, those birds shall be replaced, in addition to the set.
3. Competitors must be able to produce the “birds bagged” at the end of the run. In the event bird(s) are missing from the bag, bagged bird points will be limited to the birds produced.
4. Judges will review with the team the score and other information. The team captain will then sign the score sheet in the appropriate space. Information on the signed score sheet shall be considered final.
5. Judges’ decisions can be appealed to the Field Marshall only after the run has been completed. The decision of the Field Marshall to support, overturn, order a re-run or any other considerations shall be final.
Scoring
1. Scoring shall be: Bird in bag – 30 points, Find for Flushers 15 points. Pointers full point=15 points or partial point=1/2 points. Retrieve – full 12 points, partial 6 points. Remaining shells + 10 points. 3 points per minute or .05 points per second for remaining time. Clock stops when the last bird in the set is in hand. Non-target species do not count.
2. Times of Runs: All Divisions shall be 20 minutes.
3. Shells: 5 shells per competitor, 10 for team.
Divisions, Entry fees, Awards
1. There are two divisions, divided by pointer and flusher, each day. Each team consists of two people and one dog in all divisions.
2. Entry fees for each Division shall be $90.00.
3. Prizes will be awarded in each division.
Payment and Run Scheduling
1. To be eligible to have your dog(s) scheduled for competition, all runs with the dogs name and team members name if possible will be called or sent in with full payment.
2. All scheduling will be set as to give the dog ample rest between runs.
3. Once placed, dogs shall remain in their respective spots. (Exceptions to this rule are: Dogs in heat, extenuating personal circumstances or weather considerations only as allowed by Okoboji Game Farm.)
4. Entries anytime after the initial signup and scheduling, will be based on the availability of time slots, however, those runs must be paid in full at time entry.
Field Marshall
Appointed by Okoboji Game Farm, the Field Marshall shall have the final say in all appeals. He/she is the only individual authorized to make such rulings in support of or in opposition to any appeal, may order re-runs or make any other consideration. He/she is also authorized to make changes in rules, to act on for any other reason deemed necessary to maintain the peace and harmony of an event, including disqualification of any run or competitor from an event or the series.
Other General Rules
1. Club staff, judges, or stockers will not be allowed to compete in a division which they have judged or stocked.
2. Host club escorts or staff will return score sheets from the field to the office.
FAQ
Click here for 2005 Results Results, Story and Pictures from spring 2006, Results from fall, 2006
Gundog fall 07 results and pictures Gundog spring 07 results Gundog spring 07 Pictures 2008 Spring results
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