Day 2

Times got tough for the second day's running of the Venango Open All Age stake. In eight braces, none of the 16 dogs put down finished with bird work; only one dog, Yarrah (Ecker), had contact with birds, in the form of two stops to flushes on woodcock on Lamonaville #1. She was leashed following the second contact. By the end of the day, four woodcock and two grouse had been seen by the judges. Three woodcock were seen on Lamonaville #1, one woodcock was seen on Lamonaville #4, and two grouse were seen on Lamonaville #2. No birds were seen on the Loleta courses. Conditions: the day started under mostly sunny skies at 40 degrees, but warmed quickly into the 70's by 10 a.m. Winds were gusty at times, and humidity levels were very high. By afternoon, the sunshine gave way to cloud cover, which dropped temperatures into the low 60's. A light and fairly steady rain fell during the last 90 minutes of the running, further dropping temperatures to about 50. Brace #17 will break away at 7 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday) on Loleta #1. Here is the National Weather Service forecast for Saturday: Showers likely, mainly before 9am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. West wind around 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.   Day 3     The third day's running of the Venango open all age stake brought improved conditions and bird numbers. In the final eight first series braces of the stake, six woodcock and five grouse were seen on the courses, and three dogs finished the day with clean bird work. The three dogs were Wycoff Run Freestone (Joe McCarl) (two finds on woodcock on Loleta #1), and Pennstar (Dick Brenneman) and Kirby (McCarl), with a divided find on a grouse on Lamonaville #2. A second series (see below) was called for Sunday. On Saturday, woodcock were seen on Loleta #1, Lamonaville #1 and Lamonaville #4, Grouse were seen on Loleta #2, Lamonaville #2 and Lamonaville #3. No birds were seen on Loleta #3 and #4. Saturday's running was held under cloudy skies, with temperatures in the 40's and 50's, and good humidity levels; winds were gusty at times, but mostly moderate.  Day 4   All three winners came from the second series, which gave four dogs a second chance to find and point a grouse or woodcock. The four dogs had what the judges termed exceptional ground races in the initial running, but no birds were seen on the courses they drew. The decision to call a second series sparked considerable controversy at the trial, as eight dogs had finished the initial running with acceptable bird work. The details of the judges decision, and the resulting controversy, will be contained in my report to The American Field. In the second series, Keystone Red Ryder and Shady Hills Billy were braced together on Lamonaville #1. "Lacey" scored on a woodcock at 22, and "Billy" kept Foreman's heart in his throat until 58, when he also scored on a woodcock. Sky's Blue Bell and Trent's Rolling Rock (Howard Uphold) each scored a grouse find on Lamonaville #2 at about 35; the birds were about 40 feet apart. Of the dogs that had bird work in the initial running, the judges had Jar's Way Right (Dave Hughes) at the top of their list, followed by Springfield Orvis (Hughes) and Pennstar (Richard Brenneman).