UWOL #15 "The Bird Hunters" - Trond Saetre
 

As many others this round, I had trouble finding the wildlife.
So this round I went up in the mountains to follow some Gordon and Irish setters, as they were practicing bird hunting. The prey is the birds "Ptarmigan"
Rock Ptarmigan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As in 2 previous challenges, my sister's Gordon setter Vera is the star.
Rule #11 was strictly followed all day, especially by the dogs.

Edit:
Forgot to mention that all of my footage is only handheld.
Using tripod would have been impractical and would also prevent following the fast paced action of the dogs.


Youtube version:
YouTube - The Bird Hunters

Tronde,

I enjoyed the bird dogs!!! I was waiting to see one point birds the whole time, and particularly to see the ptarmigan.
Nice footage, and a pleasure to watch!

Trond... no fair... including loveable dogs and pretty women !!

A very fun watch and very nice editing. The ambient sound and I am sure some added sound was nicely balanced with the narration and music. Well done my friend.

Chris S.

A little more of the pretty women needed :). Just funning with you..

Neat film. Fun to watch and interesting to see this is turned to a competition. A better competition than our famousd Michael Vick put his dogs to.

Dale,
Thank you. I know you like watching birds. :)
Glad you like the video.

Chris and Chris,
I'll forward your compliments to the girls. :)
I was lucky to be allowed to follow and film them for a full day. (7 hours)
Thank you for the feedback.

Hi Trond:

It looks like all is well in Norway! Vera has grown into a beautiful dog and, yes, your sister is as pretty as ever!

It looks like a good time was had by all and it looks like a fairly disciplined sport, setting off in pairs and for a specific time stint.

What fun! I've missed your filming and your fun romps in the snow.

All the best to you!

Cat

Trond, from the film, it looks cold, snow on the ground, everyone bundled to the hilt, gloves and caps, probably at altitude. And you with no tripod, and yet.... smooth hand held shots after a hike through the mountains. Great work.

Catherine,
Yes, Vera has grown, but still the same playful dog. Never a quiet moment around her.
And after this hunting session, the instructor said Vera were one of the most skilled hunters of the pack. (There were 9 dogs in our group, and there were also 2 other groups that day) :)

The dogs are given specific areas to search, given directions and a little instructions by their owners once in a while, but mostly they are free and use their instincts how how to search for the birds within their search area. It was also interesting for me to see how inexperienced dogs learn from the more experienced dogs when they hunt together.


Bill,
It was around -5C to -10C that day, and we were 1000-1200 meters above the sea level when hunting.
Thanks for the comment.

Trond,
You have made a fine film. The running dog at 1:37-1:44 is very good, and of course I like the ending scene. I will also credit you for making out funny situations.

Hi Trond,

I would have to agree, it does look very cold and the girls are indeed pretty. Over all I injoyed watching your film. Interesting land scape.

Trond- This was a delight to watch. You’ve done a masterful job of conveying a wonderful day outdoors. I really like the shot where the two dogs are away and the other seems to say “Hurry up! It’s my turn!” I can only imagine what my two Dobermans would have made of it all. Growing up in Texas, they’ve never seen snow. I’m sure they would act quite silly but try to get into the spirit. To sum this up- great dogs, nice people, good video! Well done.

Finn-Erik,
Thank you. I wanted to make a little humoristic video.

Oliver,
I'm glad you enjoyed.
I spend much time hiking and skiing in this area all year.
The landscape is representative for this part of the country.

Mike,
Yes, you are right. The dogs did not like to have breaks instead of hunting all the time.
So they did complain a little sometimes.
I think all dogs love playing in the snow. Never met a dog who doesn't like it yet.
And being up there in the mountains (and our nearby cabin) is Vera's favorite place on earth.

Trond,

A fine entry. Very nice handheld work, there were no objectionable camera shakes. I think I would have been "shivering" so much from the cold that I would have trouble with handheld camera work.

Of course, the subject is a winner -- who doesn't like a good dog story. Your voice over was well done, informative and with a touch of humor.

The shots showing the dogs excitement were particularly well done.

Trond,

That was something different! There's not a lot I can add to what's been said above.

Nicely shot, with good energy and an engaging voiceover and music track.

You captured the events really well, especially as they can't be planned and you had to react to events a lot more than with regular wildlife subjects. It's helped by the fact that I just love dogs and can't get enough of them.

Well done!

Link to the video on UWOL website
 

Here is the link to the video on the UWOL website:
(Better quality than youtube)
The Bird Hunters



Ryan and Mike,
Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate.