CJW

Just my opinion as to why they shoot from the blind.

I am in an HRC based club. When we have fun hunt tests once a month, we set up just like you said you saw. The reason there are shots from the blind is because the handler may need to pay more attention to the dog(i.e.young dog, new handler, etc. etc.)and this lets the handler have two free hands to work with the dog. Everybody is given the option of shooting themselves, (if they have their dog under control enough), someone else can shoot from the line for them, or someone can shoot from the blind. In our finished tests, the handler must shoot from the line, allowing the dog to follow the barrel as said before.

If the guys in your club are only having people shoot from the blind, they must not have enough confidence to do it themselves.

CJW