Dictionary

fawn: A baby deer.

feral: A wild animal.

Field Champion (FC): A title given to retrievers who win 10 points at an American Kennel Club (AKC) field trial, including first place in an Open or Limited Stake.

field trials: Competitions for sporting dog breeds that can include judging their ability to follow trails, find game and retrieve game.

firing pin: The metal pin in a firearm driven by the hammer into the round to cause the round to fire.

fletch: The feathers or plastic vanes at the end of an arrow. Fletch stabilizes arrows as they fly.

flintlock: Type of firearm that uses sharp pieces of flint and steel to spark gunpowder. The spring-loaded arm, or cock, has to be reset after each time the gun is shot. The main drawback of a flintlock is moisture. If it is raining, quite often the powder gets wet and the gun will not fire.

gauge: A unit of measurement in terms of the diameter of a barrel for shotguns.

Grand Hunting Retriever (GRHRCH):.A United Kennel Club title, signifying that a Retriever has qualified in one of the semi-annual HRC Grand events. Garnered after the dog earns 200 more points after earning the HRC degree, for a total of 300 points.

Grand Master Hunting Retriever ( GMHR): A North American Hunting Retriever Association title for retrievers who garner 300 or more points in the Senior testing category.

gun dog: A hunting dog capable of finding game and retrieving downed game.

gun shy: A fear of loud noises that can make a dog unusable for hunting.

gunlock: The part of a gun that is used to start the charge of a gun. Gunlock is also used today to refer to a lock used to prevent a gun from being fired.

gunpowder: A combination of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate that is used as a propellant to push a bullet out of a gun.

habitat: The environment needed to support an animal.

hair trigger: A trigger mechanism that has been modified so that the gun has less trigger pull. This makes the gun easier to fire, but also less safe as light jolts can set the gun into the firing mode.

hammer: The mechanism that drives the firing pin into the primer in the round. Hammers can be either exposed or concealed.

handgun: Single-shot pistol, revolver or semi-automatic pistol; refers to all small arms. Handguns do not have a shoulder stock and are designed to be held in one or both hands when being shot.

hard mouth: A term used when a dog damages a retrieved bird by holding it too firmly, making it unfit for eating by humans.

high pressure air: Also known as HPA; compressed air or nitrogen stored under pressure that is used as propellants in some types of paintball guns.

hopper: The part of a paintball gun that holds the paintballs before the paintballs are shot.

Hunting Retriever (HR): A United Kennel Club / Hunting Retriever Club title for a dog that attains 40 Championship points.

Hunting Retriever Champion (HRCH): A United Kennel Club / Hunting Retriever Club title awarded to a dog that attains 100 Championship points.

Junior Hunter (JH): An American Kennel Club title for a dog that receives four qualifying scores at a licensed or member test.