The weather cooled down a little and I decided to drive out a good ways in Kansas for a prairie chicken hunt. When I got the new Kansas Hunting Atlas I saw there were several new properties closer to my home that I needed to check out. So instead of driving out where I knew there were actually prairie chickens, I went closer to home.
Mann on point this morning.
Gabe a few weeks ago..
Boss pointing a pigeon.
This is where I usually say I don’t want to shoot a prairie chicken. For me, they aren’t good to eat and I have one mounted. So, although I carry a gun and it’s loaded, I probably wouldn’t shoot one. But to be on walk-in properties, in Kansas ands most other states that have walk-in, you have to be hunting. You aren’t allowed to just run dogs. I use the prairie chicken season and fall turkey season in Kansas (Kansas allows you to use your dogs during the fall turkey season) to find out where the quail are.
I left the house about 6:00 am to get through Kansas City metropolitan area before the rush hour got really bad. I should have left 30 minutes before this. I did see 58 degrees on the truck thermometer but I was hoping for cooler than that. By the time I turned the dogs out it was in the mid sixties. My setters are out of shape and they do better at 30 degrees or less. But the only way I know how to get them in shape is to run them. Today was the start.
Some of the new walk-in had row crops still standing so I drove on past them. But I did mark some to come back later and check. Kansas does a good job of getting farms for their walk-in. Not all of it is good for bird hunting but it’s usually good for some kind of hunting. They probably have to take some, less than great land, to get the good stuff.
The area I was in had a lot of big pastures. I saw one that dropped into a draw with grass that hadn’t been grazed down. There were a couple of ponds along the draw. I put the GPS collar and e-collar on each dog, Mann, Sally, Boss and Abby and turned them all loose.
The wind was strong from the north but with the temperature in the mid sixties it was still warm. The dogs went off the hill into the draw and turned to the north into the wind. Mann and Boss both pointed on the side of the hill across the draw. By the time I got close they were moving.
Puppies chained to a stake.
We went on down the draw toward where I thought a pond was. The middle of the draw had some water so all of the dogs got to cool down. I circled around and started back toward the truck. Mann went on point in some tall grass. (The picture at the top of this.) In the picture he is pointing into the wind. You can see the feathers on his tail and all of the grass is blowing. I took a couple of pictures. Boss honored him. Before I got to him he started trailing.
Just a little way south Sally and Mann started trailing again. We never came up with anything but with it being warm, the strong wind and all of the green grass, I wasn’t surprised.
Before we got to the truck a killdeer got up right in front of Boss. Boss is really fast and the killdeer tried to fly into the wind. When Boss started getting close the killdeer made a smart decision. It turned with the wind and got away. Boss didn’t give up for quite a ways.
One of the puppies on point.
When we got back to the truck the temperature was into the seventies so I watered the dogs and loaded them. I drove by several properties on the way home. I’ll rest the dogs a day then try to get them out again. They need the work to get in shape.
The puppies, Buck and Gabe, are still getting their time in the field. I don’t always hide pigeons for them but I usually run them to the back each day. I have the tall grass strips that I have left and they run from end to end in these. They know where the birds are, sometimes. When there is no pigeons out they stop every few yards and look at me as if to say, “where’s the birds, Boss”.
Going for a walk.
I have been staking them out most days to teach them to give to the lead. I don’t leave them for long. Usually just long enough for me to clean pens but chaining them gives me time to walk down and hide some birds, in tip up releases.
A few days ago I hid three pigeons for them. Usually, I have been putting the birds on my side of the training grounds but on this day I put one on my side, near the back and two on my neighbors side.
I turned the pups loose and we started down the grass strips. They stopped every once in a while and looked at me. Buck was the first to find the pigeon near the back on my side. Gabe saw him trying to get the bird and ran to help. Before I got close enough to step on the trap to release the bird the puppies turned the release over. The pigeon only flew a few yards to a tree with the puppies right behind.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
Between mine and the neighbor’s side is a deep ditch. The pigeon dropped out of the tree down into the ditch. When the puppies went into the ditch I thought they would find the bird but Buck came back out. I got to looking for Gabe. I called and went into the deep ditch. No Gabe. I called and looked all the way to the back then half way back to the kennels. No Gabe.
Buck was with me so we went to the neighbor’s side. Both of the releases on this side had long strings. When he smelled the first one he pointed for just a second then jumped in. I released the bird with the string and it flew away. He only chased a few feet.
When he found the second one he pointed for a little longer but still not long enough for a good picture. When he jumped in I pulled the string releasing the pigeon. He chased for a short distance. We went back to the kennel.
I was still worried about Gabe but when we got close to the kennel he was there, playing. He must have followed the pigeon back to the coop or just decided he wanted to play by himself. At least he knows where home is.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
I haven’t introduced the puppies to the release traps yet. I’m planning to do that next week. I’m going to place a release trap in front of the pups, about 15 yards, when they are staked out, and let them see me put a pigeon in the trap. I will turn a few pigeons loose from my hand first then, when they get excited about the birds, I will release one from the trap. I will release several so the pups forget about the noise the trap makes. If they show any fear we will go through this several times.
This morning, 9/22/21, I hid 3 pigeons, in the tip up releases, on the training grounds. The puppies had been chained to their stake while I cleaned pens and hid the birds. When I turned them loose they knew the birds were down there and started running. They are only 12 weeks old but they beat me by about 40 yards to the first bird. They turned the release trap over and the pigeon flew away before I got close.
I had another hidden on my side just about 60 yards farther down the field. They beat me to it but I was able to release the bird with the long string. They chased it across the yard to where it lit in a tree. We went on to the very back on my side. I knew there was no more birds on my side but I think this may teach the puppies to always run to the very back on all of their casts. Maybe.
Dolly pointing a quail.
We went to the other side and Gabe was the first to smell the bird. He threw his head up when he smelled the pigeon at about 25 yards. He moved up about 5 or 6 yards and pointed. Before I could get my camera to work, he moved in. Buck came up and helped him. I released the bird with the long string and they chased. we went back to the kennel.
I really enjoy watching the puppies learn. Next week if they do well with the electronic release trap I will start working them one at a time, expecting them to point. Working with the puppies is always a good time.