Vince Dye had called Harden Game Farm in Ridgeway Missouri for some chukars to train our young dogs. We were supposed to pick them up at 10:00 am so that gave us time to stop by Toot Toots in Bethany Missouri for a leisurely breakfast at their buffet. We got to Harden’s a little early, about 9:15, but they had the birds ready. We transferred them into our boxes then drove to a farm where we had permission to work the dogs.
Vince flushing in front of Abby.
Ally, Vince’s short hair.
Vince in front of Abby.
I’m not sure how big this CRP field, that we were to work the dogs on, was but it was big. There was plenty of tall grass with mowed strips through out. We drove off the road into the field. I drove in over a quarter mile and turned around. I was going to show Vince how I put them to sleep to hide them and the first chukar got away. It only flew about 75 yards to a fence row and lit in a tree. We put out 2 more chukars.
I put the e-collar and GPS collar on Abby and turned her loose. Abby has been a long way ahead of me when she points pigeons at the house and she is sometimes too close to the bird. I was afraid she would do the same thing on the chukars. According to my weather app on my phone the wind was out of the south east at 17 miles per hour. That may have been an understatement. The wind seemed stronger.
We worked Abby into the wind toward the first chukar. As soon as she hit the scent cone she pointed. That was nice to see. I went to her and stroked her sides. I stood beside her, just watching, as Vince went in front kicking the cover. When the chukar flushed she didn’t move until Vince shot. Then she ran to the downed bird and rolled it around. I squatted down and called her to me. She finally came but without the bird.
She made a circle that brought her near where the chukar, that had got away earlier, was sitting in a tree. She went on point. I stroked her sides then started ahead of her. I was looking in the tree for the bird when I heard it flush. I never saw it. Vince thought I was going to shoot so he didn’t. That bird got away. We didn’t see where it flew.
We still had another bird out so we worked her into that area. As soon as she hit the scent cone she pointed. This time I walked in front of her kicking the cover. Vince said she stayed, without moving, until I shot. Again she ran to the bird and rolled it around. This time she picked it up and started toward me. She dropped the bird and went back to hunting. We worked her back to the truck and loaded her in the box.
We put out 3 more chukars and I drove the truck ahead about 75 yards. I put the e-collar and GPS collar on Boss. I suspected that Boss was flushing birds when I ran him on wild birds. He points the pigeons as soon as he hits the scent cone but he hasn’t pointed a wild bird in quite awhile.
Sure enough. He hit the scent cone and moved toward the chukar. I whoaed him and he stopped for just a second then flushed the chukar. I didn’t shoot. We watched the bird fly about 200 yards south, follow a hedge row around then fly back to just across the field from us.
Boss on point, Allie and Abby honoring.
We worked him toward another bird. This time as soon as I could tell he hit the scent cone I whoaed him. He stopped and let me get to him. I stroked his sides. As Vince started in front of him he took a step. I picked him up and set him back. Vince kicked in front of him for several seconds before flushing the bird. When the bird flushed Boss was after it. When it hit the ground he was right there. He rolled it around but didn’t pick it up.
We continued on toward the third bird. When he hit the scent cone he pointed. I whoaed him then just stood and watched. Vince went in front and flushed the chukar. It hit the ground near a fence row and Boss pounced on it. On this bird he was a little possessive. He held it when I reached for it. I kept my hand on it and blew in his ear. He dropped the bird.
We went along the tree line where we thought the bird that he had flushed flew. Boss pointed a couple of times but we never saw or heard the bird. After a few minutes we went back to the truck and put him in the box.
We put out 3 more birds and moved the truck ahead about 75 yards. Vince put the e-collar and GPS collar on Ally and turned her loose.
Abby is pointing. Boss came in front and stopped on my whoa.
Ally made short work of her first bird. She went straight to it and made a nice point. Vince watched her as I walked in front, kicked the bird up and shot. When the bird hit the ground Ally was right there. She started to Vince then turned away. He called her and after a couple of prompts she brought it to him.
We went on down and she pointed again. I walked in front of her and rolled the chukar over to wake it up and it just ran a few feet. I chased it and then Ally was helping. She ran past the bird and I reached down and picked it up. Vince wanted to put it in the grass, so when Ally went on, he could bring Maggie, his English cocker spaniel, down to retrieve.
He hid the bird and Ally found her third bird. Vince and I both went in front of her kicking the cover. When it flushed Vince hit it with the first barrel but it was still flying until he fired the second barrel. Ally pounced on it and brought it most of the way back to Vince. We put her in the truck box and let Maggie out.
Maggie is a really neat dog. When she’s happy, which is most of the time, she wags from the ears back. Her whole body gets into motion. Her little short legs were just a blur as she went back and forth in front of us. She was going into the wind and hit the scent cone and had the chukar before it could do anything. As soon as she got it she headed right to Vince. He took the bird and threw it a couple more times for her. We put her in the box.
Abby pointing a chukar.
We drove to the other side of the field. We put out 3 more chukars and turned Abby out again. She moved down wind until she hit the scent cone and pointed. She’s stopping at the first hint of scent, I think. Vince and I went in front of her and when the bird flushed it was closer to Vince but it flew right toward my truck. Vince couldn’t shoot. Then the bird turned and flew back toward me and Vince couldn’t shoot because of me. Finally, it dawned on me that maybe I should shoot. By this time the bird was 50 yards away or more. I missed.
We worked Abby toward another bird and she pointed. I went in front of her and flushed the chukar. Abby picked the bird up and came close enough to me that I could touch her but I couldn’t stop her. She went on toward Vince but didn’t stop. A little past him she dropped the bird. When I got to her she held the bird while I petted her. Pretty soon she turned loose of the bird.
She made a circle toward where the bird that escaped was in a tree or near the tree. We followed her. As she went down the tree line she pointed. The chukar was sitting in a tree, not very high off the ground. When it flushed Vince dropped it into the brush on the far side. Abby went to it and I tried to get her to pick it up but she just rolled it around. The brush was really thick so I used my gun barrel to drag the bird toward me. Just before I got it to me Abby saw me and came back and grabbed the chukar. I was afraid she was going to take it farther into the brush but she took it out of the brush where we could get it.
Another picture of Abby pointing a chukar.
We still had one bird out. As we started toward it Vince said, “it wasn’t her fault.” When I asked what he meant he said the bird had flushed way ahead of Abby. He said she wasn’t even close. I hadn’t seen the bird, at all. We followed the direction the bird had flown but never found it. We put her in the dog box.
We hid 3 more chukars and moved the truck ahead. I turned Boss out again. From the birds before and the shooting he could hear he was really wound up. It took a few minutes to get him to come in front of us. He should figure out we set the birds, we know where they are. As he came in front of us he went on point. He was close to the bird but only because that’s where he first hit the scent cone. I stood beside him as Vince went in front, kicked the bird out and shot. Boss was on it quickly. When he picked the bird up, he laid down. I petted him until he turned the bird loose.
Boss was ahead of us as he went on point. He didn’t seem real solid so I stood by him as Vince tried to flush. Vince kicked for a while without flushing anything so I tapped Boss on the head. He moved up about 15 yards and went back on point. Vince went back in front but couldn’t flush anything. I tapped his head again and he moved about 10 yards and went back on point. This time I started around to help flush when we saw the chukar running ahead of us. When it flushed it came my way. I hit it with the first barrel but it kept going. I shot again and the bird came down. Boss saw it hit and he was right behind the bird. The chukar tried to run but he caught it. It got away for just a second before he had it again. He held the bird until I blew in his ear. He went back to hunting.
Bodie pointing a pigeon.
The next bird held good. Boss pointed it and Vince kicked it up and it dropped at his shot. I think Boss is starting to understand that if he will point the birds someone might shoot it for him to catch the dead bird. Boss was on it quickly. We put him in the truck.
Vince put one chukar out for Maggie. He had to walk a big circle to get the wind right so Maggie didn’t just follow his foot prints to the bird. Maggie was fast as she went in front of us. When she got close to the chukar she almost caught it but it got away. She was still right behind it when Vince shot the bird. She grabbed it and made a Bee line for Vince. We put her back in the dog box.
We put one bird out for Ally. Vince’s dogs are older and he had only wanted 5 birds, 3 for Ally and 2 for Maggie. I had bought 15 because my dogs needed more birds. Ally went ahead of us and found her bird. She made a nice point and Vince walked in front kicking the grass. When the chukar flushed he dropped it and Ally retrieved it all the way to drop it in Vince’s hand.
We had 3 birds left. I drove down a ridge stopping for Vince to hide the birds about a hundred yards apart. We turned all 3 dogs, Ally, Abby and Boss out. As we came down the ridge Boss went on point about a hundred yards ahead of us. Abby and Ally honored. When we went in front the bird flushed into the wind then turned and went with the wind. Abby and Boss were chasing and when Vince shot the chukar almost dropped onto Boss. He grabbed it. I took it from him after a little petting.
Mann on point.
Ally and Abby were on down the field when I saw Abby go on point. Actually Vince said, “she should on point, now”. And as soon as he said, “now” she pointed. Usually, Boss honors as soon as he sees a dog on point so I didn’t whoa him until he was close to Abby. When he stopped he was between Abby and the bird. It looks like she’s backing him but he stole the point. Vince went in front kicking the cover. I was close to Boss and saw he was looking right in front of himself. Vince came over flushed the bird and shot. Abby grabbed this one. I petted her until she dropped it.
We went on toward the next bird but never found it. It may have got up because of the wind or even us shooting on the others. We followed a hedge row back to the truck, loaded dogs and headed home. It was a good day for us and for the dogs. I think Boss is starting to understand what his job is but I would like to run him one more time on some chukars, just to give him a little more confidence and knowledge. It might help me, too.