I wanted to train puppies early yesterday, 10/10/18, but it was raining then I had some stuff to do so it was about 11:30 when I got the puppies out. I put the e-collars on Babe’s neck and flanks and heeled her out with the piggin’ string. This was the first time that I had turned both of the e-collars on.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
Babe pointing a pigeon.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.
I heeled her toward the front of my yard, whoaing her every few feet. After I had whoaed her a few times I started holding the button on the transmitter down, on medium 1, on the e-collar on her flanks then saying, “whoa”. After 10 or 12 times she was stopping before I could say, “whoa”.
I’ve been walking way in front of her after whoaing her. I make some circles around her, throw sticks and grass, and walk way behind her. She has been really good about staying where I whoaed her. When we got back behind my house I whoaed her and walked about 20 yards in front of her. When I turned around she was moving toward the fence row on the north side. I yelled, “whoa” and she never slowed down. She went through the fence. The fence is grown up where I couldn’t see her. I just stood there trying to figure out what to do when I noticed her peaking through the cover at me. It was like she was thinking, “I screwed up. I wonder if he’s mad.” I called her and she came to me. I whoaed her and walked around her.
We continued on to the air line kennel I have set up for her. I held the button on the transmitter down on medium 1 and said, “kennel”. She ran into the kennel. I kenneled her about 4 times then put her on the retrieving bench. I took the e-collars off then petted her for a while then put her on the chain gang.
I put the e-collars on Mann and heeled him out. He too, after I whoaed him with the e-collar 10 or 12 times, started stopping as soon as I pushed the button on the e-collar and before I could say, “whoa”. I worked him on the kennel command then had him jump onto the retrieving bench. I took the e-collars off and petted him for a while before putting him on the chain gang.
I hid a pigeon at the very back on my side and another in a blow down that the last storm had deposited for me. I put the e-collars back on Babe, hooked a short check cord to her collar and heeled her out with the piggin’ string. I turned her loose to hunt.
I followed her on foot. She is really fast and was close to the pigeon at the back on my side when I got to a point I could see her. Babe pointed and almost immediately moved. I was 75 yards away but I flushed the pigeon. She chased a short way then went back to hunting.
Babe checked my side then crossed to the neighbor’s side. When she got close to the pigeon hidden on that side she knew one was close but couldn’t get enough scent to pen it down. She circled the clump the pigeon was in until she hit the scent cone and pointed. After a few seconds she wanted to move. I set her back and stroked her up. As long as I stroked her she stood, looking good. I walked in front of her and flushed the pigeon. It was a young bird and didn’t get very far off the ground. She chased a long way.
I put her back on the chain gang, reloaded the release traps and turned Mann loose with the e-collars on his neck and flanks, dragging a check cord. I followed on the 4-wheeler.
It’s closer to my time of the year.
Mann went to the very back on my side and went on point. I was right behind him and took some pictures before getting off the 4-wheeler. I walked near him and kicked the tall brush. On the second kick he took a step and I flushed the pigeon. He chased a short distance then went back to hunting.
He checked out my side then crossed over. He went to the back on the neighbor’s side and checked each clump until he got close to where I had hidden the pigeon. He went on point but before I could get off the 4-wheeler he took a step and I flushed the pigeon. The bird flew to a limb right above where it was hidden. He circled the tree watching the pigeon. It flew and he chased a short distance.
I turned Babe loose and let them play for a while before putting them back in the kennel.
I’ve had a friend’s female setter here for a while, breeding her with Tur Bo. We’re hoping the deed is done and I met him yesterday, 10/11/18, at Emporia for him to pick up his female, Quill. Since I was going to be out there I went early with 5 of my dogs.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
Kansas allows the use of dogs for hunting fall turkeys. To be on walk-in you have to be hunting. You can’t just run dogs on walk-in. I can run dogs, turkey hunt and find out if some of the walk-in properties have quail on them. This is one of the first hunts for the puppies.
I went to a large farm with some row crops, mainly corn, and some over grown pasture. I put e-collars and GPS collars on Sally, Tur Bo and Luke and a GPS collar on Mann. I only had 4 GPS collars so Babe didn’t get one. I thought she would run less and check back more often from the way she hunts at home.
We had gone in about a quarter of a mile when I heard a flock of turkeys, putting. When I checked the GPS Luke and Tur Bo were close to where the turkeys were yelping. I waited thinking maybe a turkey would fly my way but I never saw one.
The turkeys had to have flown to the north so we went around a corn field that was north and east of where I heard them. We ran into a couple of farm dogs that stayed just out of sight but barked at us, continually. We were close to the north edge of this place and never came up with any of the turkeys. We circled the corn field and got away from the farm dogs by going to the south.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
Tur Bo must have chased the turkeys. He was off the GPS. I called over and over as we went to the south. I was going along a ridge when the GPS said Sally was on point about 45 yards from me. I found her in a thicket. When I got close she started trailing and pointed again then went back to hunting.
About a 150 yards from the first point Sally pointed again. When I got close she moved a few yards and went on point again. I just stood watching her. She moved a few more yards and pointed again. These quail must have ran then circled back because they got up right at my feet. Five big, slow quail flushed then tail end Charlie got up. When you can’t shoot they look big and slow. I would bet that at her first point there was a larger covey that ran away then flushed and this was just a part of the original covey.
Luke runs much bigger and the GPS said he was on point a couple of times but before I could get to him he was moving. We had an east or north east wind and I believe during an east wind it’s harder for the dogs.
It was getting close to the time to meet my friend in Emporia so we went to the truck. Tur Bo still wasn’t on the GPS. I loaded the dogs up and we drove with me holding the GPS in my hand. I drove to the other side of the property and saw Tur Bo. He was running but when he saw me he was happy. He came to me and you would think we hadn’t seen each other for a month. I was happy to see him too.
I had hunted this place last year without seeing any turkeys. There were some quail on it. I saw deer, quail and heard some turkeys. The puppies got a little taste of what hunting is all about. It was a good morning.
Babe pointing a pigeon.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
Babe pointing a pigeon.