I got up in the middle of the night (2:45 am) to meet Don and Linda Hanson at a walk-in property, in Kansas, for opening day of quail season. We thought if we waited until later someone else would be hunting this property. This property is maybe 240 acres and a couple of years ago we had someone start hunting it while we were on it. As a courtesy, I usually drive around a property, to make sure no one is on it, before I start hunting.
Mann on point.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.
Josie pointing a pigeon.
As we sat in Don’s truck waiting on the sun to rise we saw a covey of quail fly in. Don thought he had seen one fly in before we saw the covey. The birds had flown in from a harvested corn field at just about daylight. They must have been feeding really early.
We still waited a few minutes before we turned dogs out. I put e-collars and GPS collars on Tur Bo and Mann and Don had already put his track and train e-collar on his pointer, Tigger. We turned the dogs loose and grabbed our guns. As I turned to walk away I saw Tur Bo first and then saw he was honoring Mann, who was on point just in front of the truck, maybe 30 yards.
I was watching both of the dogs as the covey flushed well out in front of Mann, flying through a large thicket. We didn’t get a shot. I don’t think either of the dogs moved before the birds flushed.
Don went around the north side of the thicket and I went on the south side. All three dogs were in between us working the thicket. As I walked along the edge a single quail flushed about 20 yards ahead of me flying toward where Don and Linda were. I heard a couple of quail flush in the thicket without seeing them.
Several times as we went around the thicket we had dogs on point but before we got to them they were moving. The wind was strong from the south and I think, with every thing shaking, the birds were spooky. We continued around the thicket then up a hedge row. At the end of the hedge row, we went to the east along a draw that ran to the fence row.
We started down the fence row to the north. As we walked along with the dogs in front of us I saw a single quail flying toward us down the fence line. When it got about even with us I shot and it dropped along the fence. With the dogs all ahead of us, I retrieved it myself.
As we went on to the north there were a few more quail that flushed along the fence line but well out front, without giving us a shot. When we got to the north east corner we turned to the west. We hunted the CRP that was next to a soy bean field that was off the walk-in.
Abby, pointing a pigeon.
About half way to the west the property turned to the north and we went along it to the end. About the time we got to the end the GPS showed Mann on point to the west of us. He was about 125 yards from us. Before we got to him, he was moving. He had been on the north end of a hedge row with CRP down both sides. We started to the south down the hedge row.
I had my shotgun in my left hand and the GPS handheld in my right and a quail came through the hedge row from Don’s side. It got over my head and turned to the north and flew back down the hedge row. I stood and watched it fly away. I have worked dogs too much without shooting to think about what I really should be doing. Later in the season I will be more prepared.
We went on to the end of the hedge row. There were a couple of wild flushes but we never fired a shot. We went along a draw to the west and back to the north across some CRP. When we got back near where the last covey had flushed from, a single quail got up near us without drawing a shot. We hunted back to the truck.
I think we had moved 3 coveys of quail and only fired one shot. The dogs had worked hard but the birds, in the strong wind, wouldn’t hold. We drove several miles to another walk-in property.
The next place was a 160 acres place. There was a draw with some CRP on the south west side with a huge soy bean field in the middle. I had run dogs here before the season opened and found a covey of quail. That’s not true. You can’t run dogs on walk-in property. I had been turkey hunting on this property. I had even carried a gun. I have a 20 gauge side by side that weighs 5 pounds and only shoots 2 1/2 inch shells. I carried it with, 3/4 ounce 7 1/2 shot, loads. Not only is this gun light it’s short as well. I don’t shoot it well but I don’t plan on shooting when I carry it.
Tur Bo on point.
Don turned Goofy, his pointer male, out on this corner and I had only brought Mann and Tur Bo with me so I turned them loose. We went through the same area that I had found the covey earlier and back to the truck without seeing any quail. We loaded the dogs and went to the north east corner. It was about like the south west corner. It had a draw that ran to the south almost the whole way with CRP on both sides.
The farmer had combined the soy beans the day before and were just pulling their equipment out of the field when we were there. We hunted to the south and moved over and came back along the soy bean field. We never saw a quail.
When we got back to the truck we loaded the dogs. It was getting warm and Don needed to get Tigger to a vet. She had cut her leg. Not bad but she needed a few stitches. Dogs are tough. When we noticed it, it was no longer bleeding and we never heard her yelp, or anything.
I was thinking about going to north west Kansas for the opener until I saw the weather forecast. When I saw how hot it was going to be I had decided to just stay home. Don called and wanted to go, not so far into Kansas, and when it got warm we could go home. That was a better idea than staying home. Although the birds didn’t cooperate we did see 3 coveys and got some dog work. And Don and I don’t have to kill birds to have a good hunt.
Sally, on point.