We have 3 or 4 inches of snow on the ground and I really don’t like to hunt on snow but I was tired of sitting around the house. I loaded Mann and Sally and drove to a Missouri Conservation Area. I have hunted this conservation area in the past but not for a few years. There were several fallow fields that had been planted the last time I was here. The really wet year must have kept the farmer or farmers from planting some of them.
Sally on point with Mann honoring.
Sally backing Mann with Abby close.
Mann pointing a pheasant.
I drove around the area to find a place that other hunters weren’t using. The first place I pulled into a couple of dogs from a farm house came toward me as I put the e-collar and GPS collar on Mann. The farm dogs must have just come to look us over. When they got close they turned and went back home. I had parked well over a quarter of a mile from the farm house. I put an e-collar and the GPS collar on Sally and we started to the east around a harvested corn field.
It was above freezing and I was watching for quail tracks in the snow as we went around the corn field. About a quarter of a mile off the road this area used to have a grain field where there some grain left for the animals. Not so this time. The corn field ran into a harvested soy bean field with nothing left in it. As I circled the soy bean field I heard some hounds baying. I don’t like to get my bird dogs close to running dogs. So we hunted back to the truck, crossed the road and circled a large pond that had a lot of cover around it.
On both sides of the pond area were fields of harvested soy beans. When the dogs were running the edges of the soy bean fields I could see them for a long way. It’s nice to find quail and get points but I can enjoy just watching the dogs run and hit the objectives.
Not long after we crossed the road the running dogs were on the same side of the road we were on. Sally and Mann have been coming in when I tone them on their e-collars, really well. Both of them were over 300 yards away when I got close to the truck and toned them to come in. Shortly after I got to the truck Mann showed up and right behind him was Sally. I loaded them and went to another area.
I usually drive around the area I’m going to hunt to make sure that no one is hunting it. As I drove I saw an area where the Conservation employees had done a lot of work. They had cleared the trees off of a large area and made some good brush piles. Some of the brush piles were in ditches to stop erosion and some were along the side of the hills. The ground was still clean but if the right weeds come up in the area it should be really good for the animals and especially good for the birds.
I had left the e-collars and GPS collars on the dogs so I just grabbed my gun and turned them loose at the next place. As we went along the edge I thought back several years ago to hunting this place with my then to me new Ruger, Red Label, 28 gauge. The first time I killed a double on quail with it was along the edge I was walking down.
Abby, pointing a pigeon.
We went to the west to the end of the soy bean field then north across another harvested soy bean field. At the end of a draw was a pond with a lot of cover around it. When I got close I saw how tough the cover was. There were a lot of saplings next to the pond but there were more tall black berry vines than saplings. Both dogs went through the black berries but it sure slowed them down. We hunted the south side of the pond then crossed the dam to the north side.
As I started up the hill after crossing the dam the GPS handheld vibrated. It showed Mann on point just 50 yards to the east. The black berries vines were too dense to go straight east so I went north to edge of the soy bean field then turned east. Before I turned east Sally honored Mann. Just a few yards east and I saw Sally but Mann was down in the black berries.
When I got to them I saw a bunch of quail tracks in the snow. I went in front of Mann and nothing flushed. I released them and they both started trailing. Sally went 52 yards to the east and went on point. I got to her and she started moving again. I stood and watched her point 3 or 4 times and then start moving. About 50 yards ahead of her 10 or 12 quail flushed flying to the south east.
When I checked the GPS it showed Mann on point near where he had pointed originally. I went back to him. When I walked in front of him nothing flushed. I released him and he started trailing through some trees that had been gnawed down by beavers with a lot of black berry vines growing up through them. Mann was on one side of a thicket and 3 quail flushed low out the other side about 30 yards away.
Josie pointing a pigeon.
Every where I walked in the brush had quail tracks. We went on to the east where I had seen some of the covey fly. There was a strip of CRP with some small trees growing in a line through it. As the dogs worked down the tree line I saw about 8 quail flush out the side flying to the east. With the snow on the ground I didn’t want to flush them again so we went to the south.
The cover was tall enough I couldn’t see the dogs so I was carrying my gun in my left hand and holding the GPS handheld in my right. The GPS vibrated and it showed Mann on point about a 125 yards to the south. Before I got to him I saw Sally honoring.
When I got to her, she was standing in the CRP and Mann was looking toward her from the tree line. They were only about 5 yards apart. I went to Mann and he was looking right in front of his feet where there was a limb from a tree almost covered in snow. I looked but couldn’t see anything. I kicked right in front of him and a single quail came out from under the snow and flew into the open. Mann is only 20 months old and I really wanted to drop this bird for him which usually jinxes me but not this time.
The bird dropped into the CRP about 20 yards away. Sally ran to it and picked it up. I called her to me but she only came about half way. I went to her and she dropped it in my hand.
Quail being this wild on the snow is what I usually see. Once the snow starts melting and there are patches of grass and snow they seem to hold better. I think the quail know their camouflage doesn’t work in the snow.
We hunted on back to the truck and I loaded the dogs. I drove around to look the area over before going home. I was able to shoot one bird over Mann’s point and get a partial retrieve from Sally. It had been a good day.
Mann watching a pigeon fly away.