This first trip to New Mexico was a learning trip for us. We didn’t go back where we had found birds the day before, we wanted to learn about other areas, close to where we were staying. From the guys, in the motel that we talked to, scaled quail don’t move around early in the morning. We drove to the north west looking the country over.
Me and Jim.
Rusty, Jim and Vince in front.
Vince and Indy.
I don’t put people pictures on my blog very often but I should. My daughter, Dana Charpie, told me one time that when I got too old to hunt I could always go back and read my blogs. My memories in print. I should put more pictures of the people I hunt with, so I can remember us when we are, not young, but at least young enough to still hunt.
The first place we tried to hunt was a huge place with a lot of oil wells. This was in the area where they had drilled one well right next to another. I hope they clean these places when they are through drilling. There was pipe every where and in a couple of places they had dumped oil on top of the ground and it was still puddled. With all of this there were cattle pastured on it. Not much cover.
After just a few minutes we started driving, looking for something with more cover. In the area we were in it was hard to find a place with very much cover. Close to noon we decided to go back near where we had been the day before.
I pulled into a place and pulled to the side so Rusty could park close and we could decide what to do. Vince and I were looking to the west and we both saw a quail run across the road about 40 yards away. Then several more crossed the road.
Vince turned Indy and Maggie out and I used Sally and Abby. All 4 of us started following the dogs. We had a lot of points and shot a few birds. We had seen maybe 8 or 10 birds cross the road but the more we hunted the more birds we found. Abby was going with the wind and almost run into 3 quail. Just as she whirled to either chase or point the birds flushed right in front of her.
Josie on point.
When we got close to the trucks Jim and Rusty drove on to the west. Vince and I changed dogs. He turned Ally out but kept Maggie working. Sally is pregnant and I didn’t hunt her very long. I turned Mann and Josie out. We made a circle to the east and found more quail. We found a water tank and were able to refill our water bottles for the dogs.
Some of the birds held well and some didn’t. As we turned back to the west Vince’s short haired pointer, Ally, went on point with a real high head and straight tail. She looked regal. Earlier, Rusty had hit a quail that we didn’t find. When we got close to her Vince said, “this is where Rusty lost a bird. I bet this is it”. About that time Ally jumped in and picked up a very dead quail.
We circled around and came close to the truck again. I put Mann and Josie up and turned Luke out. Luke is getting old and he doesn’t always stay in the same section with me. I have retired him but when I go out of town I take him. I hate to leave him in the truck.
We worked to the west with the game plan of circling south then hunting back to the east. I let Luke get about 200 yards ahead of me then I would beep him with the tone on his e-collar. That worked well for a little while then when we got far enough to the west to go to the south then start back to the east he kept going. I toned him but he didn’t even acknowledge me. I stimulated him but he kept going to the west.
Maggie, Vince’s English cocker Spaniel
I was starting to get frustrated with him. I toned him and hit the e-collar. I turned the e-collar up until I knew he wasn’t responding. I just kept watching him on the GPS and grinding my teeth. At 820 yards he went on point. I waited a few minutes and he was still on point. I told Vince I would have to go to him. Vince offered to go with me but I knew that scaled quail wouldn’t hold long enough for me to get there but I needed to get Luke back.
I started down an oil field road then up a hill. When I got to the top of the hill I was still 250 yards from him. I’ve said this before but when they are way off on point it’s always uphill. I started down the other side into a bottom that was filled with grass cover and mesquite bushes. At about 75 yards I saw him on point. I was a little in front of him. When he saw me and he wagged his tail a couple of times but didn’t move. I think he was saying, “about time”.
I got within about 25 yards of him and he moved up about 20 yards and went on point again. As I got close to him 2 quail flushed from well out front of him and flew to the north. He hardly turned his head. He moved up about 25 yards again and this time when I got close about a dozen quail flushed well out front of him. One bird that wasn’t with the others flushed close enough that I got a shot. It dropped into a clump of mesquite.
Jim Smith’s female and Mann’s mother, Dottie.
I got Luke to make a couple of passes but he didn’t look long or well. I looked for the downed bird but didn’t find it. Luke came close again and I got him in again without finding the bird. The covey had flown to the south near some cattle. I didn’t try to follow.
I kept Luke within about 75 yards as we headed back to the truck. When I got back to the top of the hill near an oil well, Jim called me on my cell. He was just a short distance away. He and Rusty let me ride on the tail gate back to my truck. I was happy about that. Saved me a long walk.
When we got back to the truck we decided we would go about 5 or 6 miles to the south and hunt another place. When we got to this place Jim turned his dogs out. They hunt really well in front of his truck. As we followed along Rusty turned to the west and I was right behind him but before I turned I saw one of his dogs go on point. I honked to get their attention.
Rusty and Vince got out with their guns and Jim and I got out with our cameras. I got close enough to get some pictures of Dotty and Bay Lee. As Rusty came in from the west side a single quail flushed and he knocked it down. When he shot another one flushed farther out. He shot again but missed. He saw his dead bird lying there and picked it up.
Jim’s female and Mann’s sister Bay Lee.
While I was watching Rusty the rest of the covey had flushed and flown to the south east. We went back to the trucks and followed the dogs to the east. Jim and Rusty saw the covey flush again and cross the main road. We turned back to the south and west.
We separated and after a little while we saw a place we wanted to walk and hunt. I called Jim and he said they would join us. When they got there Vince turned Indy and Maggie out and I put the e-collars and GPS collars on Mann and Josie. We hunted to the east then turned south and then back west. The only thing we saw were some Jack rabbits.
When we got back to the truck we took some tailgate pictures. I think it was Rusty’s idea but whoever, it was good idea. I, usually, don’t like game birds on the tailgate pictures but people on the tailgate works. I may do this more often.
Abby on point.
We cleaned birds and fed dogs then went back to the motel. Rusty found us a good Mexican place to eat supper then it was early to bed. Vince and I had about 13 hours of driving, with a few stops to let the dogs do their business, the next day.
We hadn’t killed a lot of birds but we had a lot of dog work. I think most of the dogs pointed birds and my puppies found out we weren’t just out for a hike. There are birds if you work hard. That would be hard to duplicate in the areas of Missouri and Kansas I hunted this year. All 4 of us said we would do New Mexico again next year only get there earlier in the season.