Vince Dye and I went to northern Missouri to meet our friend Steve Long for a quail hunt on a farm where Steve works. This farm is several thousand acres of row crops and CRP. I followed Steve into the farm, across a harvested soybean field, for about a half mile. Where we parked was an area that if you could see it from the road you would think, “I would love to hunt that”.
Sally. The good ones always have a bloody tail.
Mann in the tall CRP.
Mann in the CRP.
Vince had brought his two dogs, Maggie the English cocker spaniel and Allie his GSP. Boss cut his leg and is on recuperation leave. I had Bodie, Abby, Sally and Mann. We turned them all out and started along a draw. At the end of the draw we went back up another draw to a pond. I was glad to find a good place to water the dogs but as dry as it’s been quail should be staying close to the ponds too.
Steve and I went along the side of the pond while Vince went to the north checking on Allie. Sally went on point with Abby backing. Steve started in front of her and we heard a quail flush above the pond but never saw it. A little farther another quail flushed through the brush without giving either of us a shot. Then a third quail flushed and this one tried to cross the harvested soybean field. I dropped it in the field and Sally made the retrieve. I fed her the quail head.
We checked around the pond then went across the field to where Vince was. There was some CRP beside the soybean field that all of the dogs were checking. Sally pointed and as we walked in a single quail flushed. Vince and I both shot about the same time and the quail was driven forward from the shot. Maggie made quick work of the retrieve.
We went through the CRP a second time and got a couple more quail up. The dogs worked it hard but had to be almost on top of the quail to point in the heavy CRP. I think this covey was in the harvested soybean field, feeding, when the dogs came around the edge. The birds flushed, some going around the pond and some into the CRP.
We worked the CRP back and forth then went back to our trucks and drove farther into the farm. It was a warm morning and the heavy CRP had wore Bodie and Abbie out. I left them in the truck. The next area had a creek running through the bottom with brush and trees along the creek surrounded by CRP. As we went along the side of a hill in the CRP we saw Sallie go on point near the creek. We started to her but were still over a hundred yards from her when we saw her throw her head in the air and go toward some far off CRP. The birds hadn’t held.
Sally on a covey.
We had seen Allie get really birdy in this area too so we kept going to the creek. As we stood watching the dogs work the GPS showed Sallie on point across the creek. Mann and Allie honored. All 3 of us were separated by a few yards but Steve had a better place to cross the creek. Vince and I stayed on the side we were on. When Steve got across the creek a huge covey of quail flushed. Vince was a little higher than I was and Steve was lower on the other side. I had to wait until the birds got some altitude before I could shoot. I got on one and just as I pulled the trigger it went behind a big tree. But I did hit the tree, hard.
Vince missed also and Steve didn’t have a shot. So out of the biggest bunch of quail I have seen this year we got nothing on the covey rise. We thought the birds had scattered out along a hillside of CRP. We started around the edge of CRP, along the creek. Maggie flushed a quail in front of Vince that he hit really hard but it didn’t drop. We went in the direction the quail had flown but we never found it.
Mann on a single.
We came back through the CRP and Sally pointed a single. It was up and over the hill in a hurry with a shot from Vince to move it along. I thought it was hit but we didn’t find it. As Vince shot another flushed and I made a lucky shot. Sally retrieved it and only charged me one quail head. At home when she retrieves something I give her a treat so I will feed her the quail heads.
We found several more quail in the CRP. The dogs did a good job, the shooters not so well. But for the most part, I just want the dogs to find birds. The dogs work really hard and some days they don’t even see one. This had been a good day. A lot of dog work and we had 5 quail which were enough for Steve a good meal.
Mann in the CRP.
Yesterday morning I decided I needed to walk so I might as well follow my dogs. Boss is still on light duty so I left him home but took the rest. Abby, Bodie, Mann and Sally. I went to a Missouri Conservation Area. It seems like this area is going down hill each year. Several years ago I hunted this area and was able to find several coveys. Last year I only found 2 coveys. But I keep hoping it will get good again.
Some years I run dogs on this area before the season opens but it was too hot this preseason. I went to the west side and turned all 4 dogs loose. This year whoever farmed this actually left a few rows next to the cover. The last few years there was some left but this is much better.
The highest temperature I saw on the truck thermometer was 29 degrees. There was a north wind but before the day was over it had changed to the south. But the weather was about perfect.
I’m not sure which dog this is.
I walked most of the west side, especially where I had found birds in the past without seeing a quail. I did have one point. Sally was about 200 yards ahead of me when she pointed near the harvested soybean field. There was an area of big woods that grew right to some open CRP looking cover. By the time I got close the GPS showed Mann, Abby and Bodie were honoring. I got within about 30 yards of Sally when I saw Bodie and he looked good. I wanted a picture but I had a bunch of thorn bushes that I needed to get around. Just as I got in the open they all started moving.
All 4 dogs trailed with Sally and Mann going into the woods. I think it may have been a flock of turkeys came from the woods to feed in the soybean field. They won’t hold for very long. We hunted on back to the truck. I had walked 4 miles according to the GPS in a place where just a few years ago I saw 3 coveys of quail without seeing a bird. I loaded the dogs and drove to the east side.
When I got to the east side there were guys just suiting up and turning dogs out. It’s big enough for more than one party of hunters but I don’t like to turn out close to other guys or have other guys turn out close to me. I decided to drive to another Conservation area.
Bodie with a nose full of quail scent.
The temperature had stayed near 30 degrees all day. Just about perfect for the dogs and for me. It has been several years since I had hunted this area. There were a few deer hunters and at least 2 bunches of bird hunters but this is a big place. I turned all 4 dogs loose.
Some of the grass in the grassy areas on this place are head high. There are a few trails where the farmers drove the grain trucks and a few service roads. This area was really good for Bodie who doesn’t have much experience. He’s 17 months old but he broke his leg about a year ago. He missed all of the season last year. This is his first year of running with the other dogs.
I came around a corner of one of the roads to see Bodie just a short distance ahead of me on point. He was pointing into a thicket of small saplings and black berry vines. When I got closer some little stink birds flew. He was excited. But this is the way they learn. Then he started going from clump of brush to the next because they smelled good. Most of them had the little birds in them. Check enough of them and there will be a covey of quail in one.
Abby
We continued on. Just shortly after this the GPS showed Sally on point just about 90 yards from me. It’s almost never that close. I shouldn’t have been too excited about the close distance. Before I got to her I got into a big area, maybe two acre circle, of black berry vines. I got within 25 feet of Sally, according to the GPS, without being able to see her. A rooster pheasant flushed about 35 yards away and was too far to shoot at by the time I got on him.
After I fought my way in there I had to get out. Sally wanted me to break a trail for her but gave up on me in a short time. Some of these black berry vines were above my head. Just as one hit me in the face I kicked the lower end of it by taking a step. It was against my lip and my chin. The reason I know this is, that’s where the blood started flowing from.
We worked on around the soybean field going through the CRP. I saw a lot of deer in the CRP and the dogs may have seen more than me. As I started back to the truck Bodie was going the opposite direction. He may have been chasing a deer. Most of the dogs leave them alone but I’ve never seen him close to one. Each time I called him he seemed to go the wrong direction.
Boss backing Sally.
When I got to the truck he was over half a mile away. I drove the road to see if I could get closer but it seemed like if I went one way he went the other. When I drove the road he was 900 yards north. As I went north on a farm road he was 800 yards east. I turned around and went back to the main road. Then he was over 800 yards north. I went back to the farm road and drove in about half a mile then turned east on the road.
About a quarter of mile east I came to an area I didn’t want to cross and Bodie was about 250 yards from me. I stopped the truck and went toward him, calling. Finally, he came to me but was unconcerned. He went right on by me and continued hunting. Before we got to the truck I had to whoa him once when he was getting to far away. I led him to the truck and loaded him.
Bodie working on the backing dog.
I was happy to have him back. Sometimes young dogs will lie down when they get tired. It was getting late and if he laid down I could find him with the GPS on him but I might have to walk 8 or 900 yards each way. The way it worked out was the best way. I had my dog back. It had been a good day.