I met Don and Linda Hansen in central Kansas for a quail hunt on the last day before gun deer season started. I, usually, wait until deer season is over in each of the states I hunt. I worry about my safety and the dogs safety but if I was a deer hunter I wouldn’t want a bird hunter with a bunch of dogs messing my hunt up. In Missouri the main gun deer season is over.
Sally pointing wild quail.
Abby and Goofy honoring Mann.
Mann honoring Sally.
Boss was hauled on some real long trips when he was just a puppy. He hates to get in the truck. When I tried to get him to come with me, this morning, he stayed in his house. I don’t know whether leaving him home will make him want to come next time or not. When I do take him he usually stops in the field, about 30 yards from the truck, when we get through hunting. He’s trained to come to me with the tone on his electric collar. When I tone him he stands and slowly walks to me. He hates to ride in the truck.
We went to a large farm that had a lot of CRP. Just off the walk-in property was some old time soybean fields. The fields had grass and weeds among the unharvested soybeans. Most of the soybeans now days have no weeds or grass.
Don had turned Goofy out and I had only brought 3 of my dogs, Sally, Mann and Abby. As we walked in the GPS handheld vibrated and showed Mann on point about 200 yards ahead of us. As we went toward him the GPS showed Sally honoring.
We were still about a hundred yards from them when the GPS showed them moving. When we got closer I saw a lot of fresh turkey droppings. I thought they possibly had been pointing turkeys and they hadn’t held. Mann came in front of us looking really excited.
We went on to the edge of the walk-in. As we started around the edge I saw Abby on point looking into some heavy cover. Before we got to her I told Don that I thought Abby was backing Sally. When we got closer we could just barely see Sally on point. When we got close a single quail flushed then 2 more without giving us a shot.
That may have been the quail that Mann had pointed earlier or we had run into a covey spread out feeding. As we worked the area several more quail flushed. These walk-in area birds have been hunted and to still be alive they are smart. We stayed in the CRP but went along the edge of the soybean field on the private ground.
We were almost to the end of the walk-in when the GPS vibrated. Mann was on point along the fence row. By the time we got there the other dogs were honoring. As we walked in Mann started trailing. When he moved we released the other dogs. Sally went down the fence row about 35 yards and went on point. Don and I started to her.
One quail flushed from behind me but I kept watching Sally. She wasn’t moving. She was pointing into a cedar tree that was growing in the fence row. I came up on the right side and Don was on the left. The covey flushed and I saw one quail for just a split second as it went around the cedar tree. I was way behind when I shot. The birds stayed low on the other side of the fence row. Don had no better luck that I did.
Mann and Goofy honoring Sally.
Most of the covey had flown back the way we had come into this area. We went back to the area where we thought the singles had flown. As we discussed what we should do I checked the GPS. Sally was on point only about 30 yards from us. Most of this area is CRP but Sally was in a small bunch of trees. I was going to try to push the quail out to Don but he thought he should push it to me. Quail go where quail want to go. Pushing them only works if that’s the direction they want to go. This bird flushed and went Don’s way but his only shot was in the woods. He was still flying when he went out of sight.
It was really dry and we took the dogs by a pond to get them cooled down and hydrated. A few years ago we had moved a covey in the tall CRP near this pond so we started in that direction. As we worked our way through some really thick cover I looked up and saw a covey of quail fly to an area ahead of us. A few minutes later I saw Mann come from that area. He wasn’t excited like he had seen birds. I think this bunch had flushed before he got to them.
Don and I felt really goods about our chances. The best cover went into a point just ahead of us. We went along the edge to get around the birds and have the wind in our favor, coming back. When we started back we hadn’t gone far when Sally went on point with Goofy honoring in front of Don. A single quail flushed, from some thick black berry vines, before Don could get close.
Sally on point.
I thought at least the birds are scattered out. We will find them. We went into the wind for a long way. Don was off to my left and had gone along an edge where he was in front of me. I decided since we weren’t finding the birds we hadn’t gone far enough before swinging back. I went along the edge as far as possible, turned back into the wind and came through. Neither of us saw any of those birds. On walk-in, the birds have been well educated.
I caught up with Don and Linda. We hunted back to the trucks without seeing any more quail. By the time we got back it was lunch time. We ate then went to another place.
At the next place Don turned Ace out and I turned Mann and Abby loose. Sally hasn’t hunted as much as the others and she’s not in shape for a long day yet.
We hadn’t hunted this place in several years and it had gone from a weedy pasture to a hay field that was almost all brome grass. I don’t think there is anything for birds to feed on. We walked to several different areas but it all looked the same. Don said just a few years ago this was one of his favorite places to hunt. We made a big circle and when we got back close to the trucks I loaded dogs and tried to beat the rush hour traffic on my way home.
Goofy always looks good.
If it wasn’t for the walk-in program, I wouldn’t have many places to hunt and if my dogs can learn to handle well educated birds they will only be better dogs. I no longer have the need to kill birds. As long as I get some dog work on wild birds I’m a happy man.