Vince has a friend named John, who has a deer hunting lease in central Kansas, that hasn’t been bird hunted in several years. He invited Vince and me to bring our dogs to hunt. This is in an area that hasn’t had any rain for a couple of months. The ponds were all dry and most had grass growing in them. One pond even had a boat lying close. It will be a while before that gets used.
John and Vince flushing a single that was pointed by Ally.
Allie pointing a single.
Frost on Maggie’s back.
I met Vince and John at our motel and we had breakfast before heading to the lease. We had all left early to get to the motel by 9:30 am. After a good breakfast we headed for the lease.
I had all of my dogs, even Bodie. He is still recuperating from his broken leg so he can’t hunt. He jumped to catch a pigeon on a low hanging limb and landed wrong. He has been in a cast for a little over two weeks. Tuesday, January 4, he should get the cast off. He has to spend most of the time in the dog box in the truck but I walk him several times a day on a leash. Actually, I hold the leash as he runs circles around me. He really wants to go but I can’t let him, yet. I’m ready for the cast to be off, too.
I tied Bodie out while I put e-collars and GPS collars on Abby, Boss, Mann and Sally, then put him back in the box. We started toward some CRP and just barely got close when a rooster pheasant flushed about 40 yards in front of us without giving us a shot. But it did get our hearts to beating.
We went into the CRP and started toward a hay field. Well out in front of us a covey of quail flushed in three bunches. Besides Maggie, the English cocker spaniel, the only dogs out were my 4 and 3 of them were in the CRP to our right. That left only Mann. He may have flushed them by getting too close or they got up on their own. I don’t know. Vince said it was the biggest covey he had seen all year.
They flew into a wood lot near where we had parked the trucks. As we started toward them Sally pointed along the edge. Before we could get close 4 quail flushed. Still no shots.
We got all of the dogs into the wood lot. Some of the birds were buried in the tall grass and would hold real well and others flushed before we could get close. The trees and brush were where we didn’t hit a bird. And there were several shots. Sally, Abby and Mann all made points in the wood lot.
Sally pointing a single.
And Maggie, the English cocker spaniel, even made a point. Her first time ever. She has watched the other dogs point for several years and decided that was what she needs to do, I guess. Either that or she decided that we needed all the help we could get.
We walked through a huge CRP field and back to a pasture that had not been grazed down. We hunted through the pasture. A few times we had points but by the time we got to the dogs, whatever had been there had run out. We came back through the huge CRP field and when we got back close to the trucks the dogs went into the wood lot, again.
I saw Sally style up and knew she was backing. The GPS handheld vibrated showing Mann on point. Abby was right beside Sally backing and Boss was 10 yards behind them honoring. As I started toward Mann, Sally took a step. I told Vince to go ahead I was going to make sure the dogs stayed on their honor. I did take some pictures of the dogs while Vince and John were going to the pointing dogs.
After a little while Sally started to move and when I whoaed her Vince said he had released the pointing dogs. I let them all go and a few seconds later heard a couple of gunshots. Later Vince said a pair of quail had flushed about 35 yards in front of where the dogs were on point. We finished the first day with some dog work and no birds. Not a bad day.
Boss honoring.
The next day we started a little earlier than the day before. When we turned out my temperature gauge in the truck, said 12 degrees. Vince turned his German short haired pointer, Ally, out along with his English cocker spaniel, Maggie. I had walked Bodie a little way for his second walk of the day. I put him back in the box and turned the other 4 loose.
I had decided to just carry a camera, no gun. We started toward the large CRP field and Vince’s GPS handheld showed Ally on point in to the east of where we were headed. When we got to her, Vince and John walked in front with me well behind them. Two quail flushed and one dropped when Vince shot. John hit his bird really hard but it flew about 50 yards before going down.
All of the dogs came in and hunted really hard for the dead bird. Well all except Mann. He made a pass then went back to hunting. It must have hit the ground and run. Several times the dogs pointed then jumped in like they thought the bird was right in front of them. We never came up with the bird.
We started back through the large CRP field and Vince’s GPS handheld batteries were getting weak. Neither of us had extras with us so he headed back to the truck. He hadn’t gone far when my GPS handheld vibrated showing Mann on point a little over 180 yards out in the CRP. Vince told us to go ahead while he got his batteries. John and I started through the CRP.
Sally on point. Vince with Abby honoring.
This CRP has been in for several years and was really thick. Extremely hard to walk through. John and I were still 80 yards from Mann when we saw a covey of quail in the air. We watched where they flew. Almost where we had just been. Where the two other birds had been.
As we got close to the area a quail flushed 30 yards in front of John. And just a few seconds later another one flushed well out in front. John sent a shot at both of them but it would have been a long shot if he had of connected. Vince came back from getting the batteries and joined us.
We worked the area where we thought the birds would be. Vince’s handheld showed Ally on point near where she had found the first two birds. When we got to her a single quail flushed and dropped when Vince shot. Ally ran out and picked the dead bird up but dropped it and went back to hunting. We got the other dogs in to find the bird. Boss pointed a clump of grass then jumped in. He picked the bird up and started away from me. I whoaed him and he stopped. I petted him a few seconds then blew in his ear. He dropped the bird.
John and Vince.
We stayed in this area as the dogs worked. Maggie flushed a single bird near Vince that fell into the tall CRP. A little way from where we thought it had dropped I saw Abby pointing. When I got close she jumped in and grabbed the bird. She started away from me with it. I whoaed her and she slowed but didn’t really stop. I caught her, petted her for a few seconds then blew in her ear. The bird was still alive when I gave it to Vince.
We worked around the area then either John or Vince decided we should drive over to the pasture area that was on the other side of the huge CRP field. That was a good idea. I wasn’t looking forward to walking through the CRP again.
We turned the dogs out and started through the pasture. There had been a large pond here, the one with a boat, and it may have had 5 gallons of water left. There were another couple that had grass growing in the bottom. This area is really dry.
The wind was picking up causing more problems for the dogs. We started down a hedge row when my GPS handheld vibrated. Sally was on point 150 yards ahead of us. As we started toward her the GPS showed her moving. We turned back to the north and toned Sally to come in. As we went along I saw her and Mann come to a stop facing each other.
The CRP.
They had come to a point at the same time, so I thought they were honoring each other. I said, “okay”. Mann took a step and a covey of quail flushed right at his feet. He had been right in the middle of the covey. We were in an old pond and were too low to see them to the ground.
We went in the direction they had flown. John and I were on the left side but separated by a few yards. One quail flushed right beside me and flew low around a cedar tree right in front of us. John had no chance for a shot and the bird didn’t get very high, anyway.
We worked the dogs back to the edge of the CRP and then back close to the truck. I had decided to head home early and when we got to the truck I watered the dogs and loaded them. I turned Bodie out on the leash for a few minutes then we headed home. It had been a good trip but it was hard on the dogs. Our boots were covered in a fine dust and that was right where the dogs heads were. It’s amazing that they can still smell birds with that much dust in their face. Dogs are amazing.
Sally center, Mann on the left honoring Ally on the right.
Vince and John hunted back through where we thought those singles may have been with no luck. They didn’t hunt much longer after I left. They cleaned their birds and headed home too. I think we all felt it had been a good two days. A good rain or a few of inches of snow would really help this area. And today, January the first 2022, that area may be getting some precipitation. I hope it helps.