Vince Dye had called Harden Game Farm in Ridgeway Missouri in December to see if we could get some birds to work our young dogs. They were all sold out and wouldn’t even take his name, in case someone canceled. Then we got a couple of weeks of really bad weather with snow, ice and extreme cold. Vince called back a few days ago and with a bunch of cancellations they now had birds.
Abby on point.
Another picture of Abby on point.
Vince’s short hair, Ally.
Vince and I have a stop we have to make, most times, before going to the game farm. We stop by the Hungry Mule Cafe in Lathrop Missouri for breakfast. They serve a big breakfast that consists of 3 eggs, hash brown, two sausages and two bacons with toast. With a breakfast like that we can hunt for a long time.
I wasn’t too sure what to expect out of Abby and Boss, although they had both pointed wild quail during the hunting season. At a hunting preserve there is feathers and probably blood spots from the day before plus the smell of all the birds that have been planted for us. Sometimes the scent overwhelms the young dogs and they flush everything from the field.
Vince’s dog Ally is about a year older than Abby at 18 months and Boss is only a year old. We decided to run Abby and Boss before running all 3 together. We knew the area where the birds had been planted so we ran the pups for a quarter of a mile before turning back to the bird field.
We had a strong north west wind and we went into the bird field with the wind in our face. Abby came in front and in the first food plot went on point. Rather than walk beside her Vince went around and came back toward her. Abby was solid until after the chukar flushed. The bird went Vince’s way but he waited for me to shoot as I waited on him. By the time Vince shot the bird was out a long way and kept going.
Boss was way out front. We went on a short distance and Abby pointed again. Now I was expecting her to hold and she didn’t disappoint me. Vince and I walked in front of her and she didn’t move. A chukar flushed going almost straight up. I shot and it bounced when it hit the ground. Abby ran to it and rolled it around a little then picked it up. I went to her and petted her until she dropped the bird.
Boss was still running a long way in front. We saw a chukar in the air with him right under it. He stopped the chase and I watched where the chukar flew. As we started toward the truck I saw Boss on point and as we went toward him Abby pointed again. Vince said he would go to Boss and I could check on Abby.
Maggie, the English cocker spaniel.
Before I got to Abby I saw Boss move and his bird only flew a short distance with him right behind it. I went on to Abby. She was looking through the stalks in the food plot. I went through the food plot to her. When I kicked right in front of her she moved about 10 yards and went back on point. This time when I went in front of her a chukar flushed. Abby saw it go down and raced to it. I walked close to her and the bird but she picked the chukar up and started away from me. I whoaed her and she stopped. I petted her for a few seconds then blew in her ear. When I blew a big puff in her ear she opened her mouth. I took the bird.
Vince said that Boss had caught the bird he had been pointing. We went on down the field. I had marked one of the chukars that Boss had flushed and when we got close Boss went on point. I whoaed him. Usually, I don’t say anything to my dogs when they are doing what they are supposed to be doing but he had been moving on his birds. His head and tail were up. I walked to him and nothing flushed. I tapped his head to release him but he only turned his body sideways. I walked out in front but more in line with where he was looking now. I saw the chukar and got it in the air after a short run on my part. Boss and Abby both were on it when it hit the ground. Abby wound up with it but dropped it after I petted her a few seconds.
Boss in the berry vines.
We went back to the truck and got Vince’s young German Short haired pointer, Ally, out. With three dogs we had points pretty often. All 3 of these dogs will honor as far as they can see a dog on point. That makes it nice. We worked the area back and forth a couple of times until we were no longer finding birds. We loaded dogs and headed home. A little while after I got home Vince called and asked if I wanted to go back the next day. Of course.
After our breakfast at the Hungry Mule Cafe in Lathrop Missouri we decided to put a check cord on Boss and work him on 3 birds then put him back in the truck. I had brought a bird carrier with me so before they put our birds out I got 3 birds that I could put out for Boss.
I dizzied the birds and hid them in the tall grass. Actually, the second one was hidden in some black berry vines. When Boss is being check corded he thinks he’s being heeled. He doesn’t get out very far. I got him close to the first bird but he was too busy heeling so I moved on to the second. It was in the black berry vines. He smelled it when we got close but he was a long way from it. I tapped his head and he started through the vines. He lowered his head and body to go under some vines and got a strong scent of the chukar. When he pointed his belly was almost on the ground but his tail was straight up.
Allie on point with Abby honoring.
I turned loose of the check cord because I didn’t want to cause him a problem with the berry vines. Vince came around in front and flushed the chukar. When he shot I was watching Boss. He didn’t move until the shot. Vince said he had dropped a leg on the bird. I thought the chukar had flown away but it had dropped, just after the shot. I grabbed the check cord and went toward the next bird.
Boss was 10 yards from the next bird when he pointed. This time I knelt by his side as Vince came around to flush. This bird didn’t make it very far before it dropped. Boss ran to it and I followed. He was just rolling it around on the ground. Finally, he picked it up and I started praising him and petting him. I let him drag the check cord.
He came back around and pointed the first bird. It was awake and walking around. Boss went on point and didn’t move. I knelt beside him so Vince could shoot in any direction. Vince flushed the chukar and when it hit the ground Boss ran to it and picked it up. I petted him until he dropped the bird. Vince told me the other bird should be close.
Abby on point with Ally honoring.
That was the first I knew that we had a dead bird, close. We worked Boss close and he was still a long way from the dead bird when he pointed. Vince and I both looked but couldn’t see anything so I tapped Boss’s head. He moved up a few yards and went back on point. We looked again and saw nothing. I tapped his head and he moved up again. Finally, we saw the bird. I tried to get him to go get it by telling him it was dead but he wouldn’t move any closer. Vince picked the bird up and tossed it out a ways. Boss ran to it and picked it up. I petted him until he dropped the bird.
We put Boss in the truck and got Abby, Ally and Vince’s English cocker spaniel, Maggie, out. Maggie had been getting a hair cut the day before and didn’t get to hunt. The energy level on all 3 dogs was really high.
Abby on point, peeking through the milo stalks.
Ally went on point in a food plot and Abby couldn’t see her. When she got too close the bird flushed. We were still a long way from the dogs. Then Maggie did her job and flushed another bird too far away.
Finally, Abby went on point and we started toward her and Vince’s GPS alerted him that Ally was on point. He went to Ally while I went to Abby. Trying to pen the bird between us I walked into the front of Abby. I got all the way to her and nothing flushed. I tapped her head and she moved about 10 yards and went back on point. This time when I got in front of her a chukar flushed. Feathers jumped on the first shot but the bird kept going. It hit the ground when I fired the second barrel. Abby pounced on it and started away from me. I whoaed her. She stopped and I petted her until she dropped the bird.
My plan had been to work the field with Ally, Abby and Maggie then get Boss out and make another pass with all of the dogs but we had most of the birds by the time we got close to the truck. We didn’t think we would move anything so we loaded dogs and headed home but it had been a good day for the dogs and their owners.
Abby on point.
We won’t be able to find any more birds to shoot over the pups for a while but Vince and I are going to try to run dogs on some private land next week to see whether the quail made it through the really cold, icy weather. We haven’t had really bad winters for a few years but in north Missouri some of the areas had ice and snow for a long time. I’m hoping the quail are strong enough to make it to breeding season.