I made another trip to Kansas in search of the wily, elusive, unapproachable prairie chicken. I usually admit that I wouldn’t shoot at one given the chance but now I might. All of the driving and looking at places without firing a shot is getting exhausting. From my house I drove a long way into Kansas. Then spent most of the day driving and looking. The area I was in had large pastures that mostly had cows on them or were grazed down to nothing.
Mann on point.
Sally on point.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
I left my house really early (4:15 am) to get to this area before it got too warm to run dogs. I had an area in mind to start my hunt on but drove by another on the way. It looked really good but I drove a few miles to another area. As I drove along the edge of a huge pasture I saw cows on the east side. I went on around to the north side and at first didn’t see any cows. As I eased down the road to make sure no one else was hunting this, I saw more cows. I don’t like to turn my dogs loose close to cows.
Part of the reason for not turning them loose close to cows is Boss will honor them. To him they look like big dogs on point. Last year I had to walk to him and lead him away. Some of the time he would be a quarter mile from me. I had to walk the quarter mile, grab his collar and lead him back away from the cows. After a few yards I could turn him loose but I had to walk the quarter mile back. He’s progressed to where now I can call him away. Sometimes I have to use the tone on his e-collar but he will come. The main reason is the farmer doesn’t want the dogs close to the cows.
As I drove beside one of the walk-in properties a prairie chicken flushed from the CRP. I was sure there were more chickens in the tall grass so I drove to the end and parked. There was a sign for the walk-in that said this property good from November 1 through January 31. There were several in that area that were marked like this. But this one and some others were also bow and arrow or shotgun only. With the red stripes through the place on the atlas it’s hard to tell the color of the area.
We drove on to look at others. One of the large pastures I passed had some cows feeding on a large bale of hay. If the farmers are already feeding hay there isn’t much grass growing in this area. I did see some good looking pastures but they had cattle on them. I also saw some that had been grazed to where there was almost nothing left. This doesn’t bode well for the upcoming quail and pheasant season.
I was about 20 miles from where I had seen the first place and thought it looked good. Since it was getting warmer decided I would go back and turn the dogs out. I drove all the way back to find out it was a November 1 to January 31 place, also. Being color blind and not recognizing the color of the underlying walk-in property, doesn’t make life easier. I drove to another place.
Bodie pointing a pigeon.
We had a pretty strong wind from the north north west so I parked on the south east side and turned all 4 dogs (Mann, Abby, Sally and Boss) loose. They all had GPS collars and everyone but Abby had e-collars. I put an older collar on her so she would think she had one. There was a wheat stubble field on the north side and we went in to the wind toward it.
When we got close to the stubble field there was a good brushy fence row that the dogs ran from end to end. As we got close to the end I saw a coyote run from the dogs heading south. We went on to the west side then turned south down a small draw and finally the fence row. We worked back to the truck without seeing a game bird.
The dogs were all thirsty and drank from the bucket full of water I had with me. As I loaded dogs in their boxes Boss went back across the fence and laid down. He hates to ride in the truck. I’ve dealt with this his whole life. When I’m not in a hurry it’s comical. I called him and he raised his head to watch me. I hit the tone on his e-collar and he stood up. He slowly started toward me. Then he forgot where he was going and started down the ditch. I tapped the tone and he meandered toward me. The water bucket was still open so he dipped his muzzle in the bucket without drinking. I hooked a finger in his collar and said, “up” and he jumped onto the tail gate. I took the e-collar and GPS collar off and put him in his box.
It rained Monday but I was able to work Bodie, Boss and Abby last Tuesday. Then it rained again on Wednesday. I took the dogs to Kansas on Thursday and it’s raining again today. Oh well. Life of a dog guy.
Pigeons don’t go back in or I will use them again.
I hid 4 pigeons, in release traps, out on the training grounds. I had Bodie (the pup called Buck before) on the chain gang close to the training grounds. If I stake him out near the kennels he beats me to the birds. Since I first started putting him on the stake I wait for him to sit before I turn him loose. If he’s jumping around I just wait. I don’t say sit or anything. I just wait. I unsnap the chain and drop it but hold him and pet for a short while. I don’t want him to use the sound of the chain hitting the ground for a release. I want to release him myself.
I have hidden quite a few birds for him and he remembers most of the spots. He checks most of them and before he finds the first bird he sneaks up on some of the spots. He even points some places but I keep walking, without saying anything. He will quit and try to stay in front of me.
There wasn’t much wind but he was a good distance from the first bird when he pointed. I stood, without saying anything, and watched. At his first movement I flushed the pigeon and said, “get that bird, get that bird”. He chased but at his age, 14 weeks, he didn’t chase far. We went on to the neighbor’s side where I had 3 pigeons hidden.
The puppies like the loose pigeons.
On both sides I usually put a bird close to the end but this time it was about 30 yards from the end. Bodie started along the back, slinking. He slowly hunted the back without smelling a bird then started moving faster. When he hit the scent cone he just turned and started toward the pigeon. I flushed it. He went to the release trap then went on.
He was going fast for a young pup as we went back through the training grounds. He hit the scent cone on the next bird and turned toward it. I flushed the pigeon. This is the way wild birds will act. He went to the release trap then went back to hunting.
He was still a good distance from the pigeon when he the scent cone and pointed. I was about 20 yards from him and I didn’t move or say anything. He held this point for about 45 seconds then took one step. I flushed the pigeon. I want him to think any movement on his part and the bird is gone. We went back to the kennel.
I hid 2 pigeons in release traps where I was going to heel the other two dogs. I put one pigeon in between two raised gardens and the other behind a stump. I heeled Boss out, an e-collar around his neck, with the piggin’ string. We went toward the front of my house, across the front then back toward the training grounds. Beside the house I whoaed him and put a pigeon to sleep about 20 feet in front of him.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
The birds have been close enough for me to hold the piggin’ string when I wake the pigeon. With the bird out this far he will have to stay on his own. I kicked the grass close to the pigeon then walked back and stroked his sides. I went back in front and woke the pigeon. I was partially blocking his view and he moved enough to see the bird fly away but he didn’t try to chase. I stroked his sides then heeled him away.
I whoaed him close to the raised gardens but not where he could smell the bird in the release trap. I put another bird to sleep about 15 feet in front of him. I stroked his sides and walked in front kicking the grass. I flushed the pigeon in the release trap. His head came up but he didn’t move. I stroked his sides then kicked close to the pigeon that was asleep in front of him. I woke the pigeon and he watched it fly away.
It was quite a ways to the next bird so I whoaed him a couple of times with no bird before we got close. Then I whoaed him, placed a pigeon about 15 feet ahead of him and stroked his sides. I walked in front kicking the grass and flushed the pigeon in the release trap. He didn’t move. I stroked his sides then walked in front kicking the cover. I woke the pigeon and he watched it fly away. I heeled him close to the 4-wheeler. He ran in front of the 4-wheeler to the back then back to the kennel.
Tur Bo, the puppies great grandfather.
I replaced the pigeons in the release traps. I heeled Abby out, an e-collar around her neck, with the piggin’ string. I whoaed her several times before I put a pigeon to sleep in front of her. The bird was about 20 feet in front of her. I stroked her sides then walked in front of her kicking the grass. I went back and stroked her sides. I walked back in front, woke the pigeon and had to grab Abby. She wanted to chase. I carried her back and set her up. I kicked in front, again. I stroked her sides and heeled her away.
When we got to the raised gardens I whoaed her. I placed a pigeon about 15 feet in front of her. I stroked her sides then kicked the grass around the pigeon. I flushed the pigeon in the release trap and Abby was gone. She chased the pigeon with me holding the button on the transmitter down on low 2. Abby went all the way to the back. She passed the bird in the release trap by the stump and just kept going. I waited until she came back to do anything.
When she came back close to me I toned her with the e-collar and called her to me. She knew she was in trouble. She stopped about 15 yards from me and waited. I went to her, grabbed the piggin’ string and heeled her back to where she should have stood. I stroked her sides then went in front kicking near the pigeon that was still asleep in the grass. I rolled the bird over and it flew away. Abby took a step and I set her back. I stroked her sides and went back in front kicking the grass. I came back and stroked her sides then heeled her away.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
When we got close to the stump where the other bird, in the release trap, was I put her on whoa, put a bird to sleep in front of her and kicked the grass around it. I went to her and stroked her sides. I went back in front of her kicking the grass and flushed the pigeon from the release trap. She, again, chased. This time I held the transmitter button down on 2 high. She stopped just past where the release traps was.
This time I carried her back, shook her 3 times, set her down and said, “whoa”, once, loudly. I went in front of her kicking around the pigeon lying in the grass. I went to her and stroked her sides then walked in front kicking the grass and rolled the pigeon over. This time when it flew away she didn’t move. I let her run in front of the 4-wheeler before putting her back in the kennel.
The 6 quail from a Kansas quail hunt and the W.R. Pape. Last year. Come on this season.
Abby is a lot like her grandpa, Tur Bo. If anything she is a little more hard headed, which isn’t all bad. I was never able to get Tur Bo to not take a step on his birds. I think Abby will get steady but it’s going to take a lot of birds. She holds her pointed birds until they flush. That’s really all I require on wild birds. This exercise is to make them understand that as long as the bird they are pointing stays put, they must also.
Mann and Luke will stay on point while I shoot another dog’s bird if their bird doesn’t flush. That’s what I’m wanting these two dogs to do, also. With enough birds they will too.