I usually don’t quail hunt on the weekends. Opening day is different but I didn’t hunt Sunday then the weather was terrible Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday, I finally went back to the area in Kansas that I had hunted on opening day.
Dolly off the walk-in property pointing quail.
A close up of the same point.
Tur Bo pointing a single.
Sally had rolled in a gut pile in Missouri and I had washed all of my electric collars and the GPS collars with the garden hose. One of my e-collars didn’t survive. It wouldn’t turn off but it wasn’t where it would work. It had a green light and amber light at all times. I took it over to Garmin and they confirmed my suspicions. It was shot. I bought another one. THIS IS A WARNING. Don’t wash them, although they are water proof, with high pressure water.
I went out close to Atchison and the first two places I drove past had hunters on them. I went to a place that several years ago I had found quail. It had some harvested corn but the soy beans were unharvested. I turned Sally and Dolly out with their e-collars and GPS collars and we went up a water way that ran through the soy bean field to the end of a hedge row.
The farmer had a bunch of cows on the pasture on the other side of the hedge row. I didn’t see them from the truck. We went down the hedge row and the pasture ended so we crossed the hedge row. The north side had a harvested soy bean field. We got to the end of the hedge row and crossed the road. Both sides were walk-in. We circled back to the truck.
Several years ago Luke had found some quail well off the walk-in and I got permission from the land owner to drive in and get him. The farm next door was now in the walk-in program. I turned Sally, Tur Bo and Babe loose. It was really thick pasture, maybe CRP, but it had had some cattle on it. We went down a draw to the south.
We got to the south edge without seeing any quail but we saw several deer. I have to really watch Tur Bo. He likes to chase deer but he’s learned not to get right behind them. He’s harder to catch than most dogs. He knows the e-collar goes off if he gets right behind them. He waits until they have been gone a few minutes, then he follows.
We went along the south fence line to the west. I was almost to the next fence line when the GPS showed Sally on point about 175 yards ahead of me. I was still 80 yards from her when I saw her standing, pointing in the pasture next door that had been grazed down to the ground. She was pointing into a small bush. Other than a few scattered bushes there was no cover. I didn’t think the birds would hold.
I think where she was standing was walk-in but I’m not sure. And it doesn’t matter the quail flushed. One quail flew right at me and I turned and shot as it went away from me. It hit on a little mound and bounced when it hit. When it bounced I thought it was dead. I turned to see if any more quail were going to fly my way.
None came my way so I called the dogs in to find my dead bird. I really thought it was right on top of the little mound. All three dogs came in and looked. Although, they got real birdy a time or two, we never found that bird.
Sally pointing some quail.
We went back to the east looking for any of the quail out of that covey without finding any. When we got to the east fence line we took it back to the north. The farm to the east had a lot of harvested soy bean stubble. When I had gone into it to get Luke a couple of years ago he had found two coveys before I got him out. I was hoping the quail were feeding in the soy beans and living in the CRP but we didn’t find any. I loaded the dogs.
There was small spot that I have found a covey of birds in and sometimes a pheasant or two. It was just a small, maybe 3 acres, of cat tails and brush in a low spot. I turned Luke and Mann out. Luke immediately went on the wrong side of the road. I had turned him loose then put the collars on Mann. When I got my shotgun out he was running to the south down a hedge row. I called but he didn’t turn. Mann started to follow him but I called him back.
I waited on Luke. I beeped him on the e-collar. Most of the time he comes in. He would be at 400 yards and come in to about 150 yards then he would be farther out. I wish I knew whether he was just blowing me off or if he’s confused. He acts confused but some of the time he comes right in. I loaded Mann up. The GPS showed him at the road to the south east of us. I drove over there and the GPS showed him back where I had just left. I went back. He was about a hundred yards away. I called him to me and put him in the box. I didn’t hunt him any more that day. With all of my yelling for Luke there was no reason to hunt that little spot.
I had found two coveys on opening day at a spot not far away so I drove to it. It looked better with most of the snow melted. After driving around the place to make sure no one else was on it I parked at the south west corner. I turned Sally, Dolly and Mann out. We went to the east down a hedge row to the corner and went north along a fence line to a draw. Back up the draw to the hedge row then back to the truck. I loaded Mann and Sally and looked for Dolly.
Mann on point.
Dolly was across the road running toward me along a hedge row. As I watched her she went on point. I had already put my gun up and this wasn’t walk-in so I took pictures. Dolly has been a really good bird dog. She will be 13 years old in February. She can’t see or hear very well but she can still point birds. I went to her and flushed a covey of quail. I tried to make them fly back onto the walk-in but quail go where they want to. I’ve never been able to make them go where I wanted. I loaded her.
There was another draw that ran into the harvested corn field on one side and standing soy beans on the other. I had put the dogs in the truck with their e-collars still on them. I turned them loose and we went up one side of the draw and back down the other. We got back to the truck with out seeing any birds. I loaded Sally.
Mann and Dolly wasn’t close. I checked the GPS and they were across the road off the walk-in. As I watched the GPS Mann went on point. Then just a few seconds later it showed Dolly backing. I had already put my gun in the truck so I started to them with my camera in my hand. Just as I rounded the draw I saw them on point. Some of the quail flushed but neither dog moved. Either they didn’t see or hear the quail or there were more birds there. As I went to them they started moving. I called them to me. Dolly came right in but Mann was finding quail and he wanted to stay over there. Finally, he came in. I loaded the dogs.
I had seen 3 coveys of quail and I’m not sure that any of them were on walk-in properties. I had shot one time and had nothing to show for it but the dogs had pointed birds. That is the most important part of the trip. I sometimes wonder if quail are too valuable to shoot.
Tur Bo honorng Luke.
Sally pointing Mann backing.
Sally backing Tur Bo.