After seeing people, on face book, asking where to hunt in whatever state they want to hunt, I decided to just drive into Kansas, 3 hours from my house, and start quail hunting. I have the Kansas Hunting Atlas and I chose an area that I’ve never hunted before. That’s hard to find since I’ve hunted Kansas for over 40 years, probably. I chose a two lane road and drove west.
Tur Bo pointing a single.
Sally backing Tur Bo.
Dolly off the walk-in property pointing quail.
At the end of 3 hours I pulled to the side of the road, opened the atlas and started trying to figure out what I had to hunt. I spent another 30 minutes driving by places to see if I wanted to hunt them. The first place I tried, the road ended, from the way I was trying to get in. There were some more places, closer than going to the other side, so I started to them. I saw signs for walk-in that wasn’t in my Atlas. It had a nice draw, through a harvested soy bean field, that ran from almost the south west corner to the north west corner.
I parked at the north west corner and put the e-collars and GPS collars on Dolly and Mann. We worked it all the way to the south west corner and back to the truck without seeing a game bird. I loaded the dogs and started toward another place. I decided before leaving to check the east side of this property.
There was another nice, wide draw running from the south edge to the north fence line with some smaller draws coming off the larger one. This side looked better than the other. I put e-collars on Sally. I hadn’t taken the collars off of Mann so I put them both down to hunt this property.
We started to the north along the fence row walking with the wind. I wanted to hunt to the north edge and hunt the good looking draw into the wind. I hadn’t walked 50 yards when I saw a covey of quail flush out of the soy bean field and fly off this place. Both dogs were on the other side of the fence and the quail flew over them as they exited this property. Not a good start.
We went on toward the north. We went down one of the small draws toward the larger draw. Right where they joined another covey flushed through the draw toward the fence line we had started down. I shot but more like a salute than having a real chance at a bird.
I called the dogs in and we went toward the fence line in the direction the covey had flown. Along the fence line where the small draw started was a small patch of grass. Sally was just across the fence and a single quail flushed near her not giving me a shot. I stopped, giving the dogs time to search this grass patch for more singles.
Both dogs were across the fence, I thought, as I stood in the grass patch. I took a step and a quail flushed from near me flying real low back to the west. I threw my gun up, pushed the safety off and tried to pull the trigger just as Sally popped over a hill right where the gun was pointing. I couldn’t pull the trigger because the safety was half on. Had I shot I would have hit Sally right in the head at about 15 yards. I shot this shotgun dove hunting and on this hunt I shot it probably 8 or 10 times and this was the only time that the safety went half way. Coincidence, I don’t think so. I think the Lord took care of me one more time as He always has.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
We went on down the fence row then started across the north end to the west. I was going to cross the big draw and head back to the south into the wind. As I crossed the ditch and started up the other side another covey flushed in front of me. They flew through the thick stand of trees. One later flushing bird tried to fly over a cedar tree in front of me and dropped when I shot. He wasn’t hit real hard so I hurried to the spot.
I got both dogs in to hunt dead. They didn’t even get birdy where I thought the bird had dropped. After about 5 minutes I didn’t think we were going to find it. I started on toward where some of the covey had flown. Mann came by me and whirled around and went on point 10 or 15 yards farther than I thought the dead bird had fallen. He was looking at the ground right in front of him. I said, “get that bird” two or three times and he pounced on the wounded bird. It was still alive when he gave it to me.
We checked along the north fence line and I saw one more quail that got up in front of Sally. It flew past me across the fence. I shot but didn’t turn a feather. We went on down the big draw. I got a phone call and stopped to talk. As we were talking I checked the GPS and Sally was on point down in the big draw. I told Vince I had a dog on point, I had to go. When I got to her Mann honored her. She was in some heavy brush. I tried to get close and about six quail flushed in front of her. They flew through the brush in the draw. I shot one time but missed.
We got back to the truck and I dropped the tail gate. I turned to load the dogs and Sally was across the road, off the walk-in, on point. As I started to her Mann honored. Sally was pointing into a large cedar tree. I stopped at the fence and kicked some brush that was growing along the fence. At least, three quail flushed on the other side of the tree. I saw them for just a second. When the dogs came back I loaded them.
Sally
I saw three coveys on that place and had one bird to show for it. Part of it I shot badly, part of it the birds had plenty of brush and trees to put between them and me.
We went to another place. I turned Sally, Tur Bo and Luke out on this with the e-collars and GPS collars. This place had a ditch, with some cover, running into a large lake. On the east side where I had parked was a large wetland of cat tails. We went down the cat tails until we got to a harvested soy bean field and with a pasture along side. We went along the side of the soy bean field to the end. I saw a wood cutter and stopped to talk to him for a few minutes.
Luke had gone on to the west and I called him back. Sally, Tur Bo and I started back toward the truck along the north fence line. Tur Bo and Sally were almost side by side when they went on point. They were both on the north side of the hedge row. I walked to the fence and encouraged the dogs to move. A big covey of quail flushed between the dogs and me. I got on one of the quail and knew it was dead in the air when I pulled the trigger. Another bird flew to the west on my side of the hedge row. It dropped when I shot but I saw it run when it hit the ground.
I got both dogs in and as we looked Luke came in and helped. I had the dogs in where I saw the quail running along a cattle trail. After a couple of minutes Sally pointed then pounced on the quail. It was still alive when she gave it to me.
Then we went back down the hedge row for the first quail I had shot. I wasn’t sure where I had been when the covey had flushed but I watched the dogs and Sally and Tur Bo both pointed. I told them the bird was dead and they started searching. I crossed the fence and saw the quail lying in the leaves, belly up. I picked it up.
Mann again.
We went on to the east along the hedge row, fence row. There was some brush growing along a low spot near the fence and Tur Bo went on point in the edge of the brush. Sally was about 50 yards from him, honoring. I had trouble seeing Tur Bo but she had stopped as soon as she saw him. I took some pictures then walked close to Tur Bo. A single quail went through the brush and I missed it.
We started down a cross fence toward where the cat tails were growing. Luke went on point with the wind behind him. Sally and Tur Bo backed Luke. When I got to the fence Luke’s tail started moving so I knew he had lost the scent. He had been facing the wrong way on the wind. I told them, “okay” and they started moving with the wind to the north. I waited and nothing happened. I took a couple of steps to the south and a single quail flushed. Luke had smelled the bird and pointed the wrong way, I think. This quail was in the open and I pretty well centered it. Tur Bo grabbed the bird but thought it was his. He finally brought it close enough I could take it from him.
When we got back to the truck we drove to the other side of the property. I turned Luke, Dolly and Mann loose. We went along the side of the lake but the cover wasn’t very good until we got to the east side of the lake. There was some pasture along a harvested corn field that we went through. We circled to the other side of the cat tails and started back to the west. The GPS showed Luke on point in the cat tails. I got within 44 feet of him but I couldn’t (wouldn’t) get through the cat tails. I encouraged Luke to move. Finally, a hen pheasant flushed and I heard Luke hit the water. When he came out he looked like a drowned rat. The water must have been deep.
Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.
We continued on around the lake and got close to where the dogs had found a covey of quail. The GPS showed Luke on point about 125 yards to the north west. At about the 100 yard mark I saw him standing in the pasture, of short grass, pointing into a small bush. I kept watching as I walked to him. I was about 75 yards from him when he threw his head up and ran toward the north east. I think, it was probably a single out of the covey but it didn’t hold for me to get close.
We worked our way around the lake, crossed the road and hunted a small draw running through a pasture then back to the truck.
It was close to my self imposed quitting time of 4:30 pm and I was a long way from home so I started back. I had hunted an area that I’d never been to and found good places. I found 4 coveys of quail, Last year, Austin Farley and I had hunted Iowa where I hadn’t hunted in a lot of years and we found birds. We did the same thing in Nebraska this year. Do the research to find a good area, then work hard to find birds.
On this day, in an area I’ve never been to I found 4 coveys of quail, killed 4 birds and had a lot of dog work. It had been a really good day.
Mann on wild quail.
Luke pointing a covey of quail.
Luke