Austin Farley, Vince Dye and I wanted to quail hunt in Iowa but we have too many dogs to just take one vehicle. Austin took two dogs and I brought 4 in my truck and Vince brought 3 in his. I left two dogs at home and Austin left three. We may need to get a school bus to take all of our dogs in one vehicle.
Yesterday, 11/24/18, in Iowa.
Sally pointing some quail.
Mann on wild quail.
Iowa has what they call, Iowa Habitt & Access Program, (IHAP). This is their walk-in program. I think, that it has only been going for a couple of years. We decided to check some of this out instead of hunt some places that we had been to earlier.
The first place we hunted was a large field of CRP with some food plots in them. This place had several draws running through it as well as a large, deep creek. Austin and I had hunted this place last year. Austin turned Joker his English setter out, Vince turned Indy his GSP out along with Maggie his English cocker spaniel and I turned Mann and Sally out. We all run GPS collars on our dogs so we know where they are and if they are moving or on point. All except Maggie, she doesn’t need a GPS, yet.
We went through the first food plot. It had milo growing about chest high with a lot of weeds mixed in. Good habitat for all animals. I don’t know whether the state plants these food plots or this is done by Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever. Who ever does this sure enhances their walk-in program.
When we got almost through the food plot a few pheasants started flushing out the end. There should have been more in this food plot than we saw. We may not have been the only ones in there today. We continued to the property line on the south then went toward the creek that split the property.
As I crossed the creek I checked the GPS and Sally was on point about a hundred yards to the north. I thought she was on the west side so I crossed. I went to the north toward her but she was on the other side. The road was close and was easier than crossing the creek but this put us about a hundred yards north of her. That took a little time but when we got to her a hen pheasant flushed.
We started back across the creek and Austin’s English setter, Joker, went on point. He was about 50 yards from us but before we could get close another hen pheasant flushed. We went back to the road and crossed the creek.
We made sure all of our dogs were with us and went toward the south along the creek. There was a food plot on the hill close to the road. We wanted to come into it from the south to see if it would confuse the pheasants. Because it was close to the road most hunters would come into this food plot from the north.
We went along the big creek to the south until we hit a smaller creek then along it to the west. We hunted up a small hedge row toward the food plot. When we got close I checked the GPS and Sally was on point in the food plot. As we got close all of the dogs started getting birdy. When we got close to Sally, with Indy and Joker honoring, and everyone ready I walked in front of her. Nothing flushed.
Luke pointing with Drifter backing.
When I released her all of the dogs started trailing and looking. I figured a pheasant had run out on her. We started through the food plot to the east and a covey of quail flushed. I hit one with the first barrel and then turned on one that came over the top of me. I missed. Austin said, “I got one” and started toward where my bird had fallen. I thought we may have hit the same bird. Sally saw his bird drop and gave it to him. I thought that bird was farther out than where mine should have been. We got all of the dogs in to hunt dead and Maggie found mine right away. She took the quail to Vince. I said, “you want me to carry that, Vince”? He said, “I don’t remember you asking me that when she brought me your pheasant the other day.”. I laughed. We had been spread out a little way apart and Vince didn’t have a shot.
The covey had flown to the south and we followed. We went around a pond and started back toward the food plot. Maggie flushed a quail right in front of Vince. He hit it and it dropped over the top of a hill where he couldn’t see exactly where. He got the dogs in to look for it. As we were looking about where Vince thought the bird had fallen we saw Indy, Vince’s short hair on point. When we got to her she had the dead bird.
As we hunted the area another two singles flushed and Austin shot but he didn’t really have a shot. We followed after them and one of them flushed without giving anyone a shot. We hunted back through where the other singles had flushed from then back through the food plot. We made it back to the trucks without seeing any other birds.
Iowa doesn’t have an Atlas like Kansas and Nebraska has. You have to find the walk-in properties on your phone. Austin is really good at finding them. Most of the time. He has AT&T and their internet was down or didn’t reach us. We thought maybe it was just his phone but mine didn’t work either. I have AT&T, also. Austin tried Vince’s phone. He has Verizon. It worked.
Austin getting ready to flush Tur Bo’s single.
We drove by a couple of places then found another fairly large place. Austin turned his other English setter, Lucy, out and Vince turned his GSP puppy, Allie, and Maggie loose. I turned Luke and Tur Bo out. None of us had ever been on this property before. As we started down a fence line we saw a food plot up on a hill.
As we started through the food plot a rooster pheasant flushed too far ahead of us for a shot but I think this was the only rooster we had seen. The last time in Iowa, Vince and I had seen three pheasants and they were all roosters. Today most of what we had seen had been hens.
When we got to the end we stood talking, trying to figure our next step. Luke was across the fence just off of this place and I hit the tone on his e-collar to call him in. Just as I hit the tone a covey of quail flushed down in the woods. They flew to the north but not back onto the walk-in. We saw another food plot close to where the birds had flown so we went to it.
Most of the dogs were across the fence and we heard several singles flush. We called our dogs in and they all came in except Luke. We went through the food plot but didn’t see anything. Vince’s puppy couldn’t get across the fence so Vince went back after her. Austin and I circled back close so we could get back together. Vince came along with his puppy.
Luke pointing a covey of quail.
We went to the south along the fence line then across the bottom to the east. Luke was still hunting the property to the west of the one we were on. I’m pretty sure it has had less pressure than the one we were hunting but I was getting worried about him.
I got Tur Bo in front of me and left Vince and Austin to go find him. I made it back to the truck and the GPS showed him a half mile to the west. I loaded Tur Bo up and drove west. By the time I got there he was half a mile to the south and going farther. I drove on to the west to find a road going south. I turned south but it was a long way to a road going east. I went back.
When I got back he was over 700 yards south. Closer than before. Vince and Austin drove up. As we were talking the man that owned the property came up on a 4-wheeler. I told him my problem and asked if I could walk in on his place. He said he would give me a ride. When we got south a ways then went to his east fence line Luke was about 400 yards from me. I yelled and pressed the tone on his e-collar. In just a few seconds he popped over the hill coming to me. We were both happy.
Sally on point.
I got on the 4-wheeler and tried to keep him with me. He wanted me to follow him back south on this man’s property. I got off the 4-wheeler and called him back to me. I walked him back to the truck. I really appreciate the man’s help and him taking me back in on his property. I’m sorry I didn’t get his name.
I loaded Luke into the truck. There was a small place across the road that was in the walk-in program. I hadn’t taken the time to take the e-collar and GPS collar off Tur Bo when I loaded him so I turned him loose with Sally. Vince turned Maggie and Indy loose and Austin turned Joker out. Vince was a little slower than Austin and I were so we were waiting on him. I turned and looked to the south west corner of this property and Tur Bo was on point with Sally honoring.
I told Vince we had a point and he caught up. As we were getting close to Tur Bo, Indy honored. I took the first picture in this post before walking in. When I walked in nothing flushed. Tur Bo and Sally started trailing and Sally went on point on the west side of the hedge row. It was off the place but I tried to get close. She started moving with her nose on the ground.
They went on down the hedge row to the north. They pointed another time, about 25 yards in front of us, but didn’t hold for us to get there. We never heard nor saw anything. Probably, a pheasant ran out on us.
We hunted on around this place then back to the truck. There was still an hour of hunting time left but with a big storm coming in there was no reason to separate some birds that need to be together to have a chance in this cold and snow.
Sally pointing Mann backing.
Dolly off the walk-in property pointing quail.
Tur Bo pointing a single.