On Tuesday, November the 19th 6 dogs and I hunted near Atchison, Kansas. As I drove around the area looking at the walk-in properties it was bitter sweet. With the decline in the quail and pheasants all of this area has gone down each year. AT one time I belonged to a hunting club that leased a lot of land in Kansas. Some of the places I used to hunt were now in the walk-in program. Some of my best hunts were in this area.
The first place, I turned out Lucky, Blaze and Whitey. It was a large corn field with a good fence row and a brush filled creek flowing through it. We worked our way up the fence row, then back down the creek. There was a grassy water way leading out into the corn field that we worked. I knew there was a good draw over the hill so I walked to the top of the hill. By the time I got to the top Lucky had already got to the head of the draw that was 250 yards away according to my Garmin GPS. I stood in one spot and watched him run the draw from the start to the road on the other end then back. Not only was that nice to see but it saved a lot of steps.
We worked the creek back to the truck without finding anything.
The next place I used Dolly, Luke and Tur Bo. It had a long draw with soy beans on one side and corn on the other. Both fields had been harvested. As usual for a Kansas quail hunt, the wind was really blowing. We worked our way up a draw, crossed over and started back into the wind. As we started down the draw I saw Luke whirl into a point. Tur Bo didn’t back but he didn’t lick him in the face as he did Lucky a few hunts before. As I got closer I saw Dolly, in the draw, honoring Luke’s point.
When I got close to Luke the covey flushed down the draw. Tur Bo was close enough to hear and see the birds. He started chasing. One bird came out near me and I dropped it. The birds really wound Tur Bo up. When he came by I showed him the dead bird. He really started to hunt. Dolly, his mother, works the brush really well and Tur Bo would follow her into the brush then come out and run the edge. He didn’t know where to go but he thought he would go in a hurry.
Luke, Dolly and I crossed a deep ditch but Tur Bo held up on the other side. I slowed up but kept walking. Tur Bo acted unconcerned with my leaving and seemed to be hunting. Then he decided to follow on the other side. I would call ever few minutes. Tur Bo started getting concerned. He whined and barked, but that didn’t get him across the creek either. Finally he crossed. He was really proud.
We worked our way back to the truck without any more dog work.
When we were looking for another place, we got close to Effingham, Kansas and I needed something to snack on so I stopped at the general store. When I got back to the truck, after being in the store for about 5 minutes, Lucky was standing on top of the dog box. He was looking around but couldn’t see a birdy looking place. The door on his box had come open while I was driving. If he had of jumped off the truck and wasn’t close when I came out of the store, I wouldn’t have known where he was. A friend lost a dog, on a trip, just that way.
As I got close to another walk-in place a covey of quail flew across the road into the unpicked corn field that I wanted to hunt. I turned Dolly, Luke and Lucky out. They hit the ground trailing like the quail had landed and ran. They trailed down a hedge row for about 300 yards and then went on like the birds had ran then flew.
We worked our way to the end of the property, then made a circle back to the hedge row. As I neared the hedge row I saw Luke go on point just outside the cover. When I got closer I saw he was backing Dolly, who was in the brush. Then I saw that Dolly was backing Lucky, who was in the deep brush. When I was able to squeeze into the brush in front of Lucky I heard a single flush.
Luke on point, Dolly backing. Tur Bo on the scene
We worked our way back to the truck without any more dog work.
I only found one covey and got one bird but that’s Kansas quail hunting now. There are some more areas I want to check on another day. Another good day, any day you get out with your dogs is a good day.