Sally pointing a pigeon.
Tur Bo honoring the backing dog.
Blaze on the backing dog.
I’ve had a couple of calls to see if I was okay because I haven’t been putting any thing new on my blog. I had a renter move out of my duplex after several years renting it. I’ve been re-doing almost everything in it so I haven’t had time to work dogs. But I still think about dogs each day. I’ve been thinking about some of the dogs from many years ago.
Years ago I had an English setter by the name of Scamp. Back in those days we trained the dogs by taking them hunting. There were enough quail that the dogs would become bird dogs if they had any natural ability. Scamp was about 6 months old when the season started. He was pretty much a natural. In his first season I saw him raise his head and whirl into the wind. With his nose in the air he started, slowly, stalking toward a hedge row. He went about 200 yards and went on point. There was a covey of quail there. Did they run 200 yards then hold for a point or did he smell them that far? I don’t know.
Several years ago I was hunting in northern Missouri. I stopped to hunt a place that was only 80 acres. It was half a mile along the road and a quarter mile deep. There was a strip of grass, about 20 yards wide, along the road but the rest was plowed ground across to a hedge row. I turned 2 or 3 dogs out. A big male setter by the name of Pal threw his head in the air and slowly started across the plowed ground. He went to the very back, a quarter of a mile, and went on point. There was a covey of quail in the hedge row. Can a dog smell quail that far or did they run across the plowed ground and I didn’t see them? I don’t know.
I had another young setter female by the name of Susie that was pretty much a natural. Dennis Garrison and I were hunting near Agenda, Kansas. Susie ran pretty big. She was just off the place we were supposed to be hunting, in a grazed down pasture, when she went on point. The closest cover was a pond some 80 to 100 yards ahead of her. We didn’t have permission to be on that property so I walked to the fence and took a picture. As I stood watching her a rooster pheasant flushed out of some cat tails on the pond. When it flushed she went back to hunting.
A had a little setter by the name of Lady that was the best retriever I have ever had. Vince Dye and I were hunting near Greensburg, Kansas. When we turned the dogs loose he said, “let’s bet a quarter on the first rooster.” I agreed to that. We had only walked a little way when a rooster pheasant popped up on my left and flew to my right. It didn’t get very far off the ground and dropped at my shot. I knew it wasn’t hit very good. The dogs all came in to hunt dead. Lady didn’t even slow down when she came in but continued through the cover, trailing.
The other dogs searched the cover where the bird had dropped. I checked the GPS and Dolly was about 100 yards away still moving. The other dogs were still searching but we moved away from exactly where the pheasant had fallen. After a few minutes Vince checked his GPS and Roxy was on point. We went to her and she had a covey of quail. We both dropped a quail. The dogs found mine first and one of the dogs brought me a hen quail. I saw Roxy had Vince’s quail and it was a male. Just before she handed him his quail Lady came in with the pheasant. The pheasant was dead but it had no tail feathers. I would like to have seen that fight. She beat Roxy by just a couple of seconds. I got my quarter, too.
I have about another week of work getting the duplex ready to rent and I want to get it ready before quail season opens. I probably won’t get to work dogs until I get finished with my work. Dang it.
Luke pointing a pigeon.
Luke was pointing a covey of quail. Just as I took this picture he took a step and went back on point. I wanted to show the red duct tape on his tail.
Tur Bo and Dolly both on point.