Kansas Quail Hunt Day 2, 1/19/17

Posted on January 24, 2017 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

I was in the cafe eating breakfast when my 6 am alarm went off on the second day of my quail hunt. After breakfast I drove to the area I wanted to hunt and got there before daylight. As I sat waiting for the sun to come up I saw movement in my rear view mirror. A young bobcat was sneaking into the area I was wanting to hunt.

Sally pointing a quail.

Luke on another single.

Betsy pointing a quail.

I turned Lucky, Dolly and Sally out with Garmin GPS collars and Dolly and Lucky had Garmin E-collars on, also. We went to the east along the north fence row to the east edge then moved over about 400 yards and started back to the west.

My friend, Bill Ross, called and I took my right glove off to answer the phone. I walked along talking to him and noticed Sally on point. I told Bill, “I got to go I’ve got a dog on point.” She was about 45 yards from me. As I went to her I thought I would put my glove in my pocket. I have a one track mind. Maybe I’m obsessive compulsive. When I make up my mind to put my glove in my pocket this is what I’m going to do. I got my left hand in my pocket and a rooster pheasant flushed in front of Sally and about 10 yards from me flying from my left to the right. I was still putting this 49 cent glove in my pocket. I could have taken the hand out or dropped the glove on the ground but that’s not how my mind works. I shot at the pheasant with one hand but I put that glove in my pocket. My shot may not have been in the same county with the pheasant.

We went on to the west and Dolly went on point. Sally saw her and honored. When I got to Dolly she was sure there was a bird right in front of her. I walked past her, kicking what cover there was. I walked about 15 yards ahead of Dolly and neither dog moved. I walked back and tapped Dolly on the head. She moved to the west about 20 yards and started trailing again. Sally trailed to the south. A single quail flushed in front of Sally. Because she wasn’t pointing I didn’t shoot.

We went on to the west. There was a covey moving in front of us. All 3 dogs were trailing. Dolly was trailing through a plum thicket and pointed again. Again Sally honored. I walked in front of Dolly through the plum thicket. Sally didn’t move as long as Dolly didn’t move. I worked back to Dolly and tapped her head. As she started to move I saw a quail flush about 50 yards away.




We got back close to the truck and I put Lucky up. He’s almost 13 years old and I don’t like to work him too much. I turned Luke and Tur Bo out with Dolly and Sally. I had enough GPS collars for all 4 dogs but I had to put a Sport Dog e-collar on Tur Bo.

We went straight to the south from the truck. There was a small puddle of water along the fence row. I carry water but most of the dogs will lie down in a puddle to get cooled off. That works better than just water alone.

I watched Luke get water but the other dogs were missing. I checked the GPS and Tur Bo was on point about 30 yards away. I saw him standing in a plum thicket and Sally moved in and honored. This plum thicket was on a small hump. When I went in front of Tur Bo quail flushed on the other side of the hump. They stayed low but I got off one shot, missing. When I shot some birds closer to me flushed and I knocked one down. As I stood with an empty gun more quail flushed.

Tur Bo found my dead bird. It wasn’t a textbook retrieve but I got it in my hand. I had seen one of the later flushing quail fly just a short distance before lighting. I got Sally in front of me and we started on to the south. Just about 40 yards from where the covey had flushed Sally went on point. She held until the quail flushed and I dropped it right in front of her. She grabbed the bird and ran several circles around me. I walked away from her. She really didn’t care. She had a quail. I went on to the south with the other dogs, trailing. After about 10 minutes she laid down with the quail lying beside her. I went to her and petted her for a few seconds before picking up the bird.

Most of the birds had flown back toward the truck so we went back to the north. All of the dogs were trailing. I was standing in an open spot watching the dogs. All of them were trailing and acting birdy. After standing in one spot for a couple of minutes, watching dogs, I took a couple of steps and a quail flushed right at my feet. It stayed about 3 feet off the ground and flew straight toward Sally. It was at least 40 yards away before it hooked to the right and flew over a plum thicket.

After checking this spot for singles I loaded the dogs and went to another spot. This place was about 40 miles closer to home than the last. I turned Luke, Tur Bo and Sally out with the Garmin GPS collars and Luke and Tur Bo also had Garmin e-collars on. We circled a wheat stubble field. The south east wind was getting stronger.

There was a creek that started on the south side of the wheat field with some trees and brush growing in a large tangle. The dogs were working in the brush and I started through, following them. I turned to look for Sally and she was on point. She was a few steps behind me and off to my left. I took a couple of steps to the front of her and a large covey of quail flushed. They were still about 20 yards from me going through the trees. I got one shot and a quail dropped. I got all 3 dogs in to hunt dead but we never found the bird. Luke pointed for a second and I thought he had found the bird but he must have found the spot the quail had dropped but it had run off.

We followed in the direction the singles had flown. We went south then moved over and went to the north. We came back to the edge of the creek and worked the edge. Sally pointed where the tall grass met the brush along the creek. I went to her and she started trailing. I heard a quail flush down in the brush.




We went back through where the quail had dropped. Still found nothing. Worked a circle around where the singles should have been but didn’t find any more. We hunted back to the truck. I loaded the dogs and headed home. It had been a good quail hunt.

Sally is just 7 months old and she’s only been hunting 4 or 5 times in her life but she did a good job. She pointed a rooster pheasant, a covey of quail, 2 single quail and worked some running quail in the last two days. She also honored at least 3 times and would honor as long as the pointing dog didn’t move. When I go on a quail hunt from now on it’s going to be hard to leave her at home.

Luke

Sally

Tur Bo




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A Kansas Quail Hunt, Day One 1/18/17

Posted on January 20, 2017 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

When I hunt near Greensburg Kansas I usually stop by the Byron Walker Conservation area to let the dogs out of their boxes. The dogs have been in the truck about 4 hours so they are ready to get out. On all of my trips I find a good place and let the dogs run for a few minutes then call them back. They always come when they are called. Until yesterday. Everyone came back except Luke. Finally, after calling him with no results, I turned Tur Bo and Sally Joe loose. We made a large circle without finding him. I loaded Sally and Tur Bo back in the truck and drove to the east, turned around and started back and he came to the truck. This delayed our quail hunt by over an hour.

Ice that was left from the storm that came through a few days before.

Sally honoring Dolly.

Feeding time on the road.

I knew where I wanted to begin my quail hunt but someone was already there when I drove past. As I came by the next place a group of hunters pulled their SUV to the side of the muddy road to let me go by. As I waved to them I saw a covey of quail fly over their SUV and land in the walk-in property we were passing. I drove on down the road about 200 yards and as the SUV went out of sight I unloaded Sally, Lucky and Tur Bo.

We went into the strong south east wind. This was a large CRP field with scattered plum thickets. As we hunted about 50 yards inside the fence along the road Tur Bo pointed into a plum thicket. Sally saw him and honored. They were both higher on the hill than I was. As I started in front of Tur Bo two quail flushed out on the far side of the plum thicket. They stayed low without giving me a shot.

We made a circle around the area without finding any more of the covey. I had another place in mind to hunt so I loaded the dogs and we drove to the next farm. It was a large pasture that I usually hunt when I’m here. There were scattered groups of trees as well as lots of plum thickets.

I turned Dolly, Betsy and Sally out with Garmin GPS collars. Betsy and Dolly also had Garmin e-collars. We started to the north east to use the wind as best we could. Dolly and Sally were in front of me and so was Betsy but Betsy was way out front. Soon she was off the GPS. I walked the tops of the hills trying to pick up her GPS signal, with no luck.

As I crossed from one hill to another I saw Dolly trailing in a large plum thicket. I started to her and as I got close I heard a quail flush. I got closer and saw another quail fly out on the other side. It stayed low and I only saw it for a second. Not long enough for a shot.



We went to the north about a mile and moved to the east and hunted back to the truck. I kept calling Betsy and checking the GPS. She wasn’t close enough to be on the GPS. I ate lunch on the tail gate of the truck calling her every once in a while.

I decided to go to the north end of this property and hunt to the west. This way if she kept going north maybe I could catch up with her. I turned Luke and Tur Bo out. Just off this pasture, on private land, was a harvested corn field. As we hunted along the fence row a single quail flushed behind me. With the strong wind blowing the bird was out of range before I could shoot. I called Tur Bo in but we didn’t find any others.

As we continued to the west I checked the GPS for Betsy and saw that Tur Bo was on point. He was south west of me 69 yards. When I got to him he was pointing into a small plum thicket. I started in front of him and about 6 or 7 quail flushed. I missed with the first shot but I hit a bird with the second. The feathers boiled off the quail and it dropped both legs but continued to fly. I watched it until it went through some trees and went out of sight. I got both dogs in to look where I thought it may have gone down but we never found it.

Tur Bo and Dolly both on point.

We continued to the west. I saw a pheasant get up ahead of the dogs and fly to the south west. I saw about where it landed. Before we got close it flushed again flying farther to the south west. We went all the way to the fence on the west and moved over and started back. I was still checking the GPS for Betsy. Again, I saw on the GPS that Tur Bo was on point near where I had seen the pheasant.

The south east wind was coming into his face as he pointed into a large plum thicket. I fought my way into the thicket then started ahead of him. The pheasant flushed about 40 yards away. I never got a shot.

We hunted back to the east. Still Betsy wasn’t on the GPS. When one of my dogs aren’t where they are supposed to be I’m a nervous wreck. We were almost back to the truck, I was walking with my gun over my shoulder, worrying about Betsy. I was cutting through a grove of trees when I almost stepped on a covey of quail. By the time I got my gun in position the quail were through the trees. I shot once but I didn’t come close.

We checked the area for the quail but I believe they all flew off the walk-in and into the harvested corn field. Betsy had been gone for over 3 hours so I loaded the dogs and started back to where I had originally released her. I was driving holding the GPS unit hoping to see her show up. I had just noticed that the battery on my cell phone was totally dead. I started charging it as I drove.

Tur Bo

I met a truck and the driver flagged me down. He asked if I was looking for a dog. He had picked Betsy up about an hour after I turned her loose. He had called my cell phone but he got no answer. He called my home and June told him my cell phone was down. He drove the roads until he found me. No wonder she didn’t show on the GPS. He was the game warden for that area and had taken her to his home. I followed him to his home and got her.

By the time I got back to an area to hunt it was getting late and I don’t like to hunt without giving the birds plenty of time to get back together before dark. In my opinion when they are scattered they are easier for predators and if it’s very cold they can’t keep warm.



I hooked the dogs to the fencing around some gas wells and fed them. I think someone had been hunting the place where I lost Betsy before I got there and I know someone had been in the last place I hunted. If these birds have lived this late in the season they are well educated. But at least I’m seeing birds.

Sally pointing a quail.

Betsy pointing a quail.

Luke pointing a quail.



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Training Young Dogs, 1/11/17

Posted on January 11, 2017 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

I went hunting near Emporia, Kansas on 1/10/17. I moved 4 coveys of quail and didn’t fire a shot. Not a single bird held for the dogs. It was really windy but the birds were even more crazy than usual, for a windy day. I had several points but the quail ran then flushed way in front of the dogs. I was going again today but the wind was really strong so I worked young dogs instead.

Betsy working on heel and whoa.

Sally Joe on the retrieving bench.

Betsy pointing a pigeon.

I put e-collars on Betsy’s flanks and neck then clipped a check cord to her regular collar and heeled her out with a piggin’ string. We walked from the kennel to near the road in front of my house then to the retrieving bench in the back. I would heel her for a little way then say “whoa”. When she stopped I dropped the piggin’ string and continued to walk in front of her. Some of the time I walked to the front 15 yards then walked 15 yards behind her. While she is on whoa I sometimes pick up sticks and throw them or throw my hat. Anything to make her understand that no matter what she must stand still.

When we got to the retrieving bench I had her jump on. I like to walk the young dogs back and forth on the bench petting them every few feet. The dogs enjoy smelling your breathe when you are happy. I always set the dog on the ground from the bench. I don’t allow them to jump down. When it comes time to force break them to retrieve I don’t want the dog to jump down to end the session. I set her on the ground and heeled her to the chain gang. I took the e-collars and the check cord off.

I put the e-collars on Sally Joe’s flanks and neck. I had her drag a smaller check cord as I heeled her out of the kennel with the piggin’ string. I haven’t been working on heel and whoa with Sallie very long. Most of the time she heels pretty good but occasionally she wants to lead. Whichever way she tries to go I go the opposite. If she goes forward I go to the rear, if she goes to the left I go to the right. After a couple of these turns she starts watching me to see which way I will go.

I started stopping without saying anything for a couple of sessions. Now, I have started saying, “whoa” when I stop. Today I tried to walk around her while she stayed on whoa. A couple of times she let me walk around her but more often she wanted to move with me. When she moved I picked her up and set her back. Before I said, “heel” I tapped her on the head. Soon she will stay on whoa until I tap her head, I hope.



When we got to the retrieving bench I had her jump on. I put a little pressure on the piggin’ string and said, “up”. I also use “up” whenever they jump on their house or on the tail gate of the truck. I walked her back and forth petting her every few feet. I set her on the ground and heeled her to the chain gang. I took the e-collars and the check cord off her.

I hid 3 pigeons, in release traps, on the training grounds. I put the e-collars on Betsy’s neck and flanks, hooked the check cord to her regular collar and heeled her toward the training grounds. I whoaed her a couple of times before releasing her to hunt. It doesn’t take very many times before the dogs know exactly where the bird field is. I live on a busy highway but I never worry about the dogs getting into the road after a couple of sessions on the birds.

Betsy raced through the first part of the training grounds. I could tell she was checking each spot that she had ever found a pigeon before. The wind was out of the north and she went by the first pigeon on the wrong side but when she came by the second bird she slid into a point. I took pictures then walked in front of her kicking the cover. She didn’t move and when I got close to the pigeon I pushed the button to flush the bird. She chased the bird almost back to the pigeon coop.

Luke pointing a single.

When she came back we went on toward the back. She was pulling a really long check cord and it got tangled a couple of times. I had to get her untangled but I’ve had trouble with her going hunting by her self. With the check cord she thinks I have more control than I really have. The wind was swirling around and when she got on the down wind side of the third bird she pointed. I took pictures then flushed the pigeon. She chased again a long way.

Before I got her she was allowed to run with no one around. She learned to find and chase birds. It’s almost like she gets more out of chasing than pointing. When we got back near the first pigeon she was running really fast. She hit the scent cone and froze. I went to her and stroked her sides and belly. I told her what a good dog she is. I stepped on her check cord and flushed the pigeon. She hit the end of the check cord and stopped. She tried a couple of different directions then finally stood still. I set her back where she had originally pointed and stroked her sides. I tapped her head to release her to hunt.

Sally pointing a quail.

I walked back to the chain gang but Betsy didn’t. She was running really hard after her third bird so I was afraid she had decided to go off on her on. I got on the 4-wheeler and started looking for her. I found her just a short distance from the last pigeon she had pointed with her check cord hung in some bushes. I won’t run her again without a GPS collar. If she had of went hunting on her on and got hung up it would have been really hard to find her. I put her on the chain gang.

I put pigeons in the release traps. I took Sallie Joe off the chain gang with the e-collars on her neck and flanks. She really wanted to drag me to the birds but I made her heel and whoa a couple of times before releasing her to hunt.

She went on the wrong side of the first pigeon and went on toward the back. She was cutting through some brush when she got the scent of the pigeon. She pointed. I took pictures and walked in front of her. She hasn’t been worked on birds very long and it’s a big deal for me to get in front of her. Most of the pictures I took today were from the front. I could get in front but when I got close to where the pigeon was hidden she would move. At the first movement, even if she had a foot up and put it down, I flushed the bird. I want her to think any movement on her part will make the bird fly.

She was really hunting on the way to the back. Checking all of the clumps of brush. She went through some brush and hit the scent cone of the third pigeon at the back of the field. She was already standing looking in my direction. I walked straight toward her taking pictures as I walked. I got close and at my first kick she moved. I flushed the pigeon. She seldom chases but on this pigeon she chased a little way.



By the time we got back close to the where she had passed the first pigeon she had decided she had found all of the birds. She ran through the scent cone, turned, came back and pointed. I let her stand for a little while before I walked in front of her. She took a step and I flushed the pigeon. She watched it fly away. I got on the 4-wheeler and she ran in front around the yard. I took her back to the kennel. I heeled Betsy to the kennel from the chain gang. I whoaed her a few times on the way.

Today the weather was warm, 65 degrees, with strong winds. After the birds ran and flushed ahead of the dogs yesterday it was nice to be able to work the young dogs on birds that acted exactly as I wanted. With me having the button to control the release traps I have total control. I got 6 points in my back yard and all 6 birds held until I pressed the button. Perfect.

Betsy pointing a pigeon.

Sally Joe pointing a pigeon.

Sally on another pigeon.



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A Missouri Quail Hunt, 1/1/17

Posted on January 3, 2017 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

Vince Dye invited me to go on a quail hunt, on some private land in Missouri, on the first day of 2017. Of course I went. I usually hunt public land because that’s all I have. Vince has several private places to hunt and being a good friend, I don’t want him to have to go alone.

Luke pointing Dolly honoring.

Lucky on point.

Tur Bo honoring Luke

We had a nice cool morning with a slight breeze from the south east. I turned Lucky and Dolly out wearing the Garmin GPS and e-collars. Vince had a Garmin GPS and an e-collar on Buck his pointer. Maggie the English cocker didn’t need an e-collar or a GPS.

The first place we hunted was about 30 acres of CRP that was loaded with sericea lespedeza about chest high. This makes good cover for birds but is really hard to walk through. After about 400 yards we were ready for easier walking. We moved over and went back through the CRP but were able to get out of the sericea lespedeza.

We followed a hedge row through a harvested soy bean field. At the east end of the hedge row there were a few acres of soy beans that hadn’t been harvested. I saw on the GPS that Lucky was on point just out of the soy beans in a thicket. When we got close he started trailing. Dolly went on point just to the west of where Lucky had been on point. Vince was to her right and I was on the left. As we walked in I heard a single quail flush on the right down in the brush. I never saw it. Then a spread out covey flushed. I shot twice and a bird dropped at each shot. Vince said, “I knocked two down but I think we doubled on one of them.”

We got the dogs in to hunt dead. Lucky finally pointed where I thought one of my birds fell. I encouraged him to pick the bird up and finally he found it lying in the unharvested soy beans. Maggie was hunting for Vince’s birds. My dogs and I went to help. Maggie found another dead bird and gave it to Vince. We looked but didn’t find any more dead birds. I know there were at least one more dead bird but we didn’t find it.



We went on to the east, in the direction some of the covey had flown, down a hedge row then back north along another hedge row. As we got near the end of the hedge row, where it ran into a creek with lots of brush, Lucky went on point. Dolly saw him and honored. We were still 40 yards away when the covey flushed on the other side of some brush without giving us a shot. The covey flew on to the north.

We skirted the brush, walking in some CRP that was almost head high blue stem. Dolly pointed in the edge where the brush joined the CRP. We walked in but nothing flushed. I tapped her on the head and she trailed into the blue stem and went on point. Again we walked in and this time a quail flushed and curled to the right. Vince was on the right and made a good shot. Maggie made the retrieve.

Luke pointing a single quail.

As we went on around the edge of the field another quail flushed out of the blue stem. I was way behind when I pulled the trigger. We went on to the road then back west to the edge of the property then south. We were close to where we saw the first covey along another hedge row when I heard Vince say, “she’s got birds.” I didn’t understand the statement but I started swiveling my head. Maggie flushed two quail on Vince’s side of the hedge row. He shot. He said, “I hit one of those quail and he went down about a hundred yards back up the hedge row.” We went to look.

I got Dolly in to look and Maggie was really birdy in an area so I called Dolly to that area. Before she got there we saw the quail jump into the air and run. The quail crossed the fence that stopped Maggie. Lucky came in and we had all three dogs hunting the wounded bird. I saw the bird cross back to Vince’s side. Dolly moved in close and went on point. I kicked the fence and the quail started to run and she pounced on it. She held the bird until Vince picked it up. He gave Dolly the head.

We hunted on back to the truck without seeing any other birds. We drove down the road a little way and turned out again. This time Vince only turned Maggie out. I turned Tur Bo and Luke out with their e-collars and GPS collars.

We went down a creek that runs along the road then turned south along a draw. When we came around the end of the draw a single quail flushed. Neither of us got a shot. All 3 dogs were really birdy but we didn’t see any others until we started on down the draw to the north. Another quail flushed. I failed to get my safety off but it would have been a long shot.

My 20 gauge and 2 quail from this mornings hunt.

We were almost to the truck when I checked the GPS and it said Luke was on point 475 yards to the west along the creek that runs beside the road. Vince said give me the keys and I’ll bring the truck. I checked the GPS as I walked toward him. Vince came down and joined me when I was still about a hundred yards from Luke. Vince crossed to the other side of the draw. When I got close enough to see Luke I saw Tur Bo honoring. The dogs were across the creek and Vince was going to flush. Before he got to the birds a covey flushed. The first bunch went to my left toward Vince then the second bunch went to my right. When I swung on a bird I was looking right at a house. I never got a shot. Vince shot but didn’t connect.

We went on to the west along the creek. Luke pointed again. He was on Vince’s side of the creek so I was going to push them on south away from the house across the road. When I walked in two quail flushed and I shot a little tree right front of me. Actually cut it off. Vince shot twice and drew feathers each time but the birds didn’t drop. We followed in case we could find them with no success. When we got to the truck we put the dogs up.

Vince had another place he wanted to hunt so as we went through Braymer Missouri we grabbed a sandwich at Casey’s. The next place was ideal looking. Hedge rows, draws and brush filled fence rows. We only had about 45 minutes of hunting time left. We went along a draw then down some hedge rows. We were almost back to the truck when I started down a hedge row with a wide buffer strip beside it. Luke came down a draw, came in front of me into the buffer strip and went on point. While I waited for Vince I checked the GPS. Luke was 59 yards in front of me.

As we got close to Luke, Tur Bo honored. Luke was standing in the edge of the buffer strip pointing toward the hedge row. A covey flushed with most of them flying toward the hedge row. I shot twice and a bird dropped at each shot. Vince said, “just as I shot you killed the bird I was shooting at.” Luke rolled one of the birds around but didn’t pick it up. I waded in and got it. Maggie and Tur Bo searched for the other bird. Finally, Tur Bo found it and picked it up. Instead of coming to me he tried to get past me. I grabbed his collar and when I told him to give he dropped it.



We hunted the buffer strip on to the road. A couple of quail flushed ahead of us. I don’t know whether the dogs got them up or they just flushed. We hunted back to the truck and put the dogs up. We had finally killed some birds over one of Luke’s points. Had we missed again he may have bit us.

I saw more covey roosts in a hundred yard stretch of that buffer strip than I’ve ever seen in one place before. Ever. Some old but a lot of them were fresh. I didn’t know that a buffer strip could be that good for quail. Most of the time the strip beside a hedge row doesn’t grow very good row crops so this gives the farmer some money to leave it in grass and it really benefits the quail.

My apologies to Vince and especially to Maggie. When I originally wrote this I changed Maggie’s name to Molly. I have gone through this and I hope I changed each one of the “Mollys” to Maggie.

Dolly is honoring Lucky.

Luke pointing a single quail.

Tur Bo



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