Traveling Pointing Dogs

Don Hansen and I hunted near Abilene, Kansas last Tuesday, November the 29th. We saw birds at each place we hunted but it was so dry that it was really hard on the dogs. Dolly, Tigger and Annie all had a point each and that was all of the dog work we had for the day. We each killed a quail. After a good rain we may be back.

Luke pointing a single.

Luke on another single.

Sally wouldn’t cross the ditch.

I saw where north central Kansas had got some rain so on Friday the second of December, although the rifle portion of deer season was open, I went to some walk-in hunting properties near Marysville, Kansas. I put Garmin GPS collars and e-collars on Dolly and Luke. I put a Sport Dog e-collar and a Garmin GPS on Sally Joe and turned all 3 loose. Sally’s Sport Dog e-collar wasn’t even turned on. I just want her to get used to wearing an e-collar.

We started through some light CRP grass and Luke was about 175 yards from me when he went on point. We hadn’t been out of the truck 5 minutes. When I got to him he was standing in some CRP grass. I walked in expecting a covey. A single quail flushed and flew into the sun. Of course I missed with both barrels. When I stood there with my gun broke open two more quail flushed about 20 yards from me. All 3 birds had flown south.

Dolly and Luke hunted the area close to where the quail had flushed from. Both of them acted like more birds had run through the area but we never came up with anything. Luke hit the edge of a soy bean field and started around the edge. Sally got behind him like she was going to follow. I never said anything to either of them. Let’em run. Sally is almost 6 months old and more power to her if she can keep up with Luke. They went around the side of a hill where I couldn’t see them but I watched on the GPS as they went past 600 yards.

Pretty soon Luke crossed to my front about a hundred yards out but Sally wasn’t with him. She came back and saw Luke again and they were off. This time they went over 500 yards. When she came back this time she was more content to hunt with me.

We went on to the west then turned south. Luke crossed a creek and went up a hill and went on point 240 yards south east of me. I crossed the creek and started up the hill. As I went up the hill I kept checking the GPS. He was still on point. I got to the top of the hill and checked the GPS. He was still on point about 125 yards away but Dolly was on point 91 feet away. I went to Dolly.

When I got to her she was standing in the edge of a patch of short sumac. Before I got to her a quail flushed. When I shot it fell just over a small hill, like a terrace. Dolly and Sally didn’t see it fall. Sally came close to me and went on point. Dolly was on the other side of the terrace and didn’t see Sally on point. She picked up the quail and brought it to me. I dropped the quail in front of Sally and it started fluttering. She pounced on it. I petted her until she dropped the quail.

When I shot either Luke moved or his bird flushed because he came to me. We hunted on to the east. Again, the GPS showed Luke on point about 55 yards from me. I started to him along a steep bank that rose from a big creek. As I checked the GPS it showed Dolly close to Luke on point. I figured she was honoring but when I got close I saw her on one side of a big thicket on point and Luke was on the other side on point with Sally honoring him. Dolly was closest so I went toward her and a quail flushed before I got to her. I shot and the quail went down in a deep ravine next to the creek. When I shot a couple of quail flushed behind me near where Luke and Sally were. I didn’t have a shot at them.

I knew the quail I had knocked down would be hard to find but I wanted Luke to check close to me for anymore birds. After a minute or two I went toward where the bird had fallen and saw Dolly coming to me with the quail in her mouth. She had evidently seen it fall and went right after it. I gave her the head for a treat.

We went on to the east. I checked the GPS and Luke was on point up the hill and to the east about 65 yards. I came out of the brush and saw him on point in some tall, thin grass, just out of the brush, along the hillside. Sally was behind him honoring with a high head and straight tail. I tried to get a picture. I couldn’t see very well because of the sun. The second picture above was the picture. I thought I could get both of them in the picture but I only got Luke.

I started in front of Luke and saw that Dolly was also honoring. The quail flushed and when I hit the bird it went into the trunk of a large tree and bounced off. Sally and Dolly both saw it fall. Dolly beat Sally to it and brought it to me. I gave her the head.

We hunted on to the road on the east then back to the truck without seeing any more quail. Sally stayed away from me to keep me from putting her in the truck. She doesn’t like to ride. I put the e-collars and GPS collars on Tur Bo and Lucky and we went to the north.

We went along the edge of a soy bean field in the CRP along a hillside then across the end and back down the other side along a creek. The only thing that showed up was a young pointer male that didn’t act like he had ever been hunted. He followed and sometime ran out front with my dogs but he was never hunting. He just liked being with us. When we got back to the truck he kept trying to get in. I don’t know if he wanted me to take him back home or what. He came from the house on the north end of this property. He watched us drive away.

We went to another property that was only an 80 acre field with a ditch running from the north west to the south east. We parked on the north west corner and I turned Luke, Dolly and Sally out. About half way down the ditch I saw Luke go on point. I started to him and he moved about 3 steps and went back on point. About 6 quail flushed 50 yards south east of him. They flew down the ditch to the south east.

All 3 dogs got real birdy and trailed around without coming up with anything. We went on down the ditch. I checked the GPS and Luke was on point across the ditch. I crossed the ditch and saw him as I came up the bank. That’s the first picture above. I walked in front of him and a single quail flushed about 15 yards in front of me down in the ditch. Just as I shot it flew behind a tree. I did hit the tree.

I recrossed the ditch and we went to the south east corner then crossed to the other side and went back. About a third of the way back I saw that Sally hadn’t crossed. I called her but she wouldn’t cross. She followed along on the other side. I found a good place to cross and called her again. She still wouldn’t cross so I took her picture standing on the other side. I told her if she didn’t cross I would put her picture on face book and everyone would know she wouldn’t cross the ditch. She didn’t cross at that place so I put her on face book. Later she crossed several times but not at that place.

When she finally crossed to my side she was really proud of herself. When she crossed I had her recross then cross again. Before we got back to the truck she crossed 5 or 6 times. That’s the way they learn.

It was getting late and we drove around looking for another place to hunt but I didn’t turn any dogs out. I saw some places I would like to hunt but will wait until after rifle deer season.

Sally on pen reared quail.

Betsy on pen raised quail.

Sally on pen raised quail.

Last Friday, 11/25/16, I met Don and Linda Hansen near Emporia, Kansas for a quail hunt. At 8:00 am it was already warm enough to hunt in shirt sleeves but most times this season it has been that warm. I turned Luke and Dolly out with Garmin GPS collars and Gamin E-collars and Don had the Garmin Track and Train collar on his pointer, Tigger.

Dolly

Luke

Tur Bo

Most of the walk-in place we chose to hunt was in CRP with some small fields with row crops. None of the crops had been harvested which made the hunting harder. We don’t like to hunt in the standing crops so we could be missing birds in the fields. We headed east into this place for at least 200 yards then turned south down a draw. Well, everyone except Luke turned south. Luke went on to the east.

I saw Dolly get close to a small thicket and a single quail flushed in front of her. Then another one flew to the south. Dolly wasn’t close enough to cause them to fly. The two quail flew over a small hill and we followed. That’s when I checked the GPS and noticed Luke was on to the east and on point. Don’s pointer Tigger went on point about 40 yards in front of us. We started to her.

Neither of us could see her. About 10 or 12 quail flushed and flew south east then 6 more flew straight south and then Tigger moved. She had been on point in a sumac thicket. I checked the GPS and Luke was still on point but we had birds right here. So far we hadn’t got a shot. We followed in the direction that the quail had flown.

As we followed the dogs about 5 quail flushed right in front of us. Don dropped one right in front of us and I hit one but it didn’t fall. We looked for quite a while and never found his bird. Luke was still on point. We followed on and Tigger pointed. When we went in 2 quail flushed and one fell to Don’s shot and he hit the other one real hard but it didn’t go down. We found his bird.

Luke was still on point. I had been thinking that he might be in a trap instead of being on point. Most dogs will move when the shooting starts but Luke usually won’t move until the birds flush. We started to Luke but there was a large creek between us and we had to go north for a couple hundred yards before turning east. After turning east I checked the GPS and Luke was moving. He had been on point for close to twenty minutes. I called him to me.

We went back to where we had quail spread out. We started in the direction that the quail that Don had hit and the one I had hit also flew in that direction. As we came around the edge of a small thicket Luke came in front and went on point almost at my feet. I stopped walking and waited on Don to get close then kicked at the grass. Nothing flushed. I tapped him on the head and he moved up pointing again. I encouraged him to get the bird. He dove in and grabbed the dead bird. It was one of the quail we had hit earlier.

We went below a small pond where we thought some singles had flown. All 3 dogs were working in front of us but we walked up a quail. It came my way and fell on our side of a large creek. We tried to get Tigger to find the dead quail but Dolly beat her to it. I took it from Dolly and when she went back to hunting I tossed it for Tigger. She scooped the bird up and took it to Don.

I checked the GPS and Dolly was on point south east of us. As we started toward her a quail flushed right at my feet. It must have run from Dolly and when it got to me it flushed. Dolly retrieved the bird. We went on to the south then came back through the area one more time. Another quail flushed ahead of me and went across the large creek. I shot and saw it drop both legs but it flew completely across the creek. I lost sight of the bird as it crossed the creek but it flew toward a tree that still had leaves.

We worked the area without seeing anymore quail. I wanted to see if I could find the quail that had flown across the creek so we had to go back north to find a way across the creek then go east to the other side then back south. When we got to the area we found two trees that still had leaves. Linda said one of the trees would have been easier to see from the other side than the other. I got to the tree and called Luke. He came right in front of me and went on point. About 7 or 8 yards in front of him a dead quail was lying with it’s breast to the sky. That was easy. I picked it up and tossed it to Luke. He rolled it around then went back to hunting.

We went on around the large CRP field. We were on the north east edge, maybe 3/4 of a mile from where we had found the first covey when a single quail flushed in front of us. It caught us by surprise and flew away. This must have been one of the covey that Luke had pointed for so long earlier. We hunted back to the trucks without seeing anymore quail.

It was really getting warm when we got to the next farm but I turned Tur Bo and Lucky out with e-collars and GPS collars. Don turned Tigger out with the track and train collar on. This farm had soy beans, corn and milo that had all been harvested. There were draws running through it as well as some hedge rows. I have hunted this farm the last few years and usually find birds. Not today.

Along with the warm weather it’s been about 75 days since we have had a 1/2 inch rain. This makes it really hard for the dogs. I carry water for the dogs but the scenting conditions are usually pretty bad. It can only get better.

It was warm enough we gave this quail hunt up about 1:00 pm. December and January should be cooler and that will be a help to the dogs. We usually do better after it cools down.

Betsy pointing a quail.

Luke

Lucky backing Luke.

I met Don and Linda Hansen near Emporia, Kansas for a Kansas quail hunt at about 8:30 am. The day started cool but quickly warmed. We were in short sleeve shirts when we started. I turned Luke and Lucky out with Garmin e-collars and GPS collars. Don had his Garmin track and train on his pointer, Trouble.

Luke buried in the weeds on a Kansas quail hunt.

Luke

Lucky backing Luke.

We started to the north then as we came around a point turned to the west along a fence row with lots of brush and trees. I crossed to the south side of the fence row while Don and Linda stayed on the north side. As we followed the fence row down I checked the GPS and Luke was on point behind us, 112 yards. I need to pay more attention to the GPS. We started back with me watching the GPS. We got within 43 feet of Luke when the GPS showed him moving.

He had been on point where the east west fence row intersected with a north south strip of brush and trees. When I saw him he was trailing. I followed him. Don was still on the other side. As Luke and I worked through the cover a single quail flushed and tried to fly to the west. I made a lucky shot on him. Luke ran to where it dropped and rolled it around. That’s as close as he comes to retrieving. Don, Linda and I worked the area without seeing any more quail.

We went on down the fence row to the west. We have hunted this place for the last couple of years and sometimes find singles in the sedge grass field to the south of the fence row. Don and Linda crossed to my side and as we stood watching the dogs Trouble started trailing right in front of us. Before she could point 2 quail flushed in front of me flying straight away. Three or four flushed in front of Don. He was closer to the fence row than I was and his birds crossed the fence row. He shot once but he really didn’t have a shot. I missed with the first shot but dropped a bird with the second. Trouble picked up my dead bird and Don and I started walking away from her. She took it to within a few feet of Don and dropped it.

We hunted on to the road on the west then back east to where a hedge row ran to the north. Luke went on point where these two came together. As we got close he started trailing. The bird must have either ran out or flushed. We continued on to the north.

At the north edge of this property I saw a small pool of water and called Lucky to me. As he started through some tall horse weeds he went on point. He was only about 10 yards from me. I told Don he was on point and while I waited for him to get there I thought about Lucky’s career. He is 12 1/2 years old and I’m amazed at how well he hunts.

When Don got there we went in front of Lucky and nothing flushed. I released him and he moved up about 20 yards and went back on point. This time when we went in front a bird flushed in front of me and a couple in front of Don except he had a brush pile in front of him. Mine dropped on my second shot. Don shot but, again he really didn’t have a shot. Lucky picked my bird up and I was right beside him. He dropped it in my hand.

A couple of the birds that got up in front of us flew to the south west and landed in the sedge grass field. We started after them. I checked my GPS and Luke was on point to the north east of us. We left the sedge grass to go the other side of the hedge row. Lucky came in front of us, saw Luke on point and honored him. While I waited on Don to come around I took pictures of them both. When Don and I walked in a single quail flushed on my side. It went right down at my shot. We looked for the bird but while we were looking Luke pointed again just a few yards away. When we went in front of him a single quail flushed to the left and dropped when I shot. Luke found the dead bird but just nosed it around. I picked it up.

We went back to where the other bird had fallen but after about 5 minutes of looking we never came up with it. We went back where Don had seen a quail land and it got up behind us and flew away without a shot. We continued on back to the sedge grass field where we knew a few birds had landed. Lucky and Luke were working the field in front of us and a quail flushed in front of Don. Don shoots 3/4 ounce reloads and I think the quail was hit with the whole load. As Lucky sifted the feathers where the bird went down I picked it up.

We hunted on through the sedge grass field without finding any others. It was getting warm and as we went around the field I had given the dogs all the water I had with me so we hunted back to the truck.

I had two more dogs, Tur Bo and Dolly, that hadn’t been out of the truck so we found another place. This was a large, unharvested milo field. The temperature was well into the 60’s so we just made a pass around the outside edge without finding anything. With the warm weather and all of the cover in the unharvested milo field the quail could be anywhere. I hope to come back after the milo has been harvested.

We called it a day. It was only about 11:30 am but the temperature was in the upper 60’s. Too hot for the dogs. This was one of those days where I was in the right place and Don was in the wrong place as the birds flushed. The next hunt it could be reversed.

Dolly in Oklahoma

Tur Bo

Sally