Traveling Pointing Dogs

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 backing

Dolly on point.

Vince Dye and I met Jim Needham, about 1 pm, near Cheyenne Oklahoma for an Oklahoma quail hunt. We would be hunting on Black Kettle National Grasslands. Black Kettle is 30,710 acres divided into 114 different parcels. Vince and I had left my house about 4:00 am. We had stopped and let the dogs out once and stopped for a hunting license.

After eating lunch we drove to the first parcel we were going to hunt. Vince put his Garmin Astro GPS collar and an e-collar on his pointer Buck. He was also running his English cocker spaniel, Maggie. Jim turned a pointer out with a Garmin Astro and a Sport Dog e-collar. I put Garmin Astro and Sport Dog e-collars on Dolly and Blaze. We started with lots of dog power.

We had only gone about 30 yards through the gate when Dolly started trailing. I was following her when I heard Vince yell, “there go the quail.” Dolly was 30 yards in front of us and the quail flushed 40 yards ahead of her. No one got a shot. I watched where the covey flew to.

We got all of the dogs in where we thought the covey had lit but although some of the dogs trailed a short distance we never saw another quail. We started on to the north until Buck pointed. He was north west of us. When we got to him he started trailing. We followed along with Dolly also trailing. Dolly finally pointed and as we walked in a single quail flushed about 50 yards ahead of us. Again, no one got a shot. We worked the area with out finding any other birds.

After about an hour we were close to the truck so I decided to put Blaze and Dolly up and get Tur Bo and Luke out. Vince and I started through the area where we had got the first bunch of birds up then went on to the north east. When we got to the fence on the north side we started down it to the west. I hadn’t seen Luke for a while and checked the GPS. It showed him on point about 265 yards to the north. He was off the property. When I got to the fence I gave my gun to Vince and started to him. He was 246 yards from the fence.

As I started to Luke Tur Bo came in front of me. The weeds were real high and I couldn’t see Luke but when I got close to where he was Tur Bo pointed. I thought he was honoring Luke but as I got close about 10 quail flushed right in front of Tur Bo. When Tur Bo’s birds flushed about 4 quail flushed off to our right where Luke was pointing. I think some of the birds had run from Luke before we got there and Tur Bo pointed them. I called the dogs and started back to the property we were supposed to be on.

I had walked about 50 yards when Luke pointed again. Thinking it was a single out of the other covey I went toward him. Another covey of quail flushed. Both of these coveys had flown north farther away from Black Kettle. I called the dogs and started back again. Tur Bo came in front of me and went on point. Before I got to him another covey flushed and flew north. That made 3 coveys in 246 yards and not one of them flew onto Black Kettle National Grasslands.

Vince could hear some quail whistling about 200 yards east of where we thought the first covey had landed. We worked our way south with Tur Bo and Luke in front of us. Both dogs would trail then point then trail some more. Jim had gone to the truck and was coming back. As the dogs were trailing he came from the south toward us. A quail flushed right in front of him and tried to fly to the south. It didn’t get far. Jim dropped it. I believe that quail was running from us and Jim was like a blocker. The quail ran into him and had to fly.

We went to another parcel that I had hunted on my trip in December. I had found 2 coveys on it, earlier. I turned Lucky and Blaze out while Jim used one of his pointers. Jim had 2 pointers with him, Casey and Petey. I had trouble telling them apart. Vince left his pointer, Buck, in the truck but turned his cocker spaniel out. We hunted this 160 acre parcel and had a bunch of points but didn’t see a quail. As I pointed to a small plum thicket where I had found a covey in December Jim’s pointer pointed into it. I really believe that the dogs were pointing and the quail were just running away.

We had seen 5 coveys but only shot one time. I think these birds have had a lot of pressure. There has been a lot of reports of the quail being back in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. I have been hunting the grasslands for the last ten years and have never seen this many hunters. The quail have learned that if they fly they die so they run. Still we had seen 5 coveys in about 4 hours of hunting. Not a bad day.

Luke

Dolly is honoring Lucky.

Tur Bo honoring Luke

Lucky

Dolly

Blaze

When I left the house it was 33 degrees and misting rain. I got on I-70 and it was bumper to bumper going about 10 miles per hour. I got off I-70 and took back roads to I-470. For about a mile it was 50 miles an hour then slowed to 10 miles per hour with stops occasionally. It took 2 1/2 hours to get where I usually get to in 1 1/2 hours. I was about 30 minutes late meeting Don and Linda Hansen.

We drove to a farm, near Emporia, Kansas, that we haven’t hunted this year. Several of the places we have hunted in the past were taken out of the walk-in program because of a wind farm they are building in this area. It seems like each year we lose more places that we hunt to different factors.

Don put the Garmin Alpha on his young pointer, Trouble and I put the Garmin Astro and Sport Dog e-collar on Luke and Dolly. Luke has had a severe pulled muscle and hasn’t been out of the kennel for over 30 days. This was a large farm and I was hoping he would stay on it.

We went around the edge of a harvested soy bean field and were crossing some CRP to get to another soy bean field when a covey of quail flushed from the CRP and flew deeper into it. I don’t think we even had a dog close and we were at least 50 yards from them. Had they not flown we might not have seen them. They flew across a small rise so we couldn’t see them all the way to the ground but we went in that direction.

The CRP was tall and pretty thick. Dolly came in front of us and went on point after trailing for a little way. A single quail flushed when we walked in front of her. It came my way and dropped into a small plum thicket at my shot. Don’s pointer, Trouble saw it drop and retrieved.

We went back to the area where Dolly had pointed and she pointed again. She was in some tall CRP and when Trouble got close she also pointed with out seeing her. We walked in and a quail flushed behind us. Don shot and it fell. The dogs didn’t see it fall and we got them in to hunt dead. Dolly located it in the tall grass and when she stopped with her head right over the top of it Trouble moved up next to her and paused head to head with her. Dolly knew the bird was there but she moved away to let Trouble get it. I’ve never seen a dog do this before. Dolly’s mother, Lady, would back out and go back to hunting if she was on point and a dog went past her to steal the point. She never flushed the birds she would just back away then go back to hunting.

A few minutes later the GPS showed Dolly on point again. She was in the tall CRP where we couldn’t see her and as we searched for her Luke came in front of me and went on point. As I searched for Dolly I had went into a small draw with some plum thickets between Don and me. I waited for Don but the plum thickets were in the way. He told me to go ahead and flush the bird. I took a couple of steps and a quail flushed going between the plum thickets. I shot and it fell in the edge of a plum thicket. When I shot I heard Dolly’s bird flush off to my left. Luke doesn’t retrieve but he did pick the dead bird up then dropped it. I went over and picked it up.

After checking for other singles in the area we went to the east through the CRP. Some of the singles had flew in that direction. As we came near the top of a small hill the GPS showed Luke of point about 75 yards away. I saw him pointing into a small plum thicket with Dolly honoring. When we got to him he started trailing. Dolly came in and also started trailing. I believe a covey had ran on the ground for away then flew. We followed in the direction that the dogs were trailing.

About 150 yards later I saw Luke go on point. Don and I were separated and I called him over. Before he got there I saw that Luke was honoring Dolly. She was about 20 yards in front of him. Before we got to Dolly about 6 or 7 quail flushed in front of her. My one shot was through a hedge tree and I missed but Don dropped one. Dolly retrieved his bird.

I checked the GPS and it showed Luke on point. When we found him he was pointing into a large plum thicket. After all of these years of bird hunting I still occasionally think I can push a quail where I want it to go. I told Don I would go in and flush it out to him. I went in with the plum bushes grabbing me from all sides the bird flies where the only one with a shot is me. I shot from a bent over position trying to protect my gun from the sharp limbs. I caught the bird with the edge of the pattern and it was still flying with it’s butt down. Don wasn’t where he could see where it went down and neither could I. We looked for quite awhile without finding it.

A couple of quail got up ahead of the dogs and flew to the east. After checking this area we went on to the east. We were working into a strong wind and Dolly pointed. Don and I were separated and I called him. Before he got there she started moving. She was trailing and I followed her. Don and I were about 50 yards apart. A covey of quail flushed about 30 yards in front of me and flew across my front. I shot and a quail fell. A few seconds later I heard Don shoot. Dolly had seen my bird fall and brought it to me. I went over to help Don find his bird. Don had marked it down and the dogs found it with no trouble.

This whole covey had flown to the east so we went after them. As we got into the area that the birds had flown to, with all of the dogs in front of us, a quail flew from behind us to our front. Luke was in front of Don and went on point looking into a plum thicket. With Don on the other side I tried again to run it out for him. When the bird flushed I had the best shot but when I raised my gun it caught on my coat and the barrel hit a plum bush. I pulled the trigger and the bird was centered. The most surprised person there was me. I just knew I had missed. Luke rolled it around on the ground then went back to hunting. I picked it up.

Luke was out of shape because he had been kept in the kennel for over a month so we started back to the truck. We had just crossed a small creek with Trouble in front of us and Luke and Dolly on the other side of the creek when another covey of quail flushed in the trees along the creek. It was hard not to follow the covey but I was afraid that I had already left Luke down too long. We hunted back to the truck without anymore bird contact.

It was after 3:00 pm when we got back to the truck. The weather people were saying that freezing rain would be moving in so I decided to head for home. I let the other dogs out to do their business then headed home. We had seen 4 coveys and killed 7 birds. It had been a good day.

Again I have to recycle pictures. this hunt would have been a good one to take pictures on but I left my camera in the truck. At least I brought it with me this time.

Luke

Tur Bo

Blaze

Tur Bo honoring Luke

Luke

Luke pointing a single quail.

I left, on this hunt, early enough to stop by Walmart for a new license. I was to meet Don and Linda Hansen near Emporia, Kansas and I knew where a Walmart stayed open 24/7. I had heard that Kansas was going up on their non-resident license but I didn’t know how much. It went from $72 to $97.50. It had been $72 for a lot of years and is still one of the best bargains in non-resident licenses. Kansas spends a lot of money leasing land for their walk-in hunting program. I would rather they raise the license fee instead of cut back on the walk-in properties.

Luke is almost well from his muscle pull but he has about another week of rest. Don had brought his young pointer, Trouble and an older one, Annie. I turned Blaze and Dolly out with their Garmin GPS and Sport Dog e-collars on.

The first farm we hunted was on both sides of the road we drove down but there was a large creek on the west side that was too deep to cross. There was a small soy bean field that ran between the road and creek. The east side of the farm ran up a small rise with a soy bean field that ran into some CRP. We hunted down the edge of the creek then crossed the road to the east side.

As we went around the soy bean field into the edge of the CRP we came to an area of weeds that were chest high. A single quail flew out. It flushed about 20 yards in front of me and Don was on my right and a little farther away. He shot but the quail was too far by the time it came by him. Blaze came in front of me and went on point in the edge of the weeds. I could only see her rear and tail. I stopped and told Don she was on point. He started to us but the quail didn’t wait. A large covey flushed with most of them flying west but a couple came my way. I missed with the first barrel but stayed with that bird and dropped it with the second. Don hadn’t been as close as I was and the covey had put more distance between him and them. I got Dolly and Blaze in to hunt dead. Blaze picked it up. I petted her until she dropped it.

The main bunch of quail had flown across the road to the edge of the creek. We started after them. When we got close to the creek we heard quail flushing. The birds that lit on our side of the creek flew on across. When we got to the trees along the side of the creek we saw that there was no cover under the trees. It looked like the water in the creek had been high enough to kill the grass and weeds. That may have been the reason for the quail to flush before we got to them.

We crossed back over to the east side and went around the soy bean field. My dogs were showing signs of having sore feet. They had hunted the day before in Missouri on snow with a icy crust on top. When we got close to the truck I put Dolly and Blaze up and got Tur Bo and Lucky out.

As I was getting Tur Bo and Lucky out 4 people in a truck stopped wanting to know if we had seen any deer. Gun season for does was open. The guys acted like they wanted to set up in front of where ever we were going to bird hunt. That wasn’t going to happen. Don showed them a walk-in property that he had seen a lot of deer on and they left. We had no idea that another deer season was going on.

We started around another soy bean field then crossed it to go down a hedge row. As we got near the end of the hedge row I saw several turkeys fly out then a coyote started across the harvested soy bean field with Tur Bo right behind him. If he can’t find birds he’s starting to work mammals. In Oklahoma he got into a porcupine, the day before when we had hunted in Missouri he pointed a raccoon that was hiding in the CRP. A few days before it was an opossum. I held the button on the Sport Dog transmitter down on level 5 but he didn’t slow down. I turned it to level 8 and he stopped. I didn’t say anything I just kept walking. He came back.

The dogs were at the end of the hedge row when I got there. An armadillo ran in front of Tur Bo and he followed. I tapped the button on the transmitter on level 5 and he came back. I don’t think he’s cured. I think I was too close for him to disobey. We decided to go to another farm.

When we got to the next farm Don parked on the edge. I decided to drive around the property to make sure no deer hunters were on it. When I got back Don was looking at his pointer, Annie. She had a cut on her chest and another on her leg. Don was going to have to get them sown up so that ended our day. I could have kept going but my dogs acted as though they had sore feet so it was good place to end the hunt.

It seems like each year we have more days of gun deer hunting in every state. I understand it. The conservation departments make more money for each deer tag sold. I understand it but I don’t like to have my dogs down during any deer gun season.

Blaze

Lucky pointing.

Dolly pointing Tur Bo backing.