Traveling Pointing Dogs

Tur Bo pointing a single.

Blaze honoring Tur Bo.

Rocky just being Rocky.

I hunted in Kansas on the way to Oklahoma. The wind was really blowing and we didn’t do very well. I may have seen more pheasants than quail although I didn’t see very many of either. The quail and pheasants weren’t holding for the dogs in that kind of wind so I decided to save the dogs for Oklahoma.

The Black Kettle National Grasslands is 30,710 acres in Oklahoma. There are 114 different parcels so there is room for a lot of hunters. Only one of the parcels I hunted I didn’t find birds on and on it I crossed the road to another on the way back to the truck and found a covey.

The first place I hunted was 320 acres that is one of my favorite places. I put the Garmin GPS and Sport Dog e-collars on Lucky and Tur Bo. Rocky the English cocker spaniel goes almost every time but he doesn’t have any electronics, yet. We went south with the wind along the west fence line for about 500 yards then moved over to the east and started back into the wind. Both dogs were in front of me and I saw a covey of quail fly into some tall grass and short plum thickets between the dogs and me. I called the dogs back but they made a couple of circles but not where the quail had landed and went on.

Rocky and I were moving in the direction of the quail and I was still trying to get the dogs in when a quail flushed. I think Rocky flushed it. It dropped into a plum thicket at my shot. When I shot another quail flushed and I dropped it on the edge of the thicket. Rocky saw it fall and retrieved it. I checked the GPS and both dogs were on point so we went to them. They must have been pointing where the covey had flushed from because when I got there they started trailing without finding anything. I took all 3 dogs back to the plum thicket to find my bird. Rocky went into the thicket, picked up the quail and brought it to me.

As I was shooting at the first two quail other birds were flushing. We went in the direction that the birds had flown. I checked the GPS and Lucky was on point about 140 yards to the east. I hadn’t seen any birds fly that way so I was expecting another covey. Tur Bo saw Lucky and honored. Rocky and I went in front of Lucky and I could tell Rocky could smell the bird. His tail and actually his whole butt was going wild. A single quail flushed and flew straight away. Rocky saw it drop and retrieved. We hunted back to the truck without finding any other quail.

The next place I turned Dolly and Blaze loose on was 160 acres with a dry creek running through the middle with a lot of trees and brush along side. We hunted to the north edge then east to the dry creek, south along the creek and were almost back to the truck when I saw a quail fly to the fence row on the south. Both dogs were excited but they hadn’t seen the quail. As I watched the dogs more quail were getting up way out in front of them. We worked back to the fence row on the south and Rocky flushed a quail right in front me that flew through some small trees. I shot and there is a tree that will never be the same but I didn’t turn a feather on the bird. I decided that these birds had been pressured too much. We went to another parcel.

This place was more open with plum thickets and tall grass. It also, had a windmill to water the dogs at. We started to the east. The wind hadn’t been blowing very hard on the first place but it had started and was getting stronger. I turned to the north when we got almost to the east fence line. Blaze had been off to my right and when I turned left that put her behind me. After a few minutes I checked the GPS and she was 220 yards behind me on point. I started back to her thinking the birds would flush before I got there but she was still on point. She was pointing into a small plum thicket. Dolly saw her and honored. I walked in and the covey flushed. I knocked a bird down with the first barrel but missed with the second. We looked and looked but never found that bird.

We followed the covey but never came up with any singles so we continued on to the north. There is a small food plot on the back of this one with a fence around it. The food plot is in winter wheat so I went around it. Blaze was off to my left when I turned right around the food plot. That put her behind me again. After a few minutes I checked the GPS and she was 125 yards behind me on point. I got close and couldn’t see her but I knew she had to be pointing into a plum thicket in front of me. Dolly came around the thicket and I expected her to see Blaze and honor. She always honors but this time she couldn’t see Blaze and she was going with the wind. She ran through the covey. I never got a shot. We hunted back to the truck without finding any of the singles.

The next place I went to had a creek with a lot of trees and brush growing along it. Both sides of the road I parked on was part of the grass lands. I left Lucky in the truck but turned Dolly, Blaze, Tur Bo and Rocky out. Blaze only had a GPS collar on, no e-collar. We went north along one side without finding anything then crossed the road to hunt up a big draw. We hadn’t gone very far when Tur Bo came to me with porcupine quills in his nose. I carry some big side cutters in my bird vest but they wouldn’t close on the quills. They are made for cutting. So we headed for the truck.

As we crossed a grass field I saw Tur Bo on a hill on point. When I got closer I saw he was backing Blaze. She was pointing into a small plum thicket. When I walked in two quail flushed and at my shot one dropped over the hill. One shot was all I had. We were searching for the dead bird when I noticed Dolly wasn’t with us. I checked the GPS and she was on point back close to where the 2 birds had flushed from. I put a empty shell on a yucca plant and went to Dolly.

I could just barely see Dolly, she was in a larger plum thicket near where Blaze had originally pointed. As I got close a covey flushed. I picked out a bird flying straight away and it dropped when I shot. A late riser flushed and it also went down. Tur Bo ran to one of the birds and picked it up. When he gave it to me I didn’t know which bird it was. Finally, I got them to looking in the right spot and Dolly found the first bird I shot.

We went back over the hill where I had left the shell on the yucca plant to look for that bird. After several minutes Blaze found it. Blaze doesn’t retrieve but she hunts dead pretty good. She finds the bird and picks it up then drops it. You have to be watching her.

We got back to the truck and I got some needle nose pliers out. Tur Bo jumped onto the tail gate thinking I was going to put him in the box, probably. I grabbed his muzzle and started pulling quills. He weighs almost 50 pounds and he didn’t want me to pull those quills. One 50 pound dog can almost whip one guy. Almost. We had quite a rodeo on the tail gate but I got them all out. He was happy when I put him in the box.

We had time for one more place. There was a place that I hunted last year that had 2 coveys on it and they beat me each time I tried them. I went to it to see if they were still there. Last year I think they flushed any time I got with in 50 yards of them. I turned all 5 dogs out. We started to the north then crossed to a large thicket with trees and brush. As Rocky and I started around it a single quail flushed about 20 yards in front of us and started through the thicket. I shot through some limbs and it came down. I knew it wasn’t hit very hard and when Rocky and I got close it tried to fly. Rocky saw it and ran after it. The bird was pretty fast but not fast enough. Rocky was pretty proud of his catch.

I checked the GPS and Blaze was on point about 75 yards from me. I was still about 25 yards from her when about 6 birds flushed and flew toward me. I shot and one fell. Some more flushed behind me and I turned and shot. I hit a bird but it didn’t fall. Rocky and I went to look for the dead bird. Rocky found it and brought it to me. We started in the direction the covey had flown.

I was watching Tur Bo when he went on point. Rocky and went in front of him and a single quail flushed. I missed with the first barrel but he dropped at the second shot. Rocky saw it fall and retrieved. I just needed one more bird for a limit.

We were getting close to the truck when the GPS said Blaze was on point. When I got close she was rolling a dead quail around on the ground. The quail I had hit earlier had died and she found him to finish out my limit.

It’s always good to get your dogs into lots of birds. You can really see them learn. Blaze has always been a pretty good dog and her first year she was really good for her age but on this day she really stood out. She found more birds than all of the other dogs combined.

Limit of quail and my 20 gauge.

Lucky on point.

Dolly

Luke

Tur Bo

Luke pointing a single quail.

Wednesday I went hunting on Corp of Engineers land near Truman Lake. I got started late and it was already warm when I got to the first place. This area gets a lot of pressure. Most of the time I see other quail hunters in the area and this was no exception. There are a lot of water fowl hunters in this area, also. I hunted for about 3 hours before it got too hot for the dogs without seeing a quail.

Friday, although gun deer season is in full swing in Kansas, I met Don and Linda Hansen near Emporia in Kansas. We have hunted this area several times and knew where some places were that might not draw deer hunters. The weather forecast was for warm but winds about 10 miles an hour. Either they really missed or it was a nice day in the Kansas City area. Where we were was a hang on to your hat day.

Don turned Tigger out with the Garmin Alpha and I used Lucky and Tur Bo with their Garmin Astro and Sport Dog e-collars. We have hunted this place before and found birds near where we park the trucks. We start through a CRP field that runs beside a harvested soy bean field. All 3 dogs were birdy and were trailing as we got near the soy bean field. A covey of quail started flushing in front of the dogs. They got up in front of the dogs, in 3 or 4 bunches, too far for us to even get a shot.

The covey had flown back into the CRP toward a creek that ran through it. We started in that direction with the dogs working in front of us. We were going with the wind but the 3 or 4 quail that we saw didn’t wait for the dogs to get close anyway. Don took a frustration shot but didn’t slow anything down. We made several passes through where the few singles had flushed from with no luck.

We worked down the creek that ran through the middle of the CRP. As we got near the end of the property we both were on the same side when Don saw on his GPS that Tigger was on point. Before we took a step we heard a covey flush. We went on the other side to find all 3 dogs really hyper but the covey was already gone. Don had seen two fly in the direction we wanted to go. After checking to the south down a hedge row we turned and started to the north. We never saw a another bird out of this covey.

We worked on around the edge of this property to a draw that ran into the CRP. We started up the draw and Don heard a quail flush but again he didn’t get a shot. Tur Bo was about 100 yards in front of me and Lucky was checking a small thicket out in the CRP when I heard a quail flush near me. It had to be in the draw. It was close but I never saw it. Lucky pointed near a small thicket in the CRP but as I waited on Don to come to my side of the draw he started moving. I went out where he had been pointing and got both dogs to working the area. They trailed like some birds had run through the area but we never came up with anything.

We were on the way back to the truck. Don, Linda and I were walking in the edge of the harvested soy bean field when I saw Lucky in the CRP on point. We started toward him and he moved about 10 yards and went on point again. Don was on my left and we were well out in front of Lucky. A single quail flushed about 20 yards in front of Lucky to my right. It fell at my shot. Lucky saw it drop but didn’t mark it down well. He ran by it and I got Tur Bo in to hunt dead. Tur Bo likes to hunt dead but Lucky would just as soon go find another quail.

Don had thrown his hat where he thought the quail had dropped. Tur Bo came in and smelled the quail immediately. It was in the tall CRP but he made a couple of moves and picked up the quail. I petted him for a few seconds then said, “give” and he dropped it in my hand. It was within 5 feet of where Don had thrown his hat. We hunted back to the truck without any other action.

It was already 60 degrees but we both still had dogs that hadn’t been out of the truck. We checked the Kansas walk-in atlas and came up with a 160 acre place that neither of us had ever hunted. It was all in CRP but was surrounded on all 4 sides with harvested row crops. It had a creek running through the middle that had a lot of brush growing along it.

Don had brought his young pointer Trouble and I had Dolly and Blaze that hadn’t been out. We turned them out and started to the north, through the CRP, down the fence row. We made it to the back, went to the east, then back south down the creek. The dogs worked hard but in the heat and strong wind we never saw a quail. I will try this place again on a cooler and less windy day. It should have birds on it.

We quit for the day. In the middle of the deer season I never saw a deer hunter. We had waited until after 9:00 am before going out hoping the deer hunters were out of the field and it seemed to work.

I think we had moved 3 coveys on the first place we hunted and only killed one quail. In the wind and heat the birds are real spooky but it’s good for the dogs. When dogs are moving on their birds I hide pigeons and when they move I flush the bird. After a few times the dogs quit moving. When the quail are spooky and flush before the dogs can point the dogs get more cautious. And, any day you can get out with your dogs is a good day.

Blaze

Lucky on point.

Dolly

Luke

Tur Bo honoring Dolly

Tur Bo

The weather forecast was for strong winds and I’ve hunted a lot this season in strong winds. I said I wasn’t going. About 9:30 am I called Don Hansen and told him I was tired of sitting. I’m going wind or no wind. He said he and Linda would meet me near Emporia, Kansas.

The first farm we hunted had a huge CRP field surrounding a harvested soy bean field. The spring rains made the CRP grow really tall and thick. A few days before we hunted this farm we had freezing rain that beat some of the cover down but it was still tough hunting.

Don had his pointer Annie with him and I turned Lucky and Tur Bo out. Don uses the Garmin Alpha and I have the Garmin Astro backed up by Sport Dog e-collars. During a normal year we would go through the CRP and make a circle around the edges of the farm. Today we went up the side of the soy bean field and crossed a hedge row that runs east to west on the north side of the soy bean field. There was just a narrow lane to cross the hedge row and we were single file with me in front. A single quail flew right over the top of us. Neither of us got a shot.

Don and I spread out about 5 yards apart watching the dogs work. None of them acted like they heard or saw the quail flush. As we were watching the dogs a turkey flushed right in front of Don and he shot it. It dropped and Tur Bo and Annie held it until Don could get to it. (Kansas allows hunting turkeys in the fall with dogs.) It was a large gobbler and it was a long way to the truck.

We went on down the hedge row but were out in the CRP. A quail flushed beside Don in the CRP and flew straight ahead. It dropped at his shot. It was a long shot and it fell in the CRP. We got the dogs in to hunt dead where we thought the bird had fallen. They worked it back and forth for a while then I noticed Lucky wasn’t with us. I checked the GPS and it showed him on point 74 feet from us. There was a dead quail about 10 feet in front of him. In the strong wind he was real cautious. He pointed instead of getting close enough to tell that the bird was dead. We hunted back to the truck without finding anything else.

The next farm was about 80 acres with a hedge row on the north and wide fence rows on the west and south. Don turned Annie out and I put the collars on Dolly and Luke. As we started to the west along the hedge row the south wind was trying to push us into the next county. We started to the south down the wide fence row and we thought we heard a covey of quail flush. Neither of us saw a single bird. We continued to the south corner then turned east. I saw Dolly on point and told Don. Before we got to her the quail flushed. It dropped in a plum thicket at my shot. I got Dolly in to look for it. I went into the thicket where I thought the dead bird was and a bird flushed in front of me. It must have hit some limbs or something and made me think it was a wounded bird. By the time I figured out that it was a healthy bird it was too far to shoot at. Dolly found my dead bird.

Annie pointed and before we got to her a quail flew away then Dolly pointed and a quail flushed before we could get close. A total of 6 or 7 quail flushed without us getting another shot. We continued on to the east and right at the corner a quail flushed in front of Don and he made a good shot on it. It dropped in some tall weeds but the dogs had no problem finding it.

We started back to the truck and Don checked his GPS. Annie was on point on the other side of a plum thicket. I was in front when we went around the thicket so I stopped waiting on Don to get close. The quail didn’t wait. It flushed and dropped at my shot. Dolly had been honoring Annie and made the retrieve. We hunted in the area trying to find more of the singles without any luck.

We drove several miles to the next farm. It was about 80 acres of milo with a wide fence row on the west side. The north and south sides went into wood lots. The north side had been a home place and was especially thick. Blaze was the only one of my dogs that hadn’t been out yet. I turned her and Lucky out. We went around this farm and into the woods on the south and didn’t see a quail. Last year I had seen 2 coveys on it and I think we just missed them in the strong wind. I will check it again before the season is over.

We only saw 2 coveys but it was still better than sitting at home. This whole year has been windy and if I stay home on windy days I won’t get to go hunting. The dogs don’t care how strong the winds are and the quail being spooky should make them more cautious.

Again, I’m having to use older pictures. With spooky birds it’s hard to remember to take pictures or even have time.

Luke pointing Dolly honoring.

Dolly

Luke pointing Lucky honoring