Another Kansas Quail Hunt

Posted on November 20, 2013 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

On November 15 I went to the Emporia, Kansas area for my third Kansas quail hunt.  I went to a farm, that earlier I had found 2 coveys of quail in a long draw that runs through the middle of the field.  One side has corn and milo, the other had soy beans.  The corn had been combined when I was here before and now the soy beans had been harvested.

I turned Lucky, Whitey and Annie loose first.  This was Annie’s first trip.  At five months old she needs to learn everything.  The first few trips, pups have to get used to crossing ditches, fences, creeks and just running the country.  She tried to follow Lucky and Whitey but its hard to follow 2 dogs going to different objectives.

We hunted this farm for about an hour and half without finding anything so we loaded dogs and went to another farm.  It was about 11:30 so I ate lunch before starting the next hunt.

When I turned out Dolly, Luke and Blaze it was about 55 degrees but there was water for them in the creeks plus this farm had a couple of ponds.  This farm had three fields of soy beans that had been harvested but most of the land was in pasture and CRP. We went around the edge of a soy bean field, then through a wooded area with a creek through it.  I checked my Garmin GPS and saw Luke on point 225 yards ahead.

I check the GPS every few yards as I head toward the dog on point.  When I was still about 100 yards away it showed Dolly on point near Luke so I knew she was backing.  I got to the area and couldn’t see Luke or Dolly.  They were in a fence row that was overgrown with brush and weeds.  The GPS said near.  I was in the weeds looking when Blaze came in and backed.  She’s young, just learning to back and she isn’t real intense on an honor.  She could see Luke but from my height I couldn’t.  Then she got real rigid.  I thought  she got the smell of the quail.  I tried to flush in front of her and nothing flew.  I backed out and went to the other side of the fence row and finally saw Luke still on point with Dolly backing.  I couldn’t penetrate the brush Luke was pointing into so I kicked trying to flush something but no luck.   When I got back around where Blaze was pointing a single quail flushed behind me far enough away I didn’t even fire a shot.

We hunted the area looking for the rest of the covey.  A little while later the GPS showed Dolly on point in a slough, about 200 yards from where Luke was originally on point, that was filled with all manner of little saplings, most with thorns.  Before I got to her  a covey flushed that was about 30 yards from her.   Again I had no shot.  I checked the GPS and Dolly hadn’t moved.  I had to force my way through the saplings to get near Dolly.  When I got near I released her and she started trailing until she got close to where the covey had flushed from then went on.  When I got out of the slough area with all of the saplings, my left hand was bleeding in 4 places and my right in 2.

We worked our way through the pasture to a pond, watered the dogs and headed on across in the direction of the truck.  Blaze got lost behind me.  I called, then waited, called some more and she did not show up.  I knew she was behind me but she couldn’t find me.  So I turned and started back.  Dolly turned to go with me and when she got about 15 yards in front she went on point.  I went in front of her and a large covey flushed.  Through the brush I scratched one quail down.  Dolly ran out and retrieved it.

The covey had flushed toward the truck but I had to go the other way to get Blaze. I had only gone about 50 yards when Blaze showed up.  We turned around to start after Dolly’s covey when I checked the GPS.  It showed Luke on point back the opposite direction.  Before I got to him Blaze and Dolly were backing.  When I got to Luke a single flushed and I made good on my shot.  Dolly retrieved.

We worked the area some more.  Luke pointed again and when I got there a single flushed and I knocked it down.  When I shot another quail flushed and I knocked it down also.  I thought the second bird would be easy to find so I threw my hat down where I thought it fell and went to hunt the first bird.  Before I got to where it fell Dolly came toward me with the first bird. We went to my hat and I called Dolly, Luke and Blaze in to hunt dead.  They hunted but came up with nothing.

I’ve already lost too many birds this year so we really hunted for it.  I found some feathers where it hit the ground but no bird. We were still looking for the dead bird when Luke slipped away.  I called him to come back to hunt dead but he didn’t come in.  I checked the GPS and he was on point about 75 yards away.  I like my GPS.  (This morning I got an e-mail from Gun Dog Supply with a sale on Garmin GPS system.http://www.gundogsupply.com/garmin-1-dog-combo-astro-320-gps.html

When I got to him he was pointing into a large plum thicket.  I went to the opposite side and kicked the bushes.  Nothing happened.  I went around closer to Luke and kicked and about 6 birds flushed out the other side not giving me a shot.  I worked the dogs back close to where we lost the bird hoping they would come up with it but no luck.   Luke went on point again.   Another plum thicket and the bird went out where I couldn’t shoot.

We still had birds between us and the truck so we started in that direction.  This was CRP that was very thick.  Again Luke was on point looking at a plum thicket with Dolly and Blaze backing.  I went in front but nothing flushed so I released them.  They all started trailing for about 25 yards, then Blaze pointed.  When I walked in about 10 quail flushed and I missed the one shot I had.

We hunted in the direction the birds had flown.  There was a pond near where I thought the covey had flown so I watered Dolly and Blaze but Luke wasn’t with us.   As we left Luke came by going in the direction of the pond so we went on.  A short time later I checked the GPS and it showed Luke on point but since it was near the pond I thought he was probably just getting a drink.  I waited a while and checked again.  He was still on point so I went to the pond. There he stood in the edge of the shallow water pointing a snag sticking up in the pond.  The first part of the season Luke was flushing his birds before I could get to him and we had worked real hard getting him to let me flush the birds.   Now I had to get him to release without me going in front.  After a few, its okay boy, he finally swam up to the snag and grabbed it with his mouth.  He looked kind of surprised that it was that solid.

We started back in the direction of the truck.  Again I checked the GPS and it showed Luke on point behind me.   When I got to him he was pointing into a little clump of brush.  When I walked in a bird flopped around trying to fly.  It was the bird I had knocked down about 200 yards from there.  Luke chased it down and retrieved it to me.  I felt better, I didn’t want another lost bird.

I went about 25 yards and Luke was on point again.  When I found him he was in a large thicket with Blaze backing.  I knew there was no way to shoot but I was getting a lot of dog work.  I finally got in to  flush the bird and all I could do was say good boy. Blaze moved about 10 yards and went on point.  At least I saw her before I wormed my way out of the thicket.  She let me go in front and flush the bird.  Again all I could do was say good girl.

We made our way back to the truck without anymore dog work.  It was a good day.  We had a lot of dog work and I didn’t shoot terrible.  I didn’t shoot good but it wasn’t terrible.

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Day 2 Kansas Quail Season 2013

Posted on November 16, 2013 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

On day 2 of the Kansas quail season I awoke about 3:30 am at the motel in Kingman, Kansas. With a large coffee from the McDonalds next door I was on my way to the Emporia, Kansas area. All the way, I kept thinking about biscuits and gravy at Braum’s in Emporia. I may have been their first customer of the day at 6:05 on Sunday morning.


At the first place I was going to hunt I turned out Luke, Dolly and Whitey. We had only gone about 300 yards when I saw on my Garmin GPS that Luke was on point. When I found him he was in some horse weeds that were higher than my head. When the single went up I shot just to show Luke I was trying. I didn’t have a good shot. Then just a few yards away Dolly pointed. Two quail got up and I knocked 1 down. I don’t know whether this was a covey that was spread out feeding or one of the dogs flushed them before I got there. We spent about 15 minutes looking for the bird I knocked down without finding it.

A few minutes later Dolly was on point with Whitey backing. When I walked in about 5 quail got up. I knocked 2 down. Dolly brought the first one to me and we went to find the second. We spent another 15 minutes but didn’t find it. Oh how I miss my old dog, Lady. She was the best retrieving dog I ever had. With her I wouldn’t lose 3 birds a year. I had already lost three this season and its just started.

We worked our way down a long draw full of weeds, brush and a few trees that lead into a crp field. We crossed the crp to a hedge row that ran down the side of a picked corn field. The hedge row ran north for about 1/2 mile then turned east for about 200 yards. I found Dolly on point, with Luke and Whitey backing, at the corner of the hedge row. When I walked in, the bird got up on the other side of the hedge row without giving me a shot.

We hunted our way back to the truck without any other dog work.

The next farm I turned Lucky, Blaze and Tur Bo out. This farm had a harvested soy bean field, with a draw down the middle, near a real thick CRP field. We went around the soy bean field then moved over to the CRP field and started to make a pass back through it near the bean field. Tur Bo got separated from us and started howling lost. There was a pond between us and when I went one way he would go the other. Finally he saw me across the pond. He was so glad to find me he didn’t go around the pond, he just dove in and started swimming. When he swam, his front feet would come out of the water causing water to splash in his face which made him raise his head. When he raised his head, he couldn’t see where he was going; but he swam toward my voice. He was really happy to get out of the pond and be back with us.

We worked our way through the CRP and started back through the bean field. Lucky ran back down the draw that ran down the middle. When he got to the east, end he went on point. When Tur Bo and I got to him, Tur Bo went to Lucky and licked him in the face. Lucky doesn’t really like pups but he did not move. I know he had to be thinking, when this is over I’m going to kick your butt. When the birds flushed they went out on the other side of some brush without giving me a shot.

Because of the brush I couldn’t see where the quail landed, but they flew toward the CRP. We started into the CRP and Lucky went on point. The quail flushed before Tur Bo could get to Lucky, probably saving his life. I knocked the bird down and Lucky retrieved it to hand. We hunted the area without finding any other singles.

The next farm, it was back to Dolly, Luke and Whitey. It was 80 acres, that was about half CRP, with a slough in the middle and the rest was milo. We crossed the CRP and as we got to the slough Luke went on point. Before I entered the slough area I could see Luke on point and I heard a bird flush. He didn’t move until I released him. Between Luke and Dolly I had several points but I only heard the quail flushing, I never saw them. When I crossed the slough and started into the milo, I saw Whitey on point with Luke and Dolly backing. I walked about 10 yards in front of Whitey before about 6 quail flushed. Through the brush I was able to knock a bird down. As Whitey was bringing the bird back another bird flushed and she dropped the quail. She dropped the bird but Luke came by, picked up the bird and delivered it to me.

Then Dolly went on point back in the slough. When I went in front nothing got up so I released her and she started trailing. She trailed for about 200 yards before a quail got up about 40 yards from us. I shot just to let Dolly know I was paying attention. We worked our way back to the truck without any more dog work.

The older dogs seem to have more stamina than the younger ones so at the last farm we would hunt I turned Dolly, Lucky and Luke out. This was a pasture that hadn’t been grazed a lot. It had good cover but wasn’t hard walking. It was flat enough you could see the dogs a long ways. Soon after we started I found a large covey roost. We hunted the edges near the fence lines. There were several clumps of trees and each time we got close some turkeys would fly out the other side. Never within range. We hunted back to the truck without firing a shot.

The only picture I took. Lucky backing Dolly

The only picture I took. Lucky backing Dolly

The second day of the Kansas quail season was much better than the first. I only got 3 quail but I had a lot of dog work. All of the dogs had points except for Blaze and Tur Bo but their days are coming. Tur Bo has learned a lot just being along. At 5 months old he’s still learning about fences, ditches and he really didn’t master the swimming thing.

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Kansas Quail Season 2013: Day 1

Posted on November 12, 2013 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

On opening morning of the Kansas quail season 2013, I was up and on the road early. The dogs had been in the box over night so I stopped by the Bryan Walker Conservation Area to give them a drink and a chance to relieve themselves. I got to wondering if I had unplugged the coffee pot at the motel so I drove the 14 miles back to the motel to check. Sure enough I had. But if I had not gone back I would have worried all day.


When I got to the first farm I wanted to hunt there were 4 trucks and enough dog boxes for 9 dogs. The next farm there were only 3 trucks. This was repeated at two more farms before I found one that didn’t have hunters already hunting it. There were herds of guys hunting.

Finally I stopped by a place in the Pratt Sand Hills that I knew nothing about and turned out Luke, Whitey and Tur Bo. This area is good for dogs that like to run. When you think of Kansas you think flat but not this area. It’s one hill after another with only sage and low growing weeds as cover. Trees are few and far between. Although there were puddles of water on the road in, it was dry where we hunted.

It started off cool but warmed rapidly. It was a nice morning as all opening mornings are. I had water with me although there are wind mills (or as they call them in Texas, setter fans) every so often. We made a large circle and at the end of two hours we were about two miles from the truck and had seen no pheasants or quail.

Tur Bo at five months old doesn’t have the endurance of the older dogs and would lie down every time I slowed down. Although we had found a couple of watering places, I had used up all the water I had brought with me. So we started back to the truck. We cut across rather than go back the same way we came out.

We were out 3 hours and Luke and Whitey covered a lot of ground and we didn’t see a quail or pheasant. Any way I didn’t.

We drove to a farm I had come by earlier and had seen hunters on. I filled my water bottles and turned Dolly, Blaze and Lucky loose. It was as dry here as it had been in the sand hills. We had only been out a short time when the Garmin GPS showed Dolly on point. When I found her she was in the middle of a huge plum thicket. She was extremely hard to find and the thicket was so thick I could hardly get through. I got close and tried to encourage Dolly to flush the birds. Blaze and Lucky were backing but no one would move. I kept pushing through the plum thicket. When I got a few yards ahead of Dolly and nothing flushed I released her and all three dogs moved in and started trailing, one would go on point then another. We went through the thicket and never saw a bird.

Later on the GPS showed Dolly on point again. And again she was in a huge plum thicket. I was tired of trying to bull my way through these things but the dogs probably felt the same. Blaze and Lucky were backing. As I got close Dolly wormed her way through a little further and went on point again. As I moved up I saw 2 quail flush about 40 yards ahead of us. We went to the area I thought they went down at and worked it for about fifteen minutes without finding anything.

We worked our way back to the truck. Again I had used all of the water I had brought.

On the way down I had found 3 coveys in about 3 hours or less so I decided to spend the night in the motel, get up early the next morning and head to the Emporia, Kansas area.

Opening day of the Kansas quail season 2013 ended with only 2 quail seen and not a shot fired. Tomorrow has to be a better day.

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Kansas Quail Season 2013

Posted on November 8, 2013 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

Kansas quail season opens the second Saturday of November each year. This year, 2013, the season opens on November 9. By the time I made reservations most of the motel rooms close to where I wanted to hunt were taken so it is a 60 mile drive.

I came down on Friday to the Greensburg, Kansas area. On the way down I stopped at a couple of walk-in areas to exercise the dogs. I had my gun with me so I could be turkey hunting. In Kansas you can’t work dogs on walk-in, you can only hunt.

At the first place I turned out Lucky, Luke and Tur Bo. At 5 months old this is Tur Bo’s first trip. It was about 55 degrees with a strong south wind. I didn’t know how strong until I got to the motel and watched the news from Wichita, Kansas. The weather guy said the wind had been blowing up to 51 miles per hour.

We went down a lane near some milo that hadn’t been combined. On the west end there was a draw that ran to the south along the milo. I saw Luke getting real birdy as soon as he got to the draw. Three quail flew right over me. Then I saw on my Garmin GPS that Luke was on point where I thought those three quail got up from. Luke was pointing into the south wind and I was in front of him. We had the birds between us. A covey of 10 to 12 birds flushed.

There was also some soy beans on this farm that hadn’t been combined. We had worked into the wind until we got to the south edge then hunted west across the end. We came back north on a hedge row and we were going to head east toward the truck I checked the GPS and it showed Luke on point. I check the GPS as I head toward the dog on point because sometimes the dog will move and leave his point. As I watched the GPS it showed Lucky backing Luke.

I saw Lucky first then I saw Luke in some heavy brush. Again we had the birds between us. When I walked in a nice covey of about fifteen quail flushed. They are fat and slow when the season is not open.

We hunted back to the truck without seeing anything else. Tur Bo is learning about crossing fences and ditches, and he even learned a little about berry vines and wild roses.

We drove about a mile south to another farm and I turned out the girls, Dolly, Blaze and Whitey. Again we had milo that hadn’t been combined. The farm was smaller on this side of the road but both sides were in walk-in. We started around the milo field. We had gone 1/4 mile west then 1/2 mile south then almost 1/4 mile east when I saw Dolly on point. As I walked in I saw that Dolly was backing Whitey. Blaze came around and backed Dolly.

I got about 10 yards in front of Whitey when I saw 3 quail running on the ground. I tried to flush them, but the wind was blowing so hard that it was roaring in the trees, and if they flew I couldn’t hear them.

Dolly went south along the road and went on point a couple of times but we couldn’t flush anything. We checked across the road and found nothing. We hunted back to the truck.

I’m writing this from my motel room, waiting for opening morning. I have seen quail almost every where I have run dogs. All the way down here I thought of the birds we saw today that were closer to home and wondered why I was driving away. If I didn’t have a motel reservation……………

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