The 21/22 Quail Season

Posted on February 1, 2022 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

The 21/22 quail season has come to a close in Missouri and Kansas. Just writing that statement is kind of depressing. But everything comes to an end, I guess. Missouri and Kansas both were going through drought conditions this year. The scenting conditions were tough for the dogs. Toward the end of the season there was dirt lying in the grass that boiled up as we walked through.

Abby on point.

Boss pointing Abby honoring.

Boss honoring.

I like to take a trip to a new place each year before the season opens. This year I had a litter of puppies at the end of June. They didn’t go to their new homes until September. Then the weather, almost everywhere, stayed really warm. Occasionally, there would be a couple of cool days but not long enough for a hunting trip. So I didn’t take a trip.

I was still wanting to take a trip as the season went along but all of the reports were dismal. The birds in western Oklahoma were non existent. There were a few but not enough for a trip. We checked out south western Kansas and it wasn’t good either. A friend had some friends hunting in New Mexico. After two days they hadn’t seen a quail. So I never made a trip other than one over night hunt in central Kansas.

Then I was working my puppy, Bodie, on some pigeons. When I flushed one pigeon from the release trap it only flew to a low limb in a close tree. Bodie leaped into the air to catch the pigeon and when he came down there was a snap like breaking a large limb. He yelped but didn’t try to move.

I started carrying him out of the field but had to sit him down and go get the 4-wheeler. I took him to the vet and they found his leg broken. They put him in a cast and I kept him in a cage in the basement, letting him out on a leash several times a day. With him in a cast there was no way I could make a trip. He wore the first cast 21 days then the vet put another cast on for 10 days. After that cast come off I couldn’t run him for two weeks.

Vince Dye and I had some decent hunts in northern Missouri on some private land. Vince has a couple of friends that are big farmers. They own a lot of land and allow him to quail hunt. Since the season has closed Vince has walked some of the places, coyote hunting, and found several more places that we should have hunted with the bird dogs.

Don Hansen and I had a really good hunt on some walk-in property in mid January. These birds were flushing far enough ahead of us that we never hurt them. We found 4 or 5 coveys and each covey was large. Close to twenty birds in each one. I just knew we could go back a couple of times.

Abby really concentrating on this honor.

Then tragedy struck. My sisters husband, Lenval Woodruff, passed away. They had been married almost 65 years. Lenval had been an important part of our family for most of my life. I went to Oklahoma for his funeral and came home with Covid 19. I not only got Covid but I also gave it to my wife, June. So that took care of the last part of the 21/22 quail season for me.

Now I’m sitting home waiting on a big snow storm to hit thinking about the season past and looking forward to next year. If the Lord’s willing I will be going somewhere and hopefully more than one place. I really enjoy hunting new places and would like to hunt some new kinds of quail.

Enough of the doom and gloom. Boss, Abby and Bodie need lots of work before next season. I’m looking forward to doing the trained retrieve with them as well as working them on pigeons. Boss and Abby, both, hold their birds well and let me walk in front of them. Normally, they don’t move until the bird does. We will continue to work on that along with the trained retrieve.

Mann on point with Sally honoring.

Bodie needs a lot of work. Usually by the time they are 6 months old I have them heeling and whoaing on a lead. And holding their birds, allowing me to flush. With his broken leg I wasn’t able to work with him. When my Covid clears I will take him back to the vet to make sure he’s ready to run and be trained. Then we will start in earnest.

For me, being able to work the dogs in the back yard and get several points, on the pigeons, is about as much fun as a successful bird hunt. So the open season is the top but the off season isn’t far behind.

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Another Hunt In Kansas

Posted on January 20, 2022 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

The season is closed in Missouri and is winding down in Kansas. It’s been hard for Don Hansen and me to be able to hunt together. We both are retired but life gets in the way. Yesterday we finally were able to get together. I met Don and Linda at a convenience store in Kansas. Don’s dog, Goofy, was in the front seat while they were in the store. He looked like, “if you don’t come back soon, I’m leaving”.

Come on or I’m leaving.

Don and Linda near Sally’s point.

Goofy

On the walk-in properties I like to hunt them different than what I think the last guy did. Instead of just going the easy route I like to go to places that some of the people will miss. After we turned our dogs (Don just brought Goofy but I had Mann, Sally, Abby and Boss) loose we went along the side of a winter wheat field, but we were out in the CRP.

We had only gone about a quarter mile when the GPS handheld vibrated showing Mann on point. By the time we got there the other dogs were honoring. He was looking into a long plum thicket. When we got close to him a large covey of quail flushed about 40 yards ahead of us out the end of the plum thicket.

We couldn’t tell where they went down but we followed in the direction they flew. As we went along Don had a single get up right in front of him. We don’t shoot unless the bird is pointed but we got the dogs in to hunt for more singles. No luck.

We came on around the end of the property and started back to the north. Suddenly there was another covey in the air flying the way we were going. We were able to mark this covey down by an old dead tree. Two coveys of quail in the first 30 minutes and not a shot fired. We went toward these birds.

Before we got close to the tree the GPS vibrated and Mann was on point to the east. We got close and he was moving. Then Sally was on point in the same area. When we got close to her she was moving. We let the dogs work this area for a little while and started toward our dead tree.

Again the GPS vibrated and Mann was on point back close to his other point, only about 35 yards from us. We went back to see him twisted into a point. It looked like the bird was right under his nose. A bird exploded right in front of him and just as I shot went around a cedar tree. Another quail flushed from behind me and Don dropped it into a plum thicket. As we stood there with me congratulating Don on his shot Mann brought the dead bird to me and dropped it in my hand. It was kind of slimy from Mann’s saliva but we didn’t mind.

We were closer to another edge of this property than the old dead tree so we decided to hit that first. Out in the CRP, 75 yards from the end of the property, Goofy pointed. When we got to him a single came up and went my way. I missed with the first barrel but dropped it with the second.

Boss pointing Abby honoring.

We got the dogs in to hunt dead. I saw Boss point and encouraged him to jump in. It didn’t take much. He grabbed the bird and wanted to run. I grabbed him and started petting. In just a few seconds he was ready to get rid of the bird. I took it from him. We started to our tree, again.

We hadn’t gone far when the GPS handheld vibrated again. Mann was on point 200 yards behind us along the edge of the property. When we started toward our old tree, he hadn’t come with us. I could not hunt without GPS collars.

When we got close the other dogs were honoring. He was looking into a plum thicket. There was a small clump of plums near him that he was looking into but as we got in front of him he turned his head toward the real long thicket. As we took a step or two about 65 yards ahead of us a huge covey of quail flushed, without us getting a shot. These flew to the south over a small rise. We followed.

Abby honoring Sally.

With all of the dogs off to the south west, about 50 yards ahead, about 10 quail flushed from a small thicket and flew west. We got the dogs in to hunt where those flushed and where we thought they had flown. As the dogs were hunting close to us another huge covey of quail flushed about 150 yards ahead of us. No dogs or people near.

We hunted around for the ten birds for a little while then started following the big covey that had flushed. All of the dogs were really birdy as we followed. We had several points. When we got close the dogs would trail. We were almost to some plowed ground when Sally and Abby pointed at the same time close to us.

Sally must have lost the scent because she trailed on off. Abby didn’t move. She knew the bird was right in front of her. When the bird flushed it curled around Don and put a tree between them really quick. He shot but didn’t have a chance. There was almost no cover left as we got close to the plowed ground and another quail flushed coming back past me. We weren’t shooting at birds not pointed.

Abby pointing.

As we come along the edge another quail flushed. It had to almost be standing in the plowed field. Still no shot. We came on around and started one more time for the old dead tree. This time we made it but it had been a couple of hours since we had seen the birds land close. The dogs worked around the area but we never came up with anything.

It was pretty warm, 57 degrees when I got in my truck to go home, so we started to the truck. When we got close to where we had seen the very first covey the GPS vibrated. Boss was on point. Just a few seconds later Mann was too. Mann was honoring Boss or he had come between Boss and the birds without seeing Boss. As we went toward them they both moved. Then they were on point again.

When we got there Mann was ahead and Boss was honoring in the very same plum thicket where the original covey had been. When we went in front of Mann a quail flushed and I shot but missed as it flew around the plum thicket. Another quail flushed and Don knocked it down. Abby found the bird and I petted her until she gave it up.

Boss honoring.

We went just a little farther into the CRP and Sally pointed. When we got in front of her a single quail flushed. When I shot it folded. Sally made the retrieve. I tried to feed her the head but I think she dropped it. We let the dogs work the area. About the time we started to leave the GPS vibrated. Mann was on point about 35 yards from us. When we got close I saw he was sitting down. When I got in front of him he stood. A quail flushed and hit the ground on my second shot.

In the heat the dogs were hot and tired. Once more we started toward the truck and Sally went on point just a few yards in front of us. When we walked in a single quail flushed. Again, on my second shot it came down. Sally found the bird but was just walking back to me. I hit the tone button on her e-collar and she ran back with the bird. This time she ate the head from the bird.

Boss

That made 4 birds out of this covey so we started to the truck, again. Linda had already taken Goofy to the truck. As we came by a plum thicket I saw all of the dogs on point. I think Mann had pointed in a plum thicket and the other 3 had honored. I took pictures of them all. When I went to Mann he started moving. Then all of the dogs were moving. When Sally came by me I could see something was wrong.

She wasn’t running right. I thought at first she had a stick inside the vest I had her wearing but that wasn’t it. She was staggering around in the plum thicket. I couldn’t get to her so I called her to me. When I started petting her she was moving her left back leg up and down. I took the vest off and grabbed some snow and rubbed it on her chest to cool her down. In just a few seconds she seemed better.

Sally with her leg straight out.

We were 300 yards from the truck and she stayed closer than usual but she still hunted back to the truck. When I loaded her in the truck she seemed fine but tired. Later when I saw the picture of her when she was honoring Mann she had her right front leg pointing straight out. I’ve never seen her or any other dog do that. Looks like a cartoon dog pointing at the dog on point.

I think she was having cramps but I don’t know. Today she is sore but much better. I will watch her for a while and if she needs to see a vet I will take her.

We were out from about 10 am until about 2:30 pm and saw 4 coveys and possibly part of 5 coveys. We didn’t kill a lot of birds but all 5 dogs pointed and that’s what we came for. This was the best day of the season for us. We were in birds most of the day. That had to be really good for the dogs.

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Another Kansas Quail Hunt

Posted on January 16, 2022 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

It’s been a while since I have written a post for the blog. Life sometimes gets in the way of what we want to do. I’ve had some business that kept me from the field and the weather hasn’t really cooperated like I would like. But I did finally get to go last Wednesday.

Boss on the right pointing a single and Ben’s Brittany on the left honoring.

Ben’s Brittany pointing a single.

Sally honoring.

I had some business that kept me from leaving home before about 9:30 am. When I got close to a huge walk-in property there was no one on the first side I drove down. It is a big property so I decided to check the other side to make sure no one had come in from the other side. When I started down the dirt road on the far side there was a pickup truck driving, slowly.

I followed him slowly down the road. Slow is okay for me because I like to look, too. When we got to the dead end he pulled to the side and I drove up beside him. We talked for a while. He had just got there too. After a little while I told him I was going back to the other side and turn the dogs loose. If he wanted he could hunt with me. He said he really hadn’t wanted to hunt alone. He would follow me to the other side.

His name was Ben and he had a young Brittany that he turned loose. It took me a few minutes to get the e-collars and GPS collars on my four dogs, Mann, Sally, Abby and Boss. I had put the collars on Mann first and as we started to cross the road to hunt I looked 200 plus yards to the north and he was on point along the road. We were almost to him and he started moving but all of the other dogs were really birdy.

Sally and Ben’s Brittany (I usually don’t remember people’s name but I remember the dog’s name. As I write this I can’t remember his dog’s name. I remember Ben’s name because I have a brother named Ben.) both pointed for a few seconds then moved. I had planned to hunt the other side of the road but since the dogs acted like we were following running birds, we hunted this side.

We circled several small fields, through some hay fields and crossed some creeks. The dogs were hunting well and every once in a while, after we got close to where the dogs were pointed, we would see a turkey in the air. After we walked a long way we knew that the dogs were chasing turkeys. We were almost back to where we had parked the trucks when we heard a cat squall. It sounded like we may have made a bob cat mad, by chasing his turkeys off.

When we got back to the trucks, we watered the dogs and our self, then went across where we originally had intended to go. This side is huge and we walked way back. The dogs had led us the way they wanted to go, more or less. There is an old abandoned road on the side that is now part of this property. It runs about a quarter mile but is only about a hundred yards wide. The GPS handheld vibrated showing Mann on point almost at the very end.

Abby really concentrating on this honor.

We started toward him but after we went about a hundred yards he was moving. We decided to continue on down the old road. In just a few seconds I saw Abby standing in a harvested soybean field honoring. When I checked the GPS Sally was on point. We went a little faster toward them but before we got close Abby was moving.

These quail, that are still alive on walk-in properties, are not alive because they are dumb. We went on toward the end. I saw Boss on point and Ben’s Brittany honoring in the thick brush. I took a couple of pictures and Ben tried to get in front of them and drive the quail my way. As he got close a single quail flushed, going through the brush, without giving either of us a shot.

We were almost at the end when my GPS handheld vibrated. Sally was on point on the end of the old road. By the time we got close we saw that Ben’s Brittany was actually the one on point with Sally, Boss and Abby honoring. I took pictures as Ben crossed the fence to get in front of his dog. A single quail flushed and Ben made a nice shot.

Boss honoring.

We came back down the old, grown up roadway. Right where the roadway joined the other property, behind me a few feet and right in front of Ben, a single quail flushed and went around a cedar tree, without giving either of us a shot. I had hunted this property one other time this year and a covey of quail had run out and flushed in this same area. The last time, we only saw two singles. This time we saw 3.

We hunted back toward the trucks. When we got close a couple of our dogs pointed then before we could get close were moving again. We had seen several turkeys earlier and again we saw one in the air. This would be a good area for fall turkey hunting next year.

Abby on point Sally honoring.

I can’t ever remember asking someone to hunt with me that I met at a hunting spot but this one worked out really well. Ben was about my age and was more interested in dog work than shooting. We both knew some of the same people. I hunt with Don Hansen and Ben had him work on one of his shotguns. He also knew a friend of Don’s and now a friend of mine that bought a puppy from me. We were just happy to get the dogs out and get them into birds. They, the dogs, learn something each time they are out. Especially when you can get them into wild birds.

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A Post During The Lousy Weather

Posted on January 6, 2022 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

I like to do at least a post a week but life sometimes gets in the way. Monday I took Bodie up to get the cast from the broken leg removed. The vet, Dr. Becker, thought he needed to wear a cast for another 10 days. He said the blood wasn’t circulating through the bone right. So now Bodie has a brand new cast.

Bodie pointing a pigeon.

Abby on point.

Boss pointing a pigeon.

Then on Tuesday June had to have her esophagus stretched. That took most of the morning then I couldn’t leave for the rest of the day. That brings us to today. I used to say weather forecasters, I even tried weather prognosticators for a while but now I think a better term is “weather guessers”, said the temperature would be dropping all day. They got that one right.

In one of the magazines that I take there was an article about teaching your dogs how to cross fences. I thought I had done that but not like this guy did. I always just let mine learn through trial and error. That seems to work. I’ve had a few vet bills, though.

A lot of years ago, I had a dog named Lady. We were hunting just after I had been released from the hospital from a bout of flu and pneumonia. I had been sick for a week or so before I went to the doctor. Then I spent 4 days in the hospital. I hadn’t been out of the hospital long.

I was so weak when I first got out of the hospital that I would go down stairs, get on the riding lawn mower, ride it to the dog pens, clean and feed dogs then ride the mower back to the house. A few days later I was bored so I loaded dogs and went hunting.

I think this was before I had GPS collars. I found Lady hanging from the top barb wire on a fence. She had tried to cross and her leg went over the top of one wire and under another. Lady loved me a lot but I knew better than to just help her get loose. The dog is hurting and they will bite anything that gets close. I took my jacket and threw it over her head then got her leg out. She had a long cut on her leg.

It was bleeding pretty bad but I had nothing to stop it. I was too weak from the hospital stay to carry her although she only weighed about 30 pounds. We were over half a mile from the truck and we started toward it. At least I did. Lady went hunting. Bloody leg and all.

Finally, we came to the truck and I loaded her for the hour and a half drive to the vet. When I took her from the truck she had quit bleeding but it started again as she walked inside the vet’s office. I signed in and waited. They couldn’t see Lady so they didn’t know how bad she was. After a few minutes or less I said, “My dog is bleeding all over your floor.” They got her right in and sewed her up.

The wire cutters I now carry in my hunting vest.

When Tur Bo was less than a year old we were hunting a place in Kansas. By this time I had GPS collars. His collar showed him on point about 200 yards from me. As I got close I saw him just standing across a wet weather creek from me. I called him and he took a step toward me and stopped. This wasn’t like Tur Bo. He usually came if he wasn’t on point.

I got a little closer and called him again. Again it looked like he tried to come but couldn’t. I started getting concerned. I went to him. He had become entangled in a short piece of barb wire. The wire came up from the ground a short distance then went back into the ground. Just a short loop. He had torn a triangular piece of skin loose that was wrapped around the wire. I tried several different ways to get him loose but nothing worked.

I had to take my pocket knife and cut his hide loose while he licked my ear. My knife was dull but sharp enough to finally cut him loose. Bird dogs are tough. He never yelped or squirmed. He just stood and let me cut him loose. Then he went back to hunting because I didn’t have a leash with me to lead him out.

Boss honoring.

Now I carry a leash, wire cutters and several other things in my hunting vest. The wire cutters are large enough to cut through snares or barb wire or anything else that the dogs could get into, I hope.

Another thing that gets bird dogs in trouble is jumping off the tail gate of a truck. After I put the e-collars and GPS collars on my dogs I lift them and set them on the ground. When Bodie jumped for the pigeon and broke his leg, when he hit the ground, he hadn’t jumped very high. Not near as high as my tail gate on the truck.

Another thing you get from the dogs when you always set them on the ground; if their dog box comes open with them in their box, they may not jump out of the truck. Years ago I had a dog by the name of Lucky. I pulled into a store in a small town in Kansas. The door on his box had come open without me knowing. While I was in the store Lucky got out of his box but was still walking around the back of the truck when I came out.

Sally pointing a single.

If he had jumped out I may not have even known he was out of the box. I might have drove off leaving him in a town a long way from his home. I might not have ever seen him again. A friend was on a trip to the west coast or close with his bird dogs. He stopped for gas and aired his dogs out and put them away. After he went to the bathroom he jumped in his truck and down the highway he went.

Three or four hundred miles down the road he went to air the dogs again and one was missing. A dog box door was open. He had no idea where he had got out of the truck but he went all the way back to where he had seen his dog the last time. Although he had his name and phone number on the collar he never saw the dog again. An owners worst nightmare.

One year I was hunting on January the first. A dog I owned by the name of Judy cut a huge gash in her front leg. If she even yelped when it happened I never heard her. When I noticed the cut it had already quit bleeding so I just put her in the dog box. I was hunting with another guy (a lumber salesman) and he had driven.

Mann on point with Sally honoring.

We went on hunting. This was back in the day when there were a lot of quail. Leon killed a limit of quail and I never killed a bird. I was young then and could shoot but worrying about my dog was more than I could overcome. I had her at the vets office when they opened the next day.

I can only remember one other dog that suffered a cut over the more than fifty years that I’ve owned dogs and hunted quail. He, too, had quit bleeding by the time I saw it. That’s not too bad but I have a friend that owns a dog that has been sewed up at least 3 times from barb wire cuts and maybe more than that. Each time they are cut they are out of service for a couple of weeks during the best time of the year, bird season. So it would be a good thing to teach our dogs to cross fences instead of just letting them learn on their own.

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