Quail Hunting In Missouri, 12/8/21

Posted on December 9, 2021 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

Vince Dye and I went to northern Missouri. We stopped by his farmer friend’s house and gave him some quail we had gathered over the last few hunts. At one time we could supply a mess of quail from just one hunt but those times are in the past. Partly the quail aren’t there but the biggest part we aren’t as efficient as we used to be. But his farmer friend told him about another, maybe, thousand acres he could hunt on. Everyone needs friends like this.

Sally pointing a cripple.

With all of the brush it’s hard to focus on the dogs. Sally pointing a single.

Mann pointing quail.

We had driven by the place we normally eat breakfast to go to a small town café. The café in the small town was closed. We went to the next small town and that café was closed too. One of our favorite places is closed because they can’t find anyone that wants to work. One of the closed café’s had a large sign that said, “WELCOME HUNTERS”. We went to a Casey’s convenience store for something to sustain us.

Vince had brought his German short haired pointer, Ally, and his English cocker spaniel, Maggie. I had Sally and Mann. I had left my handheld for my GPS at home. Luckily, Vince had one and only had one collar on it. We programmed my two dogs to his handheld and were able to hunt. It would have been a short hunt without the GPS.

We turned the dogs loose and went through an area where we had found a covey of quail last year. Nobody home today. We went to the property line then down a fence row. The dogs were well out front, hitting the objectives. This place had been planted in wheat then soybeans planted before they harvested the wheat. Now both crops had been harvested and there were soybeans and wheat seeds lying on the ground. There was a lot of CRP alongside the field as well as fingers of CRP running into the field. Perfect for quail.

Mann had hit an edge of one of the CRP fingers running into the field and went on point a little over 200 yards from us. When we got close we found him buried in the CRP. Without the GPS he would not have been found. When we went in front of him a covey of quail boiled out. I hit a quail and thought it would drop but it kept going. Vince had missed the one shot he had. I thought the quail was hit hard enough that it wouldn’t go far.

We went in the direction the covey had flown. About 50 yards in front Sally pointed. When we got close she jumped in and grabbed the bird. She came to me and dropped it in my hand. It was still alive. I gave her the head.

The dogs were still hunting the area. Sally pointed again and the birds went Vince’s way. He knocked one down. While he was hunting it Mann went on point close to the road. Vince said for me to go ahead. When I got to him 3 quail flushed. Again I hit one hard but it didn’t drop. Vince was still looking for his bird and I started toward him but the GPS vibrated. Mann was on point close to the road.

Sally on point.

When I told Vince he said for me to go ahead. He was still looking for his bird. It sounds like this took a long time but this was just a few minutes. When I got to Mann he was buried in a clump of brush. I got about even with him and the quail went out the other side without giving me a shot. When I got back close to Vince he had his bird.

We went in the direction of the bird I had hit. About 50 yards from us Sally went over a little mound down into a small bowl. When she went over the mound we saw a quail flush. I told Vince Sally had to have flushed that one. When we got closer we saw her on point. She doesn’t stop to flush, most times, so she didn’t see or hear this quail flush. When we got to her she trailed a few feet then went back to hunting.

We went on toward the back and I saw Sally cross to another finger of CRP that ran into the field. She stopped then went into the grass but didn’t come out. I started to her and the GPS handheld vibrated. She was on point. (Vince had let me carry his handheld because I had 2 dogs on it and he only had 1.) Vince and I were separated by a hundred yards or so and I waited for him to get there.

While I was waiting I moved closer to Sally. She was buried in some really tall, thick CRP. I thought it won’t be a quail it will be a pheasant. And as long as it’s held it will be a hen. When Vince got there we walked in and a single quail flushed. It went my way and dropped into the harvested soybean/wheat field. Maggie, the English Cocker, made a good retrieve.

Mann on point.

We went on back to a good hedge row in the back with a wide buffer strip. There was a creek in a low spot where we finally could water the dogs. Vince had a little water with him but it’s better that the dogs lie down in the cool water. We worked on along the buffer strips next to the field.

We were almost back to the road when the GPS vibrated saying that Mann was on point about 200 yards from us. When we got close Vince said lets go to the road side and push them back on us. It’s been a long time since I thought you could push quail anywhere. But I went with Vince to get between the quail and the road. I stopped to take pictures and before I could put the camera away the quail stated flushing.

They were flying right over our head heading across the road. One bird waited and flushed going around a small cedar tree but turned and flew across the road. I was twisted in a knot by the time I shot and was far behind him. Vince had dropped one near a small plum thicket.

Vince asked me how many flew back on the property that we were hunting. I hadn’t seen a one. Those quail already knew, before we even got close, where they were going. Us being in their way was no big deal.

Vince and Maggie were ahead of me hunting for his downed bird when Sally came in front of me. I told her to hunt dead and she just reached down and picked the dead bird up. It hadn’t gone as far as Vince thought. When she dropped it into my hand I gave her the head. We hunted on to the truck loaded dogs and went to another place.

The camera sometimes focuses on something beside what I want.

The next place was one of the places the owner had told us about earlier that morning. It, too, was wheat and soybean stubble mixed together. We went along some buffer strips next to some hedge rows. It was a really good looking place. We went in one direction for over half a mile and the field went farther. The farmer hadn’t told us how many acres this one was but it was huge. We turned and hunted some other areas all the way back to the truck without seeing anything. We loaded dogs and drove to the east side.

This area looked just like the one we had just left. We started along a buffer strip next to a draw. As we walked along I checked the GPS and we had passed Sally. She was on point. When we got close Vince decided to cross the creek. As I waited I got a little closer. Mann came in front of me and honored Sally. He was to her right and a little farther back. When Vince got across the creek and said he was ready I walked closer. Sally went to her left and I saw Mann go from honoring to being on point.

Some of the covey, I think, had gone to Sally’s left and flushed but some had come in front of Mann. When he didn’t move when Sally did, I knew there were birds in front of him. I told Vince what I thought. I almost got past Mann and 6 or 8 quail flushed flying across the creek. I couldn’t shoot but I heard Vince shoot, once. He said it had been a really long shot but a bird had gone down. He got Maggie in to hunt dead.

There’s a dog in there somewhere.

Vince was having trouble finding his bird so I crossed the creek to help. Sally and Mann started hunting dead. Sally went on point. I thought it was Vince’s bird. When I got close she jumped in and started chasing. A rooster quail flew on to a low limb on a tree. Sally had been right behind it but didn’t see it in the tree. I told Vince it was probably his bird but I wasn’t sure.

When it flew into the tree it didn’t look hurt. I showed it to Vince but we didn’t want to shoot it out unless it was the wounded bird. Finally, Vince got close to the bird and it dropped to the ground and ran again. The dogs didn’t catch it. I saw it for quite a ways as it ran down a trail. We looked for a long time.

We gave up and started toward the back. We went down more buffer strips that should have held a lot of quail without seeing any more. We had missed a short hedge row that I wanted to hit that was near where Vince’s wounded bird was. As we came down the hedge row and well past where we had last seen the wounded bird, Sally went on point with Mann honoring.

Another time the camera focused on sticks instead of a dog.

When we got close she jumped in and started chasing the wounded bird again. Mann must have seen it too. Along with Maggie they were chasing. Pretty quick, Vince said Mann has it. Mann will retrieve but he doesn’t really like it. He will give the bird to the closest person. He went to Vince and dropped it in his hand then came by me. I petted him for a few seconds.

The dogs were tired and hot as well as their owners and we were close to the truck. We went to the truck, watered the dogs and loaded them. On this last place, while we were separated, Maggie had flushed a bird that Vince had shot. That made 3 coveys of quail, 6 birds in the bag and lots of dog work. The best day of the season so far.

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A Kansas Quail Hunt, 11/30/2021

Posted on December 4, 2021 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

I met Don and Linda Hansen in central Kansas for a quail hunt on the last day before gun deer season started. I, usually, wait until deer season is over in each of the states I hunt. I worry about my safety and the dogs safety but if I was a deer hunter I wouldn’t want a bird hunter with a bunch of dogs messing my hunt up. In Missouri the main gun deer season is over.

Sally pointing wild quail.

Abby and Goofy honoring Mann.

Mann honoring Sally.

Boss was hauled on some real long trips when he was just a puppy. He hates to get in the truck. When I tried to get him to come with me, this morning, he stayed in his house. I don’t know whether leaving him home will make him want to come next time or not. When I do take him he usually stops in the field, about 30 yards from the truck, when we get through hunting. He’s trained to come to me with the tone on his electric collar. When I tone him he stands and slowly walks to me. He hates to ride in the truck.

We went to a large farm that had a lot of CRP. Just off the walk-in property was some old time soybean fields. The fields had grass and weeds among the unharvested soybeans. Most of the soybeans now days have no weeds or grass.

Don had turned Goofy out and I had only brought 3 of my dogs, Sally, Mann and Abby. As we walked in the GPS handheld vibrated and showed Mann on point about 200 yards ahead of us. As we went toward him the GPS showed Sally honoring.

We were still about a hundred yards from them when the GPS showed them moving. When we got closer I saw a lot of fresh turkey droppings. I thought they possibly had been pointing turkeys and they hadn’t held. Mann came in front of us looking really excited.

We went on to the edge of the walk-in. As we started around the edge I saw Abby on point looking into some heavy cover. Before we got to her I told Don that I thought Abby was backing Sally. When we got closer we could just barely see Sally on point. When we got close a single quail flushed then 2 more without giving us a shot.

That may have been the quail that Mann had pointed earlier or we had run into a covey spread out feeding. As we worked the area several more quail flushed. These walk-in area birds have been hunted and to still be alive they are smart. We stayed in the CRP but went along the edge of the soybean field on the private ground.

We were almost to the end of the walk-in when the GPS vibrated. Mann was on point along the fence row. By the time we got there the other dogs were honoring. As we walked in Mann started trailing. When he moved we released the other dogs. Sally went down the fence row about 35 yards and went on point. Don and I started to her.

One quail flushed from behind me but I kept watching Sally. She wasn’t moving. She was pointing into a cedar tree that was growing in the fence row. I came up on the right side and Don was on the left. The covey flushed and I saw one quail for just a split second as it went around the cedar tree. I was way behind when I shot. The birds stayed low on the other side of the fence row. Don had no better luck that I did.

Mann and Goofy honoring Sally.

Most of the covey had flown back the way we had come into this area. We went back to the area where we thought the singles had flown. As we discussed what we should do I checked the GPS. Sally was on point only about 30 yards from us. Most of this area is CRP but Sally was in a small bunch of trees. I was going to try to push the quail out to Don but he thought he should push it to me. Quail go where quail want to go. Pushing them only works if that’s the direction they want to go. This bird flushed and went Don’s way but his only shot was in the woods. He was still flying when he went out of sight.

It was really dry and we took the dogs by a pond to get them cooled down and hydrated. A few years ago we had moved a covey in the tall CRP near this pond so we started in that direction. As we worked our way through some really thick cover I looked up and saw a covey of quail fly to an area ahead of us. A few minutes later I saw Mann come from that area. He wasn’t excited like he had seen birds. I think this bunch had flushed before he got to them.

Don and I felt really goods about our chances. The best cover went into a point just ahead of us. We went along the edge to get around the birds and have the wind in our favor, coming back. When we started back we hadn’t gone far when Sally went on point with Goofy honoring in front of Don. A single quail flushed, from some thick black berry vines, before Don could get close.

Sally on point.

I thought at least the birds are scattered out. We will find them. We went into the wind for a long way. Don was off to my left and had gone along an edge where he was in front of me. I decided since we weren’t finding the birds we hadn’t gone far enough before swinging back. I went along the edge as far as possible, turned back into the wind and came through. Neither of us saw any of those birds. On walk-in, the birds have been well educated.

I caught up with Don and Linda. We hunted back to the trucks without seeing any more quail. By the time we got back it was lunch time. We ate then went to another place.

At the next place Don turned Ace out and I turned Mann and Abby loose. Sally hasn’t hunted as much as the others and she’s not in shape for a long day yet.

We hadn’t hunted this place in several years and it had gone from a weedy pasture to a hay field that was almost all brome grass. I don’t think there is anything for birds to feed on. We walked to several different areas but it all looked the same. Don said just a few years ago this was one of his favorite places to hunt. We made a big circle and when we got back close to the trucks I loaded dogs and tried to beat the rush hour traffic on my way home.

Goofy always looks good.

If it wasn’t for the walk-in program, I wouldn’t have many places to hunt and if my dogs can learn to handle well educated birds they will only be better dogs. I no longer have the need to kill birds. As long as I get some dog work on wild birds I’m a happy man.

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Quail Hunting In Missouri

Posted on November 27, 2021 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

Vince and I were going to hunt in northern Missouri last Wednesday but he called the night before saying he had forgotten about an appointment. I decided to just stay home and work Bodie on some birds. I put out 3 birds and turned him loose. Bodie doesn’t like the 4-wheeler so I walk. He’s so fast that he was at the first bird before I got close. The first bird he pointed then took a step. I flushed the pigeon.

Bodie pointing a pigeon.

Bodie pointing a pigeon.

Bodie pointing a pigeon.

Sally on point.

Sally on point Vince’s short hair, Allie, honoring.

Sally on point.

Allie on point.

Sally on point with Mann backing.

Abby honoring Sally.

Mann on point.

Mann the sire.

Abby and some of her pups.

The 6 quail from a Kansas quail hunt and the W.R. Pape. Last year. Come on this season.

Tur Bo, the puppies great grandfather.

Ally on point with Abby and Mann in the deep grass honoring.

Vince flushing in front of Abby.

Boss on point, Allie and Abby honoring.

Bodie pointing a pigeon.

Boss pointing a pigeon.

Abby pointing a pigeon.

Boss pointing a pigeon.

We went on to the neighbor’s side and he was way off the next bird when he pointed. I waited for him to move but he stayed on point. I walked in front, kicked the cover and flushed the pigeon. He doesn’t chase very far. Just as we started toward the next pigeon Vince called. He was through with his appointment and wanted to go hunting.

I still had one bird out so I worked Bodie on it. He was well ahead of me when he went on point. I saw him through some brush. He looked good but before I could get close I saw him move. I flushed his pigeon. I gathered my release traps and put them back in the shed. Got ready and loaded dogs.

When I hunt with someone else I don’t take Bodie. I don’t want him around a lot of shooting, yet. I loaded Abby, Boss, Mann and Sally. Vince had his 9 year old grandson Grayson along, Allie, his German short haired pointer and Maggie, his English cocker spaniel. We stopped at an 80 acre place where Vince’s friend had seen some quail when they were combining the soybeans.

I just turned Sally and Mann out since it was a small place. Vince released Allie and Maggie. There were several draws running through the harvested soybean field. We ran each one and checked out some weedy waterways without seeing anything. We loaded our dogs and went to another area.

The next area was huge and last year we had found several coveys of quail. I turned all of my dogs out with Vince’s Allie and Maggie. We started through some thick CRP between some harvested soybean fields. After a few hundred yards through the CRP I noticed Vince and Grayson walking the edge of the soybean field. The CRP was so thick it was hard to walk through. I made my way to the edge of the soybean field.

I hadn’t gone far when a rooster pheasant flushed about 30 yards in front of me. Vince said it was a rooster. I wasn’t sure so I didn’t shoot.

I went down and joined Vince and Grayson. We walked along the edge of the soybeans watching the dogs run. As I watched Allie, Mann, Boss and Abby run the far end of the field we heard some rooster pheasants flushing in the CRP. My first thought was the only dog that could possibly be flushing them was Sally. We started toward where the birds were flushing from when Vince saw Sally on point a short distance from us in the CRP.

Those pheasants were flushing with nothing within a hundred yards of them. We went to Sally and by the time we got close Allie was backing. There was just a small plum thicket in the CRP and Sally was looking into this. The way the strong wind was blowing I circled around to try to chase the birds out to Vince. (This usually never works.) When I got in front of her she started moving then went back on point.

I worked my way to her front. By this time Mann was honoring along with Allie. When I got in front she started moving again. Then Allie was on point. Sally and Mann honored. Then they all trailed. We never came up with a bird. This may have been the pheasants we had heard flushing, way off.

We went on around the edge of the CRP. It was warm, windy and dry. The heavy CRP and heat took it’s toll on the dogs. We hunted on around to the truck. We will check this place later when it’s cooler and hopefully, after a rain.

Yesterday, 11/26/21, Vince and I went back to northern Missouri but to different farms. Vince’s friend that owned these farms had seen some quail, when he was mowing, on one he told Vince about. We parked in the field away from a close house. The wind was really blowing as we turned dogs out. Vince turned Allie and Maggie out and I used Mann and Sally.

Most of the CRP had been mowed with just some wide strips left. We went down a draw that went toward an asphalt road. When we got close we called the dogs and circled around. As we came up a strip of tall CRP a rooster pheasant flushed in front of me, by about 35 yards, drawing a shot but I missed, twice. It flew about 200 yards into the wind and landed in a fence row. I thought maybe it had been hit but when we got close it flushed ahead of us and flew like it had no problem. We hunted around a small pond then on back to the truck. We loaded dogs and went to another place.

The next place was mowed CRP and harvested soybeans. Last year we had found 3 coveys and a few pheasants when we hunted here. We turned all of our dogs out and started down a draw. When we got to the main draw Vince went on one side and I stayed on the other. We hadn’t gone very far when my GPS handheld vibrated. Mann was on point about 150 yards ahead of us. We continued down the draw and the GPS vibrated as Sally, Boss and Abby honored.

When we got close the dogs were on Vince’s side. The draw was real wide with a deep creek in the bottom. I told Vince to go ahead. He said it looked like 3 of the dogs had pointed at the same time with one of them backing. He said it would make a great picture but I couldn’t cross. A covey of quail flushed without Vince getting a shot. He told me later they flew right into the sun. Most of them flew down the draw the way we were headed.

As we continued down the draw a quail flushed right in front of me. I shot but the quail had already beat me. About the time I shot the bird turned into the draw and I was way behind. We went on down the draw.

Then Sally pointed. When I told Vince he said to go ahead. Finally a bird that gave me decent shot. It flew along side the draw and fell when I shot. Sally retrieved.

Vince said Allie was on point back behind us. I told him I would wait, at a pond, for him to go back for her. He told me about it later. When he got there he went in front of her but nothing flushed. He released her and she moved around a few feet and pointed again. This time a single quail flushed down the draw without giving him a shot. As Allie hunted close Maggie flushed another quail that flew down the draw. Vince still didn’t get a shot. Then Allie pointed again. Again the bird flushed without giving Vince a shot.

While this was happening to Vince I had the same kind of problems. Sally made 2 more points before I left the spot where I shot the one quail. Neither of them gave me a shot. I went on to the pond where I told Vince I would meet him. As I waited I saw Sally go on point in the bottom below the pond dam. I finally remembered my camera. By the time I got the camera Mann was honoring close to Sally and Abby was at the top of the dam honoring. I got a picture of Mann and Sally then one of Abby. When I walked in the single quail flew down the draw toward where Vince would be coming. I didn’t shoot.

We followed the draw to the end then crossed to another. I had to cross the next draw to follow down another draw that led back to where we had found a covey last year. By the time I got across and started down the draw Vince said Allie was on point a long way ahead of us. Vince had a little shorter distance to go than I did. By the time I got close the other dogs were honoring.

Vince tried to get in to flush but the cover was really thick. I should have been taking pictures but I didn’t remember. As Vince worked to get in to flush I heard at least one bird flush but I never saw it. Then from way in front of us a single quail flew down the fence row. I marked it down. We kept trying to get something to flush close to us but it didn’t happen.

I told Vince that the covey must have flushed ahead of us because I only saw the one come by us. We started on down this new draw. I just happened to see a quail flying from the draw out across the harvested soybean field. I shot and missed then shot again. The bird hit the ground running. My gun was empty and by the time I took the empties from it, placed them in my game bag and reloaded, the quail had made it back into the draw. I have ejectors and I need to use them. I usually don’t.

I got the dogs in to hunt dead. I had seen where the cripple had run and got the dogs looking. They were birdy but didn’t come up with anything. There must have been a lot of smell because they all really hunted well. We looked for quite a while with no luck. Then Vince said Allie was on point 39 yards from us. By the time we got to her she was moving. I saw Mann go down the fence where a quail had flown. He got a little birdy but never pointed.

We started back through where the cripple had run. There was some really tall fescue that Maggie kept trying to get under. Finally she disappeared under some tall grass and came out the other side with the quail in her mouth. That quail was at least 30 yards from where I had seen it run into the draw. But Maggie found it.

We took this draw to it’s end then came back through where the dogs had originally pointed without seeing any other birds. This was right along the property line. There was better cover on the next property. We went on down the fence row to the end. All of my dogs except Abby got on the wrong side of a woven wire fence. I helped them over and started down another draw. Boss wasn’t keeping up. In fact he was way behind. We needed to go down this draw a short distance then come back so we did. When I got back close to Boss he was back on the wrong side of the woven wire fence.

I decided if he could get over there he could get back. I could see him trying to stay with us on the other side then in a few minutes he came to me. We worked our way back to the truck and loaded dogs. It had been a good day. Not many killed, Vince never fired a shot, but we had a lot of dog work and that’s why we go.

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More Kansas Quail Hunts

Posted on November 20, 2021 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

I met Don and Linda Hansen a couple of hours drive into Kansas. Normally I have a bunch of dogs with me but this time I had only brought Mann and Boss. Sally is in heat but almost through and the males are chasing Abby so she must be about ready to go into her heat cycle. I still have a couple more, Luke who is retired and Bodie that is too young. I will take Bodie for a while just when I hunt by myself.

Boss honoring Mann.

Goofy honoring Mann.

Mann pointing a covey of quail.

Don had Goofy and Ace with him. He ran Goofy first and I put Mann and Boss out. We had a couple of small harvested soybean fields on one side of the road with a wide area of CRP on the other side of the road. Mann had a lot of energy and had almost run one of the fields before we got started. I enjoy standing in one spot and watching him circle a field. He doesn’t leave much out.

We didn’t find anything feeding in the first soybean field so we walked to the next one. This one had a low area with a waterway running from east to west. We went down it then on around the field. Nothing home here either.

We crossed the road and started through the CRP. I saw Goofy go on point. Then he started trailing. Boss was trailing too. We decided if there were any quail in the CRP they would be close to the road. As we walked along I felt the GPS hand held vibrate. Mann was on point about a hundred yards farther into the field. Not close to the road at all.

Before we could see Mann I saw a hawk fly over a plum thicket. When we got close Mann was pointing into the thicket. Don went on the right side and I went on the left. One single quail flushed from the thicket and flew up and away on my side. It folded when I shot. I took a step and another bird flushed from behind me and several more went with it. They got up behind me and about 20 yards out into the CRP.

As I tried to get the dogs in to find my dead bird, Goofy went on point back close to the plum thicket. As Don was trying to flush in front of him I thought I heard a quail flush quite away out. We hadn’t been out of the truck long and it was hard to get my dogs in to hunt dead. Finally, Mann came by and stuck his nose down close to where I thought the bird would be. Sure enough, he picked the quail up and dropped it into my hand.

Neither of us saw where the birds had flown to, just the general direction. We hunted along a creek on the eastern edge of the CRP. Then back through the whole field to the truck without seeing a single. When we got back to our trucks we loaded dogs and drove down the road to another place.

Abby and Bodie near the pond.

The next place was a lot larger but we didn’t hunt all of it. We usually find the birds in the first part. There is a really long CRP field that over the years has gotten too thick, in our opinion. On this place Don turned Ace out with my two. The dogs hit the edges and saved us a lot of walking. I like finding quail but even if we’re not, I enjoy just watching the dogs stretch out and run the edges.

In the past, I have found up to 4 coveys in the area we run the dogs through. On this day, try as we might, we never saw a quail. When we got back to the truck we ate lunch then drove to another walk-in place.

When we got to the next place I saw some trucks and a combine. A couple of times I have hunted where they were combining and really got into the birds. One time the highway department was mowing the ditches and next to the conservation place some farmers were combining. Dennis Garrison and I got our limits in just a couple of hours.

Abby in the pond.

Another time I had to be back to work at 6:30 pm. I got to the back side of a place that was a mile by a half mile. There were 2 combines running and the dogs started pointing birds, pheasants and quail. I was shooting really bad and had to go back to the truck to get more bullets. I finally got my limit and made it to work on time. It was close but I made it.

This time the combine or trucks never moved. They may have been through with this farm and getting ready to move to another. Don turned Goofy out with Mann and Boss. The wind was getting stronger, from the west north west, as the day wore on. We parked on the south side and worked the dogs into the wind.

We have hunted this farm for several years and we discussed where we had seen quail in the past. We were almost to the north edge when I looked ahead and saw Mann on point. He was looking into a small thicket next to a harvested soybean field. Boss honored then Goofy honored behind Boss. There was one honey locust tree in the thicket and I went under the limbs to flush the birds. Eight or ten quail flushed flying into the wind.

Mann honoring.

My only shot was through the honey locust and I missed but Don knocked one down. Mann grabbed the dead bird and dropped it in my hand. I had moved out from under the tree but Mann had the bird and was back before we could move far. It was about half grown. We had no clue that the birds weren’t grown birds but we both said no more shooting on this covey. We did try to get some dog work on them.

We worked to the edge on the north and started back toward the trucks through the cover. We had come out on the road to go around some real thick cover when Don’s GPS handheld told him that Goofy was on point. We were almost on top of Goofy before we could see him in the thick cover. Before I could grab my camera 4 quail flushed from directly in front of Goofy. Neither of us even raised our gun. In two or three weeks they will be old enough to hunt, maybe. We worked our way back to the trucks, loaded our dogs and called it a day.

Abby pointing a chukar.

The weather people said that the wind would be blowing really hard in afternoon, today. I thought it would be a good day to get Sally out. She hasn’t been out this season because she’s been in heat. Hunting by my self I could hunt her with Abby and Bodie and if she was still in heat it wouldn’t hurt anything. I didn’t think bout the weather 2 hours west is our afternoon weather. When I got to the area I wanted to hunt the wind was howling.

I turned Sally, Abby and Bodie out in some heavy CRP next to a harvested soybean field. At just over 4 months old Bodie really tries. He runs hard but doesn’t pay attention to which direction. When I turn the other dogs know and turn also. He just keeps going until he realizes that he’s alone. When I call he will come to me.

We went along a hedge row after circling the soybean field without seeing anything. When we came by a pond Bodie went into it and drank. Some puppies are bothered by the water but not him. He waded out until his belly was wet and would have gone farther if Abby or Sally had. I tried to get pictures of him deep in the pond but he came out before I could get a picture. When we got close to the truck I loaded them up.

Boss on point, Allie and Abby honoring.

I knew with the wind blowing so hard I didn’t want to hunt long but I still had Boss and Mann that hadn’t been out of the box. I went to a small farm that had been planted with soybeans but they hadn’t grown well. They were really clean so the weed killer worked but the soybeans were only between ankle and knee high. In the past I have found quail near this field.

I turned Bodie out again with Boss and Mann. On the back side of the soybean field is a wide buffer strip that sometimes holds birds. Not this day. We went around the field and back to the truck. I watered the dogs and as I took their e-collars and GPS collars off a hedge apple fell from a tree and hit on the top of a dog box. It didn’t bother the dogs but I may be a little gun shy. I really jumped.

Bodie pointing a pigeon.

Sally hasn’t been hunted or even out of the kennel for over 3 weeks. It was good to have her back but she isn’t even close to being in shape. A short hunt was what she needed. The other dogs are a little better shape but in the next couple of weeks they will get more work, I hope.

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