Not Much Training In This Weather

Posted on February 17, 2021 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

We haven’t had this much cold weather in a long time, if ever. I have some places I may be able to work the young dogs on wild birds if the weather ever warms enough. When we get the chance to go it will tell us whether the really cold weather hurt the quail or not. On one of the places we found 7 coveys of quail on the next to last day of the season. Another of the places had at least 5 coveys. I’m anxious to run the dogs to see if the quail survived.

Vince with Sally pointing.

Jim walking in on a point.

Abby pointing a quail.

My dogs have really good, insulated metal dog houses but with the temperature going well below zero I worried about them. I, usually, park my truck in my garage so I loaded the dogs in their dog boxes in the truck and pulled into the garage. The temperature stayed near zero to one night being -10. One day the high was only zero or maybe 1 degree. Then they spent about 40 hours in the truck with a few breaks for feed and I let them clean out every once in a while.

From the first of the cold and snow nothing has melted. We have about 6 or 8 inches of snow on the ground. Where the quail are the snow may be deeper. We will wait for the snow to melt and give the birds a little time to get their strength back before we run our dogs on them.

The first night I put the dogs in the boxes on the truck it took a while to get them to load up. I turned all of the dogs except Boss loose and we went to the truck. I can’t trust Boss to load up. Twice during the season when we got back home, from a hunt, he didn’t come back to the kennel. One night he stayed away over night. The second time he was caught crossing the highway out front by a passerby. I don’t trust him.

The other dogs ran around checking every thing out. Of all my dogs Luke loads up best. He’s the oldest. He may think we are going hunting. After the first night I decided I needed to make them all want to load up. Not only would it help me during this cold weather but it would help during the next season.

We had some ham and cheese sliders in the refrigerator that were getting old so the second night I tossed a sandwich in each dog’s house after I loaded them in the truck. I knew that I should have put the sandwich in the box before loading the dogs.

The second night I put each dog a ham and cheese slider in their box before I even went after them. It was amazing. They knew by the smell, I guess, that there was food in their box. I loaded Boss and Luke was right there ready, also. I loaded him. Sally and Abby were messing around in the front yard but Mann came to be loaded. I called Sally and she came. I loaded her and called Abby. Abby played stay away for a few seconds then smelled the food and came to me. I loaded her.

Two Gamble hens and a rooster.

The next night I was out of sliders but we had some quiche. I warmed it a little in the microwave and tossed it in their box. This time Mann and Abby were the last but Luke and Sally were ready to load, fast. I called Mann and Abby and they came right to me to be loaded.

I didn’t take them back to the kennel the next day because the temperature was only zero or at most 1 degree. I had some regular dog food in a container in the top of the dog box. I mixed some cheese in with their regular dog food to get them to eat. Finally we got a day that the daytime high was about 9 degrees. I took them back to the kennel but loaded them back into the boxes for the next night.

I was out of good stuff for them but I had some hot dogs. I cut them in half and microwaved them. I tossed a half of a hot dog in each dogs box. As soon as I got to the truck with Boss, Luke and Sally were ready to be loaded. I got them loaded and turned around and Mann was ready. I loaded him and had to call Abby but she came right to me. I loaded her.

Sally on point.

I still had some hot dogs for the next night. These were some really cheap hot dogs that I had bought just to train dogs with, but they worked. I tossed half a hot dog in the boxes and went after the dogs. When I got to the truck with Boss, Sally and Luke were there. I loaded those three and turned around and Mann was there. After I loaded him I called Abby and she came right to me. I loaded her.

It’s supposed to get down to 7 degrees tonight and even colder tomorrow night. The dogs would be fine in their houses but I will still put them in the truck for tonight and tomorrow night. After that the low will be in the 20’s. They will be fine at that temperature.

Tonight I had run out of the cheap hot dogs but I had some of the really good hot dogs from Costco. They are really long and half of one of those is still a lot of hot dog. I tossed a chunk in each of the dog’s boxes.

Boss honoring Mann.

I turned the dogs loose, all except Boss and we started through the snow to the truck. I put Boss in his box and as I turned around Abby tried to jump on the tail gate and my elbow hit her knocking her off. I loaded Sally and Luke in the truck. Mann was waiting and I loaded him. When I turned around Abby was standing waiting for me to load her.

Usually, as the dogs figure out that loading into the dog boxes gets them hauled to a place to bird hunt, they learn to load up, quickly. But this takes a few years. My dogs load but they haven’t been happy about it. All except Luke. He’s always ready and seems happy to load.

Boss pointing wild quail.

I have one more of these real cold nights. One more night with good hot dogs and these dogs will be beating me to the truck and that is what I want.

After a hunt, all of the dogs will come to the truck to be loaded with the exception of Boss. He comes to the truck and if he’s dry he will get a drink then go across the road or down the road and lay down. After I load the other dogs I go to him. He never tries to run away but he won’t come to me. I think with feeding these dogs, in the box, all of that is over. I think they will all come to be loaded. Most of the time when dogs learn something they enjoy doing it. I may carry some hot dogs for a while just to make sure. I like having them load up, quickly.

An Update:

I’ve been afraid to turn Boss loose because of him not going back to the kennel and not going to the truck, as he should. This morning when I took the dogs back to the kennel I just turned Boss loose with the other dogs. I knew it would be a warmer day and if he didn’t return to the kennel at least he wouldn’t freeze. He went straight to the kennel.

We are having one more night of close to zero temperatures so I was going to put the dogs in the truck, in the garage. I put a hotdog in each of the dog’s boxes, then turned all 5 dogs loose. Boss has been heeled to the truck for each of these evenings. He walked along beside me until we got out of the big pen and Abby ran by him. He followed her.

The truck is about 75 yards from the kennel. When I got to the truck Sally met me. She was ready for her hotdog. Luke came running next then Mann. After I loaded them I turned around and Boss was waiting to be loaded. I loaded him and Abby came in a run. All 5 of these dogs are now more than ready to get in their box. And all it cost was some left over food and a few hotdogs.

Posted in Dogs | Comments Off on Not Much Training In This Weather

The Whoa Post

Posted on February 8, 2021 by windypointsj1s@aol.com

For the next 9 or 10 days it will be too cold to hunt (if the season was open) or work dogs. Quail seasons are still open in some of the southern states but at this time I don’t have any plans to go. With all of the cold weather that could change.

Sally buried in the weeds.

Mann honoring Abby.

Mann on point with Abby honoring.

A lot of years ago I attended a training seminar put on by Rick and Ronnie Smith at Chandler Oklahoma. They didn’t get in to the “Whoa Post” or I missed that portion but I saw a couple of guys use it and I thought it was too cruel. Later I attended a short seminar that Sherry Ebert put on and she said that English setters, most of the Continental breeds and some Elhew pointers should not be trained on the Whoa Post.

That just reaffirmed what I believed. Everything else that I learned from the Smith seminar was good, I just didn’t like the whoa post concept.

During this bad weather I wanted something to read and got on Amazon and ordered a dog training book and if I ordered another it had free shipping. I, also, ordered Training Bird Dogs With Ronnie Smith Kennels.

When I got to the part about the whoa post I was shocked. The way Ronnie uses it, it isn’t cruel at all. In fact I went out and put some whoa posts in and started working Boss and Abby on them. I don’t know whether the people I saw use the whoa post in the past were doing it wrong or the way Ronnie uses it has changed but I owe them an apology. The way it’s taught in this book is not cruel, in anyway.

The book, Training Bird Dogs With Ronnie Smith Kennels, says to use a soft 1 inch rope on the whoa post. I went to Tractor Supply and the largest rope I could find was 5/8 inch. I bought a hundred foot roll and a large snap. I thought I would put the rope around their flanks and hook it to their collar then just re-use the same rope on 3 different posts.

I re-read the section on the whoa post and went back to Tractor supply and got 2 more snaps and made a couple more ropes for the whoa posts. Now all 3 whoa posts have a separate rope.

I have worked both of these pups, Abby and Boss, on heel and whoa, a lot. Boss wants to heel whenever I have a leash or check cord on him. I thought I would do a little quartering work before we got to the first whoa post. Boss would only go a few feet ahead of me then try to get on my left side and heel. After just a few minutes we headed to the whoa post.

Boss with a pigeon in the tree above him..

Both of these dogs have been on the chain gang as well as having been tied to posts and fences. Boss stood still and let me run the soft rope between his back legs, put a half hitch around his waist and hook the snap to his collar. I tapped his head and said, “okay” and we started away from the post. He was a little ahead of me but when the rope started to barely tighten around his waist he stopped. I walked out to the end of the 20 foot check cord. Boss wasn’t moving but he wasn’t looking at me.

The author of the book tells what to look for. I watched for Boss to sigh, lick his lips, move his legs to a more comfortable spot or maybe just soften a little. He looked to his left for a while then to his right for a few seconds. He was tensed up and after maybe 45 seconds of me doing nothing I saw him soften and some of the tenseness go out of him. As I started to him he licked his lips. He still didn’t move when I stepped up beside him. I stroked his sides, unhooked the flank rope, stood for a few seconds, tapped his head and started to the next whoa post.

An Arizona sunrise.

There was quite a bit of slack in the rope at the next whoa post. Boss stood really well while I hooked him to the next rope. I tapped his head to release him and started away. He wasn’t very far in front when the flank rope started to tighten and he stopped. I walked out to the end of the check cord and waited. Again, he looked to his left but after just a few seconds he looked back at me and licked his lips. I went to him, stroked his sides, unhooked the rope, stood a few seconds then tapped his head to release him.

When we got to the third whoa post he stood for me to hook him up. The rope was just barely putting any pressure on his flanks when he stopped. I went to the end of the check cord and waited. On the third post it only took a few seconds for him to lick his lips. I went to him, stroked his sides then unhooked him. I stood beside him with out moving for a few seconds then tapped his head to release him. I check corded him around a little bit then turned him loose before going back to the kennel.

I keep Boss pretty close when I’m working him around the house. During the season when we got home from a hunt I parked in front of my house and turned all of the dogs loose and they went back to the kennel, all except Boss. When he didn’t show up at the kennel, I called him as I cleaned pens and fed dogs but he didn’t show. I got the 4-wheeler out and rode all over looking for him. I drove the roads around the house and no Boss.

This is the wall between Mexico and Arizona now, where I was.

I left his kennel open where if he came back he could get in and find his food. I looked for him up until about 10:30 pm. No Boss. About 7:00 am the next morning I heard the dogs barking and looked toward the kennels and Boss was running around. I put him in his kennel but he wasn’t hungry or thirsty. I think someone took care of him over night.

I thought he had learned his lesson but I led him to his kennel for a while. I really thought he was over running off but another time I let him loose with the other dogs and he left. This time after feeding the other dogs and cleaning pens I rode the 4-wheeler up front then all around and no Boss. A little later I was still on the 4-wheeler and noticed some activity on the highway in front of my house. I went up there and Boss had stopped traffic. A guy was holding him. I thanked him and took Boss, on the 4-wheeler, back to his kennel. Now, even in training, I won’t turn him loose without an e-collar and GPS collar.

I put a check cord on Abby and heeled her out of the kennel. I worked her on quartering for just a few minutes. She has had a lot more heeling than Boss has but she will really pull on a check cord. She should be a sled dog. After just a few minutes I was afraid one of my arms would be longer than the other so we headed to the whoa post.

Sally on point.

All of my dogs have been on the chain gang. I don’t take them off the chain gang until they settle down and stand still. This helps on all of the rest of the training but especially on the whoa post. I hooked her to the whoa post then started away. She thought she was being check corded and wasn’t expecting to hit the end of the whoa post rope. When it tightened she stopped and I went to the end of the check cord.

She stood for a few seconds then tried to move away from the whoa post. Then she did some flip flops. Then a few turns to the side. All the while I just stood and watched. Her fight was behind her. I was well out front.

After maybe 45 seconds she decided she couldn’t win, so she stood still. I held the check cord and waited. She was looking straight ahead but down. I continued to wait. Finally, she raised her head and licked her lips. I went to her. She didn’t move. I stroked her sides, unhooked the flank rope, tapped her head and check corded her away.

Abby pointing a quail.

She saw the next whoa post but she didn’t get very close. I stood close to the rope and called her to me. I had a hold of the check cord and thought I might have to pull her to me but she came right away. I hooked the rope to her and when we got to where the flank rope was tightening she stopped. I walked to the end of the check cord and waited. This time there was no rodeo. She stood still. I waited until she licked her lips then went to her. She didn’t try to move. I stroked her sides, unhooked the flank rope, stood for a few seconds, then tapped her head to release her.

She went to the third whoa post like she had been doing this forever. When the flank rope started tightening she stopped. I walked to the end of the check cord and waited. This time she moved her feet to get more comfortable as she stood. As I started to her she licked her lips. I stroked her sides, unhooked the rope, stood a few seconds then tapped her head for the release. I let her run for a little while then took her to the kennel.

Abby honoring Sally.

I was going to work them on the whoa post again before I wrote this but it’s 21 degrees right now and 19 degrees is the highest temperature over the next 8 days. It may be a while before I can work dogs.

Please, if you want to work your dog or dogs on the whoa post don’t do it from my experience here. Buy the “Training Bird Dogs With Ronnie Smith Kennels”. I got it from Amazon. He explains it in a lot better fashion than I did and this is a really good dog training book. It’s well worth the cost.

Posted in Dogs | Comments Off on The Whoa Post

My Last Quail Hunt In Kansas, 2020/2021 Season

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

Our plan, Jim Smith’s and mine, was to hunt at least two days in central Kansas. To go with 4 dogs and spend the night in a motel takes about everything I own. I spent the day before loading dog food, guns and ammo, charging electronics, clothes and all of the other things it takes. I left my house at 4:00 am so I could meet Jim about 9:00 am in Kansas.

Sally pointing a covey of quail with Dottie honoring.

Jim’s dog Dottie on point.

Abby honoring Dottie.

I drove a little faster than the law allows but I was still a few minutes late. Jim was waiting at a prearranged spot. With the Kansas Hunting Atlas most of the roads have names so it’s easy to find your way. When he saw me turn off the highway he went on to the spot we wanted to hunt.

Earlier in the season Jim had found a couple of coveys of quail and a few pheasants on this place. It was 160 acres. Part of it was pasture that hadn’t been grazed down too much surrounded by harvested row crops. The pasture had a pond in the center. Ideal cover for quail and pheasants.

Jim had 3 dogs with him, Bay Lee, Babe and Dottie. I had left Luke at home so I had Sally, Mann, Abby and Boss. The dogs had been in the truck for a long time so we turned them all loose with e-collars and GPS collars. Actually Jim has the Alpha where he only uses one collar. I have the Astro and a 550 Pro. I use two collars on each dog with the exception of Abby. She just has a GPS collar because the 550 Pro only controls 3 collars.

As the dogs ran the pasture, it was fun to stand on a hill and watch them go. The pasture was open and flat enough we could see them well. With 7 dogs down we didn’t miss much. We had a couple of points with a lot of dogs honoring but when we got to them, all of the dogs trailed a short distance then went back to hunting.

The dogs hit the pond but when we got back to the truck they still were happy to drink from our water buckets before we put them in the truck to go to another place. The next place was a half section. A mile by a half mile. Most of the east side was wheat stubble and the other was pasture. The pasture had a lot of rag weed along with other weeds. Jim and I had found 5 or 6 coveys in an afternoon hunt here a few weeks ago.

We, again, turned all 7 dogs loose. They had all hunted together really well. All of the dogs were hunting independently. No following or jealousy issues.

Babe honoring Dottie.

We went along the edge of the wheat until the dogs led us to the pasture. There was a small creek running through the pasture with some cover along the edge. Earlier we had found some quail along the creek and that’s where the dogs headed. We started to the north along the creek that had very little water in it. What we saw was just thick with mud. We saw a wind mill to the north of us and thought we might find some water there.

I thought we had all of the dogs with us when we got to the windmill. There was a tank with water but we had to put the dogs in it to get them a drink. I watered my dogs except for Sally. She wasn’t with us. I checked the GPS and she was on point 868 yards behind us. She probably had been on point when we headed to the windmill.

We started to her. When we got close we had to cross the creek and a low spot and she was up on a flat spot on the other side. We were starting up the hill to the flat area when I saw a single quail fly along the edge and go down. I checked the GPS and she was moving. I don’t know what happened but the birds had held for a long time. I don’t know how long she had been on point before I saw her but it took a long time for us to walk nearly a half mile.

Another picture of Sally pointing the covey.

When we got on top all of the dogs were trailing, expecting to find some birds any second. I worked Abby and Boss in to the area I saw the single bird light but we never came up with anything. I did see Boss wheel around and point for just a second then he went on. May have been where the bird had lit then flew when we weren’t looking.

The temperature was in the sixties and it was really dry. We thought we knew where there was some bigger pools of water in the creek and started toward them.

As we went along the GPS vibrated and it showed Mann and Sally on point. At about the same time Jim said that Dottie was on point. I saw that Mann was only a few yards ahead of me. He wasn’t on point he was trailing something, slowly. I looked and Sally was on point but she was the way Jim was going. I followed him.

Mann honoring Dottie.

In just a short distance we saw that Sally was pointing and Dottie was honoring. Sally’s tail was up good and another dog came close without seeing her and she thought the birds would flush. She didn’t move but her tail came down some. This tree had a limb thick with branches hanging down. I didn’t think I would get a shot but I thought I could run them out where Jim could.

I went in to Sally’s face and a covey of quail flushed. I saw one for a split second and took a shot. I heard Jim shoot then shoot again. The quail I shot at went down and I saw another drop when Jim fired his second shot. Jim said he had shot the same bird I had but it was already falling when he shot. Dottie took my bird to Jim and Sally brought Jim’s bird to me. Actually, Sally started to me with the bird and laid down in the shade and let me come to her. She was the only dog that hadn’t been watered.

Jim’s Dotty and Mann’s mother.

About 50 yards from where Sally pointed the birds we found a nice pool and cooled all of the dogs down. The covey had flown off of this place so we couldn’t chase them. We worked the dogs along the creek where they could get water.

We started back to the trucks. We had a couple of points on the way but never came up with anything. One of them was kind of remarkable. I had worked Sally and Mann through a corner of the pasture that had some plum thickets along a little draw. Mann went on the outside but Sally came through the middle, slowly. As I started to cross the fence between the pasture and wheat stubble Jim said that Dottie was on point. She was pointing into the plum thicket.

She was sure there was a bird in the thicket. By the time we got to her some of the other dogs were honoring. Nothing flushed but I think when some of the dogs went into the wheat stubble and after Sally and Mann had run the thicket a pheasant had hid there for a few seconds, then ran off. Dottie was sure something was there. Got me excited.

Sally honoring Mann.

It was about 2:30 when we got back to the trucks. As Jim and I talked he said he thought he would just head home. We had hunted hard most of the day and found one covey of quail. We weren’t sure where we would hunt the next day and at 65 degrees it was too hot to turn the dogs loose again that afternoon. I said that worked for me.

It’s little closer for Jim but I had driven over 5 hours and according to my app on my phone we had walked over 7 miles and another five plus hours home. About 8:00 pm I was home and was able to sleep in my own bed. That was my last hunt of 2020/2021 season and I’m having withdrawal symptoms. There are a few states that still have a few days of quail hunting and I’m wanting to go. Maybe I will.

Posted in Hunts | Comments Off on My Last Quail Hunt In Kansas, 2020/2021 Season

Another Kansas Quail Hunt, 1/18/21

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

I have always worried about shooting quail late in the season. We have been told over the years that hunting has no real affect on the quail. Bob white quail life span is less than 8 months. Over the last couple of days I have read two different articles that dispute that. At Rollin’s Plains in Texas the radio collar on a quail had the battery run down. When they retrieved the radio collar they found out it was a scaled quail that had the collar attached in the fall of 2019. And several times they have seen quail that lived for a long time.

Abby.

Sally honoring Mann.

Mann pointing a single quail.

To further complicate the picture, we’ve been told that hunting doesn’t matter, but there is a new study, done by Quail Forever’s Leslie Elmore, that says that maybe it does. The study says you can’t expect every quail that is left after the season is over to make it to spring, to mate. But the quail that are taken after January 15 are the ones that may reproduce the next years coveys. I have often examined the quail I’ve shot late in the season and wondered if I was hurting next years crop. Knowing when to quit shooting may help next years coveys.

I left early, about 5:30 am, so I could beat the traffic through Kansas City. I was driving out I-70 to the west for about 2 1/2 hours. Before the season opened I had hunted prairie chickens in this area and had found a few quail.

There was a walk-in place that I had found a covey right on the edge. I kept thinking about it as I drove out. I thought I knew about where it was. When I got close I drove by several places and before the day was over I drove by all of them, where I thought it was. I never found it.

By the time I looked at a few places the dogs had been in the truck for about 3 hours. I saw a place that was pasture next to a harvested soybean field. I turned all 4 dogs, Sally, Mann, Abby and Boss loose. The pasture had not been grazed down too much and was full of rag weed and other weeds that had a seed. I had parked on the south east corner and we went into the north west wind.

The pasture had a nice pond and just a little cover at the end. The cover ran toward the soybean field. As I came around the north side of the pond I heard some pheasants flushing. A couple of hens came back over the pond, then I heard a rooster laughing at me. He never got as close as the hens had. There were about 10 or 12 pheasants that flushed but only one was a rooster, for sure. There may have been one more rooster.

All of the dogs were smelling lots of scent and were really happy. We went on down to the fence line between the soybean field and the pasture then went north along it. I had found some 28 gauge shells at Walmart the day before so I was carrying my Dickinson 28 gauge. With the wind blowing like it was I wasn’t happy about shooting 3/4 ounce of 7 1/2 shot.

As we got to another smaller pond Sally went on point just off the fence row in the pasture. I wasn’t sure about her because she was slowly moving her head back and forth. I circled around so I could come into her face. I was still fifteen yards from her when a single quail flushed right beside me. I pretty well centered it and Sally saw it fall. She picked it up but didn’t come very quickly. Finally, she brought it to me.

Sally honoring Mann.

I was wondering what a single quail was doing in the pasture when Boss came close to me. He pointed then moved and pointed again. I had turned to go to him when a quail flushed right in front of me. When I shot it dropped and Abby saw it fall. She ran to it and picked it up. Sally and Boss were trying to get it from her but she wasn’t letting them get close. Abby laid the bird down and it tried to run. She caught it again. I whoaed her and she held it until I got to her. She turned it loose. It was still alive.

I felt good about getting a live bird from Abby. She has caught a couple of pigeons that didn’t fly when released from the release traps and she has never took a prisoner. They are always dead or dying. I thought she might be really hard mouthed and I was dreading force fetch with her. This is better.

I was feeling pretty good about the 28 gauge. Two birds up and two birds in the bag. There was a couple of quail flushed that were too far for a shot. This covey must have been spread out as it came off the roost and went to the soybean field to feed.

Sally on point.

I took the dogs back through the same area again. A single quail flushed about 15 yards from me and I shot twice but didn’t turn a feather. I still thought it was maybe a little too far by the time I got on it.

We went on down the fence row to the end then moved over and started back through the pasture. Mann went on point but when I got to the east edge of the property he was still 150 yards to the east. I waited hoping the birds would flush without me having to go over there. Pretty soon the GPS showed him moving. I called him back to the walk-in property.

We were headed back to the truck through the pasture. Just north of where Sally and Boss had pointed Mann went on point. I circled around to come in to his face. He was looking almost straight down. I was still 15 yards from him when a single quail flushed. I missed with the first barrel but saw a lot of feathers fly when I shot the second barrel. The quail flew about a hundred yards before landing.

Abby honoring Sally.

I let the dogs work this area and we started toward where I thought the wounded bird was. Before we got there Sally went on point. She was going pretty fast and just did a 180 and slammed into a point. This quail stayed really low when it flushed and I had to wait until it got a little height before I could shoot. I missed.

I let the dogs work around for a little while then went to where I thought the wounded bird was. I saw Boss working along the edge of the smaller pond. He whirled and went on point. It was close to where I thought the bird would be but we never came up with it. It had either ran or flew away, probably when I had shot at the bird Sally had pointed.

When we got back to the truck I loaded dogs and started looking for another place. The next place was almost the same as the first place. It wasn’t as flat but it was a pasture next to a soybean field on the west side.

Mann pointing into a huge cedar tree.

When I started through it I noticed that there wasn’t as much rag weed. But it still looked good. We were about half way through it when the GPS showed Sally on point. She was 400 yards to the south west of me. Uphill. I started to her and by the time I got close the other dogs were honoring. She was about 30 yards from the fence between the pasture and soybean field looking toward the fence line. I walked in front of her and got to the fence line before she moved. She just knew there were birds there.

All of the dogs trailed but we never came up with anything. We went to the south edge, moved over and came back to the truck. By this time the wind was really howling. I decided to quit for the day. Shooting is mental and if I don’t feel good about my gun or my loads I don’t shoot very well. A 28 gauge on a normal day is plenty but in this wind I’m not sure if anything is up to the task.

Posted in Hunts | Comments Off on Another Kansas Quail Hunt, 1/18/21