Traveling Pointing Dogs

I’m a veteran and I should be able to go quail hunting on veterans day. I’m, also, retired so I can go hunting any time, during the season, I want. It’s been really warm and dry for November. We got some rain yesterday and it was a little cooler today. It still was 58 degrees when I started home. Cooler but still too hot for the dogs.

Mann pointing and Sally backing.

Boss and Abby honoring Sally. Abby is the black spotted one.

Abby and Boss honoring Mann.

When I got to the Missouri Wildlife area I wanted to hunt I put an e-collar and GPS collar on Abby and heeled her around the parking area, whoaing her every few feet. She and Boss know to whoa in the back yard but they aren’t sure they are supposed to other places. I put her back in the box and got Boss out. I hadn’t brought but 3 e-collars and to my surprise only 3 GPS collars. I had a bark collar so I put it on Boss. Hoping he would think he was under my control. I heeled him around the parking area, too, whoaing him every few feet. I put him back in his box.

After I put the e-collars and GPS collars on Mann and Sally I turned all 4 dogs loose. The farmer next door had harvested his soybeans since I had been here opening day. I thought that might put more quail on the Conservation area but the neighbor had a lot of brushy draws that could hold quail.

We went to the south along the hedge row that was on the west side. All 4 dogs had lots of energy and were covering all of the draws that ran into the fields. When we got to the south edge the dogs ran the fence row to the east and we turned and went back through some small fields to the north.

Abby runs without paying any attention to where I am. She got lost for the first time, today. She was about 300 yards to the south as I went to the north. I started calling her as I walked. It took a while but she finally found me. We were both happy.

We went along the edge of a soybean field to the east. when we got to the end I cut through a draw and went on to the east. Abby had gone to the south and was having trouble finding me again. I turned north along the edge of a soybean field, calling Abby as I went. Finally, she caught up. I think she was more worried this time. She stayed with me pretty well the rest of the morning.

We went along the edge of that soybean field then through the hedge row and went around another soybean field. There was several ponds on this place so the dogs were able to stay hydrated. At the end of this field, was a large field, with just weeds. As we started to the west through the weeds my GPS handheld vibrated. Mann was on point 88 yards to the west. As I went to him it vibrated again. Sally was on point, probably backing Mann, I thought.

Webley & Scott 20 gauge and a couple of quail.

Both, Abby and Boss honored Mann. When I went in front of Mann he started trailing. I looked at the GPS handheld and it still showed Sally on point but she was back where I had come from. I watched Mann for a few seconds then started to Sally. I was still 40 yards from Sally with both pups in front of me. They were standing side by side, both on point. Sally was another 10 yards east of them.

I went around the pups and went to Sally. I went in front of her and she started trailing. I turned to look at the pups, Abby and Boss. They were still on point. I took a couple of steps toward them and a turkey flushed right in front of them. Neither one even chased. They may have been shocked at the size of that bird.

We went on around two more soybean fields and along the edge of a harvested corn field. When we came to the truck I loaded the dogs. I ate lunch driving to the east side of this Conservation area.

Another picture of gun and quail.

When I had been here on opening day I hadn’t found any quail on the west side but I found a covey on the east side. Vince Dye and I have found a covey on this side several times but we never are able to do much with them. That’s okay. The dogs need some birds to work.

Both sides of the road is Conservation land so I ran the dogs down the west side of the road around a large draw. We went to the south through some good looking tall weeds where there could have been, should have been, quail. We crossed over to the east.

We went along a draw that runs into a harvested corn field, along a hedge row and then started around a pond. The handheld vibrated, Sally was on point. I started to her. There must have been a lot of scent in the area. Mann came in front of me and pointed. When I would get to him he would move up and point. It was like he knew Sally was on point and he didn’t want to flush her birds.

I finally got close to Sally and she started trailing. Boss and Mann came into the area. Boss got ahead of Sally and I saw him point. Sally pointed another time or two but I never saw or heard anything flush. When we got close to a pond I stopped to let the dogs get a drink. I heard Abby barking, lost.

Boss in front honoring Sally.

I had forgotten to watch where she was on the GPS. She was over 300 yards away. I stayed by the pond and started calling her. Pretty soon she found me. Getting lost makes you thirsty. After she got a good drink we started on.

We were close to where the covey had flushed to on opening day so we went around that area. We had covered it and were going on when on the other side of the soybean field Sally went on point. She was down in the woods next to the soybean field. By the time I got to her Mann was backing. I was still in the field when I got even with her and she started trailing. Mann threw his head in the air and passed her.

About 25 yards south of where Sally pointed Mann went on point. When I got even with him I kicked a small bush and a large covey of quail flushed about 15 yards ahead of Mann. Most of them stayed in the woods but one came out along the edge. I missed with the first barrel but connected with the second. I knew it wasn’t hit very hard so I got Sally to the area quickly.

Sally on point.

The quail had fallen in some grass right along the edge of the woods. Sally smelled him as soon as she got close. The bird tried to fly but it had a broken wing. When it jumped up Sally grabbed it but turned it loose. It ran and she caught it again. But she turned it loose. This time it was under some green grass where it was harder to smell. Boss came along and he was helping. Finally, she picked it up and I took it from her. Boss missed my fingers but got a few feathers from it.

I thought most of the birds had flown back into the woods but we found a couple of small meadows in side the woods. The dogs hunted really good but we never came up with any quail. But when we got just a little south of where the covey had flushed from Sally went on point. I thought it was too close but I took some pictures then walked in. A small deer jumped up and started moving slowly away. Mann was coming into the area and the deer went right in front of him but he never tried to chase. I took the dogs in the opposite direction.

Mann honoring Abby.

There is a real long soybean field on the eastern edge of this Conservation area. We went to the north down the western side of the field then across the north end then back south along the eastern edge. There is a draw that parallels the eastern fence that is about a hundred yards wide. The last time I was here I never found any quail on this field but I did see two quail roosts.

As we went along the draw the handheld showed Sally on point about 60 yards ahead of me inside the draw. When I got close she was moving but in just a minute or so she came by me and she was seriously hunting. She acted like something had flushed in front of her and she wasn’t happy about it.

I decided to cross near where she had been on point. As I went through the draw she pointed a couple of times and would be moving before I could get to her. She may have been pointing turkeys but I really believe some quail were running in front of her then flushing. We went on back toward the truck.

Mann on point.

When we got close to where the covey had flushed before I got all of the dogs in to hunt for singles. We never found anything and when I saw a pond close I started toward it to water the dogs. I was crossing a harvested soybean field that had a few grass strips left.

I stepped into a grass strip and a covey of quail flushed right at my feet. I got on a quail flying south and it turned to the east. That made it a right to left shot. When I shot I knew I had centered the bird. It was high and it bounced when it hit the ground. When I looked where the covey had flushed from Abby was pointing. I don’t know if she stopped to flush or if she was on point when the birds got up.

I got Sally in to hunt dead. Abby and Boss were close but don’t know what is going on. Sally found where the quail had hit the ground and on top of the hill the wind was pretty strong. She kept going to the south into the wind. I looked over in time to see Abby pick the quail up. It was another ten feet down wind from Sally.

Boss pointing a pigeon.

A few days ago Abby had caught a pigeon and squeezed the life out of it. I was afraid she would do the same for the quail. She started away from me with the bird. I whoaed her and she stopped. When I got to her Sally and Boss were right in front of her. They wanted the quail and she wasn’t going to give it up. I got them a few feet away from her and blew a strong burst of air into her ear. She opened her mouth and I took the bird.

The bird I shot was the only bird to fly that way. I didn’t see where the others went. I got the dogs in to hunt the available cover but we never came up with any more birds. When we got back to the truck I loaded all of the dogs except Boss. He wasn’t even close to the truck. He hasn’t got used to riding yet. He hates the truck box.

Abby pointing a pigeon.

After watering those three I loaded them in the box, shut the tail gate and drove away. I just drove up the road a little way and turned around. When I got back to where I was parked I saw Boss standing across the fence on private property. I stopped and called him. He laid down. I got back in the truck and drove on down the road. I saw him start following but he was still on private property.

I went about a half mile down the road and came back. When I passed him he turned and started following but still on private property. I pulled back where I had originally parked. He came through the fence off the private property and stopped. I walked to him and he never moved. I grabbed his collar and led him to the truck. He jumped onto the tail gate and I petted him for a few seconds before putting him in the box. We came on home.

I haven’t missed an opening day of quail season in Missouri in the last 50 years or more. Today was no exception. I had trouble sleeping last night and this was time change too. The time change always screws me up. I didn’t change my clock before I went to bed and each time I woke up I had to do mental arithmetic. I had my alarm set for 5:00 am, on my phone which resets on the time change, which was the old time of 6:00 am. I was awake when the alarm went off.

Sally on point.

I took my camera out of the hunting jacket to take this picture and forgot to put it back.

My Webley&Scott 20 gauge.

Usually, I don’t go quail hunting real early of the morning. I believe quail aren’t early risers but sunrise was at 6:45 and I was at my place just shortly after. I was hunting a Missouri Conservation area in northern Missouri. You never know how many people will be on the Conservation lands. When I got to the parking area there was no one else there.

I had brought Sally, Mann and Boss with me. I put an e-collar and GPS collar on Boss and heeled him across the parking lot, whoaing him every few feet. He knows whoa in the yard but he doesn’t know yet that he has to whoa every time I say the word. I put him back in the box on the truck until I had the e-collars and GPS collars on Mann and Sally, then turned all three loose.

The wind was strong from the north west. Right in front of the truck was a narrow, long, harvested corn field. We went down the north edge to the east. We got to an area where Vince Dye and I had found a covey a couple of years ago. When we had been here before this had been a weedy field but now it was harvested soy beans. There was very little cover for birds.

On the north edge there was a buffer strip around the soy beans and we hunted this. We went on to the south where we had found another covey a few years ago. Again we came up empty.

After I had covered most of the ground, where I normally found birds, I loaded the dogs and we moved to the other side of the area. On the way to the other side I saw an old house and got my camera from the hunting vest and took a picture. I forgot to put the camera back. I would rather have a picture than to shoot a bird.

There has been a covey on the east side of this place every year. The most we have been able to kill out of it is, one year we got two. They always know how to use the trees to their advantage.

Boss

I turned the dogs loose and we started toward where I expected the covey to be. There is an old hedge row that ends near a pond. there is a lot of other brush and trees near where we usually find the birds. I worked the dogs up the hedge row then across the dam on the pond. No birds. We continued on to the east.

There is a good field with hedge rows and thick stand of trees along the edge. In the past we have found a few coveys along the edges. When we got near the end three deer hunters walked in and started putting up stands. I called the dogs and we started back toward the truck.

As we got back close to where I just knew there should be a covey of birds two more hunters were in front of us. I made another turn to get away from them. As we came along the end of the pond that was in the area the GPS handheld vibrated. It showed Mann on point near the opposite end of the pond from the dam.

Boss and the backing dog.

I have been working Mann and Abby on the backing dog and when I saw Mann, Boss was honoring. Mann was on point almost under a cedar tree with several more cedar trees real close. I tried to get in front of him and saw the quail running on the ground, going out the other side. I ran around the tree in time to watch the covey fly into a small corn field.

I got all three dogs to hunt close and we went to the corn field. The dogs got birdy and didn’t want to stay in the corn field. I went real slow along the edge, watching the dogs. There was an edge of the woods close that Boss was really interested in. Ahead of him about 40 yards I saw 2 or 3 quail flush. He wasn’t close enough to see or hear them.

We went through the corn field and around the edge and I thought it was like most coveys. Never find any singles. I started to the truck with Mann and Boss when I felt the GPS handheld vibrate. Sally was on point about 125 yards from me along a harvested soy bean field. Me and the two boys started to her.

Abby and the backing dog.

Mann saw her and honored and Boss was on the other side. When he got close I whoaed him. I went to Sally and a single quail flushed down in the trees without giving me a shot. Sally took a step and went back on point. When this bird flushed it tried to fly down the edge of the trees and when I shot it dropped into the edge of the woods.

Sally saw the bird drop and went after it. I stood along the edge watching her. I thought she was in the right place. She was working back and forth. I happened to see Boss on point about 15 yards away. I got close to him, the bird fluttered and Boss pounced on it. The trees were so thick it was hard to get to him. He held the bird down with his feet. The quail got loose and ran a few feet before he caught it again. I took the bird from him.

We went back along the edge around the corn field that the covey had flown into. Sally did point once but whatever it was ran out on her but it was an opportunity for me to whoa Boss into an honor. When I got to her all three dogs started trailing. We went on toward the truck.

Boss honoring the backing dog.

As we got close to the truck there was a draw running through a harvested corn field. As we started down the draw I happened to see Boss on point. When I got close I saw he was honoring Mann who was honoring Sally. She was in a clump of cedars.

When I got close 3 quail flushed out the other side. One bird made a turn that put him flying from my left to my right. My favorite shot. Just as I got in front of it and pulled the trigger another cedar tree was right there. That tree has to learn to live with an ounce of number 7 1/2 shot.

Abby honoring the backing dog.

It was warm for the dogs and they aren’t in very good shape, so I loaded them and we headed home. It had been a good day. Boss learned to honor today. I may still have to whoa him occasionally but he understands after working on the backing dog and a few times seeing dogs on point today, what he’s supposed to do. That is the reason I go. To see the dogs learn. Quail are too valuable to shoot. We need them to train the dogs.