Traveling Pointing Dogs

Vince Dye and I started for Iowa, to quail hunt, and the closer we got the more snow there was on the ground. I didn’t know it had snowed in northern Missouri and into Iowa on Sunday. Vince had been deer hunting over the weekend and he said there was quite a bit of snow on Sunday. When we started walking the public land in Iowa the snow was probably 6 inches with a lot of deeper drifts.

After the hunt in Iowa.

Tur Bo pointing a single.

Dolly nearly 13 years old pointing a covey of quail.

Vince knew of a small place that he had seen quail on earlier that we thought we should check on the way. We thought the hunt would be a good place for just our puppies, so I turned Mann out with the e-collar and GPS collar on. Vince turned his young GSP, Allie, out but he also took Maggie his English Cocker spaniel. Most of the soy beans had been harvested on this place leaving a lot less cover than when Vince had been here before.

We went down a draw through the middle of the soy bean field. When we got to the end we turned to the west and brought a ditch back to near the truck. The only cover left was on the east side. On the other side was a huge field of unharvested soy beans. We were about half way down the east side with Vince close to the fence and me in the edge of the harvested soy beans. I heard Vince yell, “there goes one.” As I turned toward him a large covey of quail flushed.

Several quail came through the brush and flew across the field about 20 yards in front of me. I got on one and it dropped when I shot so I switched to another. The second bird was hit hard so I headed toward the first. Allie, Vince’s GSP, saw or smelled the quail. When she got close the bird tried to fly but only got about 2 feet off the ground. Allie grabbed it and brought it to me. We went to get the other and she found it lying, belly up.

Vince said that 3 more quail flushed while Allie and I were getting my dead birds but flew right into the sun where he couldn’t shoot. We checked all of the available cover without finding any of the singles from the covey. We loaded our dogs and went to another place.

The next place was farther north and the snow was deeper. I had brought Sally, Luke and Tur Bo and they hadn’t been out of the box so I put the collars on them and turned them loose. Vince had another GSP that hadn’t been out so he turned Indy and Maggie, his cocker out. All of the dogs except Tur Bo and Maggie had gone ahead. Tur Bo went on point about 30 yards in front of the truck. He was on a small hill with a high head and a straight, twelve o’clock tail, looking beautiful and I didn’t bring the camera. He was pointing into a small thicket right on the property line.

Vince stayed behind a short distance to make sure Indy, his new dog would honor Tur Bo. I walked in and a nice covey of quail flushed, stayed low and flew off the public land. Neither of us got a shot.

We went on down the property line to some thick hedge rows that split the small soy bean fields. Vince was on one side with me on the other. A quarter mile or so down the hedge row a rooster pheasant came out of the hedge row flying low with Maggie right behind it. It folded when I shot and Maggie scooped it up. The pheasant looked as big as she is but she started to Vince with it. If I shoot a bird and Vince picks it up or the dogs bring it to him he carries it until we get back to the truck. I wondered how he would handle the bigger bird. We walked along a little way and Vince said, “I didn’t hear you try to call Maggie to you”. I laughed.

Tur Bo pointing a single.

I checked the GPS and Luke was on point over 550 yards from us. I didn’t say anything for a while thinking the birds wouldn’t hold for him anyway. We had been going in the right direction then we needed to go to the west to get to him. I told Vince he was on point and at this time he was 480 yards from us. We started through some tall weeds that turned into horse weeds over our head. As we went along I checked the GPS to see if he was still on point. He was. We crossed through some woods and a creek but finally we got to him.

I waited for Vince to get in the right place and while we waited Indy honored. I walked in and a rooster pheasant flushed. I shot and down it came. I think Vince hung back but Indy and I got to the pheasant about the same time. I carried this one.

We went back to the hedge rows that split the soy bean fields. I came around a bend in the hedge row and saw Luke and Tur Bo on point. When I got closer I saw they were honoring Indy, Vince’s GSP. Sally came by and honored. I waited for Vince to get ready then walked in. A single quail flushed. It ran on the ground then flew down the hedge row. When I shot it dropped on Vince’s side. When I shot a covey flushed. I never saw them but I did hear them.

Maggie retrieved my bird and Vince carried it. We went on down the hedge row. The dogs were staying in and really working the hedge row. Indy pointed on Vince’s side and he dropped the single in some tall weeds. Maggie found the dead bird and brought it to Vince.

Mann on point but not getting a lot of scent.

I checked the GPS and we had walked by Luke. He was on point 40 yards behind us. When we got close he was on Vince’s side. It was too thick for me to even try to get through the hedge row. Vince walked in and kicked a small clump of weeds. Nothing happened but Luke didn’t move. Vince kicked again and Luke went to the other side and went back on point. Vince kicked again and about 6 quail flushed out of the small clump. Vince shot twice and dropped two quail. I found a place to cross the hedge row to help him find his birds. Maggie found one but we never found the other. I went back through the hedge row.

As we went down the hedge row I checked the GPS and Luke was on point 220 yards from us. I crossed the hedge row and started to him. Thirty yards past the hedge row there were horse weeds really thick and taller than our head. All of the way we fought our way through. Vince and I were separated by about 40 yards. Finally, on the far side, where we were almost out of these tall weeds, I saw Luke on point, waiting for me. I told Vince I found him, come on over.

It was really thick and Vince said he couldn’t make it. For me to go ahead. When I got beside Luke a rooster pheasant flushed and tried to fly around a short cedar tree. He dropped on the other side. Tur Bo and I got there at the same time. Now I was carrying two of these heavy birds.

When Vince and I got back together he said, “when I saw that bird drop”, I told Maggie, “don’t go get that bird”.

Tur Bo after the pigeon has flown.

We went back to the hedge rows and started down them. We got near the truck and decided to go to another place. There was a little draw running from the soy bean field into a larger draw that ran along the road. Vince walked down it and I moved over closer. Tur Bo came in front of Vince and went down the draw. I saw him go on point. When we got closer Sally was on one side and Tur Bo on the other. Both on point.

Vince decided he could drive them back onto the place we were hunting. He circled around and when he got to Tur Bo he said, “I think they are just honoring each other”. When he said that a big covey of quail flushed. Most of the quail flew up the draw. One bird came out by me and when I pulled the trigger he turned to fly back up the draw with the rest. My first miss of the day. Vince had shot once without connecting, too.

We went on down the big draw with Vince on one side and me on the other. I tried to cross to Vince’s side to check out some tall grass but the ditch was too deep and the brush too thick. I went back the way I came and when I got to the truck I loaded the dogs. I drove up the road and picked up Vince and his dogs.

We drove around looking for another place to hunt without finding anything that made us want to get out of the truck. The deep snow and thick cover had taken its toll on us. We were tired and the truck seats felt good. We had only seen 3 pheasants and they were all roosters. We hadn’t seen any hens. We had seen a lot of birds and had some good dog work. It had been a good day.

Sally on point. Luke is on point in the woods 20 yards in front of her. She can’t see him.

Mann on wild quail.

Luke pointing a covey of quail.

After seeing people, on face book, asking where to hunt in whatever state they want to hunt, I decided to just drive into Kansas, 3 hours from my house, and start quail hunting. I have the Kansas Hunting Atlas and I chose an area that I’ve never hunted before. That’s hard to find since I’ve hunted Kansas for over 40 years, probably. I chose a two lane road and drove west.

Tur Bo pointing a single.

Sally backing Tur Bo.

Dolly off the walk-in property pointing quail.

At the end of 3 hours I pulled to the side of the road, opened the atlas and started trying to figure out what I had to hunt. I spent another 30 minutes driving by places to see if I wanted to hunt them. The first place I tried, the road ended, from the way I was trying to get in. There were some more places, closer than going to the other side, so I started to them. I saw signs for walk-in that wasn’t in my Atlas. It had a nice draw, through a harvested soy bean field, that ran from almost the south west corner to the north west corner.

I parked at the north west corner and put the e-collars and GPS collars on Dolly and Mann. We worked it all the way to the south west corner and back to the truck without seeing a game bird. I loaded the dogs and started toward another place. I decided before leaving to check the east side of this property.

There was another nice, wide draw running from the south edge to the north fence line with some smaller draws coming off the larger one. This side looked better than the other. I put e-collars on Sally. I hadn’t taken the collars off of Mann so I put them both down to hunt this property.

We started to the north along the fence row walking with the wind. I wanted to hunt to the north edge and hunt the good looking draw into the wind. I hadn’t walked 50 yards when I saw a covey of quail flush out of the soy bean field and fly off this place. Both dogs were on the other side of the fence and the quail flew over them as they exited this property. Not a good start.

We went on toward the north. We went down one of the small draws toward the larger draw. Right where they joined another covey flushed through the draw toward the fence line we had started down. I shot but more like a salute than having a real chance at a bird.

I called the dogs in and we went toward the fence line in the direction the covey had flown. Along the fence line where the small draw started was a small patch of grass. Sally was just across the fence and a single quail flushed near her not giving me a shot. I stopped, giving the dogs time to search this grass patch for more singles.

Both dogs were across the fence, I thought, as I stood in the grass patch. I took a step and a quail flushed from near me flying real low back to the west. I threw my gun up, pushed the safety off and tried to pull the trigger just as Sally popped over a hill right where the gun was pointing. I couldn’t pull the trigger because the safety was half on. Had I shot I would have hit Sally right in the head at about 15 yards. I shot this shotgun dove hunting and on this hunt I shot it probably 8 or 10 times and this was the only time that the safety went half way. Coincidence, I don’t think so. I think the Lord took care of me one more time as He always has.

Mann pointing a pigeon.

We went on down the fence row then started across the north end to the west. I was going to cross the big draw and head back to the south into the wind. As I crossed the ditch and started up the other side another covey flushed in front of me. They flew through the thick stand of trees. One later flushing bird tried to fly over a cedar tree in front of me and dropped when I shot. He wasn’t hit real hard so I hurried to the spot.

I got both dogs in to hunt dead. They didn’t even get birdy where I thought the bird had dropped. After about 5 minutes I didn’t think we were going to find it. I started on toward where some of the covey had flown. Mann came by me and whirled around and went on point 10 or 15 yards farther than I thought the dead bird had fallen. He was looking at the ground right in front of him. I said, “get that bird” two or three times and he pounced on the wounded bird. It was still alive when he gave it to me.

We checked along the north fence line and I saw one more quail that got up in front of Sally. It flew past me across the fence. I shot but didn’t turn a feather. We went on down the big draw. I got a phone call and stopped to talk. As we were talking I checked the GPS and Sally was on point down in the big draw. I told Vince I had a dog on point, I had to go. When I got to her Mann honored her. She was in some heavy brush. I tried to get close and about six quail flushed in front of her. They flew through the brush in the draw. I shot one time but missed.

We got back to the truck and I dropped the tail gate. I turned to load the dogs and Sally was across the road, off the walk-in, on point. As I started to her Mann honored. Sally was pointing into a large cedar tree. I stopped at the fence and kicked some brush that was growing along the fence. At least, three quail flushed on the other side of the tree. I saw them for just a second. When the dogs came back I loaded them.

Sally

I saw three coveys on that place and had one bird to show for it. Part of it I shot badly, part of it the birds had plenty of brush and trees to put between them and me.

We went to another place. I turned Sally, Tur Bo and Luke out on this with the e-collars and GPS collars. This place had a ditch, with some cover, running into a large lake. On the east side where I had parked was a large wetland of cat tails. We went down the cat tails until we got to a harvested soy bean field and with a pasture along side. We went along the side of the soy bean field to the end. I saw a wood cutter and stopped to talk to him for a few minutes.

Luke had gone on to the west and I called him back. Sally, Tur Bo and I started back toward the truck along the north fence line. Tur Bo and Sally were almost side by side when they went on point. They were both on the north side of the hedge row. I walked to the fence and encouraged the dogs to move. A big covey of quail flushed between the dogs and me. I got on one of the quail and knew it was dead in the air when I pulled the trigger. Another bird flew to the west on my side of the hedge row. It dropped when I shot but I saw it run when it hit the ground.

I got both dogs in and as we looked Luke came in and helped. I had the dogs in where I saw the quail running along a cattle trail. After a couple of minutes Sally pointed then pounced on the quail. It was still alive when she gave it to me.

Then we went back down the hedge row for the first quail I had shot. I wasn’t sure where I had been when the covey had flushed but I watched the dogs and Sally and Tur Bo both pointed. I told them the bird was dead and they started searching. I crossed the fence and saw the quail lying in the leaves, belly up. I picked it up.

Mann again.

We went on to the east along the hedge row, fence row. There was some brush growing along a low spot near the fence and Tur Bo went on point in the edge of the brush. Sally was about 50 yards from him, honoring. I had trouble seeing Tur Bo but she had stopped as soon as she saw him. I took some pictures then walked close to Tur Bo. A single quail went through the brush and I missed it.

We started down a cross fence toward where the cat tails were growing. Luke went on point with the wind behind him. Sally and Tur Bo backed Luke. When I got to the fence Luke’s tail started moving so I knew he had lost the scent. He had been facing the wrong way on the wind. I told them, “okay” and they started moving with the wind to the north. I waited and nothing happened. I took a couple of steps to the south and a single quail flushed. Luke had smelled the bird and pointed the wrong way, I think. This quail was in the open and I pretty well centered it. Tur Bo grabbed the bird but thought it was his. He finally brought it close enough I could take it from him.

When we got back to the truck we drove to the other side of the property. I turned Luke, Dolly and Mann loose. We went along the side of the lake but the cover wasn’t very good until we got to the east side of the lake. There was some pasture along a harvested corn field that we went through. We circled to the other side of the cat tails and started back to the west. The GPS showed Luke on point in the cat tails. I got within 44 feet of him but I couldn’t (wouldn’t) get through the cat tails. I encouraged Luke to move. Finally, a hen pheasant flushed and I heard Luke hit the water. When he came out he looked like a drowned rat. The water must have been deep.

Tur Bo pointing a pigeon.

We continued on around the lake and got close to where the dogs had found a covey of quail. The GPS showed Luke on point about 125 yards to the north west. At about the 100 yard mark I saw him standing in the pasture, of short grass, pointing into a small bush. I kept watching as I walked to him. I was about 75 yards from him when he threw his head up and ran toward the north east. I think, it was probably a single out of the covey but it didn’t hold for me to get close.

We worked our way around the lake, crossed the road and hunted a small draw running through a pasture then back to the truck.

It was close to my self imposed quitting time of 4:30 pm and I was a long way from home so I started back. I had hunted an area that I’d never been to and found good places. I found 4 coveys of quail, Last year, Austin Farley and I had hunted Iowa where I hadn’t hunted in a lot of years and we found birds. We did the same thing in Nebraska this year. Do the research to find a good area, then work hard to find birds.

On this day, in an area I’ve never been to I found 4 coveys of quail, killed 4 birds and had a lot of dog work. It had been a really good day.

Mann on wild quail.

Luke pointing a covey of quail.

Luke

I usually don’t quail hunt on the weekends. Opening day is different but I didn’t hunt Sunday then the weather was terrible Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday, I finally went back to the area in Kansas that I had hunted on opening day.

Dolly off the walk-in property pointing quail.

A close up of the same point.

Tur Bo pointing a single.

Sally had rolled in a gut pile in Missouri and I had washed all of my electric collars and the GPS collars with the garden hose. One of my e-collars didn’t survive. It wouldn’t turn off but it wasn’t where it would work. It had a green light and amber light at all times. I took it over to Garmin and they confirmed my suspicions. It was shot. I bought another one. THIS IS A WARNING. Don’t wash them, although they are water proof, with high pressure water.

I went out close to Atchison and the first two places I drove past had hunters on them. I went to a place that several years ago I had found quail. It had some harvested corn but the soy beans were unharvested. I turned Sally and Dolly out with their e-collars and GPS collars and we went up a water way that ran through the soy bean field to the end of a hedge row.

The farmer had a bunch of cows on the pasture on the other side of the hedge row. I didn’t see them from the truck. We went down the hedge row and the pasture ended so we crossed the hedge row. The north side had a harvested soy bean field. We got to the end of the hedge row and crossed the road. Both sides were walk-in. We circled back to the truck.

Several years ago Luke had found some quail well off the walk-in and I got permission from the land owner to drive in and get him. The farm next door was now in the walk-in program. I turned Sally, Tur Bo and Babe loose. It was really thick pasture, maybe CRP, but it had had some cattle on it. We went down a draw to the south.

We got to the south edge without seeing any quail but we saw several deer. I have to really watch Tur Bo. He likes to chase deer but he’s learned not to get right behind them. He’s harder to catch than most dogs. He knows the e-collar goes off if he gets right behind them. He waits until they have been gone a few minutes, then he follows.

We went along the south fence line to the west. I was almost to the next fence line when the GPS showed Sally on point about 175 yards ahead of me. I was still 80 yards from her when I saw her standing, pointing in the pasture next door that had been grazed down to the ground. She was pointing into a small bush. Other than a few scattered bushes there was no cover. I didn’t think the birds would hold.

I think where she was standing was walk-in but I’m not sure. And it doesn’t matter the quail flushed. One quail flew right at me and I turned and shot as it went away from me. It hit on a little mound and bounced when it hit. When it bounced I thought it was dead. I turned to see if any more quail were going to fly my way.

None came my way so I called the dogs in to find my dead bird. I really thought it was right on top of the little mound. All three dogs came in and looked. Although, they got real birdy a time or two, we never found that bird.

Sally pointing some quail.

We went back to the east looking for any of the quail out of that covey without finding any. When we got to the east fence line we took it back to the north. The farm to the east had a lot of harvested soy bean stubble. When I had gone into it to get Luke a couple of years ago he had found two coveys before I got him out. I was hoping the quail were feeding in the soy beans and living in the CRP but we didn’t find any. I loaded the dogs.

There was small spot that I have found a covey of birds in and sometimes a pheasant or two. It was just a small, maybe 3 acres, of cat tails and brush in a low spot. I turned Luke and Mann out. Luke immediately went on the wrong side of the road. I had turned him loose then put the collars on Mann. When I got my shotgun out he was running to the south down a hedge row. I called but he didn’t turn. Mann started to follow him but I called him back.

I waited on Luke. I beeped him on the e-collar. Most of the time he comes in. He would be at 400 yards and come in to about 150 yards then he would be farther out. I wish I knew whether he was just blowing me off or if he’s confused. He acts confused but some of the time he comes right in. I loaded Mann up. The GPS showed him at the road to the south east of us. I drove over there and the GPS showed him back where I had just left. I went back. He was about a hundred yards away. I called him to me and put him in the box. I didn’t hunt him any more that day. With all of my yelling for Luke there was no reason to hunt that little spot.

I had found two coveys on opening day at a spot not far away so I drove to it. It looked better with most of the snow melted. After driving around the place to make sure no one else was on it I parked at the south west corner. I turned Sally, Dolly and Mann out. We went to the east down a hedge row to the corner and went north along a fence line to a draw. Back up the draw to the hedge row then back to the truck. I loaded Mann and Sally and looked for Dolly.

Mann on point.

Dolly was across the road running toward me along a hedge row. As I watched her she went on point. I had already put my gun up and this wasn’t walk-in so I took pictures. Dolly has been a really good bird dog. She will be 13 years old in February. She can’t see or hear very well but she can still point birds. I went to her and flushed a covey of quail. I tried to make them fly back onto the walk-in but quail go where they want to. I’ve never been able to make them go where I wanted. I loaded her.

There was another draw that ran into the harvested corn field on one side and standing soy beans on the other. I had put the dogs in the truck with their e-collars still on them. I turned them loose and we went up one side of the draw and back down the other. We got back to the truck with out seeing any birds. I loaded Sally.

Mann and Dolly wasn’t close. I checked the GPS and they were across the road off the walk-in. As I watched the GPS Mann went on point. Then just a few seconds later it showed Dolly backing. I had already put my gun in the truck so I started to them with my camera in my hand. Just as I rounded the draw I saw them on point. Some of the quail flushed but neither dog moved. Either they didn’t see or hear the quail or there were more birds there. As I went to them they started moving. I called them to me. Dolly came right in but Mann was finding quail and he wanted to stay over there. Finally, he came in. I loaded the dogs.

I had seen 3 coveys of quail and I’m not sure that any of them were on walk-in properties. I had shot one time and had nothing to show for it but the dogs had pointed birds. That is the most important part of the trip. I sometimes wonder if quail are too valuable to shoot.

Tur Bo honorng Luke.

Sally pointing Mann backing.

Sally backing Tur Bo.