When I hunt near Greensburg Kansas I usually stop by the Byron Walker Conservation area to let the dogs out of their boxes. The dogs have been in the truck about 4 hours so they are ready to get out. On all of my trips I find a good place and let the dogs run for a few minutes then call them back. They always come when they are called. Until yesterday. Everyone came back except Luke. Finally, after calling him with no results, I turned Tur Bo and Sally Joe loose. We made a large circle without finding him. I loaded Sally and Tur Bo back in the truck and drove to the east, turned around and started back and he came to the truck. This delayed our quail hunt by over an hour.
Ice that was left from the storm that came through a few days before.
Sally honoring Dolly.
Feeding time on the road.
I knew where I wanted to begin my quail hunt but someone was already there when I drove past. As I came by the next place a group of hunters pulled their SUV to the side of the muddy road to let me go by. As I waved to them I saw a covey of quail fly over their SUV and land in the walk-in property we were passing. I drove on down the road about 200 yards and as the SUV went out of sight I unloaded Sally, Lucky and Tur Bo.
We went into the strong south east wind. This was a large CRP field with scattered plum thickets. As we hunted about 50 yards inside the fence along the road Tur Bo pointed into a plum thicket. Sally saw him and honored. They were both higher on the hill than I was. As I started in front of Tur Bo two quail flushed out on the far side of the plum thicket. They stayed low without giving me a shot.
We made a circle around the area without finding any more of the covey. I had another place in mind to hunt so I loaded the dogs and we drove to the next farm. It was a large pasture that I usually hunt when I’m here. There were scattered groups of trees as well as lots of plum thickets.
I turned Dolly, Betsy and Sally out with Garmin GPS collars. Betsy and Dolly also had Garmin e-collars. We started to the north east to use the wind as best we could. Dolly and Sally were in front of me and so was Betsy but Betsy was way out front. Soon she was off the GPS. I walked the tops of the hills trying to pick up her GPS signal, with no luck.
As I crossed from one hill to another I saw Dolly trailing in a large plum thicket. I started to her and as I got close I heard a quail flush. I got closer and saw another quail fly out on the other side. It stayed low and I only saw it for a second. Not long enough for a shot.
We went to the north about a mile and moved to the east and hunted back to the truck. I kept calling Betsy and checking the GPS. She wasn’t close enough to be on the GPS. I ate lunch on the tail gate of the truck calling her every once in a while.
I decided to go to the north end of this property and hunt to the west. This way if she kept going north maybe I could catch up with her. I turned Luke and Tur Bo out. Just off this pasture, on private land, was a harvested corn field. As we hunted along the fence row a single quail flushed behind me. With the strong wind blowing the bird was out of range before I could shoot. I called Tur Bo in but we didn’t find any others.
As we continued to the west I checked the GPS for Betsy and saw that Tur Bo was on point. He was south west of me 69 yards. When I got to him he was pointing into a small plum thicket. I started in front of him and about 6 or 7 quail flushed. I missed with the first shot but I hit a bird with the second. The feathers boiled off the quail and it dropped both legs but continued to fly. I watched it until it went through some trees and went out of sight. I got both dogs in to look where I thought it may have gone down but we never found it.
Tur Bo and Dolly both on point.
We continued to the west. I saw a pheasant get up ahead of the dogs and fly to the south west. I saw about where it landed. Before we got close it flushed again flying farther to the south west. We went all the way to the fence on the west and moved over and started back. I was still checking the GPS for Betsy. Again, I saw on the GPS that Tur Bo was on point near where I had seen the pheasant.
The south east wind was coming into his face as he pointed into a large plum thicket. I fought my way into the thicket then started ahead of him. The pheasant flushed about 40 yards away. I never got a shot.
We hunted back to the east. Still Betsy wasn’t on the GPS. When one of my dogs aren’t where they are supposed to be I’m a nervous wreck. We were almost back to the truck, I was walking with my gun over my shoulder, worrying about Betsy. I was cutting through a grove of trees when I almost stepped on a covey of quail. By the time I got my gun in position the quail were through the trees. I shot once but I didn’t come close.
We checked the area for the quail but I believe they all flew off the walk-in and into the harvested corn field. Betsy had been gone for over 3 hours so I loaded the dogs and started back to where I had originally released her. I was driving holding the GPS unit hoping to see her show up. I had just noticed that the battery on my cell phone was totally dead. I started charging it as I drove.
Tur Bo
I met a truck and the driver flagged me down. He asked if I was looking for a dog. He had picked Betsy up about an hour after I turned her loose. He had called my cell phone but he got no answer. He called my home and June told him my cell phone was down. He drove the roads until he found me. No wonder she didn’t show on the GPS. He was the game warden for that area and had taken her to his home. I followed him to his home and got her.
By the time I got back to an area to hunt it was getting late and I don’t like to hunt without giving the birds plenty of time to get back together before dark. In my opinion when they are scattered they are easier for predators and if it’s very cold they can’t keep warm.
I hooked the dogs to the fencing around some gas wells and fed them. I think someone had been hunting the place where I lost Betsy before I got there and I know someone had been in the last place I hunted. If these birds have lived this late in the season they are well educated. But at least I’m seeing birds.
Sally pointing a quail.
Betsy pointing a quail.
Luke pointing a quail.