It dawned on me late Wednesday night that if I was going to quail hunt any more this year I needed to go. Every place I checked was super cold except near Greensburg Kansas. The forecast for Greensburg was for really cold weather over the week end. So I needed to go now. About 4:00 am Thursday morning I loaded the dogs and hit the road.
Sally is backing Luke. He is right in front of her but the brush is too thick to see him.
Tur Bo pointing a single that ran then flushed.
Lucky at almost 14 years old pointing a single.
I decided that I would wear the ear muffs that I shoot skeet with because they, also, keep my ears warm. The muffs amplify sounds but stop really loud noises. There was a strong wind blowing from the south west and at 25 degrees it was cold.
I turned Luke and Sally out with their e-collars and GPS collars. This is the place where 2 guys followed me here, parked about 150 yards behind me, jumped out and were hunting before I could turn my dogs loose. I went to another property that time. Before I turned the dogs out I drove around it to see if anyone was hunting it. This morning, I have it to my self.
We were about 300 yards from the truck when the GPS said Luke was on point. When I got within about 30 yards of him he started trailing. Both dogs were trailing and I saw a quail flush about 40 yards ahead of them. Then two more.
The dogs trailed into an overgrown weed field. Sally went on point and when I got to her she started trailing. After about 15 yards she went on point again. I got to her and she started trailing again. After her fifth point a quail flushed about 30 yards ahead of her. I shot but didn’t come close.
Wearing these ear muffs I can see why the quail run and flush. I make a lot of noise coming through the brush. I make a lot of noise just walking through grass. There is a highway on the south side of this property and trucks on it really make a lot of noise.
As we got to the south side of this property Luke went on point. Again, when I got close he started trailing. I was walking along a fence row next to some heavy brush when I saw Sally go on point. When I got closer I saw she was backing Luke. He was buried in the brush. I couldn’t get to him so I took a picture of Sally. Luke was in the brush where I couldn’t even get a picture of him. I got beside Sally and at least two quail flushed. I didn’t see them, although they were close, but I heard them.
My game plan was to hunt to the south edge then go to the east. When I got to the south side I remembered finding a covey, before the season opened, to the west just a short distance. So we turned to the west.
As we went to the west I saw a wind mill. It was really dry, no water in the creek, so we went to the wind mill. What water was there was frozen. I hadn’t carried any water with me, usually the creek has water. We started to the truck.
We were just west of the truck when Sally went on point in the edge of a little thicket. Luke honored. I circled around to get on the opposite side of the thicket but when I kicked Sally started trailing through the thicket. We crossed a fence then she trailed into the wind. We went over a hundred yards.
Sally honoring Dolly.
Luke knew there was water at the truck and he kept trying to get me to go to the truck. I kept following Sally. Finally, Luke came back near us and went on point right at the edge of a winter wheat field. When I walked in front of him a covey erupted. I shot once and a quail dropped in the wheat field. I watched the singles to the ground.
We went where the singles had flown but just made a short pass through. I took these two dogs back, watered them and turned Tur Bo and Dolly out. Just as soon as they got to the area they started trailing. Tur Bo pointed and a single quail flushed way out front of him. We went on both sides of a small, dry creek. Then we went way south and came back through without finding any more quail.
I loaded the dogs and we went to another property. Lucky will be 14 years old in May. I brought him along but I didn’t intend to hunt him. When I let him out to get a drink he wanted to go really bad. He thought that was what he was out of the truck to do. I put an e-collar and a GPS collar on him and turned Sally and Luke out with him. Before turning Luke loose I put duct tape on his tail.
On the way in, I had talked to a couple of guys who may have hunted this property. We went to the east side of the property then turned to the south, into the wind. Shortly after we turned south Sally went on point in a thicket. When I got to her she trailed through the thicket into some short grass and went on point. When I got to her a single quail flushed and dropped at my shot. Another quail flushed from behind me then two more. Sally saw the bird drop and grabbed it. I went to her and she dropped it in my hand when I told her to give.
Dolly honoring Sally.
I knew where a pond was on this property and tried to get the dogs to it. Lucky and Sally went with me but Luke went on to the south. About the time I beeped his e-collar he went on point. About 300 yards from us. I got close and he was moving. As I watched him a single quail flushed then two more. There wasn’t a dog or person close to them.
I got all 3 dogs in where the 3 birds had flushed from without finding anything. We went on to the south west. Luke went into a thicket on top of a small hill and went on point. When I went in a covey of quail flushed to the south. They just barely cleared the top of the bushes. I got off one shot but I couldn’t tell if I hit one or not. Sally went on point about 20 yards away and I thought I may have killed one of the quail. I fought my way through the thicket and when I got close about 5 quail flushed. They had not flown very far.
I tried to get the dogs in where I had shot thinking I may have hit one. Sally and Lucky came in then went to the south. I looked and saw Sally on point. When I got out of the thicket I saw that she was honoring Luke who was on point on the side of a small hill. Luke was in a ball instead of standing regally. I knew the quail was right under his nose. When it flushed I just caught it with the corner of the pattern but Sally was on it immediately. I petted her until she dropped the bird in my hand.
We started back to the pond but when we got to it it was dry. Not just dried mud but grass was growing in the bottom. We cut straight back toward the truck. The dogs didn’t slow down although Luke stayed in closer.
Sally in another thicket.
Before we got back I saw Luke on point in a small thicket. I started to him and Lucky came in front and honored. Then Sally saw Lucky and honored him. I got close and Luke moved up a few feet and went back on point. Lucky saw him move and he moved a couple of feet ahead of Luke and went on point. I should have taken some pictures but I didn’t. When I stepped up where Lucky was a covey of quail flushed about 25 yards in front of him. They never got 3 feet off the ground. I shot once but missed.
That covey had flown to the west and we followed but never came up with them. As we turned back toward the truck I saw a couple of quail flush from the fence row ahead of the dogs. When I got the dogs in there they got birdy but we never found anything. When we got back to the truck it was after 4:00 pm. I watered the dogs and loaded them up.
I knew where a walk-in property had a gate that I could hook the dogs to and feed them. I carry enough tree lead leashes to tie each dog out while they eat. When I got out of the truck a covey of quail flushed from the walk-in property and flew across the road.
I fed the dogs and called it a day. I know when I see dogs on point and I spend a few minutes taking pictures that it gives the birds a chance to run or flush. I know that and I’m okay with it. I would rather have a picture of my dogs than a dead bird. I wish there was some way to do catch and release quail hunting.
3 quail
Luke’s duct tape tail.
Sally in a thicket on point.