Gailen Cooper and I took 7 young dogs on a Kansas quail hunt near Baldwin, Kansas. Gailen had 2 pointers, Abby and Ray, and Jack the English setter he bought from me. I brought 4 English setters, Blaze, Whitey, Tur Bo and Annie. Tur Bo, Annie and Jack were only about 6 months old.
This was private land owned by Gailen’s friend. He also loaned us a Polaris ranger to ride while we ran the pups. This was a working farm over 400 acres in soy beans and CRP with buffer strips, a nice creek with lots of cover running through it. With food, water and cover it was just about perfect for quail, deer and turkeys.
The first round we put Jack, Whitey and Tur Bo out in the cover along the creek. As they went south down the creek we followed along in the Polaris. We got to the road on the south without finding anything. We crossed the creek to the west and entered a large CRP field of switch grass. Just as we came into the field we saw a covey in the air. We got out of the Polaris so we could work the pups into the cover.
Tur Bo
We saw Jack go on point at the head of a little draw that ran into the CRP. When we got closer we saw that he was honoring Whitey. We walked in front of them and nothing flushed so I tapped Whitey on the head to send her on and she moved up 3 or 4 yards and went on point again. Again I tried to flush and nothing got up. She was probably pointing where the covey that we saw in the air had flushed from.
We went in the direction that the covey had flown. We had only gone about 50 yards when a single flushed near a fence row, then another, and then another. The birds were not letting either the dogs or us get very close without flushing but they were getting the pups excited. Jack and Whitey both pointed in the tall grass but before we got to them the birds flushed. We circled through the CRP and about 8 quail flushed and flew across the road.
We continued on to the north for about a 1/2 mile along the edge of a soy bean field that had a buffer zone between the soy bean field and the edge of some woods, when I saw 2 quail fly into the buffer strip ahead of us. We got out of the Polaris to work the pups. I don’t know whether this covey was spread out feeding when we came along or whether the pups flushed them but the woods were filled with birds. As we watched the pups would point and before we could get to them the bird would flush. Jack pointed at least 3 times plus we got points from Tur Bo and Whitey as well.
We worked the pups on for another 1/4 mile then put them in the dog box on the Polaris and took them back to the truck. We got the other 4 dogs out and put Abby and Ray the 2 pointers and Blaze in the dog box but since we only had a 3 dog box I held Annie as we rode to the take off spot. That was her first ride on a 4 wheeler and her first time to be restrained like that. By the time the ride came to an end she liked to be held.
All four dogs raced around the edge of the bean field. We had to go a lot faster with these dogs than with the first bunch. I had run Jack, Annie and Tur Bo from a 4 wheeler and also from a horse but Blaze had never been run other than with me walking. When we got to the south end and went west of the creek she didn’t follow. She would get close but she would not come close to the Polaris. We finally went back across the creek and she came close but made a big circle around the Polaris. Finally I called her and when she got close I got out and walked toward her and it was like she thought, “oh, there you are.” From then on she stayed in front and guided on the Polaris.
When we got to the area where we found the first covey earlier we parked and worked the pups into the area. We started down close to the road thinking maybe all of the birds may not have flown across the road. We worked that and started up a short draw and fence row. Abby went on point and before we got to her 4 quail flushed, then 7 more. While Gailen and I were talking about this 6 or 7 more birds flushed. I don’t know if this was all one covey or if it was singles from the first covey and a new one but we had 4 pups that were really excited.
We worked them on north up the fence row and Abby and Ray both pointed but the birds were not holding very well. Before we could get to them the bird would flush. Annie came close to where a quail had flushed from and went on point. We stood and watched as she worked it out in her head. She pointed real rigid, then softened, moved up a step, went on point again. Gailen and I did not say anything, we just stood and watched. (Maybe the hardest part of dog training.) Finally, she figured out that the bird was gone so she went back to hunting.
Annie
We went on to the north and as we came into the area of the second covey from the earlier dogs I checked my Garmin GPS and it showed Blaze on point. We walked in front of her and 2 quail flushed. Finally some birds held for the dogs. We worked this area and the dogs acted birdy all around the area but we didn’t find anything else.
We loaded our dogs and headed home. That was really good for the puppies and the puppies owners. All of the pups got to see birds and to point. Although I sometimes work my pups off a 4 wheeler that was the first time for me running on wild quail. I could get used to that. Now if I can find some more places to hunt like this.