I have always felt sorry for the quail that were killed on the last day of the season. If they had of lived one more day there would have been one less predator after them. Also, the birds killed on the last day, and maybe even the last couple of weeks, may have lived to raise a covey for the next season. So on this day, the last day of the season, I didn’t even bring a shotgun. I only had my camera.
Boss pointing a single, with Abby in the center with Bodie closest to the camera, honoring
Boss on point with Abby backing.
Boss honoring Sally.
I parked near where I had found a covey of quail in the past. I had all 5 dogs, Abby, Bodie, Boss, Mann and Sally with me. I put their e-collars and GPS collars on them and turned them loose. It was supposed to be warmer than what it felt like while I was putting the collars on the dogs. The wind, predicated to be 8 mph, was about twice as hard. I walked about 50 yards and my ears felt like they would break if they were hit by a limb or something. I went back to the truck and got a pair of head phones that I use when I’m shooting skeet. They not only kept my ears warm they enhanced my hearing.
I had put the collars on Bodie first and while I was putting the collars on the others I noticed he was birdy along a soybean field. I ran all of the dogs around the field then crossed a road and ran some waterways between soybean fields. I was almost back to the truck when the GPS showed Boss on point in a clump of brush. I had already walked past that clump with Boss on point.
The clump was thick with brush, saplings and large trees. As I started looking for Boss, Abby came in front of me, saw Boss and honored. I couldn’t see him until I got almost to Abby and then Bodie honored, too. It made for some nice pictures but when the single flushed I would not have had a shot if I had been carrying a gun. Maybe while I was putting the collars on the dogs a covey had flushed or maybe someone had already hunted this spot. On public hunting land it’s hard to know whether you are following someone else or not.
It was dry and what little water was in the low spots was frozen. I had water in the truck for the dogs and they were happy to get it. After watering them I loaded them and drove to another place.
The next place, I parked in the edge of a harvested corn field. Across the field was some rough land that had tall grass and scattered trees about a hundred yards wide. On the other side was a big field that had some harvested corn and some harvested soybeans. Along the edge of this rough land was a terrace or maybe an old abandoned road that was higher than the corn field. Just as we crossed the corn field I saw Boss on point along this higher ground.
Boss on point.
When I got close he moved about 15 yards and pointed again. Then he moved again. He pointed 4 or 5 times then went on to the east. Then across the rough land Mann pointed but was moving before I got to him. I crossed the rough land and walked along the edge of first the corn field then the soybean field.
When we got back close to the rough land area I wanted to go in a different part of it but Sally went on point close to where Boss had earlier. By the time I got close to her Boss and Bodie were honoring. Sally was pointing into a plum thicket in the rough land. When I got in front of her she moved up about 10 yards and went back on point. I got close again and she started trailing. All of the dogs were really birdy but I never saw a bird.
We went on through the rough land then around the end of the corn field. There was a river along the edge with heavier cover. Abby was right along the bank of the river and I saw her slam into a point. Sally, Bodie and Boss were all honoring her. I kicked in front of her and nothing flushed. I tapped her head and she moved about half a step and pointed. I kicked in front of her again. She couldn’t believe nothing flushed. She ran her nose right to the ground where she thought the bird was. I thought she was going to start digging for it.
Abby on point.
Hunting with a camera is different from hunting with a gun. There’s no limit on how many or how few pictures you take. When the dogs start getting tired or the weather doesn’t warm as much as you’re expecting, you can go home. When I hunted with Jim Smith a few weeks ago we walked 7 miles according to my GPS. On this day I walked just under 5 miles and decided to load the dogs and go home.
Bodie honoring Abby.
This time of the year the quail on public properties have been well educated by hunters, their dogs and every other predator that roam these areas. The coveys have learned to break up and run for long distances before flushing and flying for another long distance. But with all of that it’s still fun to watch the dogs try to point and hold the birds. I can hardly wait for next season.