Austin Farley knew about a new Missouri Conservation Area. We were hoping that not many people knew about it. It’s smaller than a lot of the Conservation areas. When we got there, each parking lot had a bird hunters truck. So much for not many people knowing about it. We went to another Conservation area.
Mann pointing a dead quail inside a thicket.
Another shot of Mann pointing a dead bird.
Tur Bo on point.
The next Conservation area we came to, we drove around a little. There were not many hunters on it. We did see two other trucks with dog boxes but this was a large Conservation area. Austin had his English setter, Joker, his German short hair, Drifter, and his Lab, Tank. I had Tur Bo, Sally and Mann. We turned them all out.
I was only about a hundred yards from the truck when my GPS hand held said the batteries were low. Austin made a circle while I went back to the truck for batteries. Usually, I have batteries in my hunting vest but the pocket came unzipped and the batteries were gone. When we got back together Austin’s hand held batteries were down and his wasn’t working.
We went along a harvested soy bean field through the tall weeds along the edge. The GPS hand held vibrated in my hand. It showed Tur Bo on point about 125 yards from us, in the tall weeds. When we got within about 50 yards of him we saw a single quail flying to the north. I don’t know if a covey flushed or someone had been in here before us and it was just a single. We were close enough to hear a covey flush, I think.
We checked the area without finding any more birds. With Austin’s hand held not working we circled back to the truck. I had two more collars that we put on his dogs, where we could track them. We loaded the dogs and went to another area.
I always put Sally in the same hole in the dog box. Nearly always. Austin put one of his dogs in her hole so I put her in another. Out of habit, when we got to the next area I opened her door and Austin’s dog was there. We turned our dogs out and started away from the truck. Tur Bo and Mann were in front of me as we went away from the truck. I didn’t see Sally. I checked the GPS and she was on point. She was behind us, real close. We started back to find her. When I got close to the truck it dawned on me that I hadn’t turned her out. She was still in the dog box.
We went into a north wind making a big circle. We crossed the road to the west hunting along the edge of a harvested soy bean field but staying in the tall grass and weeds. The area looked good but we didn’t see any quail. We loaded the dogs.
We were close to another Conservation area so we drove to it. We were still hunting all of our dogs except Austin left Tank the Lab in the truck. This area had some harvested corn fields and some corn that was still standing. We went down a fence row to the south then turned along some corn fields working some hedge rows into the wind.
We came back near the truck and turned back to the east. The GPS vibrated and showed Tur Bo on point about 75 yards from us in a tall weed field. We got within about 35 yards of him and a covey of quail started flushing. Three or four quail flushed then three or four more. They flushed in about 3 or 4 bunches. I was a few steps in front of Austin. One quail was a little closer than the others and I shot. Austin saw the bird drop in the thickest part of the thicket.
I tried to get in the thicket. It was tough. I called the dogs and they were looking. Austin saw Mann go on point. I tried to get to him. I handed my gun to Austin and crawled closer to Mann. I could see the quail lying about 5 feet in front of him, dead. Mann was on the other side of an old woven wire fence. I crossed it and encouraged him to get the bird. He grabbed the quail and started out of the thicket. I took the bird from him after fighting my way out of the thicket.
Babe in trainng.
When the covey flushed they had flown in every direction. Each little bunch had gone in a different direction. We went back over some of the ground we had already covered. One quail got up close to Mann from some green fescue grass. He smelled it but not enough to point. We didn’t shoot.
We checked the area where we thought the birds had flown but the one was all we found. We needed to be home early so we loaded the dogs and headed home.
Mann and Babe are now 8 months old. On some of the days that I don’t hunt I work them on pigeons. Babe is a special case. I’ve never had a dog quite like her. She points the pigeons then moves to another place and points. She will sometimes point from 4 different places on the same bird. Wild birds will not hold with her moving around. I’ve been working her on whoa but I also have been carrying a bag of pigeons with both puppies.
I put an e-collar on their neck and flanks, a check cord to their regular collar and heel them around the yard with the piggin’ string. I put them on whoa and walk out in front of them holding the check cord. I call the puppy to me then whoa them a couple of times on their way to me. This is really hard on the puppies. These commands are completely opposite. But it gets the whoa command down where they realize that they must stop when I say whoa.
After a few of these I whoa the puppy as I let a pigeon fly from my hand. We watch the pigeon fly around then I heel them away. Some of the time I put the pigeon to sleep right in front of the puppy after I have whoaed them. I stroke the puppy and tell them what good puppies they are then roll the pigeon over with my toe and it flies away. We watch until the pigeon flies for a little while.
Dolly off the walk-in property pointing quail.
I’ve also been working the puppies on the backing dog. I put two pigeons in release traps in front of the backing dog. I hide the dog so when we come around a brush pile or a clump of brush they suddenly see the dog. They have been worked on it before and they both go on point. I push a stake into the ground behind them and tie the check cord to it. Then I walk in front of them kicking the ground, any brush that’s close and flush one pigeon. If they don’t move, and they haven’t been, I continue to kick the cover, flush the other pigeon and lay the backing dog down.
Usually, I have a couple more pigeons out for them to find and point. The last time I worked Babe on all of these exercises she pointed her first bird and I said, “whoa”. Usually, I don’t say anything when my dogs point but she is a special case. She held. Didn’t move at all. I walked in front of her kicking the cover. She didn’t move. I flushed the pigeon and she turned to watch it fly away. I went to her, petted her and tapped her head to release her.
She pointed the next pigeon and I didn’t say anything. I walked in front of her, kicking the cover. She didn’t move. I didn’t wait very long, I flushed the bird. She watched it fly away without chasing. I went to her, petted her and tapped her head to release her.
Babe hunts really well and she shows a good nose. She will make a good bird dog if I can get her through this quirk. I still won’t hunt her for a while. I want her holding on point to become a habit. Sometimes dogs think what they learn on the training grounds are only to be used on the training grounds.
I enjoy trying to figure these dogs out. Being able to go in my back yard and get a half dozen points is almost as much fun as bird hunting. The Lord has blessed me with a good life.
Mann with a pigeon in front of him.
Babe watching a pigeon fly away.
Babe with a sleeping pigeon in front of her.