As I get older it gets harder to cover the ground that I need to in order for the dogs to get enough exercise in a day. When I first started hunting it was nothing to cover 12 or more miles in a day. Now as I approach 80 years old it’s way harder. I can still get 5 to 7 miles in on a good day, sometimes more. Around home, when I’m training, I often use my 4-wheeler. But with the 4-wheeler, only one person can comfortably ride.
The new ride.
Abby honoring Sally.
Boss on point.
Well, hopefully, I solved some of my problems by buying a Can Am Commander Max XTP. It will haul 4 people and will follow the dogs on most of the places I hunt. I can only use it on private land but I will at least be able to get the dogs into better shape.
Vince Dye and I took the “buggy” and all 5 dogs, Abby, Sally, Boss, Bodie and Mann, to some private land in Northern Missouri. The temperature was about 23 degrees with a strong north wind. We put the e-collars and GPS collars on all 5 dogs and turned them loose. Other than the 4-wheeler these dogs had never been run in this manner.
It made no difference to Mann. Before I got the collars on all 5 dogs he had gone hunting. Sally and Abby went in front of the buggy but kept looking for me. Bodie was hunting in the opposite direction from Mann and Boss was following about 15 yards behind the buggy. Vince was watching the dogs on the GPS handheld and in just a few minutes it showed Mann on point, ahead of us about 200 yards.
I started to him through the thick, tall CRP. I was watching closely to keep from running over a dog. Boss was still following the buggy. I must have got too close to Mann. Vince said, “three quail just flew over the top of us.” I hadn’t seen them but I did see the dogs moving in front of us.
I stopped and waited to see if the dogs would come up with anything. Sally went on point across the draw from us and I drove across the dam of a small pond to get to her. Boss was still following. I saw Sally and I as I started to get out and go to her she started moving. Finally, Boss saw her and decided that he needed to be hunting. He got in front of the buggy and really started covering the ground. In approximately 5 minutes all of the dogs had figured out to stay in front of the buggy, except Bodie. He was about 600 yards in the other direction. I toned his e-collar.
Sally, Abby and Bodie honoring Boss.
Because we were in the buggy we were moving faster than the dogs were used to. Bodie started looking for me but wasn’t used to coming to the sound of the buggy. We went back down the other side of the draw and across to the fence row on the edge of the property. In the past we have found a covey in this area but not today. The dogs covered it well.
Bodie was still off a good way so we started toward him through some older CRP. The first CRP had a lot of wheat growing but this older CRP was mostly blue stem. The dogs got birdy and we had couple of flash points but we never saw any game birds. There may have been a pheasant or two running ahead of the dogs. As we came around the end Bodie got with us.
We went back into the newer CRP. This CRP is really thick in most places with huge heads of wheat growing. Back during the season there were at least 5 coveys using this 240 acres. The dogs use a lot of energy going through this. As we rode along in the buggy I told Vince that the dogs were getting tired. He said, “they aren’t in as good of shape as we are”.
Bodie honoring.
As we got close to the area where Mann had pointed on the first covey Boss went on point. When we got close I left the buggy and started to him. Before I got there I turned to look back and Abby, Sally and Bodie were behind me, honoring Boss. I took their picture and a couple of Boss. I kicked in front of Boss and nothing flushed. I released him and all of the dogs started trailing. Something had run out on us.
As we went on the other side of the draw Sally pointed with Abby honoring. Before I could get out she was moving. She and the other dogs trailed along the edge and one quail flushed well out in front of the dogs. With the strong wind and some wise quail they weren’t holding very well.
We went down the edge and when we got to a deep creek I wasn’t sure about crossing it in the buggy. Vince has one and has ridden in several states. He knows them really well. When I eased into the creek with the bank almost straight up in front of us, the buggy’s wheels were spinning. Vince told me to lock it in 4 wheel drive. Once I did it just walked up the bank without spinning a wheel. That’s my kind of vehicle. Later I took it to Arkansas and rode the trails for a weekend and learned it will go about anywhere you point it.
Bodie pointing a pigeon.
The dogs were getting tired so we worked our way back to the truck. Vince and I took the e-collars and GPS collars off the dogs and put them in their boxes. Then loaded the buggy on the trailer. We were about frozen by this time. In the buggy with the heater going we had no idea that is was this cold. We had run the dogs for 2 1/2 hours and weren’t even tired. What a way to run dogs.