A Quail Hunt In Kansas

Last year when Don, Linda and I quail hunted near Abilene, Kansas I had just had my cataract surgery. I thought I could see really well. I told Don I would meet him at the McDonald’s in Junction City. When I got there I couldn’t read the highway signs for what eating places were at the exits. We still managed to get together. This year after another eye operation I had no problem reading the signs or finding McDonald’s.

I followed Don’s truck on to the west until we got to a walk-in property that we had hunted last year. It was a large place, 320 acres, maybe. It was in soy beans and milo with some CRP right through the middle. The CRP had a few thickets in it with a lot of blackberry and rose vines.

We went down a hedge row to the north that ran into a soy bean field. We wound up going up one side then back down the other to get back to the CRP without going through the soy beans. We hit the fence row on the east side and took it to the north. I had put a dropper chain on Luke to keep him from running so big but it wasn’t working. When I checked the Garmin GPS it showed him on point at over 700 yards. As I tried to make up my mind whether I could get to him before the quail flushed the GPS showed Sally on point just off the property to the north. She was only about 50 yards from us.

She was on the east fence row about 20 yards off the walk-in property to the north. Trouble, Don’s pointer was backing her. When I got to her she moved about 10 yards and the covey of quail flushed about 30 yards in front of her. Some flew back behind us onto the walk-in property. Sally went into the milo field that was off the walk-in and went on point. I went into the milo but when I got close she started trailing back toward the walk-in property. Trouble pointed right along the edge of the walk-in. When we got to her she started trailing.

As we worked back and forth with the young dogs pointing and moving I checked the GPS and Luke was still on point.
We started toward him. As we went along I kept checking the GPS. We were within about 400 yards of him and when I checked the GPS I noticed that Sally was on point and I had walked past her. I called Don and showed him Sally on point about 40 yards away. Trouble came by and honored.

I don’t know how long Sally had been on point but when we walked in front of her she started trailing. Trouble went in front of us and pointed. Sally honored her. When we went in front of her a quail flushed and curled to the left. I shot and missed but when I shot another quail flushed and flew to my right. It fell at my shot. Sally found the bird but didn’t retrieve. She just picked it up. The first quail that flew to my left was a long shot for Don and it lived for us to find again.

Luke was still on point so we continued toward him. We were still in CRP. As we went toward Luke Don saw Trouble on point. Before we got close with her not moving 4 quail flushed then another one. We never got a shot. We kept on going toward Luke. He was all the way to the west on this property. There was just a little strip of brush that ran into the CRP and he was on point in the strip. We got within about 35 yards of him and he moved another 35 yards and went back on point. Before we got to him the covey flushed well out front of him. We had shot two or three times, it had taken us over half an hour to get close to him and Luke was still on point.

We went back across the CRP to a strip that was an old fence row that had enough trees to almost be called a hedge row. We started to the north. Don was on the east and I was on the west. I heard Don shoot. He said he had walked into a covey of quail. They flew into the CRP to the south. We continued toward the north.

When we got to where the fence row quit in a soy bean field, that was off the walk-in, Sally was right at the end on point. I yelled at Don that she was on point and he said that he couldn’t get there quickly so I was to go ahead. The quail hadn’t been holding very well so I walked in. A covey flushed in front of her, some going east and some going west. I turned to the east and missed with the first barrel. I didn’t get another because the second shot would have been toward Don and Linda. If I had turned the other way I would have better shots and I could have shot twice.

I went around on the side that Don was on and we went back to the south. He had seen several birds settle into the CRP. We got all 3 dogs in front of us and worked our way through the CRP. Trouble and Sally both pointed in front of us and before we got to them a single quail flushed. Don was on my left and the bird flew to my right. It dropped when I shot. Sally ran by the bird on the ground and I called her back. She picked it up when she found it but didn’t bring it to me. She did drop it in my hand when I told her to give.

When we got to the end of the CRP we moved over to the west side of the fence row and started back north. The dogs were birdy all the way. Luke pointed at the edge of a large cedar with Sally honoring. When we got to him Don saw a quail run along the ground and I heard another flush on the other side.

Trouble had had an operation and was out of shape so Don took her back to the truck. As he was going to the truck Luke pointed near a small clump of brush. When I got to him he was a little way away from the brush in the edge of the CRP. I thought I would have a good shot. I walked in and two quail flushed, never got 2 feet off the ground and circled the little clump of brush. I shot but not even close to the quail.

When Don came back we went back to the north on the west side of the fence row then over to the east side. As we went back to the south through the CRP Sally pointed, then moved up, pointed and moved up. A quail flushed 30 yards in front of her. And she did that several times.

We continued to wander around then decided to go to the truck but would take a route back that was still in the CRP but quite away from the fence row. Sally pointed, then moved up, pointed, moved up and pointed. About 50 yards in front of her a covey of quail flushed. The birds never got very high so we didn’t think they would fly very far.

There was a low spot with some brush growing in line with where the birds had flown. When we got close Luke pointed about 40 yards in front of me. Sally saw him and honored. Don was on the other side and the way Luke was pointing I thought I could chase the quail out for Don. I kicked a cedar tree and the single quail flushed. It went toward Don but never got over 2 feet high and flew toward his truck.

As we went on down the ditch Don saw 5 quail flush out the end. They only flew a little way and went down in the edge of the soy bean field. Most of the soy bean fields have no grass or weeds growing in them but there was a small area with some grass. We thought maybe the birds would hold. They hadn’t held all day but we thought these would. That may be the definition of an optimist.

As we started into the soy bean field Luke and Sally both started pointing then moving up. About 75 yards into the soy beans a single quail flushed and circled from in front to my left. This time Don was on my right and I hit the bird really hard. Evidently, Luke was hungry because if I hadn’t been close he would have eaten that quail. Usually, he doesn’t even pick them up but that wasn’t the case this time.

The soy beans ended at the road and Luke crossed the road and went on point. We started to him but we were still 40 yards from him 2 quail flushed. I shot but they were too far away. Luke moved up about 10 yards and went back on point. As I turned toward him 2 more quail flushed. Neither of us even shot. Sometimes the quail win.

Now a little bragging. Don has been hunting for a lot of years, as I have, and he’s owned a lot of dogs and knows a good dog when he sees one. Sally is only 17 months old and Don was talking about her when he said, “She’s too young to know that much about birds, but she knows.” I thought the same thing and sometimes it seems that she just goes where the birds are.

I hope that doesn’t ruin her. I usually say, “Don’t brag about your dog until they are dead” but I did this time. Oh well, if she goes screwy I’ll come back in and delete this post.