To get the good out of my Kansas hunting license I needed to go quail hunting, one more time. At least that was my thinking before I went. When I got to the first place I wanted to hunt the thermometer on my truck was showing 12 degrees. Actually, my body stayed warm with just a jacket on above my regular clothes but my hands were numb. I was shooting my AYA 16 gauge with two triggers. I had to pay a little more attention to changing triggers than normal.
Dolly honoring Mann who is honoring Sally.
Mann honoring Sally.
A couple of quail and a 16 gauge AYA.
The first place was 160 acres that wasn’t on my Kansas Hunting Atlas. I found it earlier in the year when I hunted this area. From the side I first saw when I found it, it doesn’t look like much. I always drive around the area I’m going to hunt to make sure no one is already hunting them. When I drove to the east side of this one I saw a large draw running from south to north. The first time I found 3 coveys on this parcel.
I had all six of my dogs with me. On this first place I turned Sally, Dolly and Mann out with the e-collars and GPS collars. The wind was fairly strong from the north west and we went up the draw into the wind. All three dogs went into the draw. At almost the very back a small draw ran to the east off the main draw. I called Sally back and had her check this draw.
As we went up the draw I saw her go on point looking into a large cedar tree. When I got to her she moved around the tree and went back on point. I followed her around the tree. Behind me, on the other side of another cedar tree, a large covey of quail flushed, flying north west. With them putting cedar trees between us I never got a shot.
We were close to the east fence row so we went on to the back, along the fence. We turned to the west, crossed the large draw and went along the north fence line. Dolly came in front of me and pointed. Every time she points, at almost 13 years old, I think it may be her last. I want to drop the quail where she can see it but I’m not sure how well she can see. I flushed her single and shot too quick with the first barrel and never caught up with the second. Missed with both barrels.
Sally and Mann had honored so they all started really hunting the short grass where the first single had flushed from. Mann went on point close to where Dolly had pointed. Dolly and Sally honored his point. Before I got to him a single quail flushed. It dropped in the harvested soy bean field when I shot. Sally was closer than Mann and beat him to the retrieve but he saw it fall. Mann is only 8 months old and he needs to see some birds drop.
We checked that area and the fence row to the west then came back and went down the draw. We crossed back to the east fence and checked it back to the truck. I loaded the dogs and we drove to another place.
The next place was larger with harvested corn and soy bean fields bordered by pasture. I put the e-collars and GPS collars on Luke, Tur Bo and Babe. Babe hasn’t hunted as much as her brother Mann. I’m not sure she will hold her birds like Mann does so I don’t take her when I go with someone else. I had never been on this place but after getting in a ways, it had been grazed too much. There was still some clumps of big blue stem, I think, but we made a large circle without finding any quail.
Tur Bo onpoint. Mann honoring.
Both of the older dogs were ahead of me and Babe was in a draw off to my right when I heard a turkey putting. I watched the GPS and it showed Babe going south and the yardage was changing quickly. That’s how dog’s learn there is stuff out there to find.
When we were almost back to the truck Babe crossed the road into a corn field. She was standing in the corn field, on a small hill, on point. I went into the road. When I got close she moved up a few steps, went back on point, then moved up again. As I got close she started trailing then went back to hunting. I was glad to see this. If there had of been a bird there, I think she would have stayed on point to let me flush. I loaded the dogs and we went to another place.
In this area, I think a lot of the CRP had been cut for hay. Some of these areas should have a lot more cover than they do. The next place I hunted was 320 acres. A mile by half a mile. There was only a small amount of cover on the south west corner. There was an old house place and a water way with some tall weeds close to some harvested soy bean fields.
Sally, Dolly and Mann hadn’t been out very long, early, so I turned them out again. The old house was gone but there were some small out buildings left with a lot of tall weeds growing in the yard. We went through the tall weeds then up the water way with out finding anything. I tried to turn the dogs back onto the walk-in but Sally crossed the road and went up a small draw.
Mann on point.
Dolly and Mann were with me as I headed back toward the truck. I checked the GPS and it showed Sally on point, across the road. I waited a little while hoping that she would join us. I knew if the birds held she would stay on point. I started to her. When I got to the road I took the shells from my gun. If the owner saw me I wanted to show him an unloaded gun.
Before I got to her, Mann saw her and honored then Dolly honored Mann. As I walked in I took some pictures of Dolly then some of Mann. Sally was too far into the brush to take her picture. All I could see was some white in the brush. I walked close to her and heard a quail flush farther up the draw. When it flushed Sally started trailing. I called the dogs and started back to the walk-in. As the dogs came toward me the covey flushed, well out from the dogs, flying toward the walk-in property.
There was some cover along the water way on the walk-in property. Sally beat me back and went on point right along the edge. When I kicked in front of her a single quail flushed and dropped when I shot. I knew it wasn’t hit hard but Sally was right behind it. When I took a step another quail flushed from a few feet away. I shot the left barrel and the quail was hit, hard. I went with Sally after the first one. She almost had it but it ran across the road. When we got to the edge of the road I saw the quail run into a brush pile. We couldn’t get that one.
Dolly used to point with her tail up. Too old now.
We went back across to the walk-in to get the other bird and it was gone. I got all of the dogs in to hunt dead. We never came up with it. While we were looking Mann went on point almost in the same place that Sally had stood in when she pointed the single. I stepped in front of him and another single flushed. I shot and it dropped. Mann was there and picked up the dead bird. I petted him for a few seconds then took the quail. We went back and tried to find the second quail but we never came up with it.
I loaded the dogs and started looking for another place. The temperature was now in the upper twenties and the roads were getting sloppy. I got close to some of them. Some I didn’t even get close to. I didn’t need to get stuck so I quit for the day.
I really hate wounding birds and not getting them. I spent a lot more time looking for these birds than I put in the post. Sally is not very aggressive with dead or wounded birds. She picks up the dead birds but not quickly. Hopefully, she will get better. Mann is a little more aggressive but running, wounded birds get away from him, too, sometimes.
I’m having problems with my internet. I have Century Link and they aren’t updating any of the equipment that serves my area. Yesterday my wife ran a speed test on the internet. Instead of the 1.5 MBPS we are paying for we were getting 92 KBPS. Century Link says keep paying for high speed internet but learn to live with what you get. To put pictures on these posts I have to either go to my daughter’s house or the library. Most of the time it’s not even fast enough for us to get our e-mails.
Mann honoring.
Sally on point.
Mann honoring.