After reloading all of my stuff, from the motel room, into the truck, I ate a leisurely breakfast at the café. It was really foggy so there was no hurry. I had decided to brave Kansas even with deer season going on. It seems like everyone decided to go to Nebraska to hunt while deer season was on in Kansas. I will make sure no one is on the properties I choose to hunt.
Sally on point, Mann and Dolly hoinoring.
A point when we were almost back to the truck.
Tur Bo on point.
We drove by several places just looking for a place to hunt. About 9:00 am I came to a large farm that had a harvested soy bean field with pasture all around. Some of the pastures in this area had been grazed down to nothing but this one still had some cover left. Just as I started to get out Austin Farley called me. We had been out here before season and had found some birds. My map wasn’t marked with where we found the quail. He called to tell me which places we had hunted. I told him if I didn’t find anything on this one I would try the ones we had found birds on.
I put the e-collars and GPS collars on Sally and Dolly. As I was putting the collars on Mann I looked to see where Dolly and Sally were. Dolly was about 40 yards from me on point. Just as I saw her a single quail flushed from in front of her. I finished putting the collars on Mann, got my gun and followed the dogs to the north.
Right here both sides of the road was in the walk-in program. I must have stopped right where a covey was crossing from a grass field into the soy bean field. The dogs worked down the grass on the east side of the road. A little way in front of the truck Sally pointed with Mann and Dolly honoring. When I walked in front of her a single quail flushed. I had to shoot through some brush and the quail dropped in the tall grass. I was afraid that it would be hard to find but when I got close Mann reached down and picked it up.
We went along the edge of the road until the walk-in stopped on the east side. There was a tree row on the west side of the road along the soy bean field. We went along this side until we came to a draw that ran back into the soy bean field. We went to the end of the draw and started back toward the truck. Sally pointed in some grass alongside the tree row. When I walked in a single quail flushed. It dropped when I shot and I was close to Sally when she picked it up. She dropped it into my hand.
The tree row stopped and we crossed back into the grass field on the east side of the road. We worked it back past the truck then crossed the road to the west and started around the soy bean field. When we got to the west side of the soy bean field there was a huge pasture. The cattle that were in this pasture hadn’t been there very long. There was still good cover, for the quail. We started into a north east wind.
In this kind of cover, I could see all of the dogs as they hunted. A quarter of a mile into the pasture Mann pointed, looking into a small bush. He was only 40 yards from me. He was on the west side of the little bush with a high head and tail. I came into his front from the east. I kicked the bush and nothing happened but he didn’t move. As I started to kick again a covey of quail flushed. I got on a quail that flew from my left to my right. Just as I started to pull the trigger I saw another quail right behind the one I was on. I shot and both quail dropped. I, probably, had time to shoot the other barrel but I was so astonished I didn’t even look for another shot.
Sally on point.
I have done this before. I don’t know why it surprised me so much other than I saw the bird line up and knew both birds were going to be hit. When I walked out where they fell they were both stone dead and about 2 feet apart.
We went in the direction the singles had flown. Just over a little hill the GPS showed Sally on point. As I came over the hill I saw her but Mann had went on point about thirty yards from her and closer to me. I knew he wouldn’t hold if I flushed Sally’s bird so I went to him. When I got close a single quail flushed and stayed low flying right over Sally. I couldn’t shoot. When the quail flew over her she moved and I guess her bird flew. I didn’t see it.
The dogs stayed in checking this area. After a little while Mann pointed and when I walked in a single quail flushed. It, too, stayed low but in knee high grass, on a cloudy day and there were no dogs in the way, I missed it, twice. This single had flown up a small draw into the soy bean field. We went up this draw and on our way back down the north side Sally pointed in a small brush pile in a snow drift. Mann and Dolly honored. With the snow drift and the brush I couldn’t get close. I kept trying to get the dogs to move and flush the bird. Finally, without them moving we heard a quail flush out the other side. I never saw it.
Dolly on point.
We came on around the soy bean field back to the road we were parked on. As we got close to the truck Sally went on point with Dolly and Mann honoring. When I walked in a single quail flushed and I only had one shot and I missed. I loaded the dogs.
I had told June I would leave for home at noon. It was now about 11:00 am. It was about 6 hours home. I had three other dogs that hadn’t been out yet. I drove to another farm.
I put the e-collars and GPS collars on Luke, Babe and Tur Bo. We started in a pasture next to a harvested corn field. This pasture had been grazed down to nearly bare ground. Since both sides were walk-in I crossed the road and checked the other side. It had more cover but as we went to the north it got more grazed down. I decided to head back to the truck and leave for home.
Luke wasn’t ready to quit and I was beeping him with the tone on the e-collar but he wasn’t responding like I wanted. I bumped him with some electricity. As I watched the GPS he started to me. I wasn’t paying attention to the other dogs like I should have been. I started to put the GPS away and thought they are on point. Sure enough. The GPS was showing Tur Bo and Babe both on point. Only 45 yards from me.
I started toward them and I heard quail flushing. Tur Bo came through a fence row where I could see him and went on point. He was about 20 yards from me. I started to him and when I was about 15 yards from him several quail started flushing in front of Tur Bo. I had one shot, through the fence row. It was a long shot but the quail folded when I shot. Tur Bo and I crossed the fence and he started looking for the dead bird. Babe crossed over and went straight to the quail. She never did pick it up, just nosed it around.
The singles had flown to the north east. Where they had flown were a herd of cattle. I didn’t want the dogs around the cows but I wanted to find the singles. I went as close to the cows as I could without spooking them. We made a circle and went back to the truck. I loaded the dogs and headed home. Only about an hour late. June will be proud of me.
Quail from the first part of the hunt.
My final tally.
Tur Bo and Sally