I took Abby and Boss to a Missouri Conservation area where, during the season, I had found a few quail. The nice part about the drive, it was only a short distance out of the way, to go to the Hungry Mule Cafe in Lathrop Missouri. They have a big breakfast that will keep me going most of the day, if necessary. Normally, Vince Dye and I stop by but on this day I was alone.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
I was about half way to where I was going when I realized that I hadn’t brought my e-collars with me. I had left them and two GPS collars in the shed where I had been using them, as I trained the dogs, in the yard. I thought I had a couple of older GPS collars in my truck and when I got there found that I did have GPS collars. I seldom use the e-collars except for the tone to call the dogs to me so I could do without them.
I was still 15 miles from the area I was going to run pups on when a rooster pheasant flew up in front of my truck. At first I thought it was coming through the windshield but it narrowly missed my truck. I have hunted this area for a lot of years and never remember seeing a pheasant near here. I’ve seen them quite a way north of this place as well as some a little south of here but never here. Maybe they are moving in.
It’s a pretty time of the year to be running dogs. The redbuds, wild plums and a lot of other trees are blooming. Nice to be alive and able to be out with some dogs. What a blessed life I have.
Someone, maybe the conservation people or whoever farms this land has disked a lot of the area where I found quail during the season. One place was a huge field of giant foxtail. It had been disked but they left the native grass around a draw that ran into the field. A corn field across the road from this had been disked, also, but when I got back in a little way I saw where they had left some corn fields as well as some soybean fields.
We went into a grassy field across from where I parked. There was an old pond with a lot of brush around it and some cat tails around the edge. The red winged blackbirds were thick around the cat tails. As Abby came by the pond she either saw or smelled the black birds and pointed. She was probably 35 yards from the pond. She knew something wasn’t right. She would look at the pond then back at me then wag. Then do it all over again. When I said, “okay” she went toward the pond but didn’t even chase when the black birds flew.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
This area has a lot of deer and although I’ve never seen a turkey, I see lots of droppings. The fields, both soybean and corn, this time of year have almost no seeds left. They have pretty well been picked over.
There was another pond that was larger than the first that was in the open but had a lot of grass, weeds and brush growing around it. A hedge row ended real close. Several times I found a covey in this area, last season, but they weren’t at home today. We went through the north west side on the way in and across the dam and into south east side on the way back.
We circled a small corn field that had a soybean field next to it. This is another area where a few times I found a covey last season but with almost no grain in these fields the quail were probably using another area.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
Both young dogs, Abby and Boss, were hunting really well and staying to my front. We went on to the east edge of this property. Along the fence row on the east is a draw about 50 yards wide that runs to the north. Both pups were out of sight inside the draw. We made it to the end and as I got to the top of the hill both pups were 250 yards or more ahead running along the woods on the other side. We went along this edge to the south then back toward the truck.
There was another draw in the center of a disked field that I had found some singles in a couple of times, so we checked it out.
When we got back to the road we were south of the truck and we went farther south and crossed the road. This had been giant foxtail last season and a covey of quail had flushed before I had even got the dogs ready to hunt, last season. I had watched them down but when I chased them they got up and flew again before the dogs could get close. I thought they may have moved into a short draw with a lot of grass cover that wasn’t disked.
Mann pointing a pigeon.
We went through this area without finding anything. When we got back close to the truck it was getting warm and I decided that was enough for the pups. They were still wanting to go and I figured that was a good time to quit. I loaded them and we started home.
With the lack of seeds in the fields that were left standing and the other fields disked, I think the quail have moved. I’m hoping that’s what happened. I hope the cold, ice and snow we had this winter didn’t hurt them.
That was yesterday, today it was supposed to be raining all morning. I waited until about 9:30 to clean pens and it wasn’t raining so I worked the dogs on the whoa posts. All except Luke. I just let him run for a while. His birthday is coming up this month. He will be 11 years old. That’s not old for some but I think he’s had some strokes. If I try to hunt him he doesn’t stay with me. Although, if I turn him loose he will go just not where I go. When I drive to wherever he is he’s always happy to see me. He’s been retired for a while.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
I didn’t work Mann for a while on the whoa post because it put some stress on him. I decided he needed to work through the stressful part so I went back to working him. When I first went back to working him he would make me drag him to the whoa post. After a while he would walk to the whoa post but his tail was tucked tightly underneath.
Mann has always liked to smell my breath when I bend over him but on the whoa posts he wouldn’t even look at me. Well today on the first two whoa posts he smelled my breath. I think this may be a big break through. He didn’t smell my breath on the third one but it was almost like he was bored with the whole session. That’s better than being stressed.
After the third whoa post I let him run then he jumped onto the retrieving bench. I petted him as he walked up and down the bench. I held a bumper in front of him and said, “fetch”. He held the bumper until I said, “give”. We went to the water faucet where I sat on the rock wall and petted him. Mann lays his head on my leg and would stand all day, I believe. I put him in his kennel.
Sally pointing a covey.
Boss was next. I pulled him until the whoa post rope was taut around his flanks. I waited for just a second for him to acknowledge. He is fast. He licked his lips. I set him back and kicked in front of him then tapped his head and led him 180 degrees away from where he was used to going on the whoa post. When the whoa post started to get taut in the opposite direction from usual he stopped. I waited for him to lick his lips. I took the rope off and went to the next whoa post.
On the second whoa post, when I went in the opposite direction, he only went about half of the rope and stopped. I’m not sure but I think that’s a good sign. He knows the rope will tighten and he’s supposed to stop. I think that is the object of this exercise. He did the same on the third whoa post. He’s done with the whoa post for life, unless he regresses.
After he ran for a few minutes he jumped onto the retrieving bench. I petted him several times then got a retrieving dummy. I had him hold and give 5 times. He’s not perfect but he’s getting better all the time. I set him on the ground and we went back to the rock wall. I petted him for a few minutes before putting him in his kennel.
Sally honoring Mann.
I brought Abby out next. Abby is a fun dog. I hook the whoa post rope to her collar with a half hitch around her flanks and she walks with me until the rope tightens. Then she bites the Bolen knot in the check cord. Just two times, usually. Then she licks her lips. Today after I set her back and kicked in front of her I led her in the opposite direction until the rope tightened around her flanks. She got in a couple of extra bites on the Bolen knot.
On the second whoa post we did the same. She went all the way with me until the half hitch on her flanks stopped her. I let her stand until she licked her lips to acknowledge. Then we did the same at the third whoa post. Each of them, she went until the whoa post rope tightened on her flanks but as soon as she felt it she stopped. She is through with the whoa post, too.
Luke
I let her run for a few minutes then helped her jump on the retrieving bench. She and Sally aren’t as confident of their jumping as Mann and Boss are. I petted her then had her hold and give 5 times with the retrieving dummy. I set her on the ground and we went to the rock wall where I petted her for a couple of minutes. I put her in the kennel.
Sally was waiting, not very patiently. Mann and most of the time Boss stand real still while I put the e-collar and GPS collar on them. Abby and Sally want to lick me and move their head around. To stop this I have been moving back a little way and waiting on them to calm down. Both of these girls try everything to get me to go ahead but the only thing that works is for them to stand still.
I out waited Sally and took her to the whoa posts. She’s pretty fast at acknowledging. I went in the opposite direction on all three whoa posts. As soon as the rope got a little taut she stopped. She’s through with the whoa post, too.
Luke pointing a pigeon.
I petted her on the retrieving bench after letting her run for a few minutes. I put a couple of dummies for her to retrieve on the other end of the table. She races down the table and brings them back. I just had her do two then set her on the ground. We went to the rock wall where I petted her for a couple of minutes then put her in her kennel.
Now that they all, except for Mann, are through with the whoa posts I’m going to have to think of something else to do with them in the yard. I don’t have enough pigeons to work each one on several pigeons but I’ll think of something.