I’m a veteran and I should be able to go quail hunting on veterans day. I’m, also, retired so I can go hunting any time, during the season, I want. It’s been really warm and dry for November. We got some rain yesterday and it was a little cooler today. It still was 58 degrees when I started home. Cooler but still too hot for the dogs.
Mann pointing and Sally backing.
Boss and Abby honoring Sally. Abby is the black spotted one.
Abby and Boss honoring Mann.
When I got to the Missouri Wildlife area I wanted to hunt I put an e-collar and GPS collar on Abby and heeled her around the parking area, whoaing her every few feet. She and Boss know to whoa in the back yard but they aren’t sure they are supposed to other places. I put her back in the box and got Boss out. I hadn’t brought but 3 e-collars and to my surprise only 3 GPS collars. I had a bark collar so I put it on Boss. Hoping he would think he was under my control. I heeled him around the parking area, too, whoaing him every few feet. I put him back in his box.
After I put the e-collars and GPS collars on Mann and Sally I turned all 4 dogs loose. The farmer next door had harvested his soybeans since I had been here opening day. I thought that might put more quail on the Conservation area but the neighbor had a lot of brushy draws that could hold quail.
We went to the south along the hedge row that was on the west side. All 4 dogs had lots of energy and were covering all of the draws that ran into the fields. When we got to the south edge the dogs ran the fence row to the east and we turned and went back through some small fields to the north.
Abby runs without paying any attention to where I am. She got lost for the first time, today. She was about 300 yards to the south as I went to the north. I started calling her as I walked. It took a while but she finally found me. We were both happy.
We went along the edge of a soybean field to the east. when we got to the end I cut through a draw and went on to the east. Abby had gone to the south and was having trouble finding me again. I turned north along the edge of a soybean field, calling Abby as I went. Finally, she caught up. I think she was more worried this time. She stayed with me pretty well the rest of the morning.
We went along the edge of that soybean field then through the hedge row and went around another soybean field. There was several ponds on this place so the dogs were able to stay hydrated. At the end of this field, was a large field, with just weeds. As we started to the west through the weeds my GPS handheld vibrated. Mann was on point 88 yards to the west. As I went to him it vibrated again. Sally was on point, probably backing Mann, I thought.
Webley & Scott 20 gauge and a couple of quail.
Both, Abby and Boss honored Mann. When I went in front of Mann he started trailing. I looked at the GPS handheld and it still showed Sally on point but she was back where I had come from. I watched Mann for a few seconds then started to Sally. I was still 40 yards from Sally with both pups in front of me. They were standing side by side, both on point. Sally was another 10 yards east of them.
I went around the pups and went to Sally. I went in front of her and she started trailing. I turned to look at the pups, Abby and Boss. They were still on point. I took a couple of steps toward them and a turkey flushed right in front of them. Neither one even chased. They may have been shocked at the size of that bird.
We went on around two more soybean fields and along the edge of a harvested corn field. When we came to the truck I loaded the dogs. I ate lunch driving to the east side of this Conservation area.
Another picture of gun and quail.
When I had been here on opening day I hadn’t found any quail on the west side but I found a covey on the east side. Vince Dye and I have found a covey on this side several times but we never are able to do much with them. That’s okay. The dogs need some birds to work.
Both sides of the road is Conservation land so I ran the dogs down the west side of the road around a large draw. We went to the south through some good looking tall weeds where there could have been, should have been, quail. We crossed over to the east.
We went along a draw that runs into a harvested corn field, along a hedge row and then started around a pond. The handheld vibrated, Sally was on point. I started to her. There must have been a lot of scent in the area. Mann came in front of me and pointed. When I would get to him he would move up and point. It was like he knew Sally was on point and he didn’t want to flush her birds.
I finally got close to Sally and she started trailing. Boss and Mann came into the area. Boss got ahead of Sally and I saw him point. Sally pointed another time or two but I never saw or heard anything flush. When we got close to a pond I stopped to let the dogs get a drink. I heard Abby barking, lost.
Boss in front honoring Sally.
I had forgotten to watch where she was on the GPS. She was over 300 yards away. I stayed by the pond and started calling her. Pretty soon she found me. Getting lost makes you thirsty. After she got a good drink we started on.
We were close to where the covey had flushed to on opening day so we went around that area. We had covered it and were going on when on the other side of the soybean field Sally went on point. She was down in the woods next to the soybean field. By the time I got to her Mann was backing. I was still in the field when I got even with her and she started trailing. Mann threw his head in the air and passed her.
About 25 yards south of where Sally pointed Mann went on point. When I got even with him I kicked a small bush and a large covey of quail flushed about 15 yards ahead of Mann. Most of them stayed in the woods but one came out along the edge. I missed with the first barrel but connected with the second. I knew it wasn’t hit very hard so I got Sally to the area quickly.
Sally on point.
The quail had fallen in some grass right along the edge of the woods. Sally smelled him as soon as she got close. The bird tried to fly but it had a broken wing. When it jumped up Sally grabbed it but turned it loose. It ran and she caught it again. But she turned it loose. This time it was under some green grass where it was harder to smell. Boss came along and he was helping. Finally, she picked it up and I took it from her. Boss missed my fingers but got a few feathers from it.
I thought most of the birds had flown back into the woods but we found a couple of small meadows in side the woods. The dogs hunted really good but we never came up with any quail. But when we got just a little south of where the covey had flushed from Sally went on point. I thought it was too close but I took some pictures then walked in. A small deer jumped up and started moving slowly away. Mann was coming into the area and the deer went right in front of him but he never tried to chase. I took the dogs in the opposite direction.
Mann honoring Abby.
There is a real long soybean field on the eastern edge of this Conservation area. We went to the north down the western side of the field then across the north end then back south along the eastern edge. There is a draw that parallels the eastern fence that is about a hundred yards wide. The last time I was here I never found any quail on this field but I did see two quail roosts.
As we went along the draw the handheld showed Sally on point about 60 yards ahead of me inside the draw. When I got close she was moving but in just a minute or so she came by me and she was seriously hunting. She acted like something had flushed in front of her and she wasn’t happy about it.
I decided to cross near where she had been on point. As I went through the draw she pointed a couple of times and would be moving before I could get to her. She may have been pointing turkeys but I really believe some quail were running in front of her then flushing. We went on back toward the truck.
Mann on point.
When we got close to where the covey had flushed before I got all of the dogs in to hunt for singles. We never found anything and when I saw a pond close I started toward it to water the dogs. I was crossing a harvested soybean field that had a few grass strips left.
I stepped into a grass strip and a covey of quail flushed right at my feet. I got on a quail flying south and it turned to the east. That made it a right to left shot. When I shot I knew I had centered the bird. It was high and it bounced when it hit the ground. When I looked where the covey had flushed from Abby was pointing. I don’t know if she stopped to flush or if she was on point when the birds got up.
I got Sally in to hunt dead. Abby and Boss were close but don’t know what is going on. Sally found where the quail had hit the ground and on top of the hill the wind was pretty strong. She kept going to the south into the wind. I looked over in time to see Abby pick the quail up. It was another ten feet down wind from Sally.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
A few days ago Abby had caught a pigeon and squeezed the life out of it. I was afraid she would do the same for the quail. She started away from me with the bird. I whoaed her and she stopped. When I got to her Sally and Boss were right in front of her. They wanted the quail and she wasn’t going to give it up. I got them a few feet away from her and blew a strong burst of air into her ear. She opened her mouth and I took the bird.
The bird I shot was the only bird to fly that way. I didn’t see where the others went. I got the dogs in to hunt the available cover but we never came up with any more birds. When we got back to the truck I loaded all of the dogs except Boss. He wasn’t even close to the truck. He hasn’t got used to riding yet. He hates the truck box.
Abby pointing a pigeon.
After watering those three I loaded them in the box, shut the tail gate and drove away. I just drove up the road a little way and turned around. When I got back to where I was parked I saw Boss standing across the fence on private property. I stopped and called him. He laid down. I got back in the truck and drove on down the road. I saw him start following but he was still on private property.
I went about a half mile down the road and came back. When I passed him he turned and started following but still on private property. I pulled back where I had originally parked. He came through the fence off the private property and stopped. I walked to him and he never moved. I grabbed his collar and led him to the truck. He jumped onto the tail gate and I petted him for a few seconds before putting him in the box. We came on home.