Quail season is open in Missouri but I don’t have any places to go. I went on opening morning to a Conservation Department area that was deemed a quail enhancement area. I have hunted this area before. Mainly many years ago. Maybe 40 years ago Dennis Garrison and I had 10 coveys spotted on this area and when the season opened all of the parking lots were full. After about 30 minutes with people hunting every where we wanted to be we went to some private property.
Dolly and Sally honoring Luke.
Dolly on point.
Tur Bo backing Sally.
About 10 years ago I belonged to a hunting club. Opening morning when I got to where I was going to hunt it still had the crops in the field. After a short hunt I went to this same Conservation place. Everywhere I tried to hunt had someone there. I finally turned out but didn’t last very long. There was too much shooting going on.
This opening morning I went to the same place. I only saw 4 other trucks and they may have been deer hunting. I hunted until noon without seeing a quail or hearing a shot fired. Maybe it was better before it became a quail enhancement area.
It’s pretty bad when you don’t even have a place to hunt in the state you are living in. I’m waiting on Kansas quail season to start. Kansas has about a million acres counting the walk-in and state owned properties.
Also, I have some problems with my dogs. Tur Bo is in my basement recuperating from a knee operation. Dr. Becker said he had damaged his knee some way. I got the stitches out this morning but he will probably be in a cage in the basement for two more weeks. When I take him outside he must be on a leash so this restricts how far away from home I can go. I can do day trips because he can go 10 or 12 hours without going outside. But no over night trips for me, for a while.
Dolly has had a cough that sounds like bronchitis. She’s been on antibiotics for a couple of weeks. Because of the cough and her age I don’t want to hunt her. She was eleven in February so I don’t hunt her on real warm days or for long periods.
Lucky was 13 years old in May. He’s been a really good dog but his muscle mass is going away. He’s real skinny although he eats as much as he ever did. He can’t hear or see very well. I ran him for a short time last week. He ran good but I didn’t leave him down for long. I will probably take him, for short hunts, as long as it’s not very warm.
That leaves me with Luke and Sally Joe. Luke is 7 years old and is really tough. I can’t remember him ever being hurt or even having sore feet. He covers lots of ground and some of the quail he points aren’t on the same ground I’m hunting but he goes where the birds are. Once he goes on point he is there until the birds flush. Most of the time the quail hold until I flush them.
Sally is only 17 months old but last year she pointed some quail on her on and honored any other dog that she saw on point. She hunts independently. After the season closed I shot some chukars over her and last week shot some more. I ran her near Greensburg Kansas a few weeks ago and she still points quail when she gets a chance.
I think Missouri could do a lot more for their bird hunters but Kansas will be open in a week. Kansas allows you to hunt turkeys with dogs in the fall, and that season is open now, so I may go next week. I can do that until the quail season opens. Anything to get the dogs out.
Sally pointing a single.
Tur Bo pointing a covey of quail.
Sally honoring Tur Bo.