Nov 15th Hunt

[snagged in outlet 3]

My buddy and I hunted the family farm Sunday over in IL. We hunt over a Britany and she was over-matched. We put field edges in the set aside program last year and it wasn't cut yet. Some fence-rows are 50 yards wide and thick. We got up two coveys and managed 4 birds out of them.

We have alot of quail but we also have alot of cover, maybe too much. The second covey probably had 20 birds in it. I'm sure we are walking past birds because years ago we would get up 5 or 6 coveys a day, and that's when we had less cover. The fence-rows are wider and now with the addition of the field edges it's overwhelming.

We're hoping the populations get big enough for us to get into more birds just because of the increase in numbers. We're going again after they cut the set aside so maybe it will concentrate them a little.

SIO3

[jjtroutbum]

Good for you guys

I have given up having a Brittany for the first time in a very long time. After my last one passed. Decided

that having to train on pin raised and then maybe not finding birds often enough on Mo public land was it.

Sure miss the dogs tho.

Good soft hackle material. ya know.

[snagged in outlet 3]

It's funny you talk about pen birds. This dog has been trained only on pen birds and she was having a hard time with the wild ones. It was warm Sunday and the birds were running on her and she didn't know what was going on. She'll get better though.

SIO3

[DaddyO]

I was fortunate to grow up begin able to hunt over a variety of dogs. We started out with a Brittany, who just walked up to our house one day. We lived in the city. She was a great dog. We called her Lady. My Dad thinks that he trained her, but me and my brothers know that she, really, trained him.

Dad, later, aquired a Pointer that we named June. It was a thrill to watch those 2 dogs hunt together. If one of them was on point, the other would slowly come up behind and honor the first one by staying half a dog length behind. Dad taught them to bust the covies on command. Both of the dogs got to where they would actually reach into the covey and pick up a quail as they were busting them. I can't remember the number of times that one of them would bring me the bird and drop it at my feet only to have the thing jump up and start flying away. Let me tell you, you'd better not miss a bird that they laid at your feet, because the would snub you the rest of the day. (I had that happen once. I didn't know that dogs could give you a dirty look, but she sure did)

We used to pop off the heads and feed it to the dogs, as treats, when they retrieved the birds. The nice thing about a Brittany / Pointer combo is that the Pointer will work the area long in front of you while the Brittany works short, covering the area that the Pointer missed.

I sure do miss those days of hunting over good dogs. My Dad hurt his back at work one day. The Doctor told him that his days of walking the fields and hunting with the dogs were over. He sold the Brittany for $50 and a 30/30 and he sold the Pointer for $250 with the promise that he could have the pick of the litter if the guy ever bred her.

[snagged in outlet 3]

That's cool DaddyO. I used to hunt over a buddy of mine named Vince when we were young. We took turns being the dog. We killed alot of birds that way. It wasn't until about 15 years ago the I got to hunt over a good dog and I love it.

I think we could've used at least 2 dogs until they cut the field edges.

SIO3