Well, That Really Sucked

[Bird Watcher]

Funny how people are some times. I usually get to shoot all the ducks I want, but I'd skip it any day for a quail hunt watching good bird dogs work, but then again I've only had the pleasure of quail hunting over good dogs a handful of times in my life.

I stumbled into a spot last year that was holding 5 or 6 coveys on a section down here in SW MO. I went out one day and kicked them up, shot 4 quail for dinner and left them. It was the last week of quail season, it was bitter cold and they were probably on the section because the farmer had left a lot of standing beans. I didn't really even enjoy it. It felt like I was wasting the experience because I wasn't using a dog. They are what it's all about if you ask me.

Ramble over....

[jdmidwest]

I'm hoping that occurred over many years?

It has happened all at the same time on the same day, many times over many years! Luck just seems to follow us around, and it makes for some good stories when everything goes right and we have a great day.

[jdmidwest]

There are those good days too. Pill one on an MDC area on a flight day. Days when all you need is a six pack of dekes, a piece of burlap for camo, and a hole of water in flooded corn to limit out. Taking the kids out and having a good hunt. 3 Drake mallards with 2 shots from your double barrel shotgun.

[rps]

My mother bred the last English Setter to ever win both a bench show championship and a field trial championship. Wish of Lonesome Lane. You would not believe how smart and handsome that bitch was.

When my last setter from mother died, the wife and I changed breeds to avoid buying from idiots who did not know what a hunting dog was.

[ness]

Funny how people are some times. I usually get to shoot all the ducks I want, but I'd skip it any day for a quail hunt watching good bird dogs work, but then again I've only had the pleasure of quail hunting over good dogs a handful of times in my life.

I stumbled into a spot last year that was holding 5 or 6 coveys on a section down here in SW MO. I went out one day and kicked them up, shot 4 quail for dinner and left them. It was the last week of quail season, it was bitter cold and they were probably on the section because the farmer had left a lot of standing beans. I didn't really even enjoy it. It felt like I was wasting the experience because I wasn't using a dog. They are what it's all about if you ask me.

Ramble over....

Right there with you. I wouldn't enjoy it, and probably wouldn't do it, without dogs.

If I was to rank things it'd be 1) being out there 2) enjoying the dogs enjoying themselves 3) seeing them find birds and work them well -- it's so cool to see it click 4) shooting a bird so they can go get​ it 5) bringing home some meat.

Here's a few pics:

Resting while I get the car loaded:

Some darn fine looking ground:

What it might look like if my dog had a bird to point:

Regardless of the action, everybody was tired and thirsty:

Skunk lived in the second band of grass, beyond the trees, near the right side of this pic. I went there because last year I scared up a covey of quail in that draw:

[Wayne SW/MO]

This Artic blast should shove a lot of ducks south. It's not the cold, but the lack of open water that generally moves a lot of birds.

A buddy and I drove from Mustang OK to just south of Liberal KS many, many, years ago to hunt pheasant. It sleeeted and snowed most of the way and we were in a CJ-5 with a canvas top. Shot one bird, froze are butts off and left the Lab at home so didn't get to see him work. Memorable.

[ness]

I'm gonna scout some for ducks fairly close to home this weekend.

It would be a good weekend to go back out west, but I'm behind at home after two weekends away. Still seeing decent reports on quail and pheasant.

[Bird Watcher]

Those are nice pictures Ness. I've been getting reports of duck beatdowns in the KC area. you should have some luck. Might find a lot of hard water, but when you find them you will really find them I think.

[Feathers and Fins]

Skunks suck period..

There are Ducks Ducks Goose everyplace, I've made a few geese into roast and jerky the last couple days. Even cacklers are down here ( earliest I have ever seen them in Arkansas ) They were walking with our residents on the local park and the size difference is unmistakable. Mallards in the thousands mixed in with some scaup, cans, pintail and redheads even the goldeneye are already here. Get out there because they have arrived.

[ness]

Bump.

Hunted NW MO last Saturday for quail mostly. There are still a few pheasants around, but not on the ground I was hunting -- just not that kinda ground.

Hunted a bunch of tree lines and didn't move a bird. A couple hours in my 3-year old Brittany Ruby locked onto a point in some grass near a brush pile. I gotta say she looked pretty good. Dang -- where's the photographer from Pointing Dog Journal when you need him?? I started walking up to her and a rabbit scooted out of the grass to her right, but she didn't move a muscle. I chuckled to myself, sure that's what she was locked onto. But she stayed rock-solid, so I walked up and kicked the grass all around her. Nothing. I figure it's time to go and try to call her off, but she's not gonna budge. Wow, maybe there is something in there I missed. Is the training paying off?? I circled around behind her and see shes looking down into the ravine with the brush pile over it. I finally get in the right position and....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

....there's a friggin' skunk down in there, about 15 feet away and down about 5 feet. I yelled at the top of my lungs, but the highly-trained skunk dog would not break the point. I fired my gun in the air (steady to shot and all that) -- nothin'. I fired again and that finally broke her trance and trotted over to me, looking kinda dejected. Not sure what skunk-quirt protocol is, but I feel pretty darn lucky we both didn't get misted.

Dang I hate skunks.