Thrasher
Member
Took my dad and Molly out today. I was looking forward to the fresh snow and we were primed to go. We just headed out to some local public land where we have found birds every time we have hunted it. We walked a corn field and saw nothing! No track, nothing. My dad is getting up there in age and was ready for a break so I took the pup and headed into brush and trees next to the corn. Within 10 minutes, Molly gets birdy on a blow-down and keeps trying to get a good location on the bird she smells. I walk in and a rooster flushes. I missed the first shot, but connected with the second. Molly is on the bird, grabs it, drops it, and comes back to me. I got the bird and we moved on. Three roosters and a couple of hens flush from the other side of the trees. I did not shoot and we headed over to where they had flushed from. We flushed another hen in that area. We walked the rest of the thick stuff and did not see any birds.
We then headed south to a place that is always good for a bird or three. 100 yards into the field, entering the really thick stuff I wanted to hunt, we jump a coyote looking for lunch. We walked the thick stuff and could not believe the number of coyote trails in there.
We hunted up one edge and Molly locks up. I get my dad's attention and told him to get ready, I would flush the bird. I walk in and a rooster flushes five feet from the pup. Dad says take him, shot and down. Molly retrieves the bird like normal.
Within 100 yards we had a rooster and two hens flush wild, and then Molly locks up again. My dad walked in this time. He stepped over the bird twice before it came up out of the snow. It flew over my head, I turned and knocked it down. We walked to the end of the field and headed to where the flushed birds had landed. Molly scented a runner and as she worked the trail, it flushed 40 yards out. We just watched it go.
Dad was still holding up pretty well. He was walking the edge of the field and flushed a rooster. I watch the bird flush and everything turns into slow motion. I watch dad slip the safety, shoulder, and fire. Dead bird! He has not hunted much in the last 15 years and is worried about his eyesight, but he was dead on today.
We hunted back to the truck and decided we were finished for the day. We plan to head back out tomorrow afternoon.
On a side note, the only bird that had any food in its gullet was the rooster from the public land. The others were all empty and were taken between 2:30 and 3PM. The public rooster also had a good layer of fat while the others were lean.
The birds that were pointed held well.
We then headed south to a place that is always good for a bird or three. 100 yards into the field, entering the really thick stuff I wanted to hunt, we jump a coyote looking for lunch. We walked the thick stuff and could not believe the number of coyote trails in there.
We hunted up one edge and Molly locks up. I get my dad's attention and told him to get ready, I would flush the bird. I walk in and a rooster flushes five feet from the pup. Dad says take him, shot and down. Molly retrieves the bird like normal.
Within 100 yards we had a rooster and two hens flush wild, and then Molly locks up again. My dad walked in this time. He stepped over the bird twice before it came up out of the snow. It flew over my head, I turned and knocked it down. We walked to the end of the field and headed to where the flushed birds had landed. Molly scented a runner and as she worked the trail, it flushed 40 yards out. We just watched it go.
Dad was still holding up pretty well. He was walking the edge of the field and flushed a rooster. I watch the bird flush and everything turns into slow motion. I watch dad slip the safety, shoulder, and fire. Dead bird! He has not hunted much in the last 15 years and is worried about his eyesight, but he was dead on today.
We hunted back to the truck and decided we were finished for the day. We plan to head back out tomorrow afternoon.
On a side note, the only bird that had any food in its gullet was the rooster from the public land. The others were all empty and were taken between 2:30 and 3PM. The public rooster also had a good layer of fat while the others were lean.
The birds that were pointed held well.
