remy3424
Well-known member
I am having my cousins hunt next Sunday, so I decided to give the birds in our CRP a 2 week break prior to "The Rooster Round-Up". I decided to try a friend's waterways, he has 2 farms with some good cover. Once they are gone (both in their 80's) I am thinking those farms will be tiled-out and the water-ways will be gone. The first farm has a border with some other cover where a couple fellas were hunting already, nice to see other hunters. Gus gets birdy about 50 yards in and points up a hen and few yards further, a rooster and I put it down in the corn stocks and Gus is on him. About at the shot, there are maybe 10 more pheasants flying everywhere. I get the rooster in the pouch and we are back looking for the next. Some good points on hens and then a rooster. Had a straight-away and rocked it good, I guess I should have double-tapped him, as he just kept going until I lost sight of him thru some trees. Got to the end and Gus had a hard point right in the fence-line. After a bit of work we bust-out a hen, which Gus make a 50 yard chase and circles right back to the same spot and is pointing again. This time he works back into my side of the fence line and he has a rooster which I make a good shot on. We go back on the northside with several nice points on hens. I never hear any shooting from the other hunters. So, still needing one more rooster, I head 2 miles to the other farm. We get started and Gus has a hen pinned-down right away. We go another 40 yards maybe and he is locked-up in some snake grass (my first bird was also in snake grass). I wade into this thick jungle and Gus gets a rooster airborne , which I drop quickley, maybe a bit too quick, as the head is only connected with a bit of skin. As I shoot another rooster busts out, which Gus is unaware of. We have our 3 now so I unload and start for the truck and trying to get Gus to follow. He is back in the snake grass and won't come out. I am telling him, the bird he thinks is there left just a short minute ago. So I have to trudge back into that stuff, right back in the trail I made earlier. I get to about where I was standing when I shot the rooster and there he is locked-up. I coaxed Gus to get the bird, which I am somewhat confident that this bird had just left, but out comes yet another rooster. I guess I should have started on that farm! I was back in the truck at 9:02, pretty quick morning for hunting to separate places.
It was such a change today, hunting cover where I could watch the dog work the birds, he was awesome. In our tall CRP, I just don't get to see the detailed action of the dog. Lot of birds where I was, but not like the herds we are normally chasing, better for the dog. No bells needed today.
It was such a change today, hunting cover where I could watch the dog work the birds, he was awesome. In our tall CRP, I just don't get to see the detailed action of the dog. Lot of birds where I was, but not like the herds we are normally chasing, better for the dog. No bells needed today.