nstric
New member
Hit some public near Des Moines (Redrock bottoms) with a couple buddies on Monday morning and worked hard to see 6 roosters and 8 hens. With the exception of a few hens and one wounded rooster, all were flushing crazy wild. We walked big blue stem, and I was hoping the birds would hold better than they did. Between the wind and, I imagine, pressure received, the birds were on edge. Gunner did manage to point-track-point-track-point-track-tackle the wounded rooster, so we walked out with one in the bag without firing a shot. He was an 'ol boy too, with long spurs.
Two of us decided we hadn't had enough, and worked our way to Perry to hunt one of my private pieces. Three distant tracts of land, none with any water (the ponds/creeks were completely dry). Two minutes into the first field and birds started erupting out of the cattails. Only the hens were within range, of course. This pattern (i.e. wild flushes) proceeded, and while we counted 10+ roosters and 30+ hens, nothing was bagged. Still very good to see such quality numbers.
Field 2 of 3 . . . at least 75% of it had been mowed. What remained was good, quality cover though, so we decided to give it a go. I load my two shells, release Gunner, and we head in. We push the horse weeds first, into some very nice foxtail -- my favorite type of grass to hunt. Gunner gets birdy, locks up, and I step in. An eruption ensues! Dozens of birds, with the hens coming up in flocks and the roosters peeling out shortly behind them. I drop the first hard, swing on the second, pull the trigger, connect but not as well as the first as I started to focus on rooster number 3 of the bunch. With bead on number 3, I pull the trigger and . . . "click". Dang! Only two shells were loaded!!! There goes my chance at a triple! No worries though as that rooster rides the wind over my buddy and he drops it solid. I didn't know it at the time, however, as I had eye on roosters 4, 5, and I think, 6, and was attempting to reload and refocus. By the time I did so, they were too far out so I opted to let them go.
Deep breathes . . . now it's time to find the three dropped birds in very heavy grass. Fortunately, Gunner already had rooster number 2 in his mouth, still somewhat alive, and retrieved it to hand. How lucky was I in that he went after this one first? I next call him over to my buddy and he does a blind retrieve in short order on his bird. Two in the bag, and my buddy says I connected well on the first so we send Gunner into the general vacinity and let him do his thing. Less than a minute in, and bird number 3 is brought to hand! What an exhilarating two to three minutes in time!
We take in the moment, give the dogs some love, and press on throughout the remaining bit of the field. Other than a few more hens, nothing more is seen. We head back to the truck and on to the last of my 3 fields in the area.
Field 3 of 3 . . . also significantly mowed. We proceed to the most appealing cover and very quickly walk in on Gunner's point. Up come 5 hens, right off of the boot. Another point, not twenty yards away, and here comes another eruption! My buddy is right on top of them, but for some reason freezes in the moment. It seemed he took in the sight, instead of looking down his site . . . which I've no problem with. I'm yelling out "Roosters!", but no shots are fired. I personally elected not to pull the trigger as I'd have shot across my buddy. Plus, I'd gotten my birds. In all, we guessed about a dozen hens and 7-8 roosters came up in that bunch.
The dogs tell us more birds are to be had, and they were right, but most were hens. I actually saw roosters running ahead, and all flushed outside of range. One landed in the far corner of the field, so Gunner and I made the quarter mile trek and he locked up just about where expected. Up comes the rooster, or "a" rooster, and I down him with a right to left shot. Rooster number 5 is in the bag, and it's now photo time.
A great day in that we bagged a few birds . . . but even better in that we saw some very good numbers of birds.
(The dogs didn't want to look into the sun.
)
Two of us decided we hadn't had enough, and worked our way to Perry to hunt one of my private pieces. Three distant tracts of land, none with any water (the ponds/creeks were completely dry). Two minutes into the first field and birds started erupting out of the cattails. Only the hens were within range, of course. This pattern (i.e. wild flushes) proceeded, and while we counted 10+ roosters and 30+ hens, nothing was bagged. Still very good to see such quality numbers.
Field 2 of 3 . . . at least 75% of it had been mowed. What remained was good, quality cover though, so we decided to give it a go. I load my two shells, release Gunner, and we head in. We push the horse weeds first, into some very nice foxtail -- my favorite type of grass to hunt. Gunner gets birdy, locks up, and I step in. An eruption ensues! Dozens of birds, with the hens coming up in flocks and the roosters peeling out shortly behind them. I drop the first hard, swing on the second, pull the trigger, connect but not as well as the first as I started to focus on rooster number 3 of the bunch. With bead on number 3, I pull the trigger and . . . "click". Dang! Only two shells were loaded!!! There goes my chance at a triple! No worries though as that rooster rides the wind over my buddy and he drops it solid. I didn't know it at the time, however, as I had eye on roosters 4, 5, and I think, 6, and was attempting to reload and refocus. By the time I did so, they were too far out so I opted to let them go.
Deep breathes . . . now it's time to find the three dropped birds in very heavy grass. Fortunately, Gunner already had rooster number 2 in his mouth, still somewhat alive, and retrieved it to hand. How lucky was I in that he went after this one first? I next call him over to my buddy and he does a blind retrieve in short order on his bird. Two in the bag, and my buddy says I connected well on the first so we send Gunner into the general vacinity and let him do his thing. Less than a minute in, and bird number 3 is brought to hand! What an exhilarating two to three minutes in time!
We take in the moment, give the dogs some love, and press on throughout the remaining bit of the field. Other than a few more hens, nothing more is seen. We head back to the truck and on to the last of my 3 fields in the area.
Field 3 of 3 . . . also significantly mowed. We proceed to the most appealing cover and very quickly walk in on Gunner's point. Up come 5 hens, right off of the boot. Another point, not twenty yards away, and here comes another eruption! My buddy is right on top of them, but for some reason freezes in the moment. It seemed he took in the sight, instead of looking down his site . . . which I've no problem with. I'm yelling out "Roosters!", but no shots are fired. I personally elected not to pull the trigger as I'd have shot across my buddy. Plus, I'd gotten my birds. In all, we guessed about a dozen hens and 7-8 roosters came up in that bunch.
The dogs tell us more birds are to be had, and they were right, but most were hens. I actually saw roosters running ahead, and all flushed outside of range. One landed in the far corner of the field, so Gunner and I made the quarter mile trek and he locked up just about where expected. Up comes the rooster, or "a" rooster, and I down him with a right to left shot. Rooster number 5 is in the bag, and it's now photo time.
A great day in that we bagged a few birds . . . but even better in that we saw some very good numbers of birds.
(The dogs didn't want to look into the sun.
)