nstric
New member
Lots of business travel for me over the past 4 weeks, but I finally got back into the fields yesterday.
My buddy and I decided to simply jump in the truck and head north on I-35, free styling it. No plan at all. Long story short, 250+ miles logged and we didn't SEE a rooster. We knocked-and-talked, secured access to multiple nice looking tracts of ground (with water), hunted a bit of public, and managed to see only two hens. It was highly frustrating . . . and concerning.
I decided to hit one of my fields closer to Des Moines on the way home, with agreement between my buddy and I that we've simply goal to SEE one stinkin' rooster! And that rooster, if seen, gets a free pass. No trigger pulls.
3 minutes in, Gunner goes on point, and up comes that rooster right at my feet. I watch, with smile on my face, as he sails away. Then up come his DOZENS of friends; hens and roosters. I couldn't believe all of the birds that got up. At least 15-20 in that bunch alone.
I was a bit slow on the draw, having been lulled into apathy throughout the day, but did sight in one of the last roosters and managed to wobble him. Thankfully, he did the nose dive, but about 100 yards away into cover. I took mental image, but had to turn to Gunner as he was on point again.
I step in and Gunner begins to track . . . coyote like. I'm on his hip, he locks up again, and up come a rooster and two hens. I drop the former with a clean hit and Gunner retrieves him to hand. Two dead, one in the bag.
We head back towards my buddy, who managed a few trigger pulls too, wounding one in the backside. He had him somewhat located, so he and Gunner headed that way while I worked backed towards where I'd downed the first rooster. I knew I had tall task in this blind retrieve.
I hear Gunner's collar go off, he's on point in the opposite corner of the field with my buddy. Up comes rooster number 10+, and he's dropped cleanly. Another point, and the second wave of 7+ birds get up. No shots fired. Two in the bag now, but we soon thereafter add number three as we make quick work of the blind retrieve on the first I'd hit. He was stone dead in the grass near where I'd marked him.
Heading back towards the truck I suggest my buddy take Gunner and work the south edge of the field into the wind. I set up on the east edge, thinking I'll block any runners. Not five steps into that SW corner, Gunner goes on point, a rooster flushes as my buddy steps in, and he downs him. Worked perfectly.
As both near me on stand, Gunner gets birdy again, slams on point in cover I'd walked through. I could tell he had a bird, investigate, and a cackling rooster comes up right off of my boot. It felt like I'd waited forever to let him get out in front of me a bit before squeezing the trigger. Once I did, we managed to connect on rooster number five.
We decided that was enough, given my buddy wounded another, so we walk out . . . and while doing so Gunner is pointing more birds on exiting path. A GREAT sight to see.
Upon cleaning the birds, we learn that the first my buddy shot was one-in-the-same with the one he wounded. That made us feel good. Making for even a better feeling was the fact that while we took five roosters from that field, we saw 15+, with an equal number of hens. We've some sustainability there.
I really think God smiles on those that demonstrate acts of unselfishness. Was passing on that first rooster the key to our late in the day success? I'm of mind it was.
Hope you all are doing well and manage a few roosters on your next outings.
My buddy and I decided to simply jump in the truck and head north on I-35, free styling it. No plan at all. Long story short, 250+ miles logged and we didn't SEE a rooster. We knocked-and-talked, secured access to multiple nice looking tracts of ground (with water), hunted a bit of public, and managed to see only two hens. It was highly frustrating . . . and concerning.
I decided to hit one of my fields closer to Des Moines on the way home, with agreement between my buddy and I that we've simply goal to SEE one stinkin' rooster! And that rooster, if seen, gets a free pass. No trigger pulls.
3 minutes in, Gunner goes on point, and up comes that rooster right at my feet. I watch, with smile on my face, as he sails away. Then up come his DOZENS of friends; hens and roosters. I couldn't believe all of the birds that got up. At least 15-20 in that bunch alone.
I was a bit slow on the draw, having been lulled into apathy throughout the day, but did sight in one of the last roosters and managed to wobble him. Thankfully, he did the nose dive, but about 100 yards away into cover. I took mental image, but had to turn to Gunner as he was on point again.
I step in and Gunner begins to track . . . coyote like. I'm on his hip, he locks up again, and up come a rooster and two hens. I drop the former with a clean hit and Gunner retrieves him to hand. Two dead, one in the bag.
We head back towards my buddy, who managed a few trigger pulls too, wounding one in the backside. He had him somewhat located, so he and Gunner headed that way while I worked backed towards where I'd downed the first rooster. I knew I had tall task in this blind retrieve.
I hear Gunner's collar go off, he's on point in the opposite corner of the field with my buddy. Up comes rooster number 10+, and he's dropped cleanly. Another point, and the second wave of 7+ birds get up. No shots fired. Two in the bag now, but we soon thereafter add number three as we make quick work of the blind retrieve on the first I'd hit. He was stone dead in the grass near where I'd marked him.
Heading back towards the truck I suggest my buddy take Gunner and work the south edge of the field into the wind. I set up on the east edge, thinking I'll block any runners. Not five steps into that SW corner, Gunner goes on point, a rooster flushes as my buddy steps in, and he downs him. Worked perfectly.
As both near me on stand, Gunner gets birdy again, slams on point in cover I'd walked through. I could tell he had a bird, investigate, and a cackling rooster comes up right off of my boot. It felt like I'd waited forever to let him get out in front of me a bit before squeezing the trigger. Once I did, we managed to connect on rooster number five.
We decided that was enough, given my buddy wounded another, so we walk out . . . and while doing so Gunner is pointing more birds on exiting path. A GREAT sight to see.
Upon cleaning the birds, we learn that the first my buddy shot was one-in-the-same with the one he wounded. That made us feel good. Making for even a better feeling was the fact that while we took five roosters from that field, we saw 15+, with an equal number of hens. We've some sustainability there.
I really think God smiles on those that demonstrate acts of unselfishness. Was passing on that first rooster the key to our late in the day success? I'm of mind it was.
Hope you all are doing well and manage a few roosters on your next outings.
added a picture of Luke.
