Lefty76
Well-known member
Welcome to the forum! Beautiful dogs! Love those Springers! I have three. The oldest will be 4 years old in March.
2022 season photos IOWA
- Thread starter remy3424
- Start date
Welcome to the forum! Beautiful dogs! Love those Springers! I have three. The oldest will be 4 years old in March.
remy3424
Well-known member
A bit cool this morning at 6 degrees and my buddy had came down with bronchitis or pneumonia after last weekend, so I was solo this morning. I waited until after 10:00 to give the temps a chance to rebound, which they did, so it was real decent with light wind and full sun. Started with a waterway with some noice filter strips, took a rooster here the first time I hunted this a few weeks ago. Today there were just a couple of hens, I think a few ran through the end into the next field, but I struck-out there. Hit our CRP after that, I had to walk close to a half mile before seeing the first rooster, tried to take a long poke at him, I had my coat opened and the butt of the gun got hung-up and I could see way too much of the top of the rib, shot anyway, I am sure that was way over him. So I buttoned the top button and marched on. Took a route to a waterway that ends up in the back corner of this quarter and got one there and another at the very end of the waterway against the property line, that rooster fell into the neighbors picked corn field, so it was an easy recovery. Headed back to follow a different waterway, missed a long shot, then dumped one, had a good mark, the dog was right there but he must have ran like a rabbit. I let the dog have about 10 minutes to see what he could come-up with, but he returned with an empty mouth, dense cover and just too much bird scent. When I was hustling after that bird a couple of roosters flushed at my feet, there was a pile of birds right there! So I followed this waterway to about 100 yards from the back property line and missed a longer shot, actually shot twice as I saw feathers fly on the initial shot, as I as sliding a couple more shells into the 11-87 another rooster flushes with a cackle right beside me, so I side the last shell in, pulled-up and dropped and recovered that one for my limit, as a could hear the noon whistle sounding in a nearby small town. The dog flush a bunch and had serval good points on the half mile walk back to the truck. I was close to a hedgerow that is mowed, so I ducked-out and walked that back to the road. I guess I need to get those birds cleaned and bagged now, a great morning. Gus really isn't much for posing for the hero pics. A better shot of the habitat in the pic w/o the dog.
KSBrittman
Active member
Nice Remy , love hearing about your hunts !!!
remy3424
Well-known member
Gus (and Rowdy) got it done again this morning. My buddy was still under the weather, he tried to go, but wasn't much of a factor today. We hunted a farm we did well at a few weeks ago. Saw a pile of birds for the size of the cover, they were wild, but enough sat to get my 3. Now to see what the the Vikings can do against the Jets.
Nick
Active member
I agree. Great looking dog!Gus is a good-looking dog, but I hope he can point them a little farther away that that!
Iowa springerguy
Member
Iowa springerguy
Member
Met up with my son for a quick hunt this morning. We were out about an hour got these 2 and missed a couple more. The griff will be 15 this spring so not sure how many more hunts she has left.
remy3424
Well-known member
We went back to a spot of my bubby's that we hit Thanksgiving morning, saw a bunch of birds then, but the mostly flushed wild. Well, no big wild flushes today, I think we got up 5 single hens. I was worth it as my dog pointed and flushed a large covey of quail there again this time, they were right at my feet, 12-15 of them, one big flush then a pair and about 10 seconds later another 2. Didn't shoot them, they have a tough enough time surviving here with out me shooting at them. After loading up and heading to another spot, got on the highway and things didn't feel quite right...a tire was about flat. Have a friend that lives very close so I jumped in with my buddy, we got his air pig and I made it back to town and got the tire fixed quick. We then then hit our CRP and got a quick limit of roosters. Lost one bird today. Dogs did great in the couple inches of snow we had now. Temps right at freezing today with light winds, saw a ton of birds after we limited, a great morning, even with a flat tire! My pics were all terrible today, this is about the best I had.
Bob Peters
Well-known member
You got more birds on your spots than a SD game farm!
remy3424
Well-known member
The first one I cleaned, was the fattest bird I think I have ever seen! A line of fat down the breastbone, it thought that was a bit unusual, so I took a pic. I have started (and my dog now waits for them) giving my dog the hearts. When I opened him up, another huge wad of fat inside, he was a chunky fellow for sure! The heart even had a ring of fat around the base, I think he was a prime candidate for a major heart attack. He was a year and a half by looking at the spurs.
remy3424
Well-known member
We have been working at it and it IS working! Next sunday I am having my cousins out for a rooster round-up, the 3rd annual! Need to keep thinning the roosters a bit. I do have some other good spots too, but not like ours.
Lefty76
Well-known member
Quick private land hunt this morning. Cash got the call today. He worked well, made two great finds, but stopped a few feet short on both of his retrieves. We will have to get that corrected. No field pics today. We parked off a busy county highway and I loaded him up after a quick drink. We're headed to Nebraska after the boys basketball games are over. Hoping to get my 10 year old his first bird.
Lefty76
Well-known member
I wasn't planning to hunt today, but when the big flakes started to fall mid-morning, I loaded up all three dogs and headed out. The snow stopped as soon as I got out of town. I made a great shot on the first bird that got up, then I whiffed three times on a left to right bird at 20 yards going into a stiff wind? Cash made a good retrieve across a ditch with steep banks. I ended up hunting two other fields, but only had hens in range. I got home to find the laundry had once again failed to fold itself.
remy3424
Well-known member
Nick, we don't like doing this, it is like work, except we love doing this! There are some great benefits to living in the midwest! Funny how the dishes are just like that frickin laundry! Supposed to snow most of the day here tomorrow...if the weather folks have it right.
Nick
Active member
I've never pheasant hunted in Iowa. I have hunted South Dakota. I'm outside of Kansas City. We used to shoot alot of pheasants in western Kansas, but it's been tough the last few years. I may have to give Iowa a try.
carptom1
Well-known member
It wasn’t that long ago we could head a couple hrs northwest and have a shot at some birds. I will make my yearly walk up west of sabetha now deer season is over. I get into a couple every couple years or so, but it would be nice to be closer. Where most of those guys are hunting in Iowa is still a ways from us. There was a time there was a fair amount over the Missouri border. I hunted them a lot in the late 80s early 90s.
Lefty76
Well-known member
Two of the spots I hunted today were close to the Interstate. I wondered with all the traffic, if some of those rigs headed north were SD bound.