Colorado 2015-2016 Week 11

[Shorthair Hunters]

Week 11 finds my cousin, myself and our three pups making the early morning drive out east greeted by a beautiful orange/red sunrise. It was going to be a hot one so we wanted to get it done early so with a 5 gallon jug of water we stopped at the first WIA. Before we knew it and without even one dog getting birdy we were back at the truck heading towards the next WIA only to come up over a small hill and finding several roosters on the road. We stopped and watched them take flight which flushed others so in all about a dozen birds were in the area which was great to see that late in the season. Once at the WIA we walked it with the same results as the first one, nothing not even a scent for the pups so back to the truck for a quick bite to eat for everyone and off to private property.
The first wheat field produced two hens which we were wishing were roosters but nice to see them. More water and food for all and onto the next field where after a very lengthy walk we watched a rooster take flight well ahead of us and kept flying for as far as we could see noticing the heat waves on the horizon. It was hot, 63 degrees and hunting in a tee shirt on Jan 23, don't get to say that very often. As we pushed towards an access road Orley goes on point in front of my cousin with him coming up from behind the rooster flushes as he passes him. With a quick spin around the bird becomes his first of the day. Thumbs up for a great shot and putting a bird in the bag. We continued on to the pinch point turning west around the corn circle edge where a hen and rooster tried escaping only to have the second rooster of the day fall to the ground and added to my cousins bag. The rest of the field was pushed hard with nothing to so for it so with a quick relocate we started into the next field and my cousins third rooster of the day being shot. He had a good day, 3 shots 3 birds, can't get much better then that. You would think it was my turn now but the pheasant gods had other things in mind for me, a few more hens and another goose egg for me. We were hot a bit sun burned just about out of water and I called it a day. We did hit one other spot on our drive out only to see several birds flushing to far ahead for shots but giving us a great ending for the day.
I have had such a great season that even with getting nothing these past two weeks I still feel this been awesome, with great dog work some incredible retrieves by dogs and humans and just the ability to be out in the fields with my cousin and our pups. One more chapter in this years season to come so don't clean the guns just yet.

 

[vrepola]

Thanks for the great reports. Good luck this coming weekend!

 

[Logical]

Interesting recap. It somewhat supports what I have been theorizing about this season, that if it is warm, birds tend to stay in the food fields all day, and don't go to loafing grasses.

However, my experience this weekend tends to debunk my theory.

I went out later, to arrive in the field about 9:45 a.m. I have no dog to worry about (unfortunately), so the forecast heat just made me worry that I would not find any birds in the grasses. But, since I was hunting alone, I was all about the research.

I went to a corner where I had not seen a bird in the first 3 weeks of the season, so wrote it off as uninhabited. Hunted it carefully Saturday, trying to cover the entire corner. I flushed a rooster, who proceeded to fly to my right. He must have heard about me shooting at the range, because two shots didn't disturb a feather. Should 'a had one, after about 10 minutes of walking.

Walked about 50 yards, and another got up. He was not as fortunate, and I bagged him.

Went to the corner to the north (same corn stubble circle), and walked into the breeze. One got up, flew left, and he got away cleanly. Maybe I should have had him. Walked the rest of the grass corners, and saw nothing.

Hmmm! Warm weather, but there were three roosters within 25 feet of the edge of the grass next to the corn circle. Maybe my theory is not so sound. I did have to be within 20' of each bird before he flushed.

Walked a wheat-stubble (large) corner, and just before I got back to my car, flushing from seemingly no cover, a rooster took flight. A long shot, but one leg did drop. He continued to fly over the hill over a quarter-mile away, so there is no telling where he may have landed. He was flying strong the whole way. Should have had him!

Went to a neighboring grass corner, again, one in which I had not seen a thing all season (I walk it every-other weekend). A rooster got up, and I bagged him. I guess I can hit things today! Went to the other grass corner next to the corn field, and saw nothing.

Went to a big grass field, and hunted the fenceline closest to the neighboring corn field. After about 300 yards, a rooster got up, and I bagged him. Walked back to the car (about 1:30), and cleaned them.

So, my theory about birds not being in the grass on warm days is not totally accurate. I did not see many birds (6 roosters, no hens), but there were enough to fill my limit. Also, all but one corner that I hunted Saturday had not shown a bird, nor a roost, all season. Why the birds were there is a bit of a puzzle, but it could be that I was in the grass too early. I usually try to be in the grass about 8:30. (One person is not effective in wheat stubble after the first three weeks of the season, I have found.)

I guess I will have to go out again this Saturday, and see what I find in the grasses this time. It is supposed to be very warm, again, so I hope my theory is wrong. I hope I was just hitting the grasses too early. But, I still hunted them until about 3, most weekends. Maybe it is late enough in the season that they are no longer worried about hunters in the corners. I didn't see any other hunters this weekend.

Good luck to all who venture out this weekend!