Shorthair Hunters
Member
Another Saturday found us heading east with anticipation of roosters in our bags and smiles on our faces. We were geared up and walking into the first WIA with warm temps and a nice wind blowing in our face. Half way into the 1/2 mile section on the edge of the yellow to red grass a rooster flushes catching the wind and rocketing out of reach with a shot from my cousin ringing in the air. A couple hundred yards more a repeat of earlier with the same result. We finished the field feeling good to find birds in a WIA and knowing that the wind will be in their favor when they get up. We hit another WIA with only getting grass and weed flakes in our eyes. We decided to walk an area we had done pretty good earlier in the year but not much lately and after a nice nature walk we talked about how that would probably have been the last time this year.
Now we were heading to our land owners fields where we have done very well this year but this time i got out of the truck down the road from the corrals so i could sneak around to the back of them in hopes of out smarting the birds if they were in them. With the warm temps that week most of the snow had melted but the ground was so saturated that the water was still on top causing it to be very muddy and slippery but i made it to the corner of the corral and waited for my cousin and dogs to push from the opposite end. One hen flushed at the corner i was posted up at but no more so off to the wheat fields. We were not finding the birds where we had found them in weeks past which made us think was it just to wet and muddy for them? The dogs had a muddy brown line on the lower half of their bodies with the mud running off their chests like water. As we pushed towards the road a rooster jumped up to the left of my cousin turning into the wind and getting two shots at him as he flew past. The first shot made another rooster take flight but he went straight away form my cousin who did not hear it flush as he was busy with the first one and this one was out of my reach so i watched it continue over the road and then to my surprise he started cart-willing to the ground, what the heck just happened? Ahh he hit the power lines so Orley and myself went over to where it landed and sure enough he laid there dead so into my bag he went. Once my cousin got over to me i gave him the thumbs up, with a confused look on his face of how did you get one with out shooting? So after i told him we laughed for a while before resuming to the hunt.
We had a few great points and flushes but just hens until finally a rooster fell to my cousins shot. Some lunch for everyone and on to the next property with nothing in the tree row or ditch. We started down another tree row with three rooster popping up, one falling to my cousins shot, one flying ahead of him, and the third over the top of the trees heading away from me but dropped back in at the end. As we approached the end i heard my cousin yell "rooster" and up over the top he came and fell to my shot. So finally i broke my three week missing streak with a bird in my bag that i shot and not it hitting a power line. We hit a few more areas but found nothing so we headed for home with two a piece and smiles on our faces and very muddy dogs in their kennels.
Two weekends left with warm temps predicted for this Saturday and we will be out once more chasing those chickens.
Now we were heading to our land owners fields where we have done very well this year but this time i got out of the truck down the road from the corrals so i could sneak around to the back of them in hopes of out smarting the birds if they were in them. With the warm temps that week most of the snow had melted but the ground was so saturated that the water was still on top causing it to be very muddy and slippery but i made it to the corner of the corral and waited for my cousin and dogs to push from the opposite end. One hen flushed at the corner i was posted up at but no more so off to the wheat fields. We were not finding the birds where we had found them in weeks past which made us think was it just to wet and muddy for them? The dogs had a muddy brown line on the lower half of their bodies with the mud running off their chests like water. As we pushed towards the road a rooster jumped up to the left of my cousin turning into the wind and getting two shots at him as he flew past. The first shot made another rooster take flight but he went straight away form my cousin who did not hear it flush as he was busy with the first one and this one was out of my reach so i watched it continue over the road and then to my surprise he started cart-willing to the ground, what the heck just happened? Ahh he hit the power lines so Orley and myself went over to where it landed and sure enough he laid there dead so into my bag he went. Once my cousin got over to me i gave him the thumbs up, with a confused look on his face of how did you get one with out shooting? So after i told him we laughed for a while before resuming to the hunt.
We had a few great points and flushes but just hens until finally a rooster fell to my cousins shot. Some lunch for everyone and on to the next property with nothing in the tree row or ditch. We started down another tree row with three rooster popping up, one falling to my cousins shot, one flying ahead of him, and the third over the top of the trees heading away from me but dropped back in at the end. As we approached the end i heard my cousin yell "rooster" and up over the top he came and fell to my shot. So finally i broke my three week missing streak with a bird in my bag that i shot and not it hitting a power line. We hit a few more areas but found nothing so we headed for home with two a piece and smiles on our faces and very muddy dogs in their kennels.
Two weekends left with warm temps predicted for this Saturday and we will be out once more chasing those chickens.
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