Dec 9 & 10 Hunt Report

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Makintrax73

Member
Hunted 12/9-10 out of Irish Creek Lodge, Haven, KS. Have a new young setter Ace that needs some experience.

Day 1 started out in the small field next to the lodge while Steve got some other hunters going. Dog had a few points. Killed a pheasant and a quail over solid points. Pointed a hen that flushed wild. I suppose the birds were released but he says none in the last few days.

Took me out to see two wild bird properties to hunt. Cut hay and scrub on the first. Long unproductive HOT hunt....Dog points two different coveys on the way back to the car and I miss 6 shots. Good size coveys 10+.

Way too hot, but go back out on the other property late. Stop to take a pee and the dog takes off. THREE pheasants come out behind me and leave the property while I'm taking care of business. Go around the hedge row to find out WTF the damn dog is doing and trip over a covey of quail. :(. Get dog wrangled up and going with me. Little ways up he busts a covey (same one?), and a rooster in the same spot. Call it. Dog spent. 66 deg.

Day 2: Steve takes me to a 160 with a couple creek bottoms. Lots off grass. Dog pushes a rooster out of a thicket and I get it. Broke my "rule" for the hunt of shooting pointed birds. Quit at 10. Too hot, already almost 60. Only hunted half or less of the property. Steve thought I should have seen a covey.

Hunted late back on first property. Dog pointed a covey in a thicket, and third shot scratches one down. 1 1/2 hour hunt, too hot and dog can't locate any singles. Call it a night.

Hunted 1 1/2 hours next morning before I left. Steve put out 5 chukars since I only got a couple birds. Dog found and I killed 4. Also pointed a hen, relocated himself and busted it.

So - Reasonable price. Accommodations clean and nice. Owner friendly and helpful. Found at least one pheasant or one covey on every property I hunted. I was happy w that. Other hunters hunting out of the lodge on wild birds with several dogs reported only 1 or 2 coveys in a couple days hunting.

Dog is finally showing he might have what it takes to hunt something other than planted birds. Hunted hard in the heat, and had several good finds that he pinned down birds. Worthwhile trip. The action was not fast and furious, but it was too hot to hunt hard, and misses on quail prevent me from getting 4 or 5 more birds.
 
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i don't want to be a wise guy, but hunting in 60 degree temps is not uncommon.....i don't like it either, but carry a couple liters of water and a flexible dog bowl (Cabela's sells them)....you can water the dog 2-3 times from each plastic bottle,...that should get you a mile or a mile and a half of field work, before heading back to the truck....sometimes you take what the weather dishes out.....
 
I hunted the ninth. No choice. Had a pointed rooster and quail before ten. Too hot the remainder of the day. Looked for new spots and hunted a couple small fields the rest of the day.

Once the dogs start non-stop panting, time to stop.
 
hunter94 said:
i don't want to be a wise guy, but hunting in 60 degree temps is not uncommon.....i don't like it either, but carry a couple liters of water and a flexible dog bowl (Cabela's sells them)....you can water the dog 2-3 times from each plastic bottle,...that should get you a mile or a mile and a half of field work, before heading back to the truck....sometimes you take what the weather dishes out.....
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I carry lots of water whether it is 60 or minus 60. Hydrate every 30 minutes regardless of the weather. 60 degrees is definitely not to warm to hunt a dog. Lots of dove hunts for mine when its 90 degrees.
 
For me, it is too hot for an overnight trip. Near home, no problem.

On the road, we hunt hard all day. Sunny and sixty is a problem. Sixty and cloudy okay.
 
Hunted with that outfitter a few years ago

Hunted turkeys during the spring. Nice enough fellow for sure, but covers had been pounded by hunters, lots of hunters. I'm thinking perhaps he runs more hunters then the land can handle. That probably applies to Pheasant/Quail as well. Curious, did you see any turkeys? I'm not a deer hunter, only birds. Big birds and small birds.
 
No, I didn't see any turkey. I'm not a turkey hunter, but the one property that I thought looked the most turkeyish I didn't spend much time on. After my dog busted every bird in sight I put him up for the day.

I did see some deer on the one property where he had a deer stand - does I think but they were a ways off. And one skunk which is a story for another time!

All told I saw 4 coveys (6 contacts, but I believe twice was the same covey re-contacted), and 7 pheasants in 2 days (plus 1 hen in a 1 1/2 hour hunt on day three).


Crossing shot said:
For me, it is too hot for an overnight trip. Near home, no problem.

On the road, we hunt hard all day. Sunny and sixty is a problem. Sixty and cloudy okay.
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This is exactly where I stand. Yeah I hunt when it's 60 (if I have to). When you drive 680 miles to hunt two days - you plan to hunt HARD. I spent an honest 10 or 11 hours beating the cover over 2 days - and I don't mean standing around shooting the bull or driving between spots - I mean out hitting it. When you have highs in the upper 60's and no "bull pen" (one dog) - well let me just say if you guys have pointing dogs that can hunt hard for two days in high 60's without calling it short on a couple of fields and taking a few hours off in the middle of the day then you have better dogs than I have ever had.
 
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Makintrax73 said:
No, I didn't see any turkey. I'm not a turkey hunter, but the one property that I thought looked the most turkeyish I didn't spend much time on. After my dog busted every bird in sight I put him up for the day.

I did see some deer on the one property where he had a deer stand - does I think but they were a ways off. And one skunk which is a story for another time!

All told I saw 4 coveys (6 contacts, but I believe twice was the same covey re-contacted), and 7 pheasants in 2 days (plus 1 hen in a 1 1/2 hour hunt on day three).





This is exactly where I stand. Yeah I hunt when it's 60 (if I have to). When you drive 680 miles to hunt two days - you plan to hunt HARD. I spent an honest 10 or 11 hours beating the cover over 2 days - and I don't mean standing around shooting the bull or driving between spots - I mean out hitting it. When you have highs in the upper 60's and no "bull pen" (one dog) - well let me just say if you guys have pointing dogs that can hunt hard for two days in high 60's without calling it short on a couple of fields and taking a few hours off in the middle of the day then you have better dogs than I have ever had.
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If you are assuming I "stand around and shoot the bull" and don't hit it hard you would be mistaken. 10 or 11 hours in 2 days, well, pretty pedestrian for us.
 
You entirely misunderstood my intention.

My point was that I hunted a number of less hours than intended because I was trying to keep the dog on top of his game. It was not intended as a brag about how hard I hunted (I didn't), nor (more importantly) a slight to you or how you hunt. Like I said - if you have a dog that can hunt hard (effectively not running around with his tongue out) days straight in high 60s temps you are doing damn good. I've never had one that could, and the one I have sure can't - so I cut my hunting time.

My post was in no way responsive to yours - so I'm not quite sure why you took it as a slight directed at you. It wasn't. Hope you have good hunting.
 
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One of my most memorable trips was pheasant hunting near dodge in 70 degree temp. Mainly hunted with my close working dog and hunting slow. Had to stop at gas station to refill water jugs. Lots of birds.

This week quail hunting with all the dogs trying to cover as much ground as possible in sunny 60 degree temp. wasn't as much fun. Couldn't carry enough water to hunt the large, thick cover I wanted to hunt. Went on home.
 
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