BrownDogsCan2
Well-known member
lets see,, a resident and nonresident deer tag costs what? just stating the obvious
First trip West
- Thread starter Toad
- Start date
Toad
Active member
Second trip West today. Got into a few quail. Lots of walking good looking cover to find those. Could have had more but broke a wing on one and spent at least 20 minutes chasing it in head-high CRP. Dogs would point, and it would just run into the next impenetrable tangle when I went in. Daisy finally got wise and grabbed it on one of its many sprints. It was a circus, but quail in the frying pan has never tasted sweeter. And you can't buy that kind of experience...
Had a rooster flush wild and fly over me. Had I known at the time the dogs didn't flush it, I would have shot. I'll shoot a wild flusher all day, but never a flush resulting from bad manners. Oh well. Better safe than sorry.
Junie had a really good looking point on what I assume was a rooster, but it ran off on her... Cheater. At least she got to nail a few quail. :cheers:
Had a rooster flush wild and fly over me. Had I known at the time the dogs didn't flush it, I would have shot. I'll shoot a wild flusher all day, but never a flush resulting from bad manners. Oh well. Better safe than sorry.
Junie had a really good looking point on what I assume was a rooster, but it ran off on her... Cheater. At least she got to nail a few quail. :cheers:
kansasbrittany
Banned
Toad,
I got out "locally" yesterday for a short trip. We walked and walked, then finally scattered a large covey of 20 or so. This was on reservoir land where the cover is NASTY thick and the birds have learned to use the trees to escape hunters...I bet this covey hadn't lost a member yet this season, but I digress. We flushed a couple of them repeatedly until we finally got 'em out of the darn trees. One went into "head high CRP" and we followed it. I was lip-sinking the words from your post above when my GWP locked up tight with a bird right under his nose. I thought, "Here we go, let's get a clean shot here dummy..." Sure enough, he pops up and I take the feathers right off the top of his back, apparently getting 1 or 2 bb's through the wing, disabling the flight feature.
Tate (GSP) locates him, but doesn't realize he's wounded. The bird takes off zig-zagging for the next clump of grass. Tate finds him again, but misses with his chompers, then finds him again, I miss with my hands and the butt of my gun, then fall down; Tate finds him again and misses with his chompers and so on. 15 minutes into the search the trail has gone cold. The GWP hadn't helped me and Tate search for that bird at all. He comes and stands by me as I proceed to tell him what a sorry SOB he was for not helping. A couple minutes later, still standing beside me, he just freezes. I ask, "Is that my dead bird Duke?". He reached into a clump of grass, snatched it up, then handed it to me. Turns out, we had the 20 minutes to spare b/c I didn't hit another one after that. I was completely soaked and starting to get cold so we called it a w/e.
Yes, all that typing to tell you we got 1 quail yesterday
M. R. Byrd
Well-known member
Is that the one with the cannabis? Back in 1998 my son and his roommate at K-State took me duck hunting somewhere in that area and it was loaded with marijuana.
M. R. Byrd
Well-known member
Toad,
Thanks for the pics. Dogs and cover looking good.
Good cover out this way too. The giant ragweed at my place that was ten to twelve feet tall is unbelievable and the quail are loving it. I did notice this guy showed up after a long absence.
Thanks for the pics. Dogs and cover looking good.
Good cover out this way too. The giant ragweed at my place that was ten to twelve feet tall is unbelievable and the quail are loving it. I did notice this guy showed up after a long absence.
Toad,
I got out "locally" yesterday for a short trip. We walked and walked, then finally scattered a large covey of 20 or so. This was on reservoir land where the cover is NASTY thick and the birds have learned to use the trees to escape hunters...I bet this covey hadn't lost a member yet this season, but I digress. We flushed a couple of them repeatedly until we finally got 'em out of the darn trees. One went into "head high CRP" and we followed it. I was lip-sinking the words from your post above when my GWP locked up tight with a bird right under his nose. I thought, "Here we go, let's get a clean shot here dummy..." Sure enough, he pops up and I take the feathers right off the top of his back, apparently getting 1 or 2 bb's through the wing, disabling the flight feature.
Tate (GSP) locates him, but doesn't realize he's wounded. The bird takes off zig-zagging for the next clump of grass. Tate finds him again, but misses with his chompers, then finds him again, I miss with my hands and the butt of my gun, then fall down; Tate finds him again and misses with his chompers and so on. 15 minutes into the search the trail has gone cold. The GWP hadn't helped me and Tate search for that bird at all. He comes and stands by me as I proceed to tell him what a sorry SOB he was for not helping. A couple minutes later, still standing beside me, he just freezes. I ask, "Is that my dead bird Duke?". He reached into a clump of grass, snatched it up, then handed it to me. Turns out, we had the 20 minutes to spare b/c I didn't hit another one after that. I was completely soaked and starting to get cold so we called it a w/e.
Yes, all that typing to tell you we got 1 quail yesterday
Kb that sounds like things that would happen to me lol...after getting all set on the new pup yesterday for next season i hope to get out this weekend and get a few..but you have to admit that trip is a trip you will probably never forget and made some good memories
Seems like a bunch of work for a bird that is gone with just a couple of bites. But, we hunt for other reasons.
I shot one last year that both my wife and I saw fall on the edge of a very small creek, mostly bare gound. We both agreed it was dead in the air. We went straight to it from 25 yards away, even called Obie in to hunt dead. After searching for 30 minutes that bird was nowhere to be found. Looking at the spot one would think there is no way a bird could disappear there but it sure did. Obie didn't even act like he smelled anything.
I shot one last year that both my wife and I saw fall on the edge of a very small creek, mostly bare gound. We both agreed it was dead in the air. We went straight to it from 25 yards away, even called Obie in to hunt dead. After searching for 30 minutes that bird was nowhere to be found. Looking at the spot one would think there is no way a bird could disappear there but it sure did. Obie didn't even act like he smelled anything.
Based on conversations I've had with another dog trainer/field trialer I respect, supposedly what they get the strongest whiff of is the chemicals released during respiration - or at least when the bird is respirating it is dispersing lots of scent molecules. I've never fact checked it but it seems to make sense -- his logic was that they are breathing harder when they are being chased or when you are close by since they are in a hyper vigilant state. A wounded bird will put off a different scent yet (probably tinged with the smell of blood and the reason our dogs know/have the drive to get the bird)
Based on said individuals information it does seem to logically make sense. It seems I've noticed that if a bird is shot and falls stone cold dead a dog will have a hard time finding it unless they see it. If one falls and still has some life in it then later dies and they are on it right away they can usually find it pretty easily (probably due to the increased respiration) But then again maybe I'm seeing scenarios and making them fit the preconceived notion I may have in my head. Again I dont have the science to cite to back me, merely observations and knowledge from a guy who's been around animals and in the game much longer than I.
Anyways hope that makes sense. The way he explained it it made sense. Also a dead bird will put off a different smell so maybe it will take a while for this scent to be put off or dispersed around for them to smell it and maybe sometimes they are simply not keying in on that particular smell.
An interesting discussion and topic to think about none the less.
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KATroutman13
Member
I've heard with quail that if they land on their backs when they die that dogs can't smell them. I've had an experience where a dog has worked an area pretty thoroughly and not found a bird dead on its back on fairly bare ground. Could have just been breathing out at the wrong times, though.
Toad
Active member
Toad,
I got out "locally" yesterday for a short trip. We walked and walked, then finally scattered a large covey of 20 or so. This was on reservoir land where the cover is NASTY thick and the birds have learned to use the trees to escape hunters...I bet this covey hadn't lost a member yet this season, but I digress. We flushed a couple of them repeatedly until we finally got 'em out of the darn trees. One went into "head high CRP" and we followed it. I was lip-sinking the words from your post above when my GWP locked up tight with a bird right under his nose. I thought, "Here we go, let's get a clean shot here dummy..." Sure enough, he pops up and I take the feathers right off the top of his back, apparently getting 1 or 2 bb's through the wing, disabling the flight feature.
Tate (GSP) locates him, but doesn't realize he's wounded. The bird takes off zig-zagging for the next clump of grass. Tate finds him again, but misses with his chompers, then finds him again, I miss with my hands and the butt of my gun, then fall down; Tate finds him again and misses with his chompers and so on. 15 minutes into the search the trail has gone cold. The GWP hadn't helped me and Tate search for that bird at all. He comes and stands by me as I proceed to tell him what a sorry SOB he was for not helping. A couple minutes later, still standing beside me, he just freezes. I ask, "Is that my dead bird Duke?". He reached into a clump of grass, snatched it up, then handed it to me. Turns out, we had the 20 minutes to spare b/c I didn't hit another one after that. I was completely soaked and starting to get cold so we called it a w/e.
Yes, all that typing to tell you we got 1 quail yesterday
Hey, you EARNED one quail yesterday. :cheers: And built up some good karma for next time.
Regarding the other comments, I agree that sometimes, for reasons I can't explain, dogs have difficulty finding a downed bird. The quail I was posting about took them more than 5 minutes to strike a scent on the first time on once it was down,,, long enough to make me question whether my shot had actually dropped the quail or my eyes were playing tricks on me in the tall grass.
I just stood at my best guess of where it went down, stood still, and kept calling them back to keep hunting the area. Eventually they found it buried in a big bunch of grass that was surrounded by tree limbs about 15' from my mark and the circus began! Just happened to be tucked into a spot where a dog would naturally run around instead of through so it took awhile for them to pick up the scent.
Either way, it was entertaining, like I'm sure your chase was, KB. I could have made a lunging grab at that bird a couple times, or smoked it at point-blank, but I enjoyed the dog circus, and it just made me even prouder when Daisy finally made her grab and delivered the bird to me.
kansasbrittany
Banned
I'm with you Toad. When I was 16 or so in HS, I'd only shot 1 or 2 pheasants in my life. They were a big deal when we saw 'em round home. I knocked one down with my ole' 20ga one day and he went to runnin'. The dog and I worked him and worked him until finally, I had him cornered. The dog was looking in the last spot the bird had been, so I went ahead and ground pounded my wounded phez....NEVER AGAIN! What a waste of a good time and a pound of meat
I've since been enlightened; those are THE BEST of opportunities for the dogs and the dog-lover in me:thumbsup: My dogs get silly excited nowadays when I just stop and stand in the same spot for a period of time. They know that whomever comes up with the bird gets a shout of praise and me on a knee for some heavy petting...its hard to duplicate that excitement in them without sacrificing a cheeseburger or steak scraps
I've since been enlightened; those are THE BEST of opportunities for the dogs and the dog-lover in me:thumbsup: My dogs get silly excited nowadays when I just stop and stand in the same spot for a period of time. They know that whomever comes up with the bird gets a shout of praise and me on a knee for some heavy petting...its hard to duplicate that excitement in them without sacrificing a cheeseburger or steak scraps