Friday 12/2

C

cbass12

Member
Took a drive out to the NC/NW part of the state on Friday. Hunted our usual 2 spots and headed home. The cover was as thick as I've ever seen it and made it tough to find the birds with just one dog and two guys. We still managed to locate 2 coveys and saw a handful of pheasants. The dog pointed one covey and I happened to stumble across the other. Got 2 on the first covey rise and then we picked up a single after that. Dog pointed the second covey and initially only 3 birds got up. Buddy and I each got one and almost as soon as we found those dead birds his dog locked up about 10 yards from where those 3 birds got up. Another 6-8 birds came out and I got 2 and he got 1. I wish I could have recorded the flush, pretty cool when they go in all directions. Good day overall and I even got to let my future hunting partner get used to holding quail.



 
My Partner In Crime and I on a whim, walked a piece of WIHA on Friday morning. We took it incredibly slow, letting his dog work between us. I shot both of these, the second of which kept going until it was about 200 yards away. It went straight vertical and spiraled down to the ground.

PIC told me to take the dog while he went up to get the truck as he was going to be late for work. The dog and I hustled across the field to where I was roughly sure the bird went down..and the dog found him, dead as a hammer.



Two of the nicest tails I've seen this year.
 
I've seen that behavior a lot--keep flying for a while, then suddenly gain altitude and fall stone dead. I think it's the result of a pellet strike (or a few) to the heart/lung area, or some other part of the circular system, that does not also break a wing. They bleed out while they're still flying.

Makes me wonder how many of the "cripples" will also bleed out...
 
Have had this happen several times, typically a bb or two in either heart or lungs, they go till they die and all have done what I call the death spiral, go vertical then die and fall. Last one to do that landed in a river and was stopped by a beaver dam, I drew the short straw and load tested the dam construction. Fortunately, I didn't have to carry the bird as my dad had shot it......
 
Seen that many times. Also have seen a few birds that die in the air but lock up stiff, they end up coasting down to the ground but not after flying for a long ways.
 
Nice! Thanks for posting.
 
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