In Conclusion

Uplandhunter67

Active member
Saturday started out with the wind blowing at 20mph minimum with gusts to 40mph. The temperature was mild and quickly rose to the low forties. At least this fact dried out the roads and made travel less hazardous. Unfortunately didn?t help hold the birds any better. The birds seemed to be up to their usual running tactics. We sprung a few hens along with some distant prairie chickens early in the morning in the red swailie grass. Then changing tactics around lunchtime started hitting the heavy weed lined ditches. This produced quite a few hens but no roosters. We ran into another hunter and chatted for a bit. He said he had seen a few but they were flushing wild but he managed to bag one with the assistance of a landowner blocking for him. Now as the sun was beginning to set we tried a deep ditch we know well that generally holds birds. Quickly found a covey of quail where my hunting partner killed one and I missed another. This is the third covey we have busted and I haven?t put one on the ground. We finished walking the ditch without finding another bird. Headed back to the house for a scotch, a great grilled steak, and a baked potato. Standard fare at my house after a long days hunt.

Sunday started again with a strong wind and 40 degrees before sunrise. We walked along an edge of a cornfield flushing two hens and then down into a deep ditch with a heavy weed patch flushing two more hens. We walked the whole field and then over to another property across the road. The field was quiet and we decided to push on to a couple more we thought might hold birds in the ever increasing wind. The first stop held one hen and a rooster that I tried a long shot at. He was flying into the wind and I?m pretty sure I didn?t lead him enough to compensate for the wind. The wind was wearing on us as we headed for the next field. This field is generally a winner when it comes to holding birds. We walked a few hundred yards when my Springer flushed the first hen which flew so close to me I thought I could just reach out and grab her. Then all hell broke loose. Hens started flushing everywhere. I could even see them running in the grass by me to escape the dogs. One rooster flushed but was too low to risk a shot with the proximity of the dogs? After all the birds flew we kept pushing through the grass towards a large clump of weeds. Both my dogs charge as we get close to it. Hens start flushing then a rooster flushes out towards me. I drop him close enough if I stretched I could have caught him. Another rooster flushed well out of range and a few more hens. We had enough of the hair dryer treatment and called it quits.

In retrospect we had a really good year stemming from the fact I didn?t even know I would be able to hunt or how much after a harrowing medical issue in Feb 2016. We managed to get out 35 days total and hunted three states (CO/NE/KS). Walking a minimum of ten miles per day brings us to 350 miles covered (and that actually is a bit conservative). Hunted multiple species of upland birds on public property and brought 77 to bag. In that number were 43 pheasants this season with only two from private property. All the rest fell on public ground. I witnessed my young Springer turn into a bird hunting machine and my old Lab stay the course. We were caught in snow storms and windstorms, hunted in the autumn heat and the winter cool, witnessed beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and looked upon some magnificent deer. So ends our 2016-17 season.

http://s755.photobucket.com/user/uplandhunter67/media/FullSizeRender 8_zpsf1jessho.jpg.html

Now it is time to turn my attention to my other pursuits, fishing and long range target shooting... Along with a little dog training form time to time:)
 
Nice report Matt. Great season--and I appreciate reading your stories while I continue to rehab my broken leg. I just hope I can get my leg strong enough to do a little game-farm hunting in Feb/Mar.

Hope you have a great alternate season for your other sports.
 
Saturday started out with the wind blowing at 20mph minimum with gusts to 40mph. The temperature was mild and quickly rose to the low forties. At least this fact dried out the roads and made travel less hazardous. Unfortunately didn?t help hold the birds any better. The birds seemed to be up to their usual running tactics. We sprung a few hens along with some distant prairie chickens early in the morning in the red swailie grass. Then changing tactics around lunchtime started hitting the heavy weed lined ditches. This produced quite a few hens but no roosters. We ran into another hunter and chatted for a bit. He said he had seen a few but they were flushing wild but he managed to bag one with the assistance of a landowner blocking for him. Now as the sun was beginning to set we tried a deep ditch we know well that generally holds birds. Quickly found a covey of quail where my hunting partner killed one and I missed another. This is the third covey we have busted and I haven?t put one on the ground. We finished walking the ditch without finding another bird. Headed back to the house for a scotch, a great grilled steak, and a baked potato. Standard fare at my house after a long days hunt.

Sunday started again with a strong wind and 40 degrees before sunrise. We walked along an edge of a cornfield flushing two hens and then down into a deep ditch with a heavy weed patch flushing two more hens. We walked the whole field and then over to another property across the road. The field was quiet and we decided to push on to a couple more we thought might hold birds in the ever increasing wind. The first stop held one hen and a rooster that I tried a long shot at. He was flying into the wind and I?m pretty sure I didn?t lead him enough to compensate for the wind. The wind was wearing on us as we headed for the next field. This field is generally a winner when it comes to holding birds. We walked a few hundred yards when my Springer flushed the first hen which flew so close to me I thought I could just reach out and grab her. Then all hell broke loose. Hens started flushing everywhere. I could even see them running in the grass by me to escape the dogs. One rooster flushed but was too low to risk a shot with the proximity of the dogs? After all the birds flew we kept pushing through the grass towards a large clump of weeds. Both my dogs charge as we get close to it. Hens start flushing then a rooster flushes out towards me. I drop him close enough if I stretched I could have caught him. Another rooster flushed well out of range and a few more hens. We had enough of the hair dryer treatment and called it quits.

In retrospect we had a really good year stemming from the fact I didn?t even know I would be able to hunt or how much after a harrowing medical issue in Feb 2016. We managed to get out 35 days total and hunted three states (CO/NE/KS). Walking a minimum of ten miles per day brings us to 350 miles covered (and that actually is a bit conservative). Hunted multiple species of upland birds on public property and brought 77 to bag. In that number were 43 pheasants this season with only two from private property. All the rest fell on public ground. I witnessed my young Springer turn into a bird hunting machine and my old Lab stay the course. We were caught in snow storms and windstorms, hunted in the autumn heat and the winter cool, witnessed beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and looked upon some magnificent deer. So ends our 2016-17 season.

http://s755.photobucket.com/user/uplandhunter67/media/FullSizeRender 8_zpsf1jessho.jpg.html

Now it is time to turn my attention to my other pursuits, fishing and long range target shooting... Along with a little dog training form time to time:)

Congrats on a great season. I wish you connected over the weekend. I will be attending many soccer games over the next many months. I will sprinkle in some fly fishing and dog training.
 
Nice report Matt. Great season--and I appreciate reading your stories while I continue to rehab my broken leg. I just hope I can get my leg strong enough to do a little game-farm hunting in Feb/Mar.

Hope you have a great alternate season for your other sports.

I'm glad you enjoy my reports. Sorry to hear about your broken leg Tom. I wish you a speedy recovery. I head to the surgeon next week for the last time I hope.. Then a bit of recovery myself.. So if you get out please share some stories..

Matt

PS: By the way... Greased owl sh*t on a hot doorknob is the slickest thing I know of. :D
 
Congrats on a great season. I wish you connected over the weekend. I will be attending many soccer games over the next many months. I will sprinkle in some fly fishing and dog training.

Thanks....You had a great season yourself along with some great videos. At least your son pursues springtime sport and not a fall sport.:)
I was a flyfisher but have switched to ultralight gear. I can cover more ground and fish more pools... I practice catch and release as I find trout taste a bit like paste. Plus love to watch them swim away.

A couple of photos from fishing adventures in the past... And yes that is me in the photos,:D

http://s755.photobucket.com/user/up...rying Pan amp Canyon 014_zpsu1q4fz3p.jpg.html

http://s755.photobucket.com/user/uplandhunter67/media/Blue River Bow 1_zps67qgapnd.jpg.html
 
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