Went out on Saturday and it was a day I will never forget. Day started off great with our group picking up a couple birds at our first spot. Went to a couple other locations with only hens showing up. Went to another location that looked promising as there were fresh tracks on the road. Walked a good portion of the area picking up 3 birds. Our group of 4 decided to split up and chase some birds we had seen earlier, this is when the day went from good to bad. My buddy and I started into a slough area splitting up with one taking one side of the slough and the other going on the other side. Luckily it wasn't a massive slough but we were about a mile from the truck.
I started walking my side of the slough and was about 200 yds from my buddy when lexie started acting birdy, I told her to get it as she was staring at a clump of cat tails. She lunged and a nice rooster gets up, I let two shots go and the 2nd shot brings him to the ground running. Lexie didn't see the bird go down because of the cat tails but it lands in a open area and starts to run to my right. I try to shoot it on the ground but with it being so close I missed on both shots. I take off running to cut the bird off before it makes it back to the cat tails as I close in on the bird at the edge of the slough I trip on something not sure what it was and go down hard. As I hit the ground I hear a loud pop from my left arm and a shot of pain that words can't describe!! I look up and see the rooster 3ft in front of me, I reach for it and grab tail feathers, I start to belly crawl and finally grab it. By this time lexie arrives and starts jumping on me trying to grab the bird. I yell at her to leave it and start yelling for my buddy who was watching the entire thing. I yelled for help as I was curled up in knee deep snow and cat tails. He comes running across the open slough and couldn't find me until I yelled again.
After we get my gun secured and bird put in his game bag we now try to figure out what we need to do to get me back to the truck? He gets me to my knees and asks what he can to to help, I say just get me to my feet so I can see if I can make the mile long walk back to the truck. After about 200 yds it's obvious I won't make it back. I could barely breath from the pain and was having a hard time walking. We make it about another 100 yds and decide it would be best if he go back and see if he can get the other guys in our group to drive the truck back down the access road. I sit down on the backside if a large shelter belt and wait. Lexie won't leave my side. My buddy gets about half way to the truck and fires off 3 quick shots to get the other guys attention, they notice he's alone and moving at a fast pace. They realize something is wrong and grab the truck. By this time (15 min) I've almost passed out from the pain and decide to start walking towards the truck. Meet my buddies about 100 yds down the access road and load up lexie and myself. Realize at this time that I have either broke my arm or dislocated my shoulder. Most pain I've ever been in!!! We locate the nearest ER and make the longest 45min drive to the Marshall ER. Got there and found out it was a outer dislocation of my left shoulder. After all the madness got it put back in and I'm now on the mend.
After sat my buddies and I will no longer hunt without our phones on us. It was a scary situation not knowing if I could make it back to the truck. I hope everyone that reads this will consider hunting with some type of communication on them. I know I and my friends will. We ended up with 6 birds for the day and should have been more. Looks like my season might be over??
When I drive the area and can see the numbers as they pick the fields, then it becomes clear, just whats around. Had lots of birds here last year. maybe the 2 days of freezing rain did them in with the immediate super cold snap. Not sure. But the nice thing is now it is much easier to tell if there is some numbers in an area. My drive around home looked pretty grim. 1 rooster in 4 square miles, 0 tracks other then him. Maybe they are all tucked in but within a day or 2 and no change, I would say it is on a bleak stretch here. Used to be nothing to see 20-30 in a field every mile or two this time of year. Guess my luck may be running out here. Couple days the story will be written.
