need a little help

E

erichugh22

New member
I've been up here in Kansas since last Saturday. I've walked miles upon miles in several counties on countless walk in areas. In the entire week, my friend shot one pheasant and I haven't even fired off a shot at one. I will be heading south back towards Texas from great bend first thing tomorrow morning and I plan on stopping on as many walk in areas as I can. I know this is a long shot, but if anyone can point me in the right direction to get a shot at a couple birds on my way home tomorrow I would sure appreciate it. I'm not sure what the deal was with the birds for us this week, we just could not find them. We jumped lots of hens but hardly any roosters. We went from liberal to dodge city up through Jetson and then ended up in great bend. Thanks for any help.
 
It has been tough this year for sure. Have hunted 9 or 10 days so far and have done the best around Russell to Salina. I did have a good day as well South of Hays. Hunt the CRP for the first two hours then I have had my best luck in milo stubble or tall wheat stubble. Good luck on your hunt.
 
We are hunting behind two labs. We will be going down through Wichita but I don't mind leaving course a little ways to find a few birds
 
Not much that way. If you have any steel stop and hunt mcpherson a couple of miles se of inman.should be birds in the grass terraces on the north end of it.
 
erichugh22 said:
We are hunting behind two labs. We will be going down through Wichita but I don't mind leaving course a little ways to find a few birds
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I will probably get flamed for saying this, but hunting behind only the 2 labs may be part of your problem. I have noticed that on years with fewer birds, especially guys hunting public, the guys with only labs seem to have more trouble. IMO they don't cover enough ground to get the birds pinned down. The dumb birds that people walk by, or a lab can keep up with are dead. The ones left just run off and leave the labs behind. You need a dog that can push them hard enough they stop, or one that circles ahead of them and pins them between you. Like I said, JMHO.
 
the other part of this is a survivor population, when the birds are few, the ones that have made it this long have been well educated, they are the seed birds for next spring, takes a cagey damn dog to pin them or some tough weather to make them hold.
 
fsentkilr said:
I will probably get flamed for saying this, but hunting behind only the 2 labs may be part of your problem. I have noticed that on years with fewer birds, especially guys hunting public, the guys with only labs seem to have more trouble. IMO they don't cover enough ground to get the birds pinned down. The dumb birds that people walk by, or a lab can keep up with are dead. The ones left just run off and leave the labs behind. You need a dog that can push them hard enough they stop, or one that circles ahead of them and pins them between you. Like I said, JMHO.
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You have not hunted behind a well bred lab with a ton of drive then. For pheasants I'll take my labs over my pointing dogs any day of the week. Im not flaming you, just saying you apparently haven't seen a good lab work is all. We have all seen the big, fat, slow labs that have been eating to much kibble in the duck blind work. They are the ones that after an hour are following behind you as you break trail for them. A good, well bred, athletic lab that's in shape and has a prey drive that's out of this world will flat get it done on pheasants. But a lab that hunts only a few times a year and is out of the litter from your cousin vinnies lab the next town over and is "AKC" registered, and bred her to his buddies lab because he saw him retrieve a duck once probably is not the lab you want.

My 7 yr old BLF is a fire breathing machine. I won't even allow her in the house she is so wound up. My 1 yr old, she's a cream puff compared to her.
 
duckn66 said:
You have not hunted behind a well bred lab with a ton of drive then. For pheasants I'll take my labs over my pointing dogs any day of the week. Im not flaming you, just saying you apparently haven't seen a good lab work is all. We have all seen the big, fat, slow labs that have been eating to much kibble in the duck blind work. They are the ones that after an hour are following behind you as you break trail for them. A good, well bred, athletic lab that's in shape and has a prey drive that's out of this world will flat get it done on pheasants. But a lab that hunts only a few times a year and is out of the litter from your cousin vinnies lab the next town over and is "AKC" registered, and bred her to his buddies lab because he saw him retrieve a duck once probably is not the lab you want.

My 7 yr old BLF is a fire breathing machine. I won't even allow her in the house she is so wound up. My 1 yr old, she's a cream puff compared to her.[/QUOTE

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The pheasant population is very low in Kansas at this time.
 
duckn66 said:
You have not hunted behind a well bred lab with a ton of drive then. For pheasants I'll take my labs over my pointing dogs any day of the week. Im not flaming you, just saying you apparently haven't seen a good lab work is all. We have all seen the big, fat, slow labs that have been eating to much kibble in the duck blind work. They are the ones that after an hour are following behind you as you break trail for them. A good, well bred, athletic lab that's in shape and has a prey drive that's out of this world will flat get it done on pheasants. But a lab that hunts only a few times a year and is out of the litter from your cousin vinnies lab the next town over and is "AKC" registered, and bred her to his buddies lab because he saw him retrieve a duck once probably is not the lab you want.

My 7 yr old BLF is a fire breathing machine. I won't even allow her in the house she is so wound up. My 1 yr old, she's a cream puff compared to her.
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I have hunted with what were supposed to be good upland hunting labs. I won't hunt with them anymore, so not recently. The ones I hunted with would get run down, didn't cover much ground, and when my pointing dogs would point they would beeline to them to flush the bird. Labs do have their place, and IMO thats in a duck blind. I suppose one that walked at heel and was only used for hunting dead birds or retrieving would be OK. Like I said JMHO and what I have seen. BTW I don't have anything against labs, my 16 year old son who lives to hunt ducks is looking for a pup now, I just don't think they are even close to the best choice for upland hunting.
 
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fsentkilr said:
I have hunted with what were supposed to be good upland hunting labs. I won't hunt with them anymore, so not recently. The ones I hunted with would get run down, didn't cover much ground, and when my pointing dogs would point they would beeline to them to flush the bird. Labs do have their place, and IMO thats in a duck blind. I suppose one the walked at heel and was only used for hunting dead birds or retrieving would be OK. Like I said JMHO and what I have seen. BTW I don't have anything against labs, my 16 year old son who lives to hunt ducks is looking for a pup now, I just don't think they are even close to the best choice for upland hunting.
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I've seen the same thing with labs. Hunted quail opening weekend with an "upland titled" lab which to me means very very little. My young pointer found and pointed every single bird. The "titled" lab wouldn't even get into the cover. It was sad. That same lab is I believe, also a " finished" dog in HRC though. He just was never upland hunted other than on planted birds. Those tests are so far removed from real upland hunting it's a joke. I told this person to just have the dog sit and we will walk in and flush the birds while he marks the ones killed.

Those labs that made a bee line right into the dogs on point were never trained probably and for sure out of control the entire hunt. Neither of which I can tolerate.
 
They like to run

This is my first real pheasant hunt ever and Iam 59 yo. My PP Packer has never been more that 80 yards from me in a field( in Indiana). Granted most of the fields are only double that anyway. Out here ITS one giant field, the wind is blowing 38 mph with gusts of 60! and he is gets on a scent and I have to run to keep up.

I guess my point is that in this wind if your dog isn't out there with you chasing you aren't going to see a bird.

Hopefully tomoro there is some snow on the ground and the wind lays down and I don't have to hustle so much! Getting to old for this. haha
 
Think the wind may be with you for a bit!! Too many badger holes to run up to a pointed bird..Be careful out there!!:thumbsup::cheers:
 
10-4

last Sat. 4 guys, 1 dog (my lab) = 10 roosters, 9 quail
Hunted behind good pointers too, but that's good enough in my book.
 
duckn66 said:
I've seen the same thing with labs. Hunted quail opening weekend with an "upland titled" lab which to me means very very little. My young pointer found and pointed every single bird. The "titled" lab wouldn't even get into the cover. It was sad. That same lab is I believe, also a " finished" dog in HRC though. He just was never upland hunted other than on planted birds. Those tests are so far removed from real upland hunting it's a joke. I told this person to just have the dog sit and we will walk in and flush the birds while he marks the ones killed.

Those labs that made a bee line right into the dogs on point were never trained probably and for sure out of control the entire hunt. Neither of which I can tolerate.
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A lab you can't control is not a good upland lab. I too could care less about titled dogs that have worked nothing but pen raised birds. Whenever I hunt planted birds, the dog ends up killing more than I do. You won't convince guys that have not hunted behind a good lab, what a fantastic upland dog a good lab can be. Until they see it they won't believe it.
 
carptom1 said:
A lab you can't control is not a good upland lab. I too could care less about titled dogs that have worked nothing but pen raised birds. Whenever I hunt planted birds, the dog ends up killing more than I do. You won't convince guys that have not hunted behind a good lab, what a fantastic upland dog a good lab can be. Until they see it they won't believe it.
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I would love to see a good upland lab in action some day. Mine is an excellent waterfowl dog, but I haven't been able to get him up to par on upland. I've put him on wild birds too.. still just doesn't get it.
 
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