Opening Weekend Predictions

I wish I could be adding weekly results, but I am sidelined due to a back issue. As time crawls along, I am losing optimism that I will get any hunting in for this season. I will enjoy reading the results posted here. Let's post some pics, birds/dogs...this site, posting pics is pretty easy.
 
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I was gonna post a full report, but seeing those that shot a 17 man limit on opening day in less than 2 hours, or banged out 3 birds walking less than 100 yards, I'll spare the details of my modest hunt. This was from last weekend(not opener). I planned to hunt and travel all new spots and areas, which is easy as I haven't hunted very much in Iowa. I was in something like 4 or 5 counties. A lot of spots were duds, some I never even saw a bird, but I also found a few that were well populated. The temps were bad, but I had already planned the trip. It was nice hunting clean sloughs where the dog could cool off in the water as she likes to do. It happened 7 times over the weekend where the spot I arrived at already had someone hunting it, so pressure was high. We flushed some deer off of fence lines. One big piece I decided to walk produced not a single flush and looked more like mule deer territory:unsure:. One thing I wanted to note is that OnX was way off on two different pieces I hunted, and one of them cost me, because I saw birds going into what it showed as private. But comparing after the fact to the IA DNR hunt atlas they were indeed on public land:mad::cry:. Lesson learned. At the end of every day I had one tailgate beer, sometimes smoked a cigar, but always told Skye, "thank you for hunting with me, you did a good job, and next time I'll try and do better for you." Maybe I'll be back this coming weekend. Or maybe I'll hunt MN. Either way as long as I'm walking with a good dog I'll be happy.
 
And a diet Dew to cap it off! I am debating about trying to do a little blocking tomorrow. The back is still messed-up, but I can walk and stand a little now. I hate to make things worse, but I hate laying on the couch.
 
Well my bubby and I planned out a couple spots where I could get to easily and block for him to get my first hunt of this season. I hobbled out and did get shooting, but no birds. Wow, we have birds in the CRP! Not sure I have every seen that many when hunting the entire quarter, very exciting! I had a blast and needed that outting. Maybe the disk in my back will continue to improve and I can get out more. Most crops are gone, so hunting should be good in my area.
 
The last season with a dog might not be his best, but they have earned every outing you can give them. Anchoring those wild roosters in challenging condition are are prize for sure.
 
525 featherlite said:
Nothing prettier than a springer bouncing in the cattails
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remy3424 said:
The last season with a dog might not be his best, but they have earned every outing you can give them. Anchoring those wild roosters in challenging condition are are prize for sure.
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This is my son's first hunting dog and I've been preparing him for what's coming for the last couple years. He kind of knows what's coming having hunted with me since he was old enough to walk the fields, but that's not the same as having it be your dog.
 
So true Springer
Iowa springerguy said:
This is my son's first hunting dog and I've been preparing him for what's coming for the last couple years. He kind of knows what's coming having hunted with me since he was old enough to walk the fields, but that's not the same as having it be your dog.
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Got out today with my buddy and another fella we hunt wit a couple times a season. Picked a few places where I could block, saved the walkers a couple miles walking by driving them back to their trucks...hit more places that way too. I got one walking a short spot and another while looking for a bird that was hit hard and landed in the picked corn field. I watched the hit bird land and once we finished we looked for him...my buddy came late and joined us (not carring his gun for some reason), he kicked up a bird (it got up and flew like a champ), I got him, 3 shots needed, but it still counts! Still not sure it was the injured bird we were looking for. Had a blast again, my back is holding up, still have moderate pain in my hip/tailbone area and some down my leg, tough walking in cover. Didn't even think to take some pics! Some good spots there were were few or no birds, tried a creeek with filter strips of ours last, it hasn't been good the last 2 years, but there were a pile of birds there today. The 3 of us got 6 this morning.
 
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remy3424 said:
Got out today with my buddy and another fella we hunt wit a couple times a season. Picked a few places where I could block, saved the walkers a couple miles walking by driving them back to their trucks...hit more places that way too. I got one walking a short spot and another while looking for a bird that was hit hard and landed in the picked corn field. I watched the hit bird land and once we finished we looked for him...my buddy came late and joined us (not carring his gun for some reason), he kicked up a bird (it got up and flew like a champ), I got him, 3 shots needed, but it still counts! Still not sure it was the injured bird we were looking for. Had a blast again, my back is holding up, still have moderate pain in my hip/tailbone area and some down my leg, tough walking in cover. Didn't even think to take some pics! Some good spots there were were few or no birds, tried a creeek with filter strips of ours last, it hasn't been good the last 2 years, but there were a pile of birds there today. The 3 of us got 6 this morning.
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Glad to hear you are on the mend and had a good day!
 
Took the pup out for a little exercise this morning. Wasn't expecting much with temps over 55 when we started but we were able to find a young dumb one. Hunting through knee deep crp was tough on both of us so we called it a day after about an hour.20211124_115959.jpg20211124_114534.jpg
 
Went out this morning, feeling a little better every day now. Went to a place my buddy has permission, I had been there once before last season when 3 of us got 7 roosters, today we didn't see 7 roosters, we did get the only one we shot at, his dog Rowdy had a great point. Great cover, established CRP. Hunted another field of CRP, it has always been a much thinner cover, this season 3 quarters of it had been baled, no birds. Another creek (first time for me) was void of birds also. We broke for the day. Rolled into my driveway and I decided to grab my puppy, he will be 6 months old in less than 2 weeks and I haven't had a chance to work with him much with the disk issue in my back. We picked-up a trail cam I had out from early muzzleloader season, of which lasted about 45 minutes for me. We walked the cover where the cam was, the grass is mostly brome there, we didn't find anything. He was having a good time, so we loaded-up and stopped by the hedgerow with a grain sorghum food plot between it and some switchgrass. I decided to bring the 11-87 and pulled on my hunting coat. The Gus was running up & down between the rows of shrubs, I went out into the food plot and headed south. Moments later pheasants are boiling out from the switchgrass. I corral Gus and get him with me in the last row of the food plot next to the switchgrass, we now head north. In about 25 yards, same thing, birds seem to be everywhere, I level-out on a rooster and he folds, I get a decent mark on him, hustle out and leave my gun and place my orange hat on a rouge tall weed and go back for the pup. He comes to my calling but was a little apprehensive at first to enter the dense switchgrass, but finally makes his way out to me and follows me to the place I had marked. I start to search and find the rooster where he landed, about 6 feet from my shotgun. I let Gus work around until he discovered the bird. It was a fun 15 minutes with him on his first outting. A lot of work to do yet! I remembered pics today and tried to do better that my normal straight on the tailgate shots, but show some of the habitat too.
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