Reports

Forgot to mention this. Across the road from our 3rd field was another WIHA, also CRP. My buddy and I picked the wrong one. As we hunted one, another guy arrived to hunt the other one, just him and his dog. He got two, said he missed a couple others, and saw very few hens. He had a rare opportunity to limit this year. Seems the birds were segregated by sex on those two fields. The two roosters we saw must have been non-binary.
 
F16FtrPlt said:
We have 2 full sections of CRP grass south of Ingalls (Cimarron KS area) with access to another 3 sections.
We (the two of us) have always done quite well and usually VERY well in those properties.
Except (as DF mentioned above) 2012.....and now this year. We were "cold barrel" on the opening day. Never seen that. Oh sure...there are a few, but they are 'veterans' and carry overs from last year. If ya don't think they are smart/wilder than a march hare..yur wrong. I mean, the few we saw were flying at 100-150 yards in front. Acting like late season birds on a windy day. Plus, the one or two we harvested were "scrawny". Small bodies, thin, with big long spurs. Must have been a (Bee with an itch) summer there!! It seemed like there was no need for a dog...unless you happened to get lucky with a golden BB on a 60+ yd shot and need help finding the wounded bird. In fact, the one or two we harvested during the opening three days and second weekend hunts were accomplished by just a lucky walking flush at about 50 yrds with the dog far away.. It's plum pitiful around there.
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Our opening weekend group had lots of great hunts for many, many years in that part of the state. Most of the CRP we hunted is now farmed, and our host (my dad's good friend) passed away. His daughter (kind of a friend of mine) now owns the ground and is very willing to let me hunt, but without the CRP there just isn't much.
 
matto said:
Forgot to mention this. Across the road from our 3rd field was another WIHA, also CRP. My buddy and I picked the wrong one. As we hunted one, another guy arrived to hunt the other one, just him and his dog. He got two, said he missed a couple others, and saw very few hens. He had a rare opportunity to limit this year. Seems the birds were segregated by sex on those two fields. The two roosters we saw must have been non-binary.
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Matto...you're on fire! Funny ma man....!!
Say...were you part of the "Big Yellow School Bus" group that always departed from the front of the Gray County Court house in Cimarron every opening weekend? Big group, I'd say 40-50? They went north out of Cimarron, I think? The two of us always go south of Ingalls.
 
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Finally made it out to Kansas this weekend for a quick Sunday hunt, probably 4 hours or so. Hunted in the Flint Hills on public land with a mixed group of dogs (mixed breeds, styles and experience). The habitat was ideal quail habitat, but we only saw one covey, which flushed from the roadside while we were driving away, and one rooster that got up while we were distracted. Didn't fire a shot. I've spent most of this season duck and deer hunting, with a couple pheasant trips to South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota mixed in. I miss having a good reason to get out to western Kansas, and haven't even touched my private spots, but I'm not sure I'll renew my license for next year.
 
F16FtrPlt said:
Matto...you're on fire! Funny ma man....!!
Say...were you part of the "Big Yellow School Bus" group that always departed from the front of the Gray County Court house in Cimarron every opening weekend? Big group, I'd say 40-50? They went north out of Cimarron, I think? The two of us always go south of Ingalls.
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No, our group was much smaller than that. We topped out at about 17, in maybe our biggest year. There was a really big group that hunted north of Cimarron that our host called "the sheriiff's group". Maybe that's the group you're talking about. I don't remember a school bus, but 40 people seems about right. Our normal spots were all north of 50, from the area around the dairy over to Charleston. We haven't been going out there regularly since about 2011. It was combination of the drought, our host getting sick and ultimately passing, and CRP contracts expiring.
 
This was my first full weekend in Kansas since moving to Riley. Started exploring walk-in areas to my west. Local at the bar I ate lunch at while watching the exciting finish to the K-State said they are no pheasant only quail in the area. Go figure, I only found the opposite. Saturday: flushed 2 pheasants and no quail across ~4 ish fields. One hen, one rooster. Rooster basically flew over my truck as I was pulling into a parking area. Sunday, I headed just as far west but a bit more south. First spot I flushed a covey of quail maybe 300 yds from the truck. Saw maybe 5 other groups of hunters. Walked around an old homestead and some fields. Drove by a lot more walk in fields that were bare ground. Funny enough one waist high grass field across the road from a WIHA was loaded with birds. As I drove by I saw the largest flush of pheasants I have ever seen. Also saw a possum, rabbit, turkeys, deer, and prairie chickens while out and about. At some good cozy burgers. Maybe I’ll head out farther west next weekend.

Some of the spots have well maintained barbed wire fences w/o a gate or anything. How do you guys get across? Was thinking of getting one of those fence steps.

If anyone wants to meet up and hunt this weekend, shoot me a message. Looking forward to start watching different dogs work to try and figure out what breed may join the kennel next.
 
Cocoa said:
Some of the spots have well maintained barbed wire fences w/o a gate or anything. How do you guys get across? Was thinking of getting one of those fence steps.
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Those I;ve found best to do the shimmy shuffle on the ground flat on my back --drop my vest on the other side and set gun on other side or slide it under.

Always check for cactus or burrs before placing hands or laying on the ground...ha. Worth walking to a for sure spot to cross.
 
Tukudu said:
It’s a drill your dogs have to learn like cross through and sit while
I do the shimmy.
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Yeah, that would be usefuL. It’s a shame that most of the hedgerows I have walked have too much wire. My dog’s back got ripped up a bit due to the amount of scent in the heavier cover near the lines, Thankfully none looked to deep or long. Definitely keeping antiseptic and a clippers in the truck. Should probably learn how to staple too,

If I find a drainage going under the wire isn’t too bad. In some areas then wire was tighter than a CEO’s neck tie, during a shareholders report, lower than his ethics and taller than my groin.
 
I don’t know if it’s proper to stand on a wire at a post but I do it when I have to. Just be real careful you don’t impale yourself. I’ll use the cuff of my shirt sometimes to lesson the chance of ripen my palm. Ball cap would probably be better. Most of the time though I find a lower spot under the fence and do the face up crawl.
 
Believe it or not lack of fences are one reason the quail are going extinct in Indiana. Not so many years ago dogs had to be trained to cross them. If you did it correctly the dog would wait for you to find a hole. Or if the fence was old and sagging, I would lay my leg on it, slap my leg and call hup. The dog would use my leg to jump over instead of the wire. If the fence was newer, you had to pick them up and throw them over. I haven't crossed a fence here for years. If there's a fence, there's stock in it now. Some coveys would live on a grown-up fence line excusably. Lots of times, either the farmer or the guys who hunted there would build a crossing. Back to the question, it's probably not cool to climb one.
 
I trained my first dog to jump fences. I lived in an apartment with some guys and there was some sheep fence next door I’d throw retrieves over it. I thought it was pretty cool when she’d jump barbed wire with a pheasant in her mouth. When I got married and moved it got to where I couldn’t keep her in the yard and had to string a hot wire inside the fence. Plus she figured out barbed wire and got lazy .Would only jump high enough to just clear it, would push off the top wire with her rear legs. Always afraid she was going to tear a pad. Haven’t done it since
 
After a couple of times to the vet to have dogs sewn back up and the wife bitchin about cut up dogs I have invested Cuga cordura vests for the pup's. They work great and makes them easy to see.
 

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My dogs go under fences almost exclusively. Sometimes on a really tight fence with a really low bottom wire I'll step on the bottom wire and lift up the second wire a bit. Vizslas are short haired anyway, but mine live in the house and seem to have particularly light coats. They almost always come home with "stripes" on their backs if we have to do much fence crossing. Maybe only once have these dogs needed medical attention because of barbed wire. However, as others have mentioned there are fewer and fewer to fences deal with. Definitely see a lot more of them in a lot better shape when I'm chicken hunting.

As for me, if the top wire is low enough or has enough slack, I'll hold it down and step over. Otherwise, look for a low spot on the ground and shimmy under. If I have to climb it, I'll go to a corner post where the wires are secured to the posts a little better.
 
Wound from the fence busted open tonight and of course the med kit is at the other house (midway through a move). Once I get the kit a tomorrow I’m going to cut off the flap and hit it with antiseptic 2x daily. Goal is to prevent infection.

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Here she is as happy as a pig in shit after ripping her back on the fence.

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At first I was hesitant, but soon realized my dog would rather have me dealing with her injuries than a vet or tech. I still try to get the number of any vet I meet in day to day work. It’s essential to have a good relationships with at least a couple vets. Heck, pretty sure my dog has seen more vets in her life than I’ve seen doctors in the past 3 years.

What is the most medical procedure have you done to your dog? Seems like we need to be comfortable working on are dogs compared to it just being a family pet.
 
I took a a three hour walk yesterday morning. I shot the 5th rooster I saw , missed the second should have shot at the 4th. Saw one more rooster on that walk.
Took a three and a half hour walk in the afternoon and saw a handful of hens.
These were on a state area that was supposed to have some birds
Honestly I expected more from it.
I think I’m going to hunt on walk in tomorrow for the first time this year. I don’ expect it to be much more than a walk and you probably won’t be getting a report out of me.
 
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