Rough Conditions

R

riverhunter55

Member
The last week has been a little rough down here in the SE corner of the state.
A lot of my private ground had a 1/4" of ice on all the grass. it makes for some pretty sunrises but tough hunting conditions.
The ground that doesn't have ice has 2-4" of snow with a crust on it that makes a perfect running platform for the birds :)
I have hunted every day since Wednesday for about 4 hours each day. We tried some new public ground and have seen lots of bird and the birds that I was lucky enough to harvest were full of corn so hopefully this ice/crust melts next week and we have a good carry over for nesting season.
I came home with birds each day but they were definitely earned. Belle is zapped so I am going to let her rest tomorrow and hopefully get out a few times next week before pheasant season closes.
I did get into a few coveys of Quail which is always a pleasant surprise.

I bought myself a Garmin Alpha for an early Christmas present, it is pretty amazing how many miles the dog make in a 3 hour hunt. On average if I walk 5 miles she does 9-10.
 
Thanks

Hello Riverhunter55,

I would say from your photos that you have half the snow as I. You are right that it is nice to get out with friends this time of year. I do not have the ice you have there.

Birds are just like any other season as far as their elusiveness now. In my report I wanted others to know that they are using the weather and conditions to their advantage!:p

I am glad to see you and Belle are still getting out. I am disappointed here with the lack of conditions for Sophie to work.

I think the best news is the number of birds you and I have seen in the last week. Here is hoping to an early thaw and mild winter. Our carryover should be excellent. Fingers crossed!
 
KBell
We don't have much snow in most places 2" or so there is just a crust on it. Like you said these wild birds take full advantage of the hard surface Belle is not quite 2 yet and still pushes these late season runners just a little too hard but she is doing so much better at tracking the birds on the ground. Last season and early this year she would use the wind more than just tracking them. Friday I dumped big 2 year old rooster that I thought would be right where it fell. The wind was at our back and she went wide and came back to where it fell and then took off. I got a little frustrated but again had to tell myself to trust her. That bird ran 75 yards and was hiding in a little ditch with 1' of water in it. I was hunting with a farmer on his ground that doesn't pheasant hunt except on opening day. I was pretty proud and he couldn't believe she found it. This farm was about 180 acres with filter strips around the whole thing, we probably saw 40 birds in 2 hours in about 3 miles of walking. It was great for him to see that the filter strips were working and it was holding that many birds.
That afternoon I took my 7 year old nephew and his dad out. We definitely didn't get to cover much ground but he got to see Belle point a covey of about 10. I didn't get a shot but I enjoyed showing him all the different tracks in the snow. I bet he slept good that night :)
I usually hunt by myself but it was nice to take some guys out that don't get out during the late season very often.
 
riverhunter55 said:
KBell
We don't have much snow in most places 2" or so there is just a crust on it. Like you said these wild birds take full advantage of the hard surface Belle is not quite 2 yet and still pushes these late season runners just a little too hard but she is doing so much better at tracking the birds on the ground. Last season and early this year she would use the wind more than just tracking them. Friday I dumped big 2 year old rooster that I thought would be right where it fell. The wind was at our back and she went wide and came back to where it fell and then took off. I got a little frustrated but again had to tell myself to trust her. That bird ran 75 yards and was hiding in a little ditch with 1' of water in it. I was hunting with a farmer on his ground that doesn't pheasant hunt except on opening day. I was pretty proud and he couldn't believe she found it. This farm was about 180 acres with filter strips around the whole thing, we probably saw 40 birds in 2 hours in about 3 miles of walking. It was great for him to see that the filter strips were working and it was holding that many birds.
That afternoon I took my 7 year old nephew and his dad out. We definitely didn't get to cover much ground but he got to see Belle point a covey of about 10. I didn't get a shot but I enjoyed showing him all the different tracks in the snow. I bet he slept good that night :)
I usually hunt by myself but it was nice to take some guys out that don't get out during the late season very often.
Click to expand...

good stuff, sharing a hunt with those that don't go often can be fun, especially when you show them some good dog work.......very nice.
 
riverhunter55 said:
The last week has been a little rough down here in the SE corner of the state.
A lot of my private ground had a 1/4" of ice on all the grass. it makes for some pretty sunrises but tough hunting conditions.
The ground that doesn't have ice has 2-4" of snow with a crust on it that makes a perfect running platform for the birds :)
I have hunted every day since Wednesday for about 4 hours each day. We tried some new public ground and have seen lots of bird and the birds that I was lucky enough to harvest were full of corn so hopefully this ice/crust melts next week and we have a good carry over for nesting season.
I came home with birds each day but they were definitely earned. Belle is zapped so I am going to let her rest tomorrow and hopefully get out a few times next week before pheasant season closes.
I did get into a few coveys of Quail which is always a pleasant surprise.
I bought myself a Garmin Alpha for an early Christmas present, it is pretty amazing how many miles the dog make in a 3 hour hunt. On average if I walk 5 miles she does 9-10.
Click to expand...

You'll love that Alpha... especially in heavy/tall cover. I have a couple videos where I couldn't see my dogs but the Alpha took me right to them and it resulted in a rooster bagged under a point each time. Cool stuff! I thought I'd never buy some of these gadgets but I became a sucker this year with no regrets. ;) The tech out there now is amazing. As a side note... mine has gone buggy a couple times and needed a simple reset (just pull battery and shut down collar too). But all and all I'd buy this thing again in a heart beat. Great pics! Best wishes the rest of the season. ;)
 
I was really hesitant to spend that much on a dog collar, but it has been really neat learning how it works. It is way more relaxing hunting really thick cover where I cant see her like you said. At least I can look down and know she isn't pushing a bird to fast. I have always used the tone on my other e-collar to bring her back. When she pushes the limit I just give her the tone button and watch the distance back off. The function that tells me she is on point is really cool as well.
Now I keep seeing all of these GoPro videos and might have to do some research this summer :)
 
I am sure the dogs like Garmin collars as much as we do. They know we will be there pronto. It has to be discerning to a pointer to have you search in the wrong direction. "My pack is leaving!"
 
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