The Season Continues!

[bauerline]

That's for sure! I don't know this birds ancestory, but I can tell you a younger pup would have never got him in the air. I didn't time it, but it seemed like a very long time from when he first hit scent to flush. It wasn't long straight runs either, 30 yards turn, 20 yards turn, run into a hedge row, leave it and into some multi flora, then into a swampy area. Multiple attempts to turn him back resulted in slipping out the side. So yep, he had done this before!


It's heavy winds and rain right now. Dugan and I are ready to go, so if we can find a window in the weather were gone!

I hope to get out in a few hours. Good luck on these last few days.

 

[bauerline]

After a little Christmas shopping in the morning I was able to get the dogs out just before lunch. It didn't take long for the dogs to have a point that produced a hen out of some grass. We worked some switchgrass and the dogs had another point. We worked those birds a couple hundred yards before some more hens flushed (and a nice sized doe). We worked the rest of the fields without producing anything. After this we moved to a swamp area without finding anything except a smaller doe. I decided to work a wooded area that leads to a draw that I would hunt. Not long after we got in the woods the dogs had a point and two roosters flushed. I was only able to get one shot off but I did manage to hit a bird. Blitz actually had to make a water retrieve due to all the rain. The other rooster didn't go to far. I don't think he wanted to leave the cover of the woods and go across a cut bean field. We ended up finding this bird on the edge of the woods and I was able to hit him with one shot. But he was not hit hard and it took the dogs a little while to find him. But Nittany ended up making the retrieve. Here are some photos from the hunt:

The birds

The area we found them

Where Nittany got the 2nd bird.

 

[bauerline]

This is part of Nittany's retrieve

A food plot that I think helps keep the birds in the area. A mix of sorghum, sunflowers and corn.

The dogs didn't want to have their picture taken today.

Good luck the last few days. I plan to be out early tomorrow morning.

 

[FLDBRED]

Hey that's a real good hunt in these conditions!

I couldn't take it any longer so I went out in the pouring rain. Dugan caught a hen on the ground, I don't know if it was a cripple or just didn't want to flush because of the rain. The rain let up after a while and we were back into the birds. We flushed four roosters out of a row of Pine trees about five foot high. I took one and had my limit.

We also came across a dead Black Bear! It looked like someone had dumped it there.

 

[bauerline]

Glad you were able to get out. Dugan is on it this year. Only a few more days and then the dogs get a mandatory vacation.

I'll be out tomorrow morning and I will be taking a friend out Saturday. Not sure what I'll do on Friday. But I'll be somewhere with the dogs.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[bauerline]

I was able to get the dogs out in the morning and things went well. We started off with a point producing a hen. The area was busy so I headed to a back area that doesn't get much pressure. Blitz had a point in a nice grass field. I walked in and flushed another hen. I put the safety back on and lowered the gun. Then a rooster flushed and I shouldered the gun and dropped him. Blitz made the retrieve to finish this bird off. Later on, the dogs had a point but the birds were in a safety zone. It was 3 roosters and 2 hens running through the woods. I hunted some more and found some more hens with solid points from the dogs. I started working my way back to the truck and joined a group of 4 hunters who were without a dog. When we were walking back a rooster flushed. I didn't see the dogs so I don't know if it was pointed or not. I took one shot and winged it. Some of the other hunters saw it run and the one guy said "You better hurry up and get it". I told them don't worry, the dogs will get it. About two minutes later one of the hunters says the dog has it. Then Blitz works his way through the switchgrass with the bird. I drop to a knee and put my hand out and tell Blitz to drop. He drops the bird in my hand and the one other hunter says "We need to get a dog". Blitz did have one more solid point for the other hunters but it was on a hen. I offered a bird to the one guy since they didn't get any birds. He said he wanted to get one mounted so I gave him the better looking bird out of the two. I do enjoy when other hunters get to see the dogs work. Here are a few pictures:

Only two more days left. Good luck!

 

[FLDBRED]

That's sounds like a perfect Thanksgiving morning, we certainly have a lot to be thankful for.
I'll be out tomorrow and Saturday, then I have the first week of Deer Season off. I'll see plenty of grouse for sure during deer week at camp.

 

[my2britts]

Pretty awesome couple of days. Sound like you are having a terrific season and you seem to have those two pups making it look easy.

 

[bauerline]

Today I started out at the closest gamelands to home. I slept in a little so I didn't get there until 9:00. We worked the area for an hour and didn't find anything. I decided to drive to an area that I have not been to for a few years. This area had some nice cover and quite a few fields of standing corn. We were able to put up 6 roosters and I got 1. Most were in the woods or in or around the corn. I made one more stop on the way home and I was able to get a 2nd rooster for the day. I'll be taking a friend out tomorrow and I'm thinking of taking the camera instead of the gun. Here are a few pictures from the day:

Blitz on a hen after we got our 2nd bird.

One more day and then a two week break for the dogs. Time will be limited in the late season but I should be able to get out a time or two. Good luck to everybody who goes out one more time.

 

[FLDBRED]

I had a very rewarding "Black Friday" hunt. Because we had to travel for Thanksgiving we got home late. So I decided to hunt a gamelands close to home. This gamelands get pounded every week so I knew it was going to be a tough go.
It was crowded so I decided to hunt further back were not many people go.As I waited for people to clear out, I noticed four gentleman and two labs working the field I would need to cross. When they approached, I asked if they had any luck. They said they hadn't seen a bird there in a week. So after they passed Dugan and I started across the field, and wouldn't you know it, Dugan started digging through some very thick cover and out explodes this hen that I managed to take. You should have heard their comments! Needless to say I was very proud of Him!

We then went through a lot of woods to get to an area that not to many hunters bother with. Almost imediately Dugan got on a running Rooster. He raced ahead and turned the bird back to me. But it flushed on the other side of the hedgerow. Usually Hollowatcher is on that side and it would have been an easy shot.My shot was a tough one and I missed. Despite the crowds, my two shots were the only ones I heard. I guess the Red Gods were shining down on us today!

 

[FLDBRED]

Way to go Brian! This sure has been a great year so far. There are still plenty of birds out there,and I'm looking forward to the late season and grouse.

 

[bauerline]

Nice work by you and Dugan. Don't you just feel proud when your dog is able to get results when others have a tough time? When I got back to the truck there was a guy just getting started. He asked if I had any luck and I told him the dogs found 6 birds. He exclaimed "six!" He didn't get a bird all year, he said. He said he missed one that his dog had nice work on.

I plan to chase some grouse in the late season. I hope I can get one.

 

[bauerline]

I met up with a friend at the gamelands for a last day hunt of the early season. It was a cold day and the first excitement came when a lab tried to hump Blitz. He didn't care for that and snapped back at the lab. No damage done and we moved on. Blitz had one point in a hedgerow but we couldn't produce a bird. That was the only action at our fist stop so we moved on to another location. We got on some birds quickly here and we put up two hens. We kept moving and the dogs had another point that produced a cooper's hawk. Shortly after this we pushed a nice doe out of some woods. We kept working the edge of a cut bean field and the dogs had another point. This point produced a small group of quail. So far it has been a full day without a shot being fired. We moved back to the fields with no luck and decided to push out a swampy area before calling it a day. The dogs got birdy but they couldn't pin anything. We kept moving through the briars and I finally had a target to shoot at and I connected with one shot. Blitz found the bird and picked it up for me. What a surprise on this cold day:

The area we were in was pretty frozen so I was quite surprised to find this guy. It was a great way to end the early season.

 

[FLDBRED]

Brian
Nice way to end the season! I've got a little guy on my property since opening day. I am curious to see if he's still there, I'll find out tomorrow.

Wow!!! What a season it's been! Dugan and I wanted to end the first half of the season with a rooster and we hunted very hard to make it happen. He finally hit scent after a few hours of hunting one of our favorite spots. After all that work I was glad I was able to connect.'HollowWatcher to post picture' It seemed only fitting to end it that way. It's hard to believe we'll have to wait 2 weeks to hit the fields again. The worse part will be going to camp without Dugan.

Thanks goes to the PGC for making this season possible.

 

[bauerline]

Nice work, FLDBRED. I tried to finish with a rooster but I'm even more happy with a WC. It is the first I ever got and will be getting it mounted. And a PSU win as big underdogs makes it even better.

I think the dogs are ready for a break. I needed to persuade Nittany the past couple of mornings to get in the truck. He likes the warm bed. But he has always been ready when we get to the fields.

Good luck Monday.

 

[HollowWatcher]

By the looks of things it has been an outstanding season for all us..everyone stay safe during deer season..Here's the rooster!

 

[bauerline]

Saw this guy today

I hope to get back out chasing birds soon! Poor Blitz is left to finding feathers and carrying them around in the snow.

 

[FLDBRED]

I hope that poor guy finds some cover, it's going to get mighty cold the next few days!

Dugan has that like in his eye, like come on already let's get back out there. A few more days and he will get his wish.