Tomorrow is a big day!!

M

MAB7799

Member
Tomorrow is a big day....one that I've been waiting on for a long time.

My folks divorced when I was very young... I ended up in KS and my dad ended up in Alabama with all the rest of his family. As a kid/adult I have always traveled down to Alabama since I have the entire side of my dad's family there. Long story short... tomorrow I get to go bird hunting with my dad for the first time. 35 years old and I've been waiting for this day for a long time. He hasn't been to KS in 17 years aside from 1 day for my wedding and has never seen where I live or met my dog or anything. Before I was born and when I was a baby he had bird dogs and used to bird hunt all the time.

He's flying up today and we will be hunting my best 2 honey holes. He's 63, not in the best of health, and hasn't quail hunted since I was 3 years old. The farmers gave me permission to drive back in the fields to the prime spots to save his legs a little since he can't walk as far. I know he's a little nervous about the cold as it is usually 60-70 degrees where he lives this time of year. I'm excited about the snow! I think the area we are hunting got another inch out of this morning snow. I'm hoping the pheasants sit tight and the quail are abundant! I sure hope he can hit one! It has to be like riding a bike right? haha.


I'll be wearing my GoPro as usual to capture this memory on film.

To say I'm excited would be an understatement!
 
Sounds like a real treat Mark. Cherish the moment as you never know if you'll get a chance like this again. The GoPro is a great idea.
 
Good luck to you and your dad. It's great that your getting a chance to make those memories now. Unfortunately we never know when that opportunity will be taken away.
 
Mark,
Good for you getting out with your Dad! Those are precious moments. I wish I had made it out to Kansas to hunt with my father. Tried to get him to come out about 10 years back, he was in his mid 80's and still doing well; he wouldn't have carried a gun but just tagged along. He is now 94 and any thoughts of taking him out are gone. Hope that my boys want to take me out to Kansas when they get older and I can still walk.
Have fun and enjoy those moments!
Cheers,
Wolf
 
Mark,
Good for you getting out with your Dad! Those are precious moments. I wish I had made it out to Kansas to hunt with my father. Tried to get him to come out about 10 years back, he was in his mid 80's and still doing well; he wouldn't have carried a gun but just tagged along. He is now 94 and any thoughts of taking him out are gone. Hope that my boys want to take me out to Kansas when they get older and I can still walk:thumbsup:.
Have fun and enjoy those moments!
Cheers,
Wolf
 
Mark,

Thanks for sharing your story. I hope you and your dad have a great time. Look forward to seeing any video you get!
 
It's hard to put into words how wonderful today was for me.

I was pretty nervous about how cold it was this morning. The truck said -4 when we pulled into the spot to start hunting at 8:45 am. Dad had about every piece of warm clothing he could get his hands on. We started walking to the first spot where I expected a rooster or a covey.... nothing. Kept going around the edge of the field and BOOM... a covey blows up to our left about 15 feet. Dad did not get a shot as he was not prepared. We watched them as half went one way another half went the other. We take Olive downwind and she finds them in no time... solid point. We walk up, the birds stagger out, dad fires away not pulling a feather (little rusty after 30+ years). I drop a double. We let that group rest and moved on to find another covey. Moving 200 yards up near a pond Olive gets birdy... I expected her to find a covey here as I have found one before. She points, nothing... birds had been there but moved on. We keep walking and Dad walks up a single, fires a shot... miss. Another bird gets up from the shot and I hit it. The covey is scattered out in the grass/cut wheat feeding. Ended up getting one more out of that covey off a single point and we move on. 4 birds in the bag.

Next spot I've found a big 20 bird covey at before. We pull up and jump out to begin our short walk (trying to save Dad's legs as much as possible). 50-75 yard small spot of grass next to a bean field with a few small trees/shrubs. Olive goes to the exact spot I have found the covey before and hammers a rock solid point. Dad get ready! Going to be a covey here.... NOPE... out jumps a wiley old rooster to our surprise, through the small trees he did not offer a good shot but that did not stop us from throwing out a prayer. He lives to cackle another day. We look for the covey, they are not to be found.. must be across the road on ground we don't have permission on.

On to the next spot. Farmer had told us that there were 2 big coveys near this old homestead. We get there and the farmer planted milo over wheat stubble WITHOUT ever tilling it... so you have milo stubble on top of wheat stubble. I said no wonder he saw 2 coveys here. We begin walking over to the two huge plum thickets. Olive goes on point. I walk up, 1 bird flushes the rest of the covey is chirping away inside the massive plum thicket. We can't get them out! Little do we realize they are making a break for it out the back of the thicket running over to the next one. I could hear them the whole time but could not get a flush nor see them. We start heading over to thicket #2. Olive is on the wrong side of the wind for this spot and there is no way for her to get on the right side of it due to a road. So we just go with it... 20 yards later she jumps up an old rooster belly facing me, nice left to right shot. 15-20 yard shot.. caught the full pattern of 20 ga 7.5s. Bird down, landed in the plum thicket twigs! The trigger is pulled and the 20 bird running covey flushes out the side of the thicket #2 on the edge of gun range. I fire off a shot in hopes of bringing one down and up jumps another rooster at 40 yards along with a hen. We watch the covey circle BACK around to the first plum thicket. 4-6 birds landed back in it and the rest flew to the old house, dad had a bead on where they landed. Dad didn't want to chase them quite yet as he had seen a single land about 40-50 yards up. We walked up, bird flushes, boom boom quail down. Dad's first confirmed quail! Took some pics and away we went to chase the rest of those birds.

Olive goes back to thicket #1... quick easy point... 4-6 birds come out the back, I didn't have a shot. Dad shoots... BIRD DOWN! Quail #2.... we are getting on a roll here. We go over to where he saw the rest of the covey. Olive points. Single jumps up, I miss 2 times.. dad backs me up with a solid kill. The crazy part was the rest of the covey was 15 feet up in a cedar tree up against a barn.. quail go flying everywhere! That was the end of that covey and away we go to find another. We keep walking the edge of the milo. Olive is on the wrong side of the wind again, 20-25 bird covey blows out from under a cedar tree. We watch them all go down in a draw 75 yards away, the chase is on! I get Olive on the right side of the wind, solid beautiful point. 2 male quail get up and what should have been 2 birds down ended up being 1 with a leg dropped. We watch them, go over and by golly Olive finds that crippled bird in no time thank goodness. We keep walking and Olive makes several points on the cedar tree row, birds coming out here and there. Few more birds down.

Back at the truck now we load up to drive across a pasture to another spot. We pull up on the S. end of that milo/wheat field. All the sudden we see a rooster running like a rat through the short 8 inch pasture grass in front of the truck. We stop to chase. I jump out as the bird runs back into the tree row and we begin getting our gear. I say to dad, I think there is another one in here as I hear some more rustling under this tree. Sure nuff... before I can get a gun out pops a 2nd rooster. Darn! We proceeded to chase.... Olive goes on point.. COVEY! 15 birds bust out, Dad drops 1 and we proceed to chase singles. Another 75-100 yards up Olive points under another cedar... SINGLE! Bird down! We kept looking for the 2 roosters but those track stars were long gone. We got back to the truck, took a bunch of pics and headed to the Farmers house to thank him for his hospitality.

Dad walked 6 miles today... WAY further than I thought he would make it. I didn't mention that we went tromping through some CRP on this farmers ground in search of another rooster, which Olive pointed, but it ran up and flushed 20 yards ahead of her and didn't offer us a very good shot.

I figured at most he would make it 2 hours. He hunted from 8:45 to 3:00 pm today. Damn good considering his health. He got home and had a couple glasses of crown on the rocks to ease the aches and pains. We have tomorrow to try them, I don't imagine he will make it as long, however the terrain is much easier tomorrow vs today.



P.S. - I have tons of amazing video, almost got every bird we shot on film (except for the pointed rooster we all missed cus I was out of battery). Will compile it and post it up ASAP. Also had tons of great pics of Olive on point.
 
Awesome report Mark, thank you for sharing your hunt. I wish I could have one more huntg with my dad. Unfortunately, he doesnt feel he would be able to safely hunt. Wishing you another great day in the field with yuour dad.

Tom
 
Mark,
Your story was awesome to read. No doubt that is a lasting memory for you both.
 
Well Day 2 has concluded.

Dad was pretty sore today so the hunt was short... 2 hours and 10 minutes. (He walked 2.3 miles, I walked 4)

We pull up to honey hole #2 and begin driving around the edge of the field back to the spot where we are going to start. I wasn't going to hunt the first tree row as I had never found birds there before. As we were driving on the edge of the milo stubble I noticed some tracks in the snow. I rolled down my window, Dad, there are quail tracks here. I think we should get out and try it. No sooner than I said that a covey flushes up the tree row and flies only about 50-75 yards before settling back in. GAME ON!

Olive hits the ground... wind at her back (no good!) Darn South wind is the WORST wind to hunt this property on, but it was what we had today so we had to deal with it. She runs up, point! 2 birds flush, dad drops one right off the bat! Better start today! Olive makes the retrieve to hand. We keep going up, point! Single flushes, I pop a quick shot through the tree.. bird down!

We keep walking up, the rest of the covey has their track shoes on and are running ahead of us. They pull a houdini and we aren't able to find any other birds from that group. We keep pushing on, seeing quail tracks in the snow everywhere! I know there are here somewhere... but where? We keep going, wind still at our back. Olive goes on point, she holds for a bit but begins looking around. She isn't sure... I whoa her as we tromp around looking for a covey flush. I release and of course, a covey busts out in front of my dad just on the edge of gun range. They had ran up ahead and flushed! No shots fired as we watch where they go. The chase is on! We see them light in a group of big cedar trees. We get there and I can see what I think is the whole covey underneath an old cedar that had been cut. Turns out it was 1 male, he took off running and after 10 yards or so flushed, I throw a prayer but no dice. Dad says they are in these cedars! We cross the fence, wind STILL at our back, Olive bumps a single. I take her to the back of the trees... wind in her face.. WHAM! Point! There are about 6-8 20 yr old cedars... how am I going to get these birds out we wonder? I start to lumberjack my way through the branches and the whole covey takes off running full sprint! Dad I can see them! They are running out the other side! He starts to move around, they get to the edge and all flutter away. We could not see where they went due to the trees. However, not all was lost! 1 straggler remained behind, it flushed as my dad was walking around.. BIRD DOWN! Olive made a nice retrieve to hand.

2 coveys in 20-30 minutes. Good start! We keep walking around trying to keep the wind in Olive's face. We get to another tree row on the other side where I know a covey lives. POINT! We walk up and can see birds running down the line away from the dog. What is up with all these running quail? Every covey today seems to want to run. Olive relocates, 3 birds flush (rest of the covey still running).. I pull the trigger. Bird down! The covey runs to the end, blows out the back and flies halfway to the next county landing in the middle of a large milo field. We seem to be surrounded by Quail that have PhD's in evading dogs and hunters!

So off we go to another spot where I have seen a covey before.. a huge 30-40 yard wide plum thicket fortress with a group of cedar trees with milo on one side and hay meadow on the other. We get near the thicket... Dad, I see tracks here! Good sign! Two seconds later Olive slams on point! We got em! Dad and I moving into position... Dad says, I see them running! Oh great MORE track star quail. Yup I see them two.. the whole covey is running inside the huge thicket. We pick up the pace trying to keep up with them. Whoosh.. they blow out 35-40 yards ahead... we empty our guns hoping for the best. No birds down. Covey flies into a jungle of cover... Dad do you have the energy to chase? No.. but we are going to chase them anyways he says. We are here to quail hunt he says! Into the tangled mess we go. We check right.. nothing. Olive checks left (wind at her back) 2 quail flush as she points. Darn! Those were the only ones we found from that covey. 4 coveys... 50 minutes. Unreal!

Dad's fading.. his legs getting heavier with each step. You got one more tree row in you? I know there are 2 coveys on this tree row just ahead. One on each end. He says lets go! So away we go walking up hill to the side to we can have Olive's nose in the wind. I send Olive down one small side to check to see if they are there. Nothing. I see tracks in the snow so I know they are here. We begin walking down the row, expecting a point at any minute. 50 yards ahead a covey flushes wild up the tree row. Dog is to my left 15 yards so I know she did not bump them. What the heck is with these Quail today? We watch them light back into the row and we put on a chase. I slow Olive down as to not bump birds. BAM.. point! We walk up, 6 flush, two go behind us, 4 go in front.. bird down! We double back to chase the 2 that lit at the end of the row. Should be an easy find. Olive runs up, points. Birds flush out the back (dad was back waiting) they sail in front of him at 25 yards.... 3 shots fired and you hear a few choice 4 letter words as he didn't pull a feather haha. No worries Dad, that's quail hunting!

We proceed down the line where I expect to find another large 20-25 bird covey. Tracks in the snow everywhere, however we cannot locate them for some reason. So back to the truck we head, along the way I stop to check another spot that has yielded a covey in the past. Again, tracks everywhere, covey cannot be found. We get to the truck, load up to go find the farmers "home covey". We get there, I let Olive out and 25 yards from the truck she hammers down a point. Dad gets out and musters what little energy he has left to put on a chase. We get up there, no birds... tracks everywhere. We walk a 100 yards with quail tracks being seen every few feet but for whatever reason we cannot find this covey either. My guess is they were all running like the previous coveys of the day.

Ended the day 2 hr 10 minute hunt - 5 coveys 6 birds shot. Great day for sure!

As for the video - today I tried my new Garmin Virb Ultra camera. It has a new technology to reduce the rattle/choppy effect that you experience with the GoPro's. Sometimes watching my videos can almost make you sick due to the constant motion of the screen. I've reviewed today's footage and OH MAN is it smooth. Much easier to watch. Now comes the fun part of putting together the videos. Hope to have them done this weekend.

Thanks for the support from everyone on the forums. I'll post up videos/pics here soon.
 
Glad you had such a good time hunting with your dad!. It's a good thing that you got to hunt with him in this new era of great Kansas quail hunting. I'm excited to see the footage, your videos are always great!
 
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