3 buddys and myself just got back from hunting in Southwest Kansas. We hunted private ground that we hunted opening weekend and limited out both days by noon. Opening weekend we saw a good mix of roosters to hens, probably 50/50 mix. This weekend the same four guys with the same 6 dogs harvested 7 roosters and 5 quail in the same amount of time hunting. It's not that the roosters were getting up ahead, we just didn't see them this time. We saw 10 hens to 1 cock this time around. Not sure where all the roosters went, all I know is we couldn't find them. Another crazy thing is we haven't gotten into a covey of quail out there in 7 years and this weekend we pushed 3 different coveys. As dry as it was we had great dog work on the hens and the dogs managed to work the few roosters we saw as well. Pretty frustrating weekend as far as putting birds in the bag. But, it was still awesome being able to get out and hunt!
Wierd Weekend
- Thread starter KansasGsp
- Start date
kscountryboy11
New member
i hunted this weekend and we saw way more roosters than hens. which if good for the hunting, but a little worried about next year , hopefully the hens just sat tight and got away from us, wich is very possibly since we only had one dog with little experience.
BleuBijou
Active member
The birds are there, they just are dispersed. With the warm weather they just went all over hell. 3 weeks ago saw them all bunched up and there were bunches and bunches of birds. My buddy went back to the same places and scratched a few, but did not see 1/10 of the birds we saw! That is a lot of ground when they decide to disperse. No need to even come back from feed. Just probably stayed out and loafed all day.:cheers:
Gove County Britts
New member
as blue said the birds are definately their you just need to cover more ground to find them they have been chased all over the place for the past 2 and a half monthes their nerves are like crack addicts they here the smallest noise and they split just need to change the tactics for the rest of the season
fsentkilr
Active member
4 friends and I hunted Ness and Lane County Fri. and Saturday. We limited by 2:30 Fri and end of day Sat. We shot around half on private and half on WIHA. The birds were jumpy but it seemed if you saw where they landed they would sit better the second flush. The dogs probably pointed 1/3 of the birds. I have found on the WIHA this time of year, find the biggest tracts with feed available and then hunt the least accessible pieces of these tracts. We found a draw in the middle of a two mile section that had over a hundred birds in it.
Question
We hunted SW Kansas this weeked. On Friday shot 3 roosters. But did not see alot of birds. On Saturday, never fired a shot all day. We hunted Walk in Hunting all day. Everyone at our motel shot birds (in walk in) and seems like everone on this forum shot birds. Not sure we were hunting the right cover at the right time on day. Did you guys hunt crp or crop fields or both. Thanks
We hunted SW Kansas this weeked. On Friday shot 3 roosters. But did not see alot of birds. On Saturday, never fired a shot all day. We hunted Walk in Hunting all day. Everyone at our motel shot birds (in walk in) and seems like everone on this forum shot birds. Not sure we were hunting the right cover at the right time on day. Did you guys hunt crp or crop fields or both. Thanks
We hunted CRP and crop fields. Where we hunt the CRP is not good as it's very short and usually doesn't hold a ton of birds, but a few. The crop fields is where we normally shoot 75% of our birds out there. We had the best luck this past weekend in the wheat stubble. I know there's birds out there and normally we have no problem filling the game bag, not so this past weekend though.
fsentkilr
Active member
We shot about 3/4 in CRP and 1/4 in milo stubble. The key to good WIHA this time of year is to walk back to the hard to reach spots that most guys won't work that hard to get to. I watched a couple bunch of guys this past weekend and they all do the same thing. They find a patch of CRP with feed across the road or bordering it, make one pass along the feed and go back to the truck. The birds will be at the backside of most of these patches and will fly to and from feed. I like 1/2 sections or full sections and my best spot is two full sections with no roads.
fsentkilr
Active member
Last Fri. there were 3 of us and Sat. there were 5. I hunt a lot by myself with my two Gordons and shoot more birds this way than any other. When my dogs start working a bird I just get behind them and follow them wherever they go. Another really important thing this time of year is to be as quiet as you can. Don't slam doors, talk to friends, yell at dogs ect. Just pulling in a gate this time of year is enough to send the roosters a runnin. If they get some snow tomorrow night I'm jumping in the truck and headin back out. I am also going next Wed. thru the following Monday.
I like smaller groups. 4 guys is usually the biggest group I'll hunt with and we'll walk 3 and use one to block. I really like hunting with just myself and a buddy because I too like following the dogs nose.
I'm interested in hearing more about this. We had a local comment to us that we should be hunting some wheat stubble. I just couldn't imagine how a dog would get a bird pointed in such marginal cover. Even in sparse CRP the birds wanted to run.
Are you guys that are hunting milo and wheat stubbles doing so with flushing dogs and blockers? Or are you actually getting roosters to sit tight enough for a point?
Hunting wheat stubble blows my mind, but it works! The taller the stubble the better it's going to be. If it's short stubble, it needs to have some tumbleweeds in it. We hunt with pointing dogs and you'd be surprised how well they do in the stubble, CRP and milo stalks. Usually we'd half to follow the dogs for quite a while as they'd trail birds, but most of the times the birds would sit at the end if there was a blocker there. Roosters that'll run for 200 yards would sit very tight once they decided to make a stand.
Very true, very true...the high wheat stubble with weeds in and around it work with blockers and dogs. We hit that this past weekend and have before with success. They will hold tight towards the end, at least the ones who couldn't right out and around you....
Also with cut milo stalk or corn stalk, if you walk with the rows, it is a must to have blockers. Those dang birds will run up ahead and then around for sure, even with dogs.
We hit some cut stalk this past weekend and we blockers at the end, man those birds waited unitl the very, very end and flushed.....shoot we had a bird flush, it was crippled and then landed right in the middle of four dogs and hunters. Dang bird ran, then dove and hid under milo stalk. We saw his head poking out....we got him, but it was funny to see.
Then we were hunting a field by a tree row and a rooster was crippled, dogs were on it, one guy blocking saw it hit the ground running with its Nikes on....one guy took his dog to trail the bird while we contined to walk this field. He found the bird at the end of the tree row, buried down in the ground trying to hide....
Dogs are awesome!!! I wouldn't hunt without them!!!
Greg
Very interesting. Such cover in MI would never hold birds. Then again, we don't have any birds... 
Running them in the wheat stubble woried me a bit. I imagined the stalks being like mini pungi sticks on the dog's pads. Do you guys boot your dogs in that stuff or is it a non issue?
So it sounds like, "dirty wheat stuble" can hold a bird for a pointy dog. Milo and or corn stuble, you'd better have a blocker.
Running them in the wheat stubble woried me a bit. I imagined the stalks being like mini pungi sticks on the dog's pads. Do you guys boot your dogs in that stuff or is it a non issue?
So it sounds like, "dirty wheat stuble" can hold a bird for a pointy dog. Milo and or corn stuble, you'd better have a blocker.
Very interesting. Such cover in MI would never hold birds. Then again, we don't have any birds...
Running them in the wheat stubble woried me a bit. I imagined the stalks being like mini pungi sticks on the dog's pads. Do you guys boot your dogs in that stuff or is it a non issue?
So it sounds like, "dirty wheat stuble" can hold a bird for a pointy dog. Milo and or corn stuble, you'd better have a blocker.
You got it. I do not boot the dogs up and haven't had a problem with pads. Occasionally they'll get a sticker and start limping until I pull it out, they're a lot tougher than you'd think.
fsentkilr
Active member
We hunted some milo stubble that had occasional grassy spots throughtout the field. We had several birds hold for points. I very rarely ever use blockers. The milo stubble we hunted ended with crp at one end, and several of the roosters ran out into the grass and then held for the dogs. Dogs can point and hold birds in milo, corn or wheat stubble and its amazing how little cover the roosters can hold in. The milo stubble we were hunting had been notilled into wheat stubble from last year, so it had the old wheat stubble as well as the new milo stubble for cover.
Although it can be incomfortable for a dog, I've never had one balk at hunting wheat stubble, itself- especially "dirty stubble" with rooted and blown tumbleweeds where the birds can hold. Some stubble fields are infested with sand burrs and I've had dogs absolutely shut down.....but, if you boot your dog/s, one of those fields can be totally unpressured and as productive as on opening day. The main problem I've had with hunting wheat stubble is that it can eventually cut the stitching and ruin your boots.
ratt
ratt
Way back before thr CRP program,wheat stubble was the best cover to hunt.Those birds where born there,sleeped there,and ate there.No reason to ever leave it. Now,with the grass,they have a choice.
I still like wheat stubble the best,you can really watch the dogs work.Good pointer's will hold the runners.
I still like wheat stubble the best,you can really watch the dogs work.Good pointer's will hold the runners.