Went on a bob white hunt yesterday. Hunted on the Salt Fork of the Red River and on one of its tributary creeks. Went by myself as my shooting student Joe Wood wouldn't get up early enough for us to leave at 6:00AM. And we needed to get there early to beat the heat.
I made one seven hour walk. I hunted eight year old Red and twelve month old Jazzy. We moved ten coveys, knocked down fourteen birds, bagged twelve. Had a lot of dog work; pointed coveys, pointed singles, good finds on dead and wounded birds, retrieves, and ground tracking of coveys and singles. Scenting conditions were good.
My baby, twelve month old Jazzy, found and busted a covey and found and pointed three more coveys. She had some single points and had several great finds on wounded and dead birds. She backs and sometimes retrieves the bird to hand.
Eight year old Red had a good day. He has mastered his job. A few times he ground tracked coveys for a hundred yards or so. He is excellent at finding dead and wounded birds.
Both dogs are French Brittany Spaniels, as are my other three.
By hunting around the creek and the river I didn't have to carry water for the dogs. I only intended to hunt till Noon but I just couldn't quit. I was hungry and thirsty by the time I got back to the truck. I hadn't carried enough water for me for seven hours.
There are no feeders on this lease, and hardly any roads. It is about 3,000 acres with several miles of river and creek.
The old FN did a good job for me, 12 ga., 6-1/4 pounds, 27-1/2 barrels, cylinder and full, double triggers, 14-1/2 x 1-1/2 x 2-1/2. I love the sling.
I got to the scene late but, based on the wind direction, I think Jazzy had the point and Red stumbled on her and backed. Jazzy is on the right.
Red retrieving a bird. You can see how high the cover is. That is a GPS collar. Neither dog hunted with a training collar.
Jazzy on point.
And Jazzy on point again (in broomweed)
There are seven birds in the picture, Jazzy is responsible for some of them.
Great days are a blessing. Hope you have many more.
Yes it was a day well spent. Good shooting Mike and thanks for including us!!
Do people give you crap for having a sling on your gun?
Me too. I just figure you can't fix stupid.
Nice shooting.
Best,
Ted
Looks like you made some wonderful memories. Count me as a "sling lover" too.
Don't you love it when a plan coincides with good results? Good day and thanks for sharing. Gil
Very nice. Thanks for sharing.
Dennis
Y'all are very welcome.
Thank you for the kind words.
Without a doubt I am the luckiest rascal on the planet.
Have had no negative feedback on my slung guns. Slings are kind of ugly but I love what they do for me.
Now that looks fantastic!
PS - I wish I had slings on all my guns.
Coming in late, but certainly enjoy your sharing, Mike. Much fun watching a younger dog 'get it' and come into its own.
Joe certainly missed a fine day. Perhaps Santa will bring him a wind up Big Ben that he can sit in a tin pie pan by his bed. Of course all the late night carousing might be a factor as well, ya think?
Looks like a much more practical width on that sling that the Europeans typically used. Smart use of the orange tape as well.
Helping your Father out of the woods is tough enough but helping your older brother out of the woods after he went through a couple bouts with Leukemia and while doing so remember watching him pitch 2 no-hitters in high school is crippling.
Slings? We know why your doing it.
But back to Mike's hunt!!!!
Smart use of the orange tape as well.
That's so he can find it in the grass when he lays it down.
A buddy knew of a dog trainer in the Dakotas who spray painted his SKB SxS, butt to muzzle, day glow orange so he could find it in the grass after laying it down before correcting a dog. Gil
Sounds like a perfect day. Sad to think of how much Joe could have learned by just applying himself with a little effort and going to bed and then waking up at a decent time. Live and learn as they say but I wonder how much longer you are going to carry Joe as your student if he fails to make any real progress. Sometimes you've just got to admit some people are uneducatable.
Mike that was a great hunt! Reminds me of some of my hunts in Georgia in the 60s and 70s. Bobby
Mike it is fortunate that you have such a lovely blue sky over it, because you hunt in some of the brownest prickly looking country I ever saw. If its all you got though I guess it must suit. Thanks for sharing a great hunt!...Geo
I do have slings on all my upland hunting shotguns, everything except my sporting clays guns. They are great, I would NOT be without them on upland guns and long day's hunts. My first one came on a great old 1913 vintage Merkel 16 bore S x S that I bought at auction. I liked it so well I added them to others. Some guys may not like them, but I do!! Whatever works for you!!
Joe should have drug himself out from under the covers. Looks like a great day chasing birds Mike. Good looking, happy pups as well.
Some of the best hunts I've been on were by myself. Not needing to keep track of partners, enjoying the loneliness-quietness of the outdoors, conversations with the dog(s)only.Very therapeutic in a world stuffed to the brim with distractions and deadlines. Thanks Mike for the pictorial and dialogue.
Ken
PS Not meant to be an allegory against hunting with Joe!!
Great hunt and photos, Mike! I love your dog, Jazzy. I was wondering if you had dog boots on the dogs? My black lab pup, Mazie, is just 8 mo. old and not ready for a real hunt. I imagine that it's easier to train Jazzy when you have older dogs she can learn from.
Jim
Congrats on a fine Panhandle outing Mr. S.
Nice dog work ( both experienced and student in training) makes for a Fine outing..... As for Hunting/shooting alone ? Is there any better way to enjoy Bobwhites and Bird Dogs ?
Ah! , as to the Sling, I first had exposure to this "luxury" via my old shooting mentor from the "Deep South" who in his exposure to our Bobwhite "grounds" found it expedient to pass up all those English and Italian "BEST" and opt for a Continental double fitted with Sling swivels....
I have not given in to having swivels added to the Fabbri yet , but I do have one of his sling equipped doubles hidden out in the safe......
This warm weather is confining our outings to short mornings , BUT there are LOTS of Birds on the Rolling Plains.....
My 90 minute outing this morning yielded 13 coveys,Well handled Points on 11 of them (including one by my year old daughter of Coldwater Warrior).... took one bird out of each covey for a delightful outing.....
We Texans are truly living large this year...... Equal to 1987 around here, and certainly the Best season since 2006.....
Hoping your good shooting continues and Mr. Wood opts to join you at every opportunity.....It may be the last GREAT Quail season many of us will ever see....
Yours in Sport
Mr. Wood is not slacking. He just has more sense than to leave a warm bed long before the most ardent duck hunters to follow the gentleman Bob. Yesterday, after branding a group of calves, my old business partner and I made a round. His dog, Solo, a yellow pointing Lab tagged along and proved indispensable. By mid morning it was almost hot and windy. But we managed to find around ten covies just by stumbling around. Solo pointed several covies and saved the day finding deads in the incredibly heavy cover,something almost impossible by a hunter. Paul and Mike are right--the numbers are incredible compared to recent years. Astounding how quickly quail can rebound when given the right conditions.
Here's the main difference between AmarilloMike and me: his main concern are the dogs, my main concern is me. Seldom are the two the same
Glad to hear of the recovery of local bird numbers. We need a few hot spots to give us hope for the future. But if it last two or three years people will be breeding and training bird dogs like it was 1960 all over again. Then when the boom ends there will be a lot of poorly trained dogs looking for work.
Sounds like a Grand day Mike, and a tale well told! Thank you. I think we all need to be a bit more understanding about Mr. Wood. A man of his years should not be expected to keep up with younger men. If I remember correctly, the last time we all hunted together, we worked him so hard he had to go home on crutches. Stay well and God Bless
Welcome back LD! We've missed your posting...Geo
YES, LD, I missed you at Raton
Come back and play with us!
Mike
Thank you guys.
Gil and TW are right. The orange tape on the sling is to make my gun easy to find. I have lost my gun for as long as thirty minutes. Last season, in Montana, I helped my hostess find her 28 ga Merkel that she had lost the day before.
George we have some things with thorns, spikes, and burrs on them. But we have four months of bobwhite hunting, and at least this year, we have bob white.
Jim I do have boots on my dogs. I have been using the "Lewis Boots", the black rubber boots made in Enid, Oklahoma. Several of the bird dog supply houses sell them. And Jazzy spends much time studying the older dogs. She points, backs, hunts dead, and knows what "whoa" means. She retrieves about half the birds she finds. She has never had a training collar on.
Mel I am glad you have that wonderful population of bobs this year. Thirteen coveys in 90 minutes - a Covey every seven minutes! Must have to pinch yourself to make sure you are not dreaming. Yesterday, hunting the same lease, I moved fourteen coveys in seven hours of walking. Which is a covey every thirty minutes. I was in birds the whole time it seemed like. If you put a sling on that Fabbri it ought to be made from Italian leather for sure.
Hi Chuck! You old reprobate. Hope you, Diane and Flash are well.
Best,
Mike
I am green with envy, Mike, but very happy for ya'll Texans with the great numbers of birds. Thanks for the thread.
I'll add my welcome back to Last Dollar. I was just thinking about you the other day. Hope ya'll had a better harvest season than we have.
All my best, SRH
Having not had two dogs at once until the summer of 2014, I had not experienced how easy it is to train the second dog primarily by hunting her with the older. "Whoa" was far easier to teach and the rest, including retrieving almost to hand and backing was instinctive. I did find that her hearing was improved by judicious and sparse use of the E-Collar. LD, it's good to see you back. Fishing must be off in Baja.
Gil
Mike, that covey every 30 minutes on FOOT is truly busy Bird Hunting...My romps are horseback or "shooting brake" (GMC hunting rig) , running All Age and "Shooting Dog" bloodline dogs so we naturally cover more ground , hence the higher contact ratio.
Like I said, I had nice shooting on pretty well handled birds, on ten of those contacts....Makes for a wonderful day , and gives me back some pleasure for all the time and dollars I pour into this place.....
I passed up going yesterday due to that big North Wind you sent crashing down on us, but I'm getting the GPS collars off the charger just now, checking feet and ears, and planning to go out and meet Mr. Bob as he comes off the roost this fine Texas morning...I scheduled a leisurely 8:30 start , I do hope he is on time....
Great reports from all over this area, and I hear good stuff from our mutual friend the gun peddler who hunts the Eastern Panhandle.....
Hope your season continues to get even better......A year like this, and the exposure you give your dogs, can make a polished performer out of a prodigy like your Jazzy....Nothing trains Bird Dogs, like shooting Birds, and lots of 'em.
Best Regards:
PM
Based on my recent experience just across the line into the OK Panhandle, those Texans aren't living up to their "tall tales" reputation. There are indeed EXCELLENT bobwhite numbers in that part of the country this year. But as you can see from the photos, be prepared to walk some heavy cover. We moved 15 coveys in a little under 4 hours, hunting on ground owned or leased by The Last Buffalo guys out of Darrouzett, TX. They do put out feeders for the birds, which helps locate the coveys--as do many people with leases or who offer commercial hunts. Really nice to see you folks enjoying bird numbers like that again. You're a lot more "boom and bust" with your quail, due to weather, than we are with pheasants up north. But from what I saw, this is certainly a boom year to be enjoyed! And I wish our pheasants would double and triple brood so we could make up lost ground as quickly as TX/OK bobwhites can.
I shot doves yesterday pm with a man who had just driven 21 miles non-stop from TX after a spectacular quail hunt. He witnessed what Mel and Mike report.
I will be in Texas shortly to validate Mikes findings. He has NEVER been known to spin a windy. Up here in NW Kansas our Pheasants are coming back strong, and we are seeing good flocks of Chickens. After years of not having any quail, I bumped four good covies over the past couple of weeks, shot none. Mike owned, maybe still does, a dog with the longest name I ever heard...her name was "Bellegitbackhereorillwhipyourbuttimeanitthistime"..
Holy smokes!!! Is that the first, middle and last name combined or just the first name?