10 replies to this topic

[bunktheclown]

Woke up to clear sky's at my house Saturday morning. Loaded the truck and was out the door by 6:20 or so. Got to the fields just before 8 to find the entire area socked in with fog. I do not like hunting birds in the fog as it's too hard to see what is around you for safety. It was so foggy I missed the turnout to the field I wanted to hunt. I drove up looking for a place to turn around when I see a rooster standing in the middle of the road. Just standing there without a care in the world. I pull over, and as soon as I opened the door he ran down into the ditch. Perfect!!! Loaded my gun and let the dog out. He instantly catches sent of that bird and is on the hunt. Point , Flush Bang! Rooster down not 2 min into my hunt. Charger is not the best retriever yet and only brings the bird about half way back before he is off hunting again. I walked out into the field to get the bird and after wrangling the bird into my vest I look over to see the dog locked up again. Now there is a house about 250 yards to my left and all I am thinking is don't let that bird flush towards the house. I flushed the bird and he headed right at the house so I let him go. I swear he landed in their front yard #$%*&!!!

Back in the truck and headed to the field I wanted to hunt before missing the turnout. About 100 yards down the ditch Charger gets birdy when out pops a hawk. He was soaking wet standing there with his wings open and Charger about 10 yards away. I was able to snap a quick pic.












We flushed 4 hens in that field and ditches with no roosters to be found. I blanked on 2 more fields before heading back to where I jumped the first 2 in the morning. Sure enough there was another one in there and this one flew away from the house so down he went. All in all it was a great day in the field and Charger did very well. He pointed and flushed 4 hens and 3 roosters and a duck.

The bottom bird is a wild bird and the top a club planter....






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-jb

[sxshooter]

BTC,
Cool picture. Great lookin GSP.

[Shoot-it]

Nice job on the birds was that a club you were on? Those wild birds sure fly faster than the farm ones and will run more to .When i use to hunt wild birds long ago that is what i noticed.Cool picture of the hawk how did it get so wet maybe it's sick.

[ShooterJohn]

Good job on getting the pheasants.

[bunktheclown]

Nice job on the birds was that a club you were on? Those wild birds sure fly faster than the farm ones and will run more to .When i use to hunt wild birds long ago that is what i noticed.Cool picture of the hawk how did it get so wet maybe it's sick.

Not sure how that hawk got so wet. Possibly caught some rodent down in the ditch and ended up in the water. Yes its a club or more of a co-op. The club get's permission from the local farmers to release birds in their fields so along with the planters you will find wild birds. They fly much harder and don't get very high off the ground where the planters fly straight up and cackle like mad.

PM me if you want more information on the club.

-jb

[modoc squeek shooter]

Good hunt and pictures Bunk. I took a friend down to Sutter county this past weekend. We hunted pheasants, got 7 birds all pen raised. They flew pretty damn good. No wild birds left in that area. My son has a lab, that has a terrific nose and retrieves. That made it easy for a couple old men lol. Ed

[sxshooter]

Ed,
When I was younger, I didn't think I needed a dog and thought I'd be giving something up to the dog. Then I got a flushing dog (Lab) and thought: "how the heck was I doing this before?", but also looked at the pointing dog guys as a bunch of old men that need to stand still over a point to hit anything. Now I have a pointing dog. Maybe there's somethin to that last part about old men standing still. Just the same, I'm having more fun in the field with the dogs than I ever did without one. That's all that matters.

[modoc squeek shooter]

When I was a kid , many many years ago lol, my dad had irish setters. Not the show type, just damn good dogs. He also had some english pointers, so I shot over some good dogs. Hell I enjoy watching the dogs almost as much as shooting the bird. Love it when a dog gets birdie and finds an elusive bird. With time you learn a dog, each one is different. Ed

[bunktheclown]

I agree Ed. I love watching the dog work as much as shooting. That feeling when the dogs starts getting birdy and their tail starts going, then in the blink of an eye they are frozen, completely focused on the bird, quivering with excitement.

The thing that amazes me is how quickly they learn as pups. Mine is just a year and a half old, and this is his first real season. He is night and day different today from opening weekend.

Can't wait to get back out there!!!

-jb

[modoc squeek shooter]

Go for it Bunk! The more you hunt him the better he will get. I had a GSH when I was in my 30's. I kileed a lot of birds over her, both wild and planted. She would hold a bird all day if it would set. Loved that dog! Hell she even pointed a rattlesnake one time lol. That wasn't so good, she got bit and her head swelled, took her to the vet and saved her though. Ed

[sxshooter]

Handling a good dog and watching it produce a bird is a reward only a bird dog owner can appreciate.

Them GSP's seem a little "tail challenged" But all that English pointer blood in the American GSPs helped with their noses and obesity.