Why I missed my fall trip

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o -- how I miss those trips --- when I lived in the Denver area I would go with small groups ( 2-4) over to Kansas to hunt -- sometimes we would meet other groups and hit the big fields -- but most of the time it was 2 or 3 of us each with our dogs quick hitting small spots -- now I live in Junction -- the 10 hr one way trip makes it very hard to do for one or two days --
plus the loss of hunting partners has slowed it down ----
But -- I love looking at your pictures -- keep them comming
 
A couple photo of a "smaller group".

MOOSE and I took a "use it or lose it" vacation day two weeks ago. Joined one other hunter with an English setter. Walked 11 miles. Saw two hens, and one rooster that flushed out of range. Weather was great, and the dog worked hard.
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These were from Friday where a fellow forum member invited me out to chase some birds. Tough hunting again, although the dogs worked hard again. I wish I had their energy.

I should have had one rooster, but I was unable to connect. We had a nice 8 mile walk.
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Tuc 12- 16 001.JPG I got tired of replacing expensive boots that would fall off in the field, and started making them my self out of bicycle inner tubes. Dont try car tubes because the rubber is to thick. You need them to flex so they don't make your dogs feet sore. They have to be taped on with duck tape which is a little hard on the dogs to get off. The other thing that works great to condition the dogs pads is Mushers Secret. I start putting it on a couple weeks before hunting season and ever evening after hunting them and it keeps them from getting blisters. It wont help you with the sand burrs. I ran into that in Eastern Colorado and they not only got in there feet but all over them. Would hunt for a couple hours then spend as much of time getting them out of my dogs. I hate those things. I some times find a few in Az. but nothing like what I ran into up there.
Howard.
 
Ryan, enjoyed the heck out of watching moose work last Friday, pretty cool! great little 8.5 mile hike!
 
I am having a good hunting year. Went out to Kansas to chase pheasants and quail this weekend. Another great trip. MOOSE really knows what he is doing. Makes it REAL fun to hunt with him.

With my hunting partner.
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Group photo.
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One of about 3 selfies I have ever done.
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I risked taking a brief break while hunting to snap a photo of MOOSE on point. He does a great job of holding, especially if it is quail. Roosters don't always hold for long enough though.
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But that rooster did hold. And paid the price. MOOSE has a great nose, and will point and retrieve.
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Day 2's birds. I'd have to go back and count again, but I think we got about 15 pheasants and 15 quail. Should have had more quail, but those guys are a challenge.
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Quite the model.
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With some of my best friends. What hunting is all about.
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Not the best photo, but if you look closely, you will see me carrying MOOSE. We got most of the way in the field, and he found some sand burs and goat heads. I picked him up (he is about 90 pounds), and carried him out of the stickers and to a "clean" area.
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Here are a few photos of what might be the last pheasant trip of the 17/18 season. A trip in Colorado with my dad. We walked 10.5 miles on some private ground. I had MOOSE and one of our other dogs, Wally.

Like MOOSE, Wally is a rescue. He was found as a puppy, running wild in the fields of Kansas with 4 of his brothers. Wally has always been pretty skittish around loud noises, but I thought I would give him a try chasing birds. Wally let me know that he is a house dog, not a hunting dog, and spent the afternoon guarding the truck.

As what has become the norm, MOOSE did a great job. We saw a lot of birds. They were bunched up and would flush wild with any noise in the field.


"The Boys" working the first field.
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Wally pretending to be a bird dog.
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MOOSE taking a break.
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MOOSE with one of his birds. This one was pretty cool as he tracked it for several hundred yards before it flushed. MOOSE went on point three times, but the bird had moved by the time I got there (he works pretty close). He finally jumped up, and I was able to connect on my 3rd shot. MOOSE is sooo much fun to watch.

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Likely the last hunt for me in the 2017/2018 season. Foggy with snow flurries was the recipe for success, as the birds were really flying, and responded well to decoys. We used a guide who called well. All birds decoyed in, and were shot at close range. Such a fun time.

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This years hunt. Opening day was almost as good as “the good ole days”.

23 hunters limited in just over 2 hours. Nearly 40 birds in the first field.

Sunday and Monday were tougher, but still probably better than anywhere else in the world.

Fantastic hunting with even better friends, and the joy of watching some dogs work. Not much could be better.

Oh, and one tired Big Blue MOOSE.
 

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Chased some birds in Kansas this weekend. Good time with some great guys. Wish we would have seen more birds, but i can say i was able to connect on both roosters I had a shot at.

I can’t make the same claim regarding quail. Those are quick little buggers.

And a photo of my favorite hunting partner.

He was pretty upset with this photo. There were still a few moments of shooting light left and the paparazzi are taking him off his game.
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Chased some birds in Kansas this weekend. Good time with some great guys. Wish we would have seen more birds, but i can say i was able to connect on both roosters I had a shot at.

I can’t make the same claim regarding quail. Those are quick little buggers.

And a photo of my favorite hunting partner.

He was pretty upset with this photo. There were still a few moments of shooting light left and the paparazzi are taking him off his game.
View attachment 3667
Ryan, can you report on quail populations there? I have not heard any reports from hunters yet. Really want to go back there for quail again. I am guessing you were in Western Kansas.
 
Ryan, can you report on quail populations there? I have not heard any reports from hunters yet. Really want to go back there for quail again. I am guessing you were in Western Kansas.
We were around Hays. Quail numbers were down as were pheasants.
 
Thank You, it is a 13 hour drive for us. I take my grandkids but I may not chance it this year. Thanks for the pictures though.
It’s only 5 hours for us, so not nearly as far.

We had 6 hunters with two pretty good dogs, (and a couple dogs that are more companions). Hunted half day Friday, all day Saturday and Sunday am. I think we shot around 8 roosters and probably 20-25 quail.

All the moisture we have been missing apparently has been hitting Kansas as the fields are saturated. I don’t imagine that is great for the birds and it makes it tough going for those chasing the birds.

I wouldn’t be excited to drive 13 hours for the trip we had.
 
It’s only 5 hours for us, so not nearly as far.

We had 6 hunters with two pretty good dogs, (and a couple dogs that are more companions). Hunted half day Friday, all day Saturday and Sunday am. I think we shot around 8 roosters and probably 20-25 quail.

All the moisture we have been missing apparently has been hitting Kansas as the fields are saturated. I don’t imagine that is great for the birds and it makes it tough going for those chasing the birds.

I wouldn’t be excited to drive 13 hours for the trip we had.
Thank You. It is a long & expensive trip if the birds are scarce, we have stayed in Hays before to base out of. We will find something else to put the pointers on for the holidays I guess. Merry Christmas!
 
don't try Northeastern Colorado -- I took the 6 hr trip up there last weekend -- (from Grand Junction) -- after 2 days -- sore legs -- dogs beat -- sore everything except my shoulder --- did not see a single bird in the walk in areas -- not even a hen --
 
Thank You. It is a long & expensive trip if the birds are scarce, we have stayed in Hays before to base out of. We will find something else to put the pointers
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don't try Northeastern Colorado -- I took the 6 hr trip up there last weekend -- (from Grand Junction) -- after 2 days -- sore legs -- dogs beat -- sore everything except my shoulder --- did not see a single bird in the walk in areas -- not even a hen --
Thats a tough hunt, thanks for the heads up and I hope you find lots of birds next trip, wherever it is!
 
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