I had a rare weekday off from work, so the dog and I headed out for a quick morning hunt. I hadn’t scouted any public land yet this year, so we spent an hour checking spots before deciding on one. I decided on a spot that had standing corn nearby, some nice CRP grass, a creek, and some thick brush cover. I’ve hunted this spot many times in years past and most of the time the birds are near the food. This wasn’t the case yesterday as we flushed most of the birds burried deep in the thick cover. I let Jazzi work in there and I walked along the outside following her lead. We flushed 20-25 birds over the next couple hours, of which 3 were roosters. I connected on the first one, missed the second, and never had a shot at the third. The rain started to pick up and Jazzi needed a break, so we drove around awhile looking for another spot. I was surprised to see so many hunters out in the rain. We found a spot that hadn’t been hit yet that day. It was a perfect mix of CRP, switchgrass, willow patches, and some cut corn nearby. In an hour, we didn’t flush and birds but had a fun encounter with a young doe. Jazzi jumped her off her bed, but she stood there and just starred. She gave a few wheezes, stomped, and then trotted off. The rain was picking up, so we called it a day with one bird in hand. It was a great day to be out and I know Jazzi had a good time flushing birds regardless of whether they were roosters or hens.
October 19, 2012 at 3:06 pm
#212302
