Late Season Roosters in Southern MN 12.16.07

The “Honey Hole” produces once again. This past Sunday I had organized a fairly large group (6) to shoot some birds down on the honey hole, but due to some circumstances, Rufus and I were only joined by Joel (Drewsdad) and his dog Daisy. I just have say you other guys missed out. It was great to hunt again on an average winter day instead of having it freezing rain, 15 below or 20-30 mile an hour winds. This was just an average December day with light winds and 20 degrees. It was cloudy out, but I will take it!

We got started just after 9:30 and it took us awhile to find them as they were not where they have traditionally been. On our 2nd walk we began to see some life as the dogs were getting hot on some cover adjacent to a picked corn field. The birdy dogs had Joel and I anticipating a flush soon. Well just like that a rooster and a hen flushed under the pressure of the hard working dogs. I pull my gun up and get on this bird and squeeze of a shot and watch the bird fold up as Rufus was hot on his tail. Well, a little relief was felt by me as we had walked a good distance before getting a rooster to pop up much less a bird at all. The rest of the way along the corn edge we were popping up a few hens, but I could tell from the dogs willingness to go vertical that we were pushing these birds and making them run to the end where the road was. Sure enough we got to the end and the birds had held there and hens start popping out of the short & thin grass. Then finally our second rooster erupts out of the scraggly grass. I had no shot due to the angle and the farm house in close proximity and the roosters escape route. Joel let one shell go that did not find the mark. Ok, now we were talking as the dogs were heating up and the birds started to cooperate with us. We walked the edge against the road and again the hens were flushing periodically but again no roosters until Joel has one get up next to him and he dumps it on the first shot as Daisy retrieves it to him.

We then pushed some cover up and over a hill and up to a big irrigation ditch and the dogs were going bonkers as we soon found out we were not the only ones that went up and over the hill as hens started to flush everywhere and I mean everywhere. Again no roosters were flying. So I’m not sure if they were those smart, wiley late season roosters and ran on us or there was none in the area? Either way it had the overall action and dogs heated up. As Joel, Daisy, Rufus and I crested a hill to a low swamp area about 15 spooky birds busted wildly out of range. We found some hens holding tight, but again no roosters. Working up and out of that draw a rooster flushes behind Joel and flies so that it passes in front of him and I could hear Joel mumbling a few words of frustration. So hearing no shot yet, I pull up and use my 2nd shell of the day. I watched the bird drop what Joel and I thought was pretty hard, but it was off to the races as Daisy and Rufus was on the chase. Rufus ended up finding the rooster pretty close to where the chase began for our 3rd bird of the day. So we figured we would head towards the truck in hopes of bagging our last bird or taking a break. We get within a 100 yards of the truck and up flushes a rooster and in one shot Joel dumps this late season bird down, but again the chase was on. The dogs lost the trail so I grabbed Rufus to get down wind of the area we were searching when Joel and I both hear the death flap of wings to the East of us. Sure enough we go over and find our last rooster of the day laying on there ground and close to the trucks. We ended up kicking another rooster on the way back to the trucks and by the time we got to the trucks it was only 12:30. Joel was talking about still hitting Pool 4, so let me know if you made it down there or not Joel.

It was a great day to be out, but which day isn’t???? Like I said, it was a relief to hunt on a decent day instead of the weather I have been hunting in the last few weeks. The birds were pretty spread out as I think someone may have been hunting this piece the day before. There was no consistency of where the birds were as they were flushing out of thick stuff as well as some pretty thin and bare spots. So we ended the day with our limit of 4 birds and used 5 only shells letting 1 bird escape another day. It was a pretty good day overall and as always my favorite part of the day was watching the dogs work. We were treated to plenty of points by both dogs at close proximity to us. I enjoyed watching Rufus lock up numerous times and wait for his command to flush or pounce. I also loved when Daisy locked up right in front of me staring down a bird down as I walked up and kicked the grass as I watched the hen come busting out from some pretty tight cover. Then sharing this with time with others is what it is all about. I would like to thank Joel and Daisy for joining Rufus and I on Sunday. The sad part is I think this may be my last hunt of the season until the 14th Annual Rooster Run held at Royal Flush. The details should be out soon on this event hosted by IDO Staffer Corey Waller. Well, I hope I can squeak in one more day of chasing birds this year, but I need to concentrate this next weekends efforts on filling one more deer tag here in MN. Until next time be safe and get out there to enjoy one last hunt if you can. The end is fast approaching.

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