I wish I had a living grandpa and a place to hunt! Enjoy the heck out of it while you have the chance brother and do not forget to ask lots of questions.
I am not assuming you don't already, your post reminded me of past regrets.
I wish I had a living grandpa and a place to hunt! Enjoy the heck out of it while you have the chance brother and do not forget to ask lots of questions.
I am not assuming you don't already, your post reminded me of past regrets.
I came from a Huge family that nobody hunted.
My grandpa fished along with my dad. Period.
When a pup I was wanting to be a hunter because of the books that I read, like the " call of the wild" and others like that.
I have a small library of the greatest authors like Capstick and so on. Death in the tall grass is one that I've read several times.
Outdoor life magazine, Sports Afield, NAHC.
That is how I learned. I could go on I guess, But, won't bore you with it.
We changed our minds and decided to go a 4am instead of tonight. No need to get there at midnight. We will get there around 9am and have a good hunt for the day.
I downloaded maps for the walk-in areas where we are going, and I'm totally impressed with how many acres are involved where the public can go. The maps even give the type of game that a hunter might expect to encounter while there. I highlighted the areas on the maps where pheasant and quail were both reported to be available, so we can use that for a guide. I'm pumped...hope its not a bust.
I downloaded maps for the walk-in areas where we are going, and I'm totally impressed with how many acres are involved where the public can go. The maps even give the type of game that a hunter might expect to encounter while there. I highlighted the areas on the maps where pheasant and quail were both reported to be available, so we can use that for a guide. I'm pumped...hope its not a bust.
My hunt got put off a week because my buddy that owns the land thinks it will be too muddy and there is a chance for more rain tomorrow and he does not want to chance getting stuck out there. Hope it is dry next week.
sounds like fun....I am trying to get a trip put together myself!
Well how did you do?
waiting on my pics to download....
We got there a little late as they shut down the highway N of Witchita for whatever reason and we had to detour.
Checked into the motel at Wa Keeney Ks, and looked for a place to get a license. Local gunshop was a wealth of info as he deer hunted but did not bird hunt. He circled the walk-in areas that he deer hunted and saw pheasant.
WIND SPEED 30MPH with gusts to 40.
Hit the first area with Tom, and myself +3 dogs in shoulder and higher CRP grass next to a creek.
Walked 1/2 mile to where the creek turned, and formed a natural block, but the birds started getting up 70-100 yds away from us. I broke into a run, and managed to make a hail mary shot, but not a feather one. Probably 40 birds. Most hens. 6-8 cocks.
Hit two more WIHA's with no birds. Went to the next, and made the 1/2 mile walk to the end , and found another waterway to the north, and found tons of footprints, and lots of empty hulls. Got the the brushy end and jumped a covey of quail. Tom got one, my opportunity was too low over the dogs, so it was a no shoot for me.
Hit one more area, and we ran out of daylight. Saw two groups of mule deer does at around 1/2 mile. they are sure spooky.
1500 people in the whole county, one restaurant. Really nice place but really busy as the food was great! My buddy Tom is a salesman for machine tool spindle repair, and within 10 minutes of going in to the restaurant, he engaged two guys about bird hunting and in an hour we exchanged phone #'s, and got an invite to hunt ones 1500 acres, and the others 1000, this coming fall.
Next morning we were on the road to Morland Ks, and found an elderly gentleman with a flat, and helped him change it. He wanted to pay us, but we declined, and he saw we were hunters, and offered us a quarter section of his to hunt on. Jumped all over it and made it to the next county west, and kicked the dogs out in an old family farm home place with tumbleweeds and lots of brush.
Right at the end, Gunner went on a rock solid point.
Toms dog was to my right, and he pointed. A rooster popped up out of the grass, but again it was too low to take a shot.
Two roosters came up at my feet, and at 25' one died, and at 35' the second died with the 16ga. Really exciting 30 seconds
We got a phone call from some friends late fri evening from PC that made it up to hunt with us Sat and Sunday, so we went back to the motel to meet them.
Sat Morning, we hit three WIHA's with no luck. No birds. Sat afternoon, we decided we needed to hit the big areas that are a square mile or more, and focus on the interior of those, as lots of hunters hit the road side areas, and don't want to walk 1 or 2 miles for a bird. We started out in shoulder high CRP grass, to knee high and made the 1/2 mile line, circled around that area several times with pheasant tracks all over the ground, and got nothing up. Suspect they were in the cut corn field to the side.
Lots of huge snow drifts all over, with the ground frozen 1" below the surface. The surface is like walking on snot.
Tom (6 months off of open heart surgery) drove around the section and waited for us
Late Sat evening on the last area along a creek, we decided it looked like quality quail habitat, and hit it. Got up one covey, of 10 birds, and I shot one.
Sat night in this 150 yr old saloon/restaurant, we went in to eat, and there was a fancy table set up by the front door, with several people standing around it, and we asked our waitstaff what it was, and she didn't know. She went over to ask and found out this place is a pit stop for the TV reality show, Amazing race. The lady at the table got several calls on the cell phone, and left. Must have been a delayin filming or something, so if anybody watches this and sees it we were there.
Sunday morning Tom was hurting pretty bad, but said he would go back to the private area we hunted the day before. I left gunner in the truck, getting out as a blocker, and he went to the other side and kicked his pointer and Britt out. They came toward me and the roosters tried to come out of the cedars, but went back in, seeing me. As the dogs got closer everything just exploded with 30+ hens coming up, along with 5 or so Roosters. Only one was close enough to shoot, and the 16 finished him off. Problem was, we had 40mph straight winds with gusts higher. Sucked. especially at 18 degrees.
First off you have to take enough shells
[Broken External Image]
Our 1 mile+ walk
[Broken External Image]
Our road hunting buddies walking back after the 1 mile drive
First two pheasants
We found an immature eagle dead in a field. It was close to a road with a high line on the other side. maybe it hit the high lines? We didn't know and left it as it was found. It was 18 degrees this morning, and there was a coating of frost on the magnificent bird, but this the the pic I got.
This is a pic of the last bird taken Sunday morn. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time, as the three pheasant were taken by me. Tom did get one quail, and I got a quail but didn't get pics of them. I tried to get Gunner to sit next to me like a great family photo, but it didn't happen.....Get a pheasant this close to him and I was no longer in charge.
Checked into the motel at Wa Keeney Ks, and looked for a place to get a license. Local gunshop was a wealth of info as he deer hunted but did not bird hunt. He circled the walk-in areas that he deer hunted and saw pheasant.
WIND SPEED 30MPH with gusts to 40.
Hit the first area with Tom, and myself +3 dogs in shoulder and higher CRP grass next to a creek.
Walked 1/2 mile to where the creek turned, and formed a natural block, but the birds started getting up 70-100 yds away from us. I broke into a run, and managed to make a hail mary shot, but not a feather one. Probably 40 birds. Most hens. 6-8 cocks.
Hit two more WIHA's with no birds. Went to the next, and made the 1/2 mile walk to the end , and found another waterway to the north, and found tons of footprints, and lots of empty hulls. Got the the brushy end and jumped a covey of quail. Tom got one, my opportunity was too low over the dogs, so it was a no shoot for me.
Hit one more area, and we ran out of daylight. Saw two groups of mule deer does at around 1/2 mile. they are sure spooky.
1500 people in the whole county, one restaurant. Really nice place but really busy as the food was great! My buddy Tom is a salesman for machine tool spindle repair, and within 10 minutes of going in to the restaurant, he engaged two guys about bird hunting and in an hour we exchanged phone #'s, and got an invite to hunt ones 1500 acres, and the others 1000, this coming fall.
Next morning we were on the road to Morland Ks, and found an elderly gentleman with a flat, and helped him change it. He wanted to pay us, but we declined, and he saw we were hunters, and offered us a quarter section of his to hunt on. Jumped all over it and made it to the next county west, and kicked the dogs out in an old family farm home place with tumbleweeds and lots of brush.
Right at the end, Gunner went on a rock solid point.
Toms dog was to my right, and he pointed. A rooster popped up out of the grass, but again it was too low to take a shot.
Two roosters came up at my feet, and at 25' one died, and at 35' the second died with the 16ga. Really exciting 30 seconds
We got a phone call from some friends late fri evening from PC that made it up to hunt with us Sat and Sunday, so we went back to the motel to meet them.
Sat Morning, we hit three WIHA's with no luck. No birds. Sat afternoon, we decided we needed to hit the big areas that are a square mile or more, and focus on the interior of those, as lots of hunters hit the road side areas, and don't want to walk 1 or 2 miles for a bird. We started out in shoulder high CRP grass, to knee high and made the 1/2 mile line, circled around that area several times with pheasant tracks all over the ground, and got nothing up. Suspect they were in the cut corn field to the side.
Lots of huge snow drifts all over, with the ground frozen 1" below the surface. The surface is like walking on snot.
Tom (6 months off of open heart surgery) drove around the section and waited for us
Late Sat evening on the last area along a creek, we decided it looked like quality quail habitat, and hit it. Got up one covey, of 10 birds, and I shot one.
Sat night in this 150 yr old saloon/restaurant, we went in to eat, and there was a fancy table set up by the front door, with several people standing around it, and we asked our waitstaff what it was, and she didn't know. She went over to ask and found out this place is a pit stop for the TV reality show, Amazing race. The lady at the table got several calls on the cell phone, and left. Must have been a delayin filming or something, so if anybody watches this and sees it we were there.
Sunday morning Tom was hurting pretty bad, but said he would go back to the private area we hunted the day before. I left gunner in the truck, getting out as a blocker, and he went to the other side and kicked his pointer and Britt out. They came toward me and the roosters tried to come out of the cedars, but went back in, seeing me. As the dogs got closer everything just exploded with 30+ hens coming up, along with 5 or so Roosters. Only one was close enough to shoot, and the 16 finished him off. Problem was, we had 40mph straight winds with gusts higher. Sucked. especially at 18 degrees.
First off you have to take enough shells
[Broken External Image]
Our 1 mile+ walk
[Broken External Image]
Our road hunting buddies walking back after the 1 mile drive
First two pheasants
We found an immature eagle dead in a field. It was close to a road with a high line on the other side. maybe it hit the high lines? We didn't know and left it as it was found. It was 18 degrees this morning, and there was a coating of frost on the magnificent bird, but this the the pic I got.
This is a pic of the last bird taken Sunday morn. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time, as the three pheasant were taken by me. Tom did get one quail, and I got a quail but didn't get pics of them. I tried to get Gunner to sit next to me like a great family photo, but it didn't happen.....Get a pheasant this close to him and I was no longer in charge.
Awesome Dennis, thanks for the pics and the story. That's getting to be more rare, getting hunting permission from folks you just met.
I wanna go next time!
I wanna go next time!
