| We selected this upland bird hunter's testimonial to be up front for several reasons. The first is that Carl is a bit of a celebrity as he travels further than any other upland bird hunter in the Association coming all the way from Maine and doing so twice a year for a good number of years. He finds value in the central mid-west quail and pheasant regions that adds to his home state grouse and woodcock hunting. The next reason is that he gives blunt and factual accounts of his hunts describing that the hunt is certainly good enough to return each year and tough enough to be a true wild bird hunt. His illustration is that while we all seek bird limits each day the value of the hunt is greater than that one aspect. Thank you Carl for the great feedback. John: Here's a quick summary: Iowa was a disappointment mostly because much of the corn was still standing in the areas we wanted to hunt. Got only a couple of pheasants and had much better luck on quail. Kansas was pretty good. Found lots of pheasants but Greg's dog was a little too aggressive and pushed most birds too hard - ended up flushing beyond shooting range. In many cases we were putting up 15-20 birds at a time in various covers. My dog (after some initial wildness) was too cautious on pheasants and we had lots of pointing that resulted in birds moving way out in front. We did get a few roosters but unfortunately most shootable birds were hens. My dog was exceptionally good on a number of quail finds and I wish I had focused more on quail. Greg really wanted pheasants. We scrubbed the hunting in Missouri because of the lousy weather at end of trip. Overall we still had a pretty good trip and are already discussing next year. I'm planning to head back to KS/MO sometime after New Years weekend depending on weather conditions. I can be very flexible and have a window from beginning of Jan. through the 18th. Greg probably can't make it because his father is terminally ill and not likely to survive the next few months. Here are a few pictures. More to follow. Carl
A value point of the dog on point pictures from many hunters shows a great variance in dog power. Comparing pictures to habitat to one's own dogs will quickly show that some dogs have more or less capability within any one specific habitat type and bird.
Mixed bag hunts are certainly attractive making for a more enjoyable day. Carl is a high risk traveling bird hunter having but one dog.
The dog on point is the dark spot in the lower left of the picture. Even in what many consider open terrain birds will be found. This appears to be a grassed waterway cutting through a crop field. |
