From a twist of branches and a few dead
stems, the telltale 'whirr' of quail flushing told me that I
was in the right spot...but the wrong side of a clump of scrubby
trees. One after another, the bobwhites burst out, flying eight
or nine low, straight lines away from me.
Jane, my four-legged partner, was downwind, but a little too
far back to have picked up their scent. In this tangled creek
bed, surrounded by corn stubble, we were both playing dog; poking
into the brush and tall grasses surrounding the ash and elm trees.
No shots, but we could get to work, now.
An hour into the hunt, a single hen pheasant flushing from a
roadside cedar tree was all the excitement we had mustered. Now,
though, we could try to track down a single or two from the covey.
Like last year, unfortunately, this late December hunt was our
season's first outing. I've spent way too much time perched with
my bow the last couple years and as much as she enjoys the woods,
there's still no room in a tree stand for a German shorthair.
But that was past tense. Jane was in 'bird mode'. Though reminding
myself that she is nearly 14 years old, I still get frustrated
when Jane won't dive blindly into a bird-friendly patch of blackberry
canes and brush, just because I point to it. She prefers working
back and forth, just downwind of the inviting tangle. But her
nose knows. With the red-hot scent of just departed quail in
her nose, she had dialed up the intensity to 'red alert'. Which
means, of course, I was wrong and she was right. Again. |
We come across quail about once a year
through this stretch of Cedar County. It's kind of rare, since
quail are rarely found outside southern Iowa. On one property,
the landowner has deemed them off-limits. On this farm, I try
to take one or two a season...and with my lack of practice, that
second one is usually safe.
Jane locked on point four more times. A quail flew. The shot
was high. Another time, one had just vacated the spot, as I hopped
the creek, ahead of her. The last time, the point was rock solid.
Jane held as I circled a deadfall and stepped forward to flush--a
cottontail. Right color. No feathers. Oh well, she's not perfect.
A few minutes later, I proved that I wasn't either. In the last
100 yards before the truck, a rustling underfoot looked like
another rabbit. Until it hit the treetops, cackling. So did the
rooster next to it. One more shot. One more miss. I had stepped
ahead of Jane again.
Each time we hunt late in the season, I ask myself why it took
so long to get out there. Now, that she has me re-educated about
staying closer to her, we will return. At least one more time.
Late Season Hunters Watch for Snow, Cold
Late season hunting. You either love it or ignore it. Most hunters
have packed away their shotguns well before the January 10 close
of Iowa's pheasant season. Cold weather, as well as holiday distractions,
are often the culprits. But that winter cold and nearly empty
fields work in your favor, too. |
Prime ground, tied up with waiting lists of early season
hunters, is often available for the asking. Isolated patches
of heavy cover are focal points now. "The birds were sitting
in the heavier cover," observed Tim Thompson, wildlife biologist
for the five-county Coralville unit of the Department of Natural
Resources. Thompson was hunting with a friend and their two teenage
sons a couple days ago, west of Iowa City. "We weren't finding
them in the (knee high) brome grass. A lot of that had been knocked
down earlier with wet, heavy snow. In the heavier weedy areas,
they had more running room. We'd see them going out ahead of
us, 100 yards away."
A few splotches of snow still dotted the hillside then: like
other hunters, they will be watching the forecast over the next
week, rooting for more. "(With mild conditions), the birds
are wild. They've been chased all season long. It is tougher
to move in close on them," Thompson laments. "If we
get another fresh snow, though, it will make it interesting to
go at it again."
And for those pockets of quail (basically southern Iowa) and
partridge (mostly central through north and northwest Iowa),
shooting doesn't end until January 31. Diehard fans of squirrel
hunting have until then, too. Late season rabbit hunters have
an extra day this year, until Leap Day, February 29. "For
quail, you especially want to hunt close to their food sources,"
suggests Thompson. "Standing sorghum or open fields with
some waste grain are excellent for finding quail in cold weather
and snow. They feed more heavily, to maintain body heat if it
turns cold."
Interested in back issues of Bird
Dog & Retriever News?
They are all online at www.Bdarn.com
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