A day in the corn field

The corn has been cut and chance is in my favor because I'm lucky enough to catch it in the transition mode between waist high stubble...and being plowed. Farmers around here don't leave the fields in prime pheasant hunting condition long. Also unfortunately there is no snow. So going by yourself and your gun dog in these conditions is mostly an effort in futility.  There is always some missed corn though which is why the pheasants are still hanging around.

The best way to hunt this kind of cover is to push them from one side of the field to the other and have a blocker to keep them from running out of the field. Roosters love to run...and boy can they. If you are ever privy to seeing a king on the run you'll see why your usually left in the dust. I could hear them cackling and even saw them relocate a few times. We worked the areas where we saw them and Kati got their scent but they were no where to be found...ghosts in corn stubble.

It was a good morning hunt even though we came out of it empty handed. Wiley Rooster wins again.

Opening day 2011

The anticipation and the sleepless nights were finally over, opening day of chukar season was here. When I awoke from slumber and stammered out of bed my game vest was full, it was weighing me down in fact, or maybe I was just really tired still.  Dreams of feathers were still floating through my head. Dawn was a few hours away.

I had made a plan to hunt a new area based on my pre-hunt scouting in Google Earth and using my land use maps from Hunting GPS Maps. It was still pitch black out but my GPS said I was where I was supposed to be, so I parked the rig. There were a few sets of headlights coming up the road so I was thankful I got there early, they continued past probably on route to their secret honey hole.

After I got Kati out and put her boots on we headed out.  Luck was in our favor as it was overcast with a slight breeze blowing which helped keep it cool, and gave us a good chance of scenting some birds.  Still it was around 50 degrees out, which was pretty warm for 6 in the morning. I could see the silhouette of the ridge I had scouted. Trust your dog...trust your GPS...in that order, was there doubt in my mind?  A little, but this helped build confidence for the rest of the day. We dropped down into a dry creek bed, then started up a finger towards the distant ridge, it wouldn't be too bad, less then 1000-ft elevation gain.  I didn't see one bird for the first 1 1/2 miles, but I ran across this little guy.  He was only a couple feet long but he had the backbone of a full grown bull snake and stood his ground.

We moved on and let him to his business.  Finally getting into some birds I learned my shooting left something to be desired, pretty sure I should have hit the trap club a few times before the opener.  Kati was working hard as it started to warm up.  We were getting into huns and chukars, and they were all the way up on top were it was the coolest.  Some intermittent cool showers helped revive us as we pushed forward.

We kept working along the top of the ridge till the clouds broke and the sun started showing it's ugly mug.  We found a nice spot to take a break before we headed back.  Tranquility was the word the best describes the feeling as we sat there gazing out into the hills.  Up atop the world with no one in sight, no signs of civilization, no sounds of the hectic world I left behind a few short hours ago.  This is what makes all the hard work worth it.  To revel in something that few will experience.

We started back along the ridge from which we'd came, and headed down into the draw. It was a great first day of the season, we tested our stamina, our patience, and our trust in each other.