It was August of 2010 and the Setters and I had just finished an evening run scouting for birds when we drove by an old farmstead. I had hunted an area across the road from this place for a few years but had never seen anyone around. The cover we hunted was 320 acres of rolling CRP which held both Pheasants and Sharptail. We'd even see an occasional covey of Huns in this area as well. It was a favorite place for the Setters and I as it always held birds. Big and open with plenty of room for them to run and surf the wind. It was often tough to pin down birds in such a large area but the challenge is what made it so exciting. Seeing the dog's come to a point on birds after a long stalk here was priceless.
As I drove by I noticed two vehicles parked in front of the farmhouse and decided to turn around and find out who owned this place. Over the years of hunting around here I had admired this set up and wondered about buying it. I parked in the driveway and got out walking towards the house. The first thing that caught my eye was the Wisconsin license plates on the trucks. Then a guy came out of the house with a beer in his hand as I approached. I said hello and introduced myself to Don a Wisconsin native who greeted me with a smile and a firm handshake quickly followed by 'Wanna beer?" The next half hour was spent enjoying a beer with Don and his hunting partner Allan who gave me the tour and history of their place as well as how they ended up hunting in North Dakota. They had the place fixed up pretty nice and it even came with an old upright piano that sat in the front room. Don said none of them knew how to play piano but after a few beers someone always tried! Both guys were in they're 50's and were primarily waterfowlers having hunted the Tuttle area for years before moving farther south when they purchased this old farmstead and four acres for twenty thousand dollars a few years ago. When they explained they hunted with a group of about 8 family members I was not excited but understanding they were primarily passionate about waterfowling I felt a little better. This area was a place I spent a fair amount of time during the season and a "gang" of eight could really do some damage in short order. And from what I could tell these guys were pretty serious hunters as well as beer drinkers! Anyway I enjoyed the hospitality of these friendly hunters both Wisconsin natives and had to laugh to myself about the beer drinking and loud talking personalities. Just like back home!
From that point on I always refered to that place as the " Beer Drinkers". While I did see vehicles there the past 3 seasons at times I never did run into them again in the field or otherwise. That was just fine with me. I did however hear them shooting a mile north of where I hunted birds around a large pothole several times. But knowing they did hunt upland birds I always hunted that section during the first week of resident Pheasant season. It's a great place for pointing dog's and it bothered me to think of a "gang" of hunters walking through it just shooting up the birds. While it is legal my issue is that I don't believe it's ethical. Definitely not "Fair Chase".
It was the first week of November 2011 that I decided to make a run here with Molly. I hadn't shot any Sharptail here and thought it would be a challenge to try and locate the birds that used this area. They were always here someplace and in pretty good numbers but with sunflowers a primary crop this year bordering this half section of CRP it had been difficult to catch them out of the crop fields. I had seen a covey sitting on some round bales of wheat straw a few days ago on the west edge of this area. My strategy on this morning was to run the edges thinking we could possibly find the Sharptail before they went out to feed in the crop fields.
Molly and I started on the east end working west into the light wind right at sun up. We were moving along the south side with soybean stubble across the road. We had gone about a quarter mile when Molly suddenly eased up slowly with her head up looking straight ahead. I knew we had birds ahead. I approached Molly now rigid and walked by her slowly but nothing was moving. I walked farther now 30 feet ahead of her still standing with her head high. I knew this probably meant the birds were quite a ways ahead and sure enough they flushed all of 40 yards ahead. A full covey of 10 Sharptail. I fired twice missing both times! I watched as the birds arced to the northwest corner of the section until they were over a rise and out of sight. While I was standing there reloading another covey rose to the right of Molly about 30 yards out of range! This was another group of 8 birds that headed north as well. I was glad we had found them and Molly had done a good job of not pushing them.
We circled around to the northwest edge of the run planning to come through along the top of a ridge in the field a favorite place for these birds. The cover there is sparse and on the highest point which is a typical Sharptail preference. I was hoping at least some of those birds might have landed there. As soon as we got to this flat area on top Molly was birdy and came on point around an area of taller grass around this more open cover. I noticed her head was looking right into the grass which meant she was close to the bird and as I walked right up to her was thinking this must be a pheasant as the bird was holding unlike a typical spooky Sharptail. I walked ahead of her a couple steps and kicked the grass. To my surprise a pair of Sharptail exploded straight into the air and after collecting myself I fired on the first bird missing then shot again at the other bird to my left missing again! It was a beautiful sight and I admit I was caught by surprise when these birds held for the flush catching me off guard. I imagined Molly saying " I thought we had a deal here?"
Well we continued on my thought being there might be more of those birds in this area. It wasn't a few moments later that Molly had circled around this spot and was on point again. It was a perfect setting. Bright sun. Crisp temperatures and a light breeze. I walked ahead to her 30 yards to the east and again walked right in. It was another double! I shot and again missed the first bird but connected on the second as it arced to my right. What a moment as Molly retrieved our bird. Great job once again! I felt somewhat relieved having finally put a bird in the bag but was still feeling the need to redeem myself considering the performance Molly was putting on for me.
This high area in the run was quite large and we hadn't covered even half of it so we continued working it with Molly casting about back to the south. We had gone a couple hundred yards when she became birdy again and was making her way towards me from a hundred and fifty yards out when she locked up again. I picked up the pace running to her and got within range again walking right in to her facing to the north. This time a full covey flushed heading north and east. I picked out a bird flying straight east and it fell with one report from my Gold Label! That's how we do that I thought as I congratulated Molly once again putting our second bird in the bag.
The run gradually flattens out to the east so I thought since some of those birds had gone that way we'd head back that direction since we had parked on that end as well. Molly would have to manage the wind which was coming from the west and now at our backs but she was doing fine as she made casts out ahead of me. I had been running my Setters with Garmin tracking collars for the past two years so I just let them run freely. My pups have always been good about checking back so when they'd get out of sight I'd just check my Garmin and head that way if they didn't come around. I can't say enough about how that innovation has enhanced our experience in the field allowing the dog's to hunt unencumbered.
As I approached the east edge of this ridge just where it falls off I had lost sight of Molly for a few moments. After checking my Garmin it indicated she was 110 yards north east of me. On point! I hurried in that direction and slowed up as I came to the edge of this high ground. I then stood there trying to see if I could find her not wanting to stumble across her in the grass spooking the bird. I moved ahead a little farther and she caught my eye pointing uphill 30 yards to my left. I once again slowly moved right to her and a single Sharptail flew low and straight ahead uphill in the direction we had just hunted. I let the bird get out a ways and fired as it tumbled in the tall grass against the hillside. Molly was quick to locate our third bird and laid down now winded as we took a moment to take it all in.
I knew I had run Molly pretty hard but she continued to work birds all the way back to the Jeep pointing a few Hen Pheasants along the way. This had been a great run. So unusual that the birds held like they did today late in the season for Sharptail anyway. As I mentioned I shoot very few birds from this population every year as they are so hard to pin down with the area being so big. The points on the doubles were beautiful as the birds rose high in full profile before turning with the wind. Another " Morning with Molly" I'll never forget! Tom called me later that day to check on how we had done. When I told him about Molly's great performance on the Sharptail and my poor shooting he said "Where was that at?" "Over by the Beer Drinkers" I replied.
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