First Snow

It's October 22nd and as I let the Setters out at 6 a.m. I'm surprised by an inch of snow covering the ground. A couple things go through my mind. First of all I'm glad I had just finished repairing my chain link fence in the back yard the day before but more importantly I knew this would be a great day to be in the field bird hunting! I'd run Beau of course because I planned on covering some ground today and when I saw the snow I knew exactly where I'd head. The hill country. This is an area where I hunt a quarter section of grass and heavy cover then swing to the south into some beautiful rolling hills in pursuit of sharptail grouse.

I rushed through my morning coffee getting my gear together and the Jeep set up with everything I'd need for the day. On days like this it's like a reflex. Grab the gear load the dog and go! So we did. While the sun was still trying to peak through the clouds we were on the road headed for our destination. Beau's been doing a fantastic job for me. I've been running him every other day as he'll be 11 in January. Giving him a break seems to be helping him maintain his weight. He just covers so much ground he can get run down pretty quick. I was excited to run him in the hill country as it's such a sight to see him against that scenery coming to point on the hilltops like a statue against the landscape. That's what makes me walk for miles in these hills hoping to see this dog setting a covey of grouse just one more time.

We arrived with a few minutes to sun up as I gathered myself and turned on Beau's GPS collar. We'd be running in some heavy grass to the east first covering some cattail waterways along the way hoping to see some roosters or sharptail on the edges. That reminds me of a famous quote from my friend Bernie Weigel still hard at it in his 70's " The pheasant is an edge bird" he'd remind us as we traveled together listening to A.M. radio on the way to our destinations. Another famous quote was "We can hunt here" as he dropped us off for runs. Sometimes that was true and sometimes it was not! Today Beau and I started our run in a quarter section of a federal waterfowl production area so no worries about trespassing like the old days. Frankly the public access is one of the things that drew me to this country many years ago. As Beau and I move east I can see paths deer have made in the light snow covered grass brushing it off as they made their way. We worked from south to north into the wind heading for the edge of a bean field. Upon approach a full covey of 10 sharptail flush ahead of us from around a small set of bushes on a knoll. A good sign I think as I watch them circle around over the adjacent section of beans. This area holds a good population of sharptail but I hadn't seen them in a while and suspected they were living around the shallow sloughs within these crop fields. Untouchable until harvest.

We continued along the north fence line along this bean field hoping to find birds in the grass on the edge. A hundred yards ahead I then see a few birds flying into the grass from a circular slough in the bean field. Pheasants. Although at this early hour I couldn't identify hen or roosters. As we moved forward Beau picked up scent and began working the grass casting in a circle then heading south a hundred yards towards a line of cattails along a waterway. I followed along in the cold morning air with snow now lightly falling with a few rain drops as well. He disappears from sight and I stand motionless listening for him moving in front of me but I hear nothing. After a few seconds I check my Garmin GPS and Beau's on point just 15 yards to my right. I choose my path in the cattails trying to catch a glimpse of him as I slowly make my way. Nothing. I check my Garmin again. He's just in front of me. I move a little closer. Finally I see his shoulder in between the cattails locked up on this bird! I move ahead steadily and a hen bursts out of the thick cover! Beau then moves turning back behind me and I lose sight of him again. I just continue in that direction knowing he's just got to be slightly ahead of me and there he is pointing into the cattails right on the edge of the waterway. I move in and another bird busts through the cover. This time it's a nice rooster and I fire dropping the bird in the open water of the slough. I walk toward the bird picking it up then go to reload my 20 gauge sxs when another rooster busts from the same cover! I can only watch as I stand there with my gun open but happy to see the sight on this crisp October morning. Beau comes around and we gather ourselves before continuing on to the east end of this run.

We head back north to the edge of the grass and Beau works a hen running in the grass as I watch him work his magic. Always keeping track of where I'm at he circles continuously trying to cut off this bird. Finally the bird gets between Beau and I and busts wild. We then turn south again toward a large pot hole and I see a Robo duck working in the corner. A couple of waterfowler's signal to me and I wave as we then head away. This changes what we were going to do somewhat so I just thought all right Beau we'll just head for the hills!

We worked more shoreline with cattails on the way moving some ducks for the waterfowlers who banged away as they sat on their asses. These guys had parked their vehicle right on the hill behind them in a section line right of way. Then as we were walking back west to where I wanted to head for the hills I looked to the sky seeing a large group of sharptail that had come from the north out of the bean field. I counted 22 birds as they floated into the hills. A very good sign indeed! I hadn't seen sharptail in numbers in this area all season so far. Last year this population when grouped up was as many as 4 to 5 dozen birds at times. But with poor spring hatching weather I was very glad see these numbers.

We walked on excited by what we had just seen. I put the waterfowlers out of my mind knowing no one else would hunt hose hills like we were about to do. Smaller than the foothills in Montana country we've hunted but challenging just the same. As we circled to the point I wanted to enter the hills I saw the duck hunters driving their truck down to the waters edge to pick up their gear. Great I thought we'll skirt the edge of the pot hole to the south and enter the hills from the east end of this 2 square mile pasture these grouse call home. As we walked this edge Beau got birdy along the way working in and out of the cattails then as we approached where the duck hunter's had been just minutes before he went on a straight line along the edge and I knew what this meant. The bird was running ahead of him. Since my back had been bothering me walking on the uneven ground I decided to not run along for the chance of a shot. I walked along as fast as I could and sure enough a rooster busted wild at 40 yards flying over the water. This is the second time in as many weeks this has happened in the same spot. As I watched this bird fly north across the pot hole I named him the "South Side Rooster". We'll dance another day I thought.

Before heading south into the hills I stopped picking up the trash left behind by the duck hunters. Unbelievable. A big potato chip bag, 2 candy wrappers, and a few spent shells. So long fella's don't come back soon I thought. Assholes! Fucking assholes!

But once in the hills we were in another world it seemed like. The big open country. Having seen multiple birds with a nice rooster in the bag I was ready to play a very different game. Pursuing the Prince of the Prairie. The sharptail grouse. Seeing these birds take to the air in the open cover is just spectacular and presents some rewarding but challenging shooting opportunities. That is if you walk far enough! We walked back a mile or so before turning into the wind heading to the west. The plan was to walk in a diagonal line through the hills letting Beau work the hills and bowls hoping for a point. We had gone about a quarter mile when Beau got birdy approaching the crest of a hill. I quickly caught up to him as he slowly worked to the top and froze with his head high looking west. I walked up to him  and surveyed the landscape ahead realizing he was pointing birds at quite a distance. They had to be somewhere on the next hill I thought. Sure enough As I walked ahead in that direction a large group took flight out of range. What an incredible sight! Beau continued into the scent. I was hoping for stragglers as we approached the area a hundred yards ahead of us but there were none. Beau cautiously worked the area over as there was scent everywhere of course.

Up and down the hills we went to the west. I just love watching this dog in these hills. He's big and lanky but hunts with incredible style never wanting to push birds. I trust him and just let him do his job as we cover ground never stopping as we go up and down again and again. Both cautious as we come to the rise of every hill the preferred resting places of these birds who use sight as their primary defense. When I had looked out from where this large group had flushed I realized we didn't have a chance. They were on the tallest hill around watching our every move I realized as we entered their domain. It was an incredible view from my perspective as well. I thought about the respect I have for these birds as I looked at the world from their vantage point. Amazing I thought to myself how they make their life in these places with a climate that can be quite harsh and unforgiving. Yet they've been here for hundreds of years. The objective is to continue on hoping for a situation where Beau's advantage of scent can even the odds over the sight advantage of the birds. Finally as we approach the west end of the pasture another half mile away Beau goes on point again on the top of a ridge. I can't believe I get to see this image of him again so soon but there he is once again like the Crazy Horse monument looking over the landscape. And again pointing at a  distance I can tell with head held high. As I come even to him another covey of a dozen birds takes off from the fence line a hundred yards ahead out of range but a beautiful sight no less and I'm happy for the moment once again. Then as we descend the ridge into a bowl Beau slows and points again. This is it I thought! My chance at a shot. Sure enough as I cautiously continued forward a single flushed at 40 yards falling with a report from my 20 gauge. I stopped and let Beau work into the scent pointing the bird again. I approached as it fluttered up with Beau pinning it with his paw until I picked it up. Adding the bird to our bag I was thrilled to have seen the birds we'd encountered and having that shot made every step worth the walk.

We were now a half mile from the end of the run and made our way to the road through the grass cutting across the quarter section where we started. When we came to the road I thought well this is as good a place as any to spend our day so I decided to skirt along a half section of corn adding another 3 miles or so to our run but it was such a beautiful morning why not I said as I looked at Beau.

On we went with me walking a grassy section line road. Alfalfa to my left and corn on the right. Beau quickly picked up scent along the corn and pointed among some ragweed but the bird had obviously run out. Odds of a good setup were pretty low here but it's these challenging situations given time that are often times productive in the end. This cat and mouse game continued as we turned the corner walking the back of the corn now bordering a pasture with no birds holding. Beau worked in and out of the corn edge keeping sight of me and me him with my Garmin as we walked along. Then 3/4 of the way on the back side he came to point along an open waterway that had been mowed this year. This was short green cover and I truly didn't know what to expect. As I approached Beau 75 feet ahead of me a sharptail flushed to my left 75 yards ahead along the pasture fence. This bird must have been along the corn moments before where Beau had come to point. I watched as the bird flew a short distance into the pasture hills and thought okay lets head that direction. Crossing yet another fence we both headed west into the pasture. About 200 yards in Beau slowed up and stood into the wind in the open. Looking ahead was a shallow depression with a little water and some soft grassy cover. I had thought the sharptail went a little farther but I slowly walked a couple yards ahead and a full covey of screeching Huns took flight flying right to left! I fired missing my first shot but brought down a bird on the second. What a surprise! Beau picked up our bird and I looked at it for a few moments after taking it from him. Beautiful birds. I then added it to our bag now holding 1 rooster 1 sharptail grouse and 1 Hungarian partridge. An unexpected bag to say the least. Then as always Beau circles the area for scent but this time he gets birdy right away to the west going towards the next ridge. In the excitement of the flush I didn't recall seeing or hearing that sharptail take flight so I thought maybe it could still be in the area. I walk ahead following Beau as he climbs the ridge slowing up as he goes. I'm ready for a flush at anytime knowing the ridge tops are the likely spot the sharptail will flush from but he gets to the top and again strikes a beautiful pose for the third time today to the west with head held high into the wind. I look ahead and realize he's once again pointing to the next hill in front of us. I cautiously move downward and ahead hoping the look outs are just over the rise giving me a chance to approach but I'm busted again just out of range as another group of 18 birds this time take flight across the open pasture hills. I watch again as they go by. What an incredible day I thought thankful for what we had seen and the opportunities we had.

We took the waterway that ran between the corn back to the Jeep a mile and a half away now stopping to rest a couple times with my back reminding me I had walked a few miles beyond my limit. This is what it must be like for old bird hunters I thought as I looked at Beau. The sky had cleared and the sun was in my face. Any discomfort I felt now was diminished by what we had just experienced together this beautiful morning of "First Snow".