# Opener Weekend 2012



## Dick Monson

The 2 of us were walking alfalfa fields by 7:30 this morning. Not many pictures as the wind was ripping and made for hard hunting too. But cool so you needed a jacket. We parked on the end of a hay field and walked it in a loop. Sam got on a hen phez that flushed 2 young grouse out of range. They were the only birds we saw on the first loop. As we were walking back about 50 yds from the truck, Sammer locked up. The #%^&^ wind was coming right from the truck to him, so you knew where the birds were going to fly. And 6 grouse did. Right past my truck. Must have been there the whole time. My partner rolled one that peeled off on the side and I missed 2 of the easiest shots that ever happened as the last bird rose between Sam and I. What a confidence builder. :eyeroll:

We switched the dogs on every other walk and that seemed to work very well. Always had a rested dog and there was none of that BS competition between them. In the last field Duke crowded a point and flushed 10, but they didn't fly far. We were able to get on both sides of the covey and we filled. And my legs were glad of it. The dogs worked better today than they have on the other openers. Only 2 errors, 5 points on grouse, 3 on phez, and 1 on a rail and what it was doing in an alfalfa field is beyond me. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be perfect, cool and calm. I hate to go, but think I will.


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## ChukarBob

Excellent start on the season! Congratulations!


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## Dick Monson

Yesterday we saw 3 other rigs. Sunday, I saw none. Went back into the same type of alfalfa fields but saw far fewer birds. It was warmer today so maybe they moved over to row crop for the shade? Duke came around a hilltop and had a good point but I couldn't get up there fast enough. If the birds move he will "relocate" and they're gone. As I stood there cussing he came back and went on point again. Perfect flush, except someone forgot to load his gun when he got out of the truck. 

That grouse sailed down into a draw by a fenceline and I didn't see it come out the other side so we were right after it. Duke got a point by the fence and I told him to "bust 'em" and he put up a covey huns instead. Got 1 and then a late riser. A bit farther on a single flushed and that made 3. No grouse for the day.










Tired dog. Slept all the way home.


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## Duckslayer100

Great report on what looks like a worthwhile opener! I'll take a few sharpies and huns any day of the week.

Looks like ol' Duke was put through his paces. I gotta find time to get Remy out here in the next couple weeks...


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## Britman

It was great to see the bird numbers way up from last year.


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## Dick Monson

Britman said:


> It was great to see the bird numbers way up from last year.


Yes, it is a big improvement. Different guys that hunt other places are saying the same thing. A friend and I were out today and saw about 2 dozen where last year we saw 3 total in 2 trips. I only had Sam along this morning. He is 8 and has great experiance. But it was as if he had never seen a grouse in his life. With only 1 exception, a great point, he busted every bird possible. Flushed them wild. Chased them to China. Some days are nuts.

:run:


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## Britman

know the feeling...my 11 yr old Brit does the same crap some days, really frustrating when my 1.5 yr old PP out performs the old vet.

I saw more birds this last weekend then I did all of last year....too bad I can't take off the rest of the month.


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## Springer

I was able to make it out Sunday afternoon for a walk in 3 fields with my son, we met up with a friend at about 3:30, who was out hunting the whole day and he had only seen one bird until he met up with us. We found about 10 in the first field and my buddy shot a double, my son got one and I missed one. The next field we put up two which I shot one and the last field we were in had a covey of about 20 fly up out of the adjacent stubble field and land out in the middle of the field we were in. We walked to where they landed but I thought they were a bit further away when my dog skirted a little cattail slough on the up wind side and as soon as she stopped they flushed and I was about 40 yds behind and not expecting them there but a little further up on the side of the hill and I popped off one fleeting shot and missed. We did manage one on the way out of this field so it was a really good day for us. My 1 yr old springer retrieved both of the birds that my son and I shot.


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## Dick Monson

Springer, you had a good run. Nothing beats taking a kid and a pup. I often wonder when the birds land like that if they don't relocate just a bit to throw off predators. Seems to me they are often farther up the field than where I saw them land, especially if there is time lag.

Got out for a while today and saw these guys.



















Duke needed some gentle remedial education and then the hunt smoothed out. His idea of a retrieve though is plucking one feather at a time.










The old master was about too. Interesting to watch him work the cover. I squeaked him to turn him around.


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## Duckslayer100

Nice pics Dick! Looks like ol' Duke needs a lesson in force fetch :wink: Or did you train him to pluck the birds for you? Because if that's the case...I need to teach Remy to do that, too!


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## Sask hunter

Good way to start :thumb:


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## Bobm

You guys are blessed to live up there

DIck those dogs of yours are big .


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## blhunter3

Damn, I need to teach my dog how to pluck the birds!


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## 94NDTA

Bobm said:


> You guys are blessed to live up there


I try telling people this all the time.


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## kingcanada

Teaching them to pluck is easier than you think. Just make the mistake I made nearly 13 years ago when my dog was a pup. I gave her a wing in her kennel when I put her to bed each night. I thought it would cultivate an interest in birds. Problem is it taught her that birds were for plucking! Oops. She still fetches anything, except birds. I suppose I can live with that, she does the rest very well. I won't make the same mistake next year, when I get her an "assistant".
Dick, I see you shooting what appears to be a Beretta BL-3. I have one too, although it looks a little different due to my personal alterations. It is still one of my favorites. Do you have trouble with the trigger guard beating your middle finger up? Some of the old Beretta's were bad for that, but it easy to re-profile the trigger guard. Takes less than a minute if you know the trick. Makes for a little more graceful look too.


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## Dick Monson

kc, I love that gun, don't even shoot the rest of them anymore. It's a 20, right at 6 lbs with the sling. I bought it used for my wife years ago. The stock had been chopped for a kid so I just added a slip-on pad and it fits me perfect.

Don't know if you fellows have been out lately but this HOT WEATHER is kicking my azz. I'd sooner work than hunt when it gets like this. The other day I walked across a hayed field that had not a single green blade of grass or even weeds. Looking behind I could see every track just like walking through snow. I kid you not, a coyote took off across a hay field and left a dust trail like the cartoon. This season could have been one of the last great ones but it doesn't look that way now.


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