# Thanksgiving Trips?



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Hope you fellows get out during this nice run of weather and long weekend. Post some pictures too when you get back here. Both of my dogs are are on sick leave for awhile so I'm home bound until they heal up. :******:


----------



## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

Sorry to hear that Dick. It sucks when the dog's aren't well. Hope they turn the corner before too long (and without any costly vet bills).

I'll be out Sunday for sure. I've been watching this forecasted Alberta clipper make it's way, so Saturday looks a bit rough for my liking. Hopefully Sunday will be a bit better.


----------



## Springer (Dec 21, 2004)

I got out on Thursday with my son and another friend. We didn't take any pictures but it was sure nice. Ended up with 5 missed a few including one that was pointed in the tree row by my shorthair I walk up and kick around and out pops the rooster and bang, bang, bang there he goes, my son was coming down the fence line over about 100 yards with my buddy posting for him. They come over and ask me if I am taking shooting lessons from Tom Knapp seeing how fast I can shoot but without hitting anything. I guess I got a little excited, although I had already shot one.

I'm sitting in Huron, SD at the Pheasant Inn looking at all the hunting rigs wishing I was here to hunt roosters instead of watching my son play hockey.


----------



## aaron.shippy (Nov 6, 2011)




----------



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Aaron, that is first class. Now there has to be a story with those nice roosters. And a good looking dog too, where'd you get him? Don't be shy, we don't bite and thanks for posting up here.


----------



## Springer (Dec 21, 2004)

I snapped a picture of a big one. While on a trip to SD, too bad it was for hockey. Did talk to a couple guys at the motel and he was saying the birds are way down there. He said that the land he hunts on used to have 3-500 bird flushes and this year they were 30-40 birds.


----------



## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

Well, got out Sunday for some pheasants. Each time I go out, it seems like we see less birds than the previous excursion.
My uncle, a good friend and myself hunted sunrise to darn near sunset and bagged two birds. It was dismal. Should have had one more, but that was about it. 
Highlight may have been the weather. Boy, if it could be mid-30s with a slight breeze until January, I'd be one happy camper. Talk about ideal conditions!
We did witness some excellent dog work. The GWPs are brothers, and are just 18 months old. Here's a picture of my dog, Remy, backing my buddy's dog, Asic:










After the first spot was a bust (well, not a total bust, we did flush about a half dozen hens) our next spot was a bit better. My uncle walked the edge of a cattail slough as me and my buddy pushed through it with our dogs. I meandered my way to a little berm where I had an advantage point. Wouldn't you know it, my buddy flushes a rooster right at me, and I toast it on the second shot. It landed out on the ice, and Remy was on it in a second. I can definitely tell his progression from the beginning of the year. There was no hesitation in this retrieve. He got to the bird, grabbed it, brought it back to me, heeled, and plopped it in my hand. Force fetching pays dividends!

I always seem to stumble across some ancient piece of farming history while I'm out and about. Whether its an old dump site with ancient cans of beer, or this little gem I found in the middle of Sunday's slough. It was on a small outcrop of grass. Made me wonder what else the dense vegetation hid. Pretty neat. I had to snap a picture:










We hunted two more spots, and I wound up with the group's second rooster, as well. Remy got super birdy in a small piece of cattails. He was stopping, then moving, then stopping, then moving. About 20 yards out the rooster flushed, and I had about a millisecond to react before it was out of view. Luckily, the shot connected, and Remy got to make another great retrieve.

But that was about it for action. Except for a rooster that flushed behind my buddy and that we all collectively missed, birds were few and far between. The final spot yielded some more hens, and a couple very jumpy roosters, but that was it for us. As I said, compared to years passed, this one is markedly different when considering bird numbers. But some birds are better than no birds, and I'd rather spend an entire day tromping through the outdoors than inside watching TV or completing a growing honey-do list. I'm looking forward to a bit of snow for our next foray, but a guy sure could get used to this weather. Season goes until January, so you can bet I'll be out a few more times before then:


----------



## Rick Acker (Sep 26, 2002)

No new information here, but I can confirm how the SE has fallen on hard times. Made it out there for the first time. In places where we used to see a hundred...We would see 10 to 20. In places where we would used to see a dozen, we would see one or two. Down 70 to 80% in my area for sure. Still managed to scratch out a limit one day and a few the next two days. Know it was bad, because I spent 1/2 my time duck hunting. On the plus side, some new CRP up in my area and enough hens to replenish the population if this dry and warm weather hangs on.


----------



## indsport (Aug 29, 2003)

Agree. Made a half day hunt on Friday with a friend who has hunted here since the 1960's and saw but 5 hens and 4 roosters hunting four different areas, got one rooster. Sunday, fired no shots at all. I did get 2 out of three I saw the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, but it took a 3 hour walk to get them. I feel worst for my dog as I can have a hunt, flush birds and never fire a shot by choice and be happy. She has 7 years of experience and is as bewildered as me with the drop in bird numbers. She will recognize a place we have been before, gets all excited and then after and hour or so wonder where they all went.


----------



## ashcreek (Dec 1, 2011)

First season for the new pup. Havn't made it to ND this year, but have been getting a few in MN. Alot of walking between birds though. This is my first springer, pretty cool when he gets on one . The tail really starts to going.


----------



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Good job. Those springer pups always look like they're raring to go. Sam gets off the bench middle of next week so I hope to get some hunting in yet.


----------



## Bagman (Oct 17, 2002)

Nice photos. Good to see there are still a few out there.


----------



## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

Good for you.Love seeing a good dog work.


----------



## D_Hage (Nov 10, 2004)

Late reply, but I got out with my nephew and got him his first rooster. We ended up with two for the day, saw plenty more but he was forgetting his safety on and we lost two cripples in a huge chunk of cattails. overall good day but I hate losing birds. All we hunted was PLOTS


----------

