# Cattails



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Thought I'd make a quick hunt yesterday before the Holiday shut things down. Sam and I tried a big cattail that is part of a WPA with some excellent uplands around it. Unfortunately there is still much corn standing so the birds are roosting in the grass and head for the corn first thing in the morning. They don't appear to come out of the corn until late evening. Without snow it is difficult for me to assess bird numbers.

So this was my main view yesterday.










As we crossed a deep ravine a nice rooster flushed up the other side, high in the air with his back toward us. I clobbered that sucker and he fell like a bag of rocks, actually bouncing off the frozen ground. Even heard him thump. No hurry to get there as Sam was on the way. I crossed the ice and climbed to the other side but no Sam and no bird. Damn it. Sam only retrieves if there is another dog along or if it lands in water. He will kill a crip and wait by the bird for me but if I'm slow getting there he will leave it and start hunting again. As I looked around old Sam was in hot pursuit of the rooster and they both disappeared into the corn. In about 5 minutes he was back with a couple feathers stuck to his lips. So, lost that one. The rest of the hunt was quick points in high wind with the birds sliding out and running for Nebraska. Didn't see another soul in the field.


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## brobones (Mar 10, 2004)

Great story and fantastic picture. Don't get much better than that right there as you are in the thick of things with the birds.Thanks for posting up all of your stories and pictures. :beer:


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## ChukarBob (Sep 4, 2006)

We got a lot of birds out of cattails and other insualating cover on our trip, esp. after the weather got cold and snowy. Remy, my 8 year old Lab, has really come to love rooting the birds out of cattails. And she made some great "saves" on birds I managed to cripple that tried to elude her in cattails. Can't imagine hunting pheasants without a good dog, esp. a dog that can make up for my poor shooting by following up on runners. She isn't always aggressive in subduing birds and retrieving them to hand, but she will "park" herself over a crippled bird and make sure it stays put until I grab it. Imagine if she had had a better trainer, this wouldn't be a problem.


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