# Quick Hunt



## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Was out this morning in the storm for an hour zipping around the cattails. The ice seemed ok but wasn't over deep water. I worked Gus and Duke along the edge next to a harvested corn field. Nothing in the corn and no tracks showing.









So we headed out farther into the cats, thinking the birds might be hunkered down. My old dog Sam got birdy by a clump of cover while Duke was off on the side. When I glanced over he was on point and as I turned he flushed and put a rooster and 2 hens right over the top of me. Missed the first barrel and got a lucky hit on the second. Sam thinks thats good stuff.









While I was trying to get unclustered the dogs hit another track that led down to a patch of phragmites and before I could get there they kicked up another rooster just out of range. Then a half dozen hens from the same cover. I marked the rooster down about a 1/4 mile over so we lined that way. When we got to the spot where the rooster landed Sam went hot again along the plum bushes and I followed him down the row. Looking back Duke was on point by the cattails. So guess which one had the hen and which the rooster? Naturally. Called it good for the day.

At least they should hold better now with the snow.


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## D_Hage (Nov 10, 2004)

I can't wait to get out in the fresh stuff. I was going to go out this morning, but looks like it won't be until tomorrow morning. Looks like you had a good day.


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## Wacker 44 (Sep 28, 2009)

I cant wait to get out there either but i cant get out there till turkey day morning and will be hunting hard all weekend long! how much snow did you guys get south of the interstate? cant wait to get some of those ringnecks! Dick looks like you had a blast! theres nothing better than watching your dogs work those roosters!

Wacker 44
Finish'em


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Oakes reported about a foot, half that an hour north. Hope to get out tomorrow too. Another storm coming in Wed. with snow and 30 mph winds. Blacktop is iced but gravel is good here, can't say about Oakes.


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## D_Hage (Nov 10, 2004)

Dick Monson said:


> Oakes reported about a foot, half that an hour north. Hope to get out tomorrow too. Another storm coming in Wed. with snow and 30 mph winds. Blacktop is iced but gravel is good here, can't say about Oakes.


If I get that far west I will let ya know.


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## D_Hage (Nov 10, 2004)

Roads were a little slick (Hwy 46) saw a guy in front of me slide into the ditch, stopped but couldn't help since neither of us had a chain/rope. Good thing he had somebody close by to call. Seemed like West of Enderlin (EDIT- just thought I would add that I did not hunt around Enderlin, I know how some people get about naming towns, that's just where the road seemd to clear up) the hwy cleared up, didn't get very far west from there though. Hunting was good, gotta love hunting in the snow, Just made it a quick trip, should have had my limit, but I never said I was perfect, haha.



















Saw some birds Roosting in trees. Ended up hunting not far from where I saw these guys, and that's where I whiffed my first bird. Should have had a different game plan so the flushed birds flew out into PLOTS and not posted land, oh well. Stopped and talked to the home owner before I hunted, and could probably have gone back to get the name of the land owner that they flew to, but I will just save that for another day.









What most of the gravel roads I was on looked like. Looked like somebody had been out the day before having a little fun.









The man of the hour with the days take.









A tired dog is a good dog.

All in all it was a good day, had a little trouble finding one of the birds, sank in the powder and Moose still has issues in the snow getting on the birds right away, and he made it a little more difficult making tracks all around where the bird went down. Saw a lot of birds, a lot of them wanted to get off the ground the way it looked. The first spot I went to, the birds flushed wild and I got off 1 shot, 2nd spot they held tight and is where I got the 2 in the pictures. Went to a third spot and flushed 1 Rooster that I whiffed on, which was a little ways out, and a bunch of hens.


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## indsport (Aug 29, 2003)

Went out this morning myself. A kind of freezing drizzle mixed with grauple seemed to be the weather. Tried to stop on the side of a road to scrape off the ice and ended up 4 wheeling through the ditch and back on the road. solid ice on the shoulder so I almost ended up on my keister when I stepped out of the truck. Went one for two on the birds that flushed in range. Saw about 40 birds total, mostly hens that flushed at least 100 yards ahead of the dogs and also the first covey of partridge this year!. Quit when the wind kicked up about 25 mph from the west. Still, this is the best hunting time of the year and didn't see any other hunters or any tracks.

BTW, look up grauple if you are not familiar with the weather term.


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## Drakekiller (Apr 3, 2002)

Got my buck Sunday morning,so had the afternoon to hunt roosters. Switching back and forth with my 10 year old lab and my 5 yeaf old Setter. Had one to go and the Setter had just pointed a hen under a Juniper, and started going on three legs the last 400 yds to the truck. Looked like she had a sandbur. Checked her over and could not see anything. She still was scenting birds and hunted back to car. She never made a peep but would not walk on the back right leg. I still could not find anything. Packed up and headed home. Went to vet in morning. Vet looked her over and thought it was her ACL. Xrays confermed. $3K to get it repaired. Just my luck. I have never heard of this happening to a dog before. Goes under the knife the 9th.


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## indsport (Aug 29, 2003)

Drake, my condolences. I had a previous dog who blew out the ACL slipping on the ice hunting pheasants. I heard the snap from 50 yards away. it's not easy, but the surgery has gotten much better over the years. Good luck with the surgery.


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## ChukarBob (Sep 4, 2006)

Yeah, sorry to hear about your dog's ACL. It's actually pretty common. My 5 year old Lab Remy blew out both of her "superficial digital flexor tendons", a less common tear, one in 2009 and one in 2010. Three months of rehab following each surgery, about $6500 in vet bills, and she's as good as new. Of course my retirement plans are now delayed a bit.


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## bornlucky (Jul 24, 2007)

I hunted Saturday and Sunda in SE ND. I got stuck on Saturday. Snow was deep on the level and over the knee once in cover. I spent 2 1/2 hours hunting one field moving slowly from slough to slough. Saw a fraction of the birds that I saw the last couple of years. But not a surprise after the last two winters. Going to be tough again with this much snow onthe ground already. I did get two birds out of the 4 I saw. They should have been gimmies but it is tough when your feet are tangled up in cattails and snow and your heart is ready to bust out of your chest from the hard work.

Today I plowed through more snow to get to a different field. I saw more birds today. But my shooting was just as bad. You better be in good shape if you plan to go out. If you aren't, stay in the pickup and be the official photographer.

One last comment. . . I saw lots of hunters. Most are folks using up their second 5 day season. So there is plenty of competition out there. The best spots are half mile off the road where the birds feel safe. Like I said, you better be in shape.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

That is a good post above. The windward side of the sloughs has snow drifted in chest deep. When you spoke of being in shape I thought I was the only one sucking air today. It is about time for snowshoes.

And all the ice is not safe. My dogs went through in several places. Maybe the weight of the snow? Had to backtrack a 1/4 mile just to get out safely.


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## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

Dick Monson said:


> That is a good post above. The windward side of the sloughs has snow drifted in chest deep. When you spoke of being in shape I thought I was the only one sucking air today. It is about time for snowshoes.
> 
> And all the ice is not safe. My dogs went through in several places. Maybe the weight of the snow? Had to backtrack a 1/4 mile just to get out safely.


I brought my snowshoes with last weekend...but they don't work if you don't wear them 

I should have had an easy limit Saturday, but a$$ shot all three and they hit the ground running. My shooting plain old sucked. Poor dog searched forever to find the birds, but we lost all three. I felt pretty bad...

And I'll confirm that the ice is NOT safe. My dog was walking a creek channel on the back side of some cattails. All of a sudden I couldn't hear him anymore, so I called for him. Nothing. Eventually I went to look for him, and when I broke through the cattails I could see he fell through the ice and was looking up at me from a hole. Luckily the water had dropped a good two feet since the ice froze, so there was only about an inch or two of water at the bottom of the channel and he had the common sense to stay put and wait for help. Needless to say he fell through about 8 times by the time we called it a day, and each time I had to grab him by the collar and haul him out.

Then, when I was walking a big cattail slough, I fell through myself. Went down to my waste and my boots quickly filled with ice-cold water. I had to use my shotgun to push myself out. I said screw that and walked the edges for the rest of the push. My buddies never fell through, but it was enough to make me rethink this cattail business...


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## indsport (Aug 29, 2003)

Concur; wife and I went out early Saturday morning and pushed a few sloughs getting just one rooster stupid enough to flush within range. Dogs retrieved two hens that didn't flush fast enough but were able to release them intact other than being scared out of their wits. Wallowing through the waist high drifts on the upwind side of the wetlands wasn't easy for man or beast but then again, didn't see anyone else out that are as crazy as we are and love hunting when conditions are tough. The part time hunters stay home and leave an open field for us hard core addicts.


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