Chasing Quail

[Mike Franzen]

I flew into O’Hare airport. I’m on my way to Oklahoma to meet up with Bruce Day, Dick Dow, Russ Lindsay and Tom Wooden. Next stop is Will Rogers airport in Oklahoma City where Mr. Wooden will pick me up. I’ll try to post updates on the adventure from time to time.

[Garry L Gordon]

The wind is high on the prairie, so hold on to your hat. Good luck on your hunt, and hopefully bird numbers are good in OK.

[charlie cleveland]

good hunting mike....charlie

[Phillip Carr]

Mike they probably don’t have to worry about the cleaning crew emptying the trash.

[Mike Franzen]

My flight to Oklahoma City was uneventful. My Uber driver took good care of the bags and guns.

[Mike Franzen]

You’re probably thinking this is a Navy Seal team on reconnaissance. Not quite but these guys are just as efficient when called on to assault a buffet. Clockwise from the left: Dead Eye Dick Dow, Russ Lindsay, President Tom Wooden, John Dutton and Bruce Day.

[Victor Wasylyna]

John Dutton is looking all hat, no cattle.

-Victor

[Mike Franzen]

That’s my cowboy motto Victor.

[Daryl Corona]

We want Beth!!!

[Mike Franzen]

Day 2 - We’re in the field by 8:45. We had gorged ourselves on a homemade breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy. The temp is about 28 degrees, clear skies and a steady wind. We put the dogs down on one of our favorite spots and within 10 minutes we get up a big covey of 40 birds. This is a good omen. We keep finding birds the rest of the morning and even manage to take a few. These birds are big, healthy and strong. With a good tail wind they disappear before you know it. We finished up around 4:00 o’clock (it’s 73 degrees) and headed back to our house to get cleaned up. We’re going to have a lasagna dinner, drink some bourbon and watch Yellowstone.

[John Davis]

Livin’ the dream.

[Garry L Gordon]

Here in North Missouri we are forecast to be near 80 degrees with 50 mph winds on Wednesday. I can't imagine what OK might get, but I hope you are carrying weight-forward guns and get them swinging quickly. A Bob in the brush with a tail wind makes a grouse look like a B-52 about to land.

Keep those pictures coming!

[Mike Franzen]

Day - 3: We started out much like yesterday. In the field by 8:45 with a slight wind and 42 degrees. We’re in an area that has held birds on previous hunts. We walk for an hour seeing nothing, not even tracks. Undaunted we keep walking and Bruce sees fresh quail tracks in the dust. Some birds fly out and Doc takes a shot but doesn’t connect. We keep moving forward, Doc, Bruce and me. Another gets up and flies straight over my head. I turn and shoot, miss and miss again. Doc shoots and brings it down. We meet up with Russ and Tom, load up the trucks and head to a new spot we haven’t hunted before. We walk along abandoned railroad tracks with good cover on both sides. At the end the dogs find a covey in a plum thicket and as they rocket up I take one. Going down in heavy cover, Bruces dog Fielder, finds it for me. We walked on a little farther without finding anything. By 1:30 it’s 80 degrees. We decided to give the dogs a break and call it a day. So you might think only 2 birds, that’s not very productive. But I don’t look at it like that. We aren’t sustenance hunting so whether we takes birds or don’t we will still get to eat too much. For me, this is real hunting. The way I did it growing up. The birds are wild, the hunters know each other and the dogs are trained by their owners. When we go out we aren’t guaranteed anything. I hope you have opportunities like this if that is what you are inclined to. Who knows, tomorrow we might get our limit.

Pic 1- 5 Parkers
Pic 2 - Hero shot
Pic 3 - Doc laughing because he just sprayed me with the hose.

[Jean Swanson]

Have good hunt, enjoy the friendship,the food & drink
Best
Allan