2006 - 2007 2nd year of hunting

Page 5

Day 9, November 17, 2006

Pheasant Hunting near Stockton Kansas 

The morning of the 17th we moved from the Cabin at Sylvan Grove to the Americana Motel in Stockton. Stayed there the next three nights. Most everyone in the Motel were hunters and had dogs. Along the way to Stockton we mostly hunted WIHA units again. Lots of walking, a few missed shots. Kicked up a lot of birds. Got an amazing picture of Blaze this day. 

Day 10, November 18, 2006 - Failed Prairie Chicken Hunt

This was the opening day of Prairie Chicken Season. Having never hunted them, much less seen one before this trip, we wanted to give it a try. Talking to locals such as the owner of "The Duck Blind" Bar in Stockton, we had an idea what areas they liked and knew that they flew between roost and feeding areas in the mornings and evenings. Started the morning on a large WIHA area that should have been good. We only saw one PC and no Pheasant during the morning. That's why they call it hunting. Blaze picked up her morning rabbit. 

Steve was temped by a Jackrabbit which Blaze did retrieve. 

We kicked out a nice Mule Deer from one of the Draws. He got far out before I could get my camera on. 

We then looked at more WIHA areas and ended up at Webber Wildlife Management Area at the recommendation of the local Bar owner. A friendly Game Warden checked us and offered us all kinds of information and help on where to hunt. He was a hunter, bowhunter, and trapper himself. After hunting with no luck an old cut corn field the Game Warden suggested, I left Steve to scout the Lakeshore for a possible Duck Hunt. Unprepared, I flushed as many as 30 Pheasant all at once from Dry-Lake bed weeds taller than me. I only knocked some feathers off one of the Roosters in the bunch. We spent the rest of the day driving birds in 5 to 8 foot tall weeds. Most flushed too far out and the ones Blaze found almost always were hens. She did goose one Rooster for me that I shot. Steve walked up a covey of quail here, but Blaze was off with me. It was the only "covey" of Quail we saw in Kansas. The day was tiring, but we got to see lots of birds and as always had a great time hunting. 

Blaze on Point



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Day 11, November 19, 2006. 

Kansas Duck Day

Day 10 started as another day to look for Prairie Chickens and Pheasant, but turned into a Duck day. The only group of Prairie Chickens we saw flew across just outside of the WIHA we started on, so unable to chase them. A Whitetail did pose for us. 

We moved on to a WIHA area we had flushed three Prairie Chicken before that season opened and to hunt the half section of private land we got permission for earlier in the week. Being firefighters we naturally stopped to make sure everyone was ok on the road when a motorhome caught fire. Was fun to see the volunteers arrive and put it out, only to have the propane tanks vent and ignite sending those guys running. 

Back to the Ducks, Llamas too!

Back to hunting. Not a lot of Pheasant found this day. We saw groups of hunters on Saturday and Sunday, sometimes several truckloads of guys. They would completely drive every pheasant from a WIHA hunting unit. We could tell from the foot traffic that our areas had been hit hard the day before, including the private land we had permission for. 

We did spot some Mallards on a tank within one WIHA area and planned a jump on them. Hiked way around along a fence line past several Lamas. There was a long dam and we knew the ducks were on one end of the tank. I love this kind of hunting! We stalked up the dam, said "ok, on three", "one, two, three". Off we go over the dam like charging out of a trench in war. NO DUCKS! "AHHHHHHHG, they moved to the other side, go back, go back!!!". They did not fly. We ran down the base of the dam, gathered ourselves and did it again. Dropped some Mallards as they made an attempt to escape. There was a Muscovy Duck on the pond that did not fly. We did not shoot it. It waddled away from the pond and off across the pasture towards a distant farm house. Someones pet perhaps. What fun with the lamas making angry noises at us the entire time. 

We then decided to take a look at Glen Elder Wildlife Management area for Pheasant. Met some friendly local goose hunters there and coordinated with them so as to not conflict with them. The uncut maize field we walked had no birds, but we saw hundreds of teal on the lake near the refuge portion. 

The day almost over, we made a mad dash for the decoys and layout blind and headed to the lake. When we got to the sand bar we where going to hunt from, we saw a couple hundred Green Wing Teal just on the other side of the bar. Steve first suggested we make a charge. No sooner had I said there was no way that would work, Blaze had run off into the ducks against my will. They DID NOT FLY and Blaze actually pointed one! I now responded Ok.....On three, One, Two, Three, CHARGE!!!  Before fully emptying our guns we both yelled at each other to stop or too many could fall. Especially considering we already had part of a limit in the truck. Because we where already there, we did go ahead and put out the decoys and some goose shells, but mostly just to decoy and watch the birds fly by and hoped a straggler goose would stop off. Fun day. 

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2005 - 2006 Hunting Season

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