My 2009 bird trip.... long and no ducks... Part 1.

Tod,

Yes it helps the old mans memory cells...HAHA!!

As far as taking Gus along as he gets bigger, and you not being able to carry him and all the logistics.......I just kept taking my kids along...Sure them might not be able to walk as far as you and are a bit of a trouble or high maintenance, I wouldn't have it any other way... The kids remember some wild place and good times...In the 80'90's I outfitted deer and elk hunts in southern and central Utah and the oldest used to come along and do camp chores during the August archery hunt...she was 8-15 at the time...

You talking about Gus sitting on a prickly pear after a hard afternoon......reminds me of a trip we took in about 1992 to the west desert country, on the Nevada border. We were scouting antelope for my oldest daughter (she had drawn a tag on the first try at 14) in some remote country. Not many bladed roads in the area just old two tracks that were not maintained. Most of the two trackers were shown on the 1/24000 quads so it was easy to figure out where you were. The problems started when were went through a narrow canyon and started down the other side and the road basically turned into a wash with no place to back out of it or turn around. It was as if we had entered another world and stepped back in time as we found s few old discarded items such as a wash basin, and old harness sticking out of the sides of the wash as we crept along. The items were left overs from the 1880-1990 time period. It took about 2 hours to finally get out of the wash creeping along in 4 low. The kids thought we were completely lost and never going to get back to the "real world"... We found a place to camp just before dark. The stars twinkled into view and the cool night pushed the heat of the day away as we made camp. The talk around the camp fire that night was about "if" we were going to get out of the "wilderness" the next day. It took about 12 more hours of creeping along to get out of that country the next day and back to a bladed road.. The kids still talk about that trip 20 years later...
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Matt,

Thanks for the suggestions. That is the stuff I'm trying to figgure out. How to balance everyone's needs and the constraints to come up with a compromise that works. The upland hunting has been working really well because Jen can stay in camp with Gus and hang out (which she likes to do) or come with me and Pete. We will figgure something out that works as a family. We can't do it every year either, since although they are cheap trips they do add up.

T
 
I did'nt get out either. The forcast was looking pretty bad so I also decided to sit home. We got hit again last night and are still digging out today. First thing I did was dig out the duck boat so I could get out tomorrow and not get stuck with the boat frozen in place by a 4 to 5' drift. The temp is just above freezing so it's starting to melt a bit then tonight it will freeze up again so if anything is not cleared out now it's going to be in a block of ice come tomorrow morning. Goose closes here on Sunday so I'm hopefull that I can get a few tomorrow and then on Sunday.
 
Very nice trip report. Bummer you didn't get a lesser prairie chicken. Cool hooter picture.
Wild bobwhites are sort of like wild brook trout, they both taste darn good too.

Tim
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Didja catch the ladder stand on the windmill in that last sunset shot? I thought for sure you, if anyone, would pick that out. I don't know how common that is in your parts, but it cracked me up. I saw a slob of a whitetail a mile from there one evening. Huge rack, wide tall, lots of sticky funny things. Made me wonder why I was after a silly little bird.

I have a clam trip planned in a couple weeks, so I'll get a package out to ya in a bit.

T
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I was going to ask you what Jen thought of you already taking Gus out at night to look at hooters? :)
I noticed the "tree" stand. I guess they are common out west but we have plenty of actual trees around here. Just from what I have heard ground blinds by water holes are more common here.

If that was in Kansas then I think that is why you were hunting birds and not deer. I'm not sure how their draw works but I don't think the tags are easy to come by for non residents.

Sounds good on the clams. I hope the walleye slump I've been on doesn't go to your clamming.

Tim
 
That was great Todd! Best article I've read in a long time. And this is why I don't buy magazines anymore. You guys have got to do a trip up north somewhere to hunt ptarmigans.

Mike
 
That was great Todd! Best article I've read in a long time. And this is why I don't buy magazines anymore. You guys have got to do a trip up north somewhere to hunt ptarmigans.

Mike
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You bet Mike, not this summer, but maybe the next. With all this talk of sheep and such I'm just giddy to get North, I think we will do a road trip up there and you happen to be right on the way.

T
 
Great pictures. My Dad lives outside of Las Vegas so I go to visit we almost always see those quail when we'd go hiking. We see a few chuckar every now and then two. I always wanted to hunt them but he doesn't have a dog and it was always the wronge time of year but I think next winter break I'm going to do it.

Thanks for the inspiration
Pat M
 
Tod that was an awesome trip thanks for taking us on it. I've re-read it twice just to absorb the atmosphere as I sit here at work looking out at piles of snow wishing I could be hunting quail instead! Having the little guy with has to be a great part of the experience. they are so curious at that age. You have a great hunting partner in the making.
 
That would be fun, on your way home you could take a more northern route and hit the other upland birds. :) I was really happy with 3 out of the 4 quail species on this trip. I will be back for the chickens as well.
 
That would be fun, on your way home you could take a more northern route and hit the other upland birds. :) I was really happy with 3 out of the 4 quail species on this trip. I will be back for the chickens as well.
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So you got bobs on the way back! Good trip for you.
 
Actually I did have open water (55deg. well water will open up a pretty good hole) Down side was the ducks by that time didn't want to have anything thing to do with the the flooded corn they wanted my cut corn in the dry field. Starting that weekend and through the next week was some of the best shooting I had all season. hehehehehe You were only 15min. away from the farm when you passed the McDonalds exit.
 
Tod

You must have done your homework for that trip. A lot of ground to cover in a lot of states which means a lot of regs to digest. Not to mention packing for family camping. Outstanding trip report and no doubt spawned people's interest in game birds that don't have webbed feet. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

Eric
 
Tod, what a neat trip. You must have a strong family unit- there is no way my wife would be in on a trip like that. The kids would be strung out completely after a day or 2 as well! Great pics of the scenery out west and nice story to go with it.

Dont know the boat guys from the Hummer, although pretty decent chance I might if I had seen their faces. We were still having some good shooting here on the 11th. It was however, kind of a weird period in a weird year.

My favorite pic is the one of you and the dog down in the canyon.

i
 
Actually I did have open water (55deg. well water will open up a pretty good hole) Down side was the ducks by that time didn't want to have anything thing to do with the the flooded corn they wanted my cut corn in the dry field. Starting that weekend and through the next week was some of the best shooting I had all season. hehehehehe You were only 15min. away from the farm when you passed the McDonalds exit.
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Mark, I knew I was close and that I had an invite. I regret it now, but I had chicken fever and only a week to cure it.

I had a whole mixed flat of 6's and 7's too :(. I'll stop by next time.

T
 
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Tod

You must have done your homework for that trip. A lot of ground to cover in a lot of states which means a lot of regs to digest. Not to mention packing for family camping. Outstanding trip report and no doubt spawned people's interest in game birds that don't have webbed feet. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

Eric
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Thanks Eric,

After our trip last year we have it pretty figgured out. Jen is a machine and it really is a lot of teamwork keeping things going. She is a super navigator and great at keeping track of huntable land ot land that looks good and really good for a second perspective in terms of finding birds.

I'm still getting the freelancing thing figgured out - it seems like the more specific advice I get on birds, the worse I do. Not too many birds left that I really want in the lower 48, but we got schooled pretty hard by the chickens this year.

T
 
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