Kevin and Tommy Diekroeger came over to hunt quail for a couple of days. Tommy brought his brittany, Abby and Kevin his setter, Penny to find the coveys spread around the old Tinkerfarm Lake. I got to hang around for a couple of covey rises and got to see the dogs work the birds and the hunters knock some down. The next morning they did it all again coming back with most of the birds from both days.
Jeff Steintjes set up a hunt for his family and friends, Rob and Alex Stientjes and Todd, Ethan and Alex Hamilton. After some warm up on a few clay pigeons they split into a couple of groups with Jeff Powell taking three hunters to the Cabin Field for primarily a pheasant and chukar hunt and Colton Wilkins guiding a group over at the middle Tinkerfarm going after coveys of quail. Both groups had a lot of action and some good wingshooting.
Jim, Brian and Jeff Gray came out to hunt some quail. I set out some nice sized coveys around the west edge of the Clubhouse Field and Pasture Field to get in a mix of open and woods shooting. Hildy and Ava came out of their kennels to find and point the birds. Nice rise at the beginning of this video, followed by some good shooting.
Eric and Preston Henkel came down from the north with Jeff, Carter and Clayton Seier for a weekend of pheasant and chukar hunts. Colton Wilkins guided them the first afternoon. They picked up most of their birds from the Cabin Field along with a bonus quail. Pork steaks, baked potatoes and steamed green beans for dinner followed with bacon and eggs for breakfast before heading over to the Tinkerfarm Field with Jeff Powell the next morning. They tracked through the thick milo flushing the big birds and coming back with most.
Jason and Wyatt Hill came out to hunt some pheasant and quail. Jeff Powell brought his brittany, setter, pointer, and cocker, Meg, to find, point and flush the birds. Really nice covey rise in the middle of the Clubhouse Field. The hunters got the bead on some pheasant as the hunt continued.
Adam Langenfeld came out with his young shorthair, Dax for some work on chukar. It is was cold and nasty so I set out some chukar singles in the west part of the Clubhouse Field to get away from the wind and get Dax into some nice cover. It took a couple of rises on some of the birds, but that’s just more points and Adam and Dax came back with all.
Charlie Durbin, Courtney Daum along with Mike, Stan, Kyle, Ben and Avery Kuhns met up at Sandy Run for some biscuits and gravy, bacon and eggs before having their annual business meeting. With the business and breakfast complete they split up into a couple of groups to hunt some pheasant and quail. Colton Wilkins with his pair of pointing dogs picked up a bit of video of Mike, Ben and Kyle’s hunt.
Larry Jones brought out his pair of dogs along with Jimmy Robinson and his two young droppers, Pete and Zeke. I got down to the East Bottom Field to see some of the work the two young dogs had on the quail doubles in the prairie strips. Some nice points and retrieves, they are on their way.
Dale and Ben Timmermann came out with Greg Triphahn to hunt some pheasant on a clear, crisp, cold afternoon. Jeff Powell brought out his dogs to find and flush the birds I stashed around the Clubhouse Field. The pheasants were holding tight in the cold temps making for some good shooting and they only let one bird escape.
Ray Takmajian brought out a bunch of his cockers, springers and his young lab for a pheasant and chukar hunt. His son, Blake and friends Charles Curtis and David Ruebhausen came along to shoot the flushed birds. Lots of action, good dog work and nice shooting from this hunt.