Tasha and I met up with our friend Tony and his two shorthairs for an afternoon hunt. For early December, the weather was unseasonably warm—a comfortable 45 degrees with a steady breeze. We decided to start on the east edge of the field, where Tasha showed some interest in a couple of spots. However, despite her enthusiasm, we didn’t flush any birds, so we shifted our focus to the thicker cover.
The wet areas, including the pond, had frozen over, allowing us to access the densest parts of the property. In the cattails, I noticed plenty of pheasant droppings, though most tracks appeared to be several days old. Undeterred, we continued moving between thick and sparse cover, hoping to find a bird we could flush to an area where Tasha could get a solid point.
As we reached the northern edge of the thick cover, I heard Tony fire off a couple of shots. A quick glance confirmed a rooster had flown off onto the neighboring property.
We kept working through the thick sections for a while longer before heading back to the grassy areas. I figured the warmer weather might coax the birds into the thinner cover. Our efforts paid off when Tasha locked onto a beautiful point. Unfortunately, the bird turned out to be a hen. After searching the grass a bit longer with no luck, we returned to the thicker cover.
That decision proved worthwhile. We flushed six more birds, all hens, clustered along the edges of the dense cover rather than in the middle. It left me wondering if we were too early in the day (around 2 p.m.) to catch them moving toward food sources or if they had already ventured off our side of the property.
Even though we didn’t encounter any roosters, it was still a rewarding outing. The weather was pleasant for December, and Tasha had plenty of opportunities to follow her nose. Tony and his dogs managed to bag one rooster and spotted several hens, making for a productive outing overall.
Considering we were only out for about 90 minutes, it was a solid hunt and a great way to spend an afternoon outdoors.
