On a misty morning in heavy cover of broom sedge and brambles, Jerry discovers Tripp on point. But Tripp’s find wasn’t a covey of quail. Instead, a lone woodcock flushes from the spot.
Veteran grouse dog Blue Shaquille (Houston x Blue Silk, 2004) backs Northwoods Rum Rickey, his daughter by Snyders’s Liz, 2012.
Just off a mowed strip and very near a field edge, Northwoods Guns N’ Roses (Houston’s Blackjack x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2011) is backed by attractive, all-black-headed, aptly named Coal.
The weather in southwest Georgia is usually perfect for bird dog training but this winter brought two brief chilly spells when night temperatures dipped below freezing. Ice forms on a beautiful fountain outside the Brooks County Courthouse.
Jerry and I never tire of this site: lofty native pines on a southwestern Georgia quail plantation.
Northwoods Rolls Royce (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2013) points and holds a wild covey of bobwhite quail.
In addition to time in the field, young dogs are trained in the yard. Pesto (Elhew G Force x Northwoods Vixen, 2013), who resembles her dam but also exhibits Elhew characteristics inherited from both sides, shows remarkable composure in a training session.
Jerry was fortunate to be invited to several quail plantations to hunt and train. A canopy of venerable live oaks draped with Spanish moss is the quintessential entrance.
One morning Jerry loaded Willow, a nice horse he’s been working, into a small trailer and several young dogs, including pointer male Buddy, and headed to a local plantation to train.
Jerry has also traveled to quail plantations for hunts with Sam Gary. Sam moves into position after a find by his black-and-white pointer female Hannah, who’s backed by a plantation dog.
A favorite training session for Jerry and me is to take some dogs out at the end of the day. The temperatures have cooled, birds are plentiful and scenery is outstanding. Basil (Elhew G Force x Northwoods Vixen, 2013) and our Labrador retriever May pose with Jerry as the sun sets.
Jerry and I are equal opportunity dog owners and usually have three “house” dogs. Shaq, a setter, is descended from our first setter Charlie; Vixen is a great-granddaughter of Dancer, our first pointer. Labrador retrievers are represented, too, by May.
Northwoods Carly Simon points a good distance from a single ruffed grouse in northern Minnesota.
The goal of the breeding program that Betsy and I began 19 years ago has always been to produce the best grouse dogs anywhere. To make our string, a dog—whether English setter or pointer—had to prove that it could find, point and handle ruffed grouse. Further, it had to point not just one bird or two, but grouse after grouse after grouse.
Since our focus was ruffed grouse of the north woods, we didn’t consider southern birds. For the past two winters, though, Betsy and I have lived in southwestern Georgia and have trained on bobwhite quail. During recent hunts on several beautiful quail plantations, we had the opportunity to directly compare our setters and pointers to those used by professional guides. It’s clear (and gratifying) that our dogs do extremely well here on these wild birds.
We think several similarities exist between grouse and quail dogs.
Wild birds in the woods.
Habitat for bobwhite quail in southwest Georgia consists of tall, longleaf and loblolly pines with low-growing shrubby and herbaceous plants. In other words, it’s similar to woods where ruffed grouse live.
In typical bobwhite quail cover, Northwoods Carly Simon points a covey on a southwest Georgia plantation.
Scenting ability.
A covey of 12 or more quail can be as difficult to find as a single grouse and a dog needs a discerning nose to consistently find them. While bobwhites do allow a dog to get closer, they can be touchy, especially in January and February, about the approach of the dog. A good dog points from a distance.
Desire to find birds under tough conditions.
Grouse dogs are constantly getting hit by sticks, grasses and briars and their feet take a beating from all kinds of debris on the forest floor. Too, early in the season, weather conditions are often warm and dry. Circumstances are similar for quail dogs. A good quail dog must have tenacity and desire to keep hunting when cover and conditions are tough.
Hunting range and pattern.
The wooded habitat for both ruffed grouse and quail is quite uniform and birds can be found anywhere. The key for finding both is coverage, not range. Plantations mow the underbrush in a grid pattern and a dog should hunt these strips in a forward, crisscrossing pattern at an ideal range of 50 – 100 yards.
Evasive tactics.
Early in the season, both ruffed grouse and quail are easier for a dog to handle. By late season, both birds are wily and wary and use every tactic possible to avoid detection—from sitting tight to running away to flushing wild at the approach of the hunting party.
One advantage, though…
Quail do one have one distinct advantage over ruffed grouse when it comes to survival. A ruffed grouse is a loner and relies on its own individual instincts and experience. Since quail are covey birds, they are dependent on each other and usually react as a single unit. Further, the wariest bird enhances the survival of the entire covey.
Tim Moore, on left, poses third place Elhew G Force while Sedge Surfer, winner of the stake, is on right. Standing behind Surfer and holding the plaque is his owner, Field Trial Hall-of-Famer Bill Perry. Jim Tande is the tall guy wearing a tan hat in the center of the back row.
Georgia is bird dog country and home to some of the finest quail dogs in the nation. A recent amateur shooting dog stake, the Henry Banks Memorial, reflected that high standard. Champions, both open and amateur, and the RU-CH in the National Amateur Shooting Dog Invitational (Heard Hill’s Queen Mary owned by Buck and Lynn Heard), were entered.
It was a privilege and an honor to be invited to judge the stake. The other judge was fellow Minnesotan Jim Tande. Jim is a friend and a former rival from our days on the grouse dog field trial circuit.
This trial was held on Burnt Branch Plantation in Ochlocknee, Georgia, which is owned and generously shared by Eddie and Carole Sholar. There were three beautifully groomed, one-hour courses through classic, piney woods country. The headquarters consisted of roofed eating area, huge fire pit (which was continually tended), bathrooms and plenty of room for trucks, trailers, horses and dogs. Coffee was available all day long and gracious breaks were taken for breakfasts of warm biscuits and hearty lunches.
It was gratifying to see a non-championship event so well attended. At times, 15 rigs were parked and up to 20 people riding in the gallery. Many didn’t have a dog in the stake—they were just out to enjoy the scenery and see good dog work. Something I’ve never seen in the north, a short prayer was said every morning before the first brace.
Pointer male Sedge Surfer (owned by Bill Perry and handled by Tim Moore) won first place. In his hour he pointed six quail coveys and ran a great shooting dog race. Second place was awarded to female pointer Miller’s Calamity Jane (owned by Mike Moses) with five finds on a difficult course. Surfer’s younger brother, Elhew G Force (owned and handled by Tim Moore), placed third with a powerful race and two impressive finds.
On a personal note, it was really fun to judge with Jim and nice for Betsy and me to see again Elhew G Force, sire of our 2013 litter by Northwoods Vixen, and the big, handsome setter male, CH Houston’s Blue Diamond (Houston x Forest Ridge Jewel), owned by Ross Leonard.
May, our 10-year-old Labrador, poses with part of her retrieved stash of ducks.
Not unlike bobwhite quail hunts, duck hunting on a southwest Georgia plantation is a complicated, carefully orchestrated, social event. In addition, preparation for the actual hunt begins months prior to the season.
Most duck hunting is done in ponds specially created by digging or damming. In spring, those ponds are drained so corn or millet can be planted in the dry beds. The ponds are re-filled in fall so ducks can easily feed on the heads of the crops.
Various camouflaged blinds are installed. Some are half-submerged, wooden structures with a below-water platform (hunters wear chest waders) and an above-water, dry ledge for shells and gear. Other blinds are built on stilts above the water, complete with walkways from land.
In this far southwest corner of Georgia, ducks could have arrived via either the Atlantic or Mississippi Flyways and include wood ducks, mallards, redheads, pintails and ring-necked ducks.
Betsy and I are renting a small cottage and kennels which is part of plantation. One evening, Langdon, the plantation’s owner, called and invited me on Saturday morning duck hunt. I eagerly agreed and Langdon then asked, “Does your Lab retrieve? Bring her.”
May clambers on shore with her retrieve of a colorful drake wood duck.
This would be May’s debut as a duck retriever. She is a great upland flushing dog and has been on countless hunts and training sessions with pointers and setters. And she’s always loved to retrieve. Betsy began throwing dummies for May when she was a puppy and has continuously played fetch in many lakes and ponds. We bought her from Dennis and Janice Anderson, who specialize in Labradors out of British stock.
So early the next morning, I gathered my clothes, shotgun and loaded May into the truck. Langdon, a group of friends and family members and I gathered at 6:00 a.m. at the plantation’s lodge for coffee and planning. Licenses and duck stamps were verified; steel shot inspected; and, most importantly, hunters were assigned partners and blinds in one of three ponds. By 6:30, we were heading to our blinds.
Just as it was getting light, about 7 a.m., the wood ducks started to come in from a large body of water to the east. The ducks were easy to spot but not so easy to shoot because they were backlit by the sun. The action was hot and heavy for brief time, though, and several woodies hit the water after good shots. Later ring-necked ducks, mallards and a few redheads trickled into our pond, along with some coots and mergansers. By 9:30, the sun was up, the sky had turned blue and the hunt was over.
In the gathering light, May swims in with an easy retrieve of a floating duck. An elevated duck blind on the far shore is connected to land by a walkway.
Ducks aren’t retrieved during the hunt. Instead, they’re marked and picked up afterwards using hunters in waders and boats or dogs. So it was time for May and an English cocker spaniel owned by Langdon’s son to get to work.
May hunts for downed ducks in a corn stubble near the shore. Duck ponds in southwestern Georgia are drained and planted with corn or millet in the spring and then flooded in the fall.
With just a little encouragement, May took to it, well, like a duck to water! She first retrieved six, clearly visible, floating ducks. Several others were marked down in the corn stubble and I sent her out. May searched, using her nose, and swam back and forth several times with successful retrieves. She is now a great duck retriever!
Like many events at a plantation, hospitality plays a big part. After all retrieving was complete, hunters again gathered in the lodge to feast on a big Southern breakfast of eggs, sausages, bacon, grits, biscuits, fruit and more coffee.
