Thread: I love it when a plan comes together

Yes, I stole that quote from the A-team...

I couldn't put this story in the game bird section as I usually do this time of year as it only involves one quail. But I had to tell someone!

Last weekend I took my 15 month old dog 'Baz' out for Munsey and Upnorth Uplander, He produced a few birds for Munsey, only Bazs' 5th and 6th pheasants shot for him ever. Not exactly an experienced dog. I thought I'd capitalise on that and took him out to a place nearby that I don't normally shoot but does well in the evening.

It's all knee high kikuyu grass, typical of its coastal BOP surroundings, big sweeping hills down to gullies then to dunes. I had been going maybe 20 minutes, with no pheasants in sight, when he locks up. I go to him, ask him to produce, and he rushes forward and puts up a covey of four brownies - which I have never seen in this area before, and I've run in this place since I was in nappies. He didn't break to flush, but didn't drop, so I blew the stop whistle and he sinks to his belly, disappearing in the kikuyu. I'm not shooting the quail here as this is the first covey I've ever seen here. The obligatory pats and good boys and we sit for a while.

I send him on, and he takes a cast to the left maybe 10 metres, then locks up again. Again, I go to him on point, ask him to produce, and he does, this time a single brownie whistles away right. This time he is different. Baz sinks to his belly, no stop whistle. Again, no shots, just a pat on the head and a "good Basil". Secretly inside I'm fist-pumping 'yuss"!

Another minute passes, and I send him on again. He casts across me to the right, and goes maybe 15 metres and locks up yet again! Once more I go to him. I stood beside him no more than a minute, when I give him the word. This time, he jumps forward in a lunge, straight into a drop, chin on ground. Half a dozen brownies burst from around him. I die with joy at this moment. There is a straggler to one side, dropping to the left. I shoot it, breaking my no quail rule, to reward the dog. Baz stays dropped to the shot. I don't want him retrieving small birds at this stage, so I pick the bird up after he performs a perfect seek dead. Where to from here? I honestly feel I could have only gone backwards after this performance, so I put him on a leash and went home!

Baz got a few hours in front of the fire that night