Well after talking about it on several fishing trips together, Chet and I finally connected (and a friend of mine that brought a young lab) on a hunt Sunday and Monday SW of Abilene. Great hunt that focused mostly on our pups, but my 9 and 11 year olds got plenty of licks in as well. Chet's Buck dog (the nearly solid white pup) was getting locked in on day 2, and I was happy with Belle, especially Monday morning where she had one run where she pointed 7 coveys and had about the same number of single points in about a 40 minute time span. Real glad that Chet got to hang with Sadie. I am working on a video, but here are some of the best pics



Buck confused by drone!


Buck showing out

Pretty dog and pretty sunset




Sundowner covey point




Scenting conditions Monday crazy good, lots of 25 yard distance points to get these kind of pics


Lucky was retrieving two at a time, starting to get good on the quail

Chet can tell you if he got this single or not


Black and white seemed fitting on this shot with cattle that had just chased her for 30 yards in the background

Last few:

Great pictures. Thanks.

My Goodness. Great shots. Can't wait for the video.

Great pictures. Beautiful dogs right there

Awesome is all I can say!!!

Great photo work of what must have been one to remember for you boys!

Greatness. The last colored picture was a classic caught in mid-stride. You can imagine the skid marks. It's a shame that quail hunting is so exclusive but we can still share with pictures.

Awesome!

Great pics! Very nice looking dogs!

Well first off it was a real treat to be out there DanceswithQuail. He is a true gentleman and skilled bird hunter. His dogs are first class and he doesn't speak enough about a young pup of his, Bell. She is a beautiful animal with a choke bore nose and plenty of smarts (the one in the framed pic). She a young one that will thrill him for years. I've admired Sadie for years and was not disappointed with her work on the ground and in the mule, she leans out of the front seat of the mule and works her nose overtime

I'm a little fuzzy on whether I knocked down that single or not The only clear memory is the first shot I took during the hunt and seeing a bird that flew over my head fall. One memory that is real clear is the dinner laid out on Sunday night that was worth the trip by itself. DWQ is one hell of a host. Great hunt with great folks and some real fine dogs, can't ask for more. Big thanks Steve.

Really appreciate you sharing those pics!

Great pics! Headed to nw of Abilene in the morning.

Great pics! Looks like a good day

Appreciate the kind words on the hounds Chet and everyone. I don't spotlight my old Rex dog on here because he isnt as stylish anymore since his tail dropped, but he has the longest nose of any dog I have owned and is hard to beat as far as a covey dog. I had forgot to mention about Sadie got her third "point" out of the front seat of the mule in as many hunts. Its cool because you can really get a feel for how far a dog first makes scent clearly when you are driving, they try to lunge out, you stop, and the birds are thirty yards away like the one on Sunday.

The beauty of a day and half trip with constant bird contact is a pups learning gets accelerated greatly. There are few things more satisfying than seeing the light bulbs go off in a pups head...especially when it happens over the course of a weekend.

And the world stands still.

did you ever see anyone unload a 28 gauge and hit nothing as chet.

I resemble that.......................but didn't miss a bird the 2nd day.

I was there and I can absoluty confirm that Chet did not miss a bird the second day, that very literal statement is true!

I gotta ask... How many did he shoot at the 2nd day?

It's a trick. I don't miss because I don't shoot. Quail hunting really is like walking into and out of a beautiful painting all day long.

I'm not telling.....but making use of all my algebra skills it was close to zero.

Steve takes great pics and here's my favorite of Buck. The seventh pic (standing like a painting under a large tree) is my fav of Bell. She's a looker.

Truly inspiring!

Awesome Pictures!

That's awesome! The quail population around Abilene has picked up considerably in the last few years. Not long ago it was almost decimated, and a lot of people weren't confident it could survive. I'm very happy to see the wait has been worth it. In another five years, we should all be in quail heaven around here...again!