NSTRA FIELD TRIAL

Ruby working a pen raised quail.

Cap investigating some Palmettos.

Dinner

More Dinner

The Chain Gang

After all the dust settles from the hunting season, it's very hard to just put the dogs up and dream of next year. That's where field trials come in. My field trial of choice is NSTRA (National Shoot to Retrieve Association). It is exactly what the name implies. Originally intended to replicate hunting, it's been smoothed and regulated to a competition similar to hunting. It is nationwide and a barrel of fun. You need a registered pointing breed that will point, back and retrieve.

This trial is one of the national trials, of which there are five. Each region of the country puts on their own local trials, too. There is a National Championship and a method to gain a championship on your dog. Give them a look: www.nstra.org.

Parasites, Worms and other bad things

Ruby (l) and Stella (r) checking on her.

I noticed about halfway through this last trip to New Mexico and Arizona, that one of my dogs, Ruby, was getting pretty lean. I made several comments to my fellow hunters about how hard she was working and eating a lot and, still, she seemed to be losing weight.  Her energy level was high, as usual, and she would eat every morsel of food placed in front of her. I've had dogs before that would work so hard, no matter what I fed them, they would lose weight on a hunting trip.  Ruby seemed to be one of those dogs.  When we were on our way home, I wondered about the weight loss- she was basically skin and bones at this point.  The day after we got home, I went in to feed and she turned her nose up.  I feed Royal Canin Medium, a super quality kibble with excellent digestion and protein/fat ratio.  Normally, she attacks the bowl, after spinning around about 15 times in anticipation.   She wouldn't touch it.  The next day, same thing.  Too late for the vet on Saturday, I called him on Sunday, at home.  "Bring her in Monday, first thing!" he said.  Monday at 0730, this boy was standing at the office door with Ruby in tow.  She tested positive for Coccidea, a single-cell parasite in the digestive tract.  Normally seen in puppies, it is a killer- and she was full of them.  Apparently, she ate or drank something which compromised her immune system and this opportunistic parasite started to multiply in her gut.  It only took a fecal sample for diagnosis and some strong antibiotics to get her back on her feet.  By Wednesday, the next week, she was back to her old self, flying over the fields and putting the boy dogs to shame.  She'd lost 7 lbs. from her 35 lb. frame!  I think that was a close one!

Videos, Equipment, Impressions

Crossing the Rio Grande

Cockpit View of the Crossing

Rough Ride

We really put the diesel beast through it's paces this trip.  The 5000 miles in two weeks was plenty, but then a friend told us  if we wanted to hunt the secret spots, we would need to drive some rough areas. At first, I'm thinking "No big deal."  Then, things got progressively worse with sand, tight turns over rocks, and steep climbs up shale and gravel inclines linked with tight turns over washed out roads and ditches.  Other than that, it was a piece of cake.  

The trailer absorbed most of the abuse, but there was some damage.  I am so glad Jones went with the extra strong hitch on their trailers.  We both agreed a lighter hitch would have never taken the damage.  The jack took a major hit, with a bent foot plate and it will not jack up or down now. It will fold down, however,  and I can lift the trailer off and it can set on the lowered jack just fine.  Replacement on the way for that. 

If I lived in the desert Southwest, I would not have a long wheelbase truck. Probably, I would stick with a short wheelbase F-150 or similar truck.  That would make the off-road stuff much easier.  

The other piece of equipment I picked up is an emergency battery.  This thing is fully charged and has ports for 120V, 12V, and even a USB port for charging your cell phone.  In addition to that, it has a compressor and air line integral to the unit, good to 125 psi! To top it off, it has mega starting power for your truck, if the battery fails, in lieu of a jump start from another vehicle. I got this one at Walmart for about $100.  After seeing the one Bob had in his truck, I knew I would not be going back in to the desert without one.  

One more interesting piece of equipment came from REI.  It is a solar-charged battery that will charge your cell phone or anything else. Unfortunately, it will not work with my iPad or iPhone (purchased before I owned said items), but will work OK on Android phones. 

Some Dog Pics

Ace

Cap and some cholla

Ruby taking a break on the quest for Mearns

Cap and Ace pointed

General Recollections

You know, every trip is different, and they are all the same. I have indelible memories that will be with me forever, or until my hard drive crashes, and I still value pictures. Each one brings back sounds, smells, temperatures, wind, and impressions. Such as, Skunk wrapped around herself, with Ruby backing, on her first Gambles quail across the river from Truth or Consequences, NM. Cap standing tall and tense on a Gambels in Arizona. Ace working a covey of Blues in the desert near Halfway, NM. Ug locked down on Blues from the same covey as we battled 50 mph winds and a sandstorm.

And the people: All the friends we met again or met for the first time. Tim Bartlett in Hobbs, NM, John Ashbaugh in Truth or Consequences, NM, the ladies at the Patio Cafe in Oracle, AZ (best Portabella Mushroom Sandwich in America), and two fine, young men who stopped and told us of a forever-secret valley that held covey after covey of those little devil birds, Gambels quail.

I fondly remember humping steep, tree covered hills and encountering my first Mearns quail. All the dogs pointed while we were yacking and huffing and the covey coming right over the top of us!! One little rooster didn't quite make it by.

The land was amazing..dry and harsh, then mountains, and huge trees, then White Sands Missle Range and more mountains. John took us to a secret valley that held some 60 bird coveys of Gambels and on the way Ruby pointed a nice little Scaled quail and made a perfect retrieve to hand. I took the diesel beast up steep hard scrabble roads, through rivers and over steep dips I would have never done on my own. But, I couldn't turn around and the only way home was straight ahead. I'm smiling now, but I was nervous as a pointed quail when it was happening.

It was an awesome trip! I called my wife midway through and thanked her for understanding. Somehow, she knows me and let's me wander around doing this many weeks every year. She says she can tell by my demeanor when hunting season is close and she knows it's an important part of who I am. Thank God for an understanding wife! A wise man said happiness is mostly about marrying well. Amen to that.

Guess what.....only eight months to bird season!

Last Day

The effort to achieve the Grand Slam of New Mexico quail, Scaled, Mearns, Gambels and Bobwhite, fell short today. Although we visited areas that produced Bobs in the past, the weather and drought worked against us. The temperature never hit 45 degrees and the wind velocity hovered at 30 mph with gusts to 50!! The pictures show the dust storm coming out of the desert as we drove to the hunting area. We did manage to find a good sized covey in the morning, but not Bobwhites. By late afternoon, we realized the area drought more severely affected the Bobwhite than the Scaled (Blue) Quail. We never laid eyes on Mr. Bob all day. Maybe in another year, there will be another chance.

Bob, Robert and I finished up with our top dogs on the ground, the temperature dropping and wind howling. We managed to scrape together some fine China goblets for a toast to good fellowship, bird dogs and quail. Another bird season is in the books, as we packed up and headed home with worn boots, scrawny dogs and empty wallets. Plans for a new puppy, with a breeding of Ace to Ruby, were discussed, as well as a stop by the Jones Trailer store in Woodson, TX for minor trailer fix-ups.

Georgia on my mind...

Moving the Operation and The Grand Slam

Cap got his Gambels Quail yesterday. I saw him throw that head up and start marching upwind, tail up and cautious. Right then a bird flushed, off to my left, and I swung and dropped it. Cap came flying back to make the retrieve. We started back to the place he heated up, and, he went to work. A few minutes later, he locked up on a patch of cactus, looking like a million bucks! I really meant to get his picture, but, I confess, I was excited, too, and I walked in from his right side, kicked the edge of the cactus and a good-looking quail ran out 5 feet and took off. Cap was on him when he hit and made a picture perfect retrieve to hand.

Today, we are moving back to New Mexico. I would like to bag a Bobwhite there. If I do, I will have harvested all four species of quail in the state, in one week. Mearns, Gambels, Scaled, and Bobwhite. It's probably been done many times before, but certainly not by this old bird hunter, and probably not without a guide. I killed a Bob there two years ago, and I will head to the same area. Tomorrow is the day for the Grand Slam of New Mexico!

Also, I will not miss the cholla cactus! Hate the stuff.

Tires and Technology

In 348,186 miles of driving my 2001 F-250 7.3 diesel, these BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A tires are, by far, the best I've had on it. I used Goodyear, Cooper, Perrelli and the rest. These BF Goodrich tires got me through freeway driving, snow, rain, rivers, rocks, sand and mud....on this trip alone! I will get them again and they will always be on my hunting truck.

Using technology makes our hunting so much easier! Especially, when hunting an area for the first time. We used the map and satellite function of my iPad and iPhone to find tanks, elevations, power lines and trails here in AZ. Tech is supposed to make our lives easier. This is one more way we make it work for us instead of vice versa. Now, if only I could get an overlay of the BLM Land Use maps!!!

Hunt pictures

The older I get, the more exhausted I am at the end of the day. What's up with that? Hunt, feed dogs, clean gear, sleep, water dogs, hunt..... I wonder what the jobbed people are doing??

Cholla Cactus

Bonanza!

It took a days drive to move up off the border, but we found an area of a reasonable population of birds. We put out with about 2 hours daylight left and moved some birds right off. The cactus are problematic, but the dogs will adapt. I draw the line at vast fields of cholla, however. I see cholla, I keep on truckin'.

Hunting the border

We left Douglas, AZ and headed East on the Geronimo trail about 10 miles. Along the way, we stopped and talked to several Border Patrol people. All of them were young (was I ever that young), polite and attentive. All of them tired to figure out why anyone would drive from Georgia to AZ to hunt quail. None of them were bird hunters- too bad. All of them said they never saw any quail around there...not good, I'm thinking to myself.... We put out in a little wash along the road, more to exercise the dogs than anything else. Immediately, we saw tracks- and lots of them. Well, that made things much more interesting! We walked that wash for about a mile, looking several coveys worth of tracks, but never hooking up with the nefarious birds. We did hook up with blankets, pants, shirts, water bottles, shoes, boot laces and more blankets just laying in the desert. This is cast off stuff from the illegals crossing the border. The BP said there was nothing to worry about, especially in the daytime. We can see the fence from a mile away, and Mexico, beyond. It really puts the stories in perspective when you see how harsh the environment is out here- and that is a Winter environment, not the summer one with temps in the 100's!

Back to the drawing boards. We will search to the West using my friend's information.

First day NM

One young man and one young guy, 3 coveys, lots of singles. Yes, life is very good.

New Mexico Mearns

I harvested 3 species of quail this trip. So far, all of them in only one state. By far, the most difficult for me was the Mearns Quail. In New Mexico, they are found in the grassy hills and mountains. They use their powerful claws to dig for roots and tubers under the soil. The area we are in has large areas of this disturbed soil around the bases of trees. After several hours of humping these hills, I was beginning to think Robert had me on a "snipe hunt". Our dogs were tired and I still wasn't over a lingering cold; we were heading downhill to the truck. The three of us gathered and discussed our next move when I heard the flush to my left. Dogs came up the draw with the birds as 4 Mearns flew over us. I picked one, shot behind it and dropped it with the follow up shot. A nice retrieve by UGG, Bob Wendling's Wirehair, completed the action. I do know there are some Bobwhites over in SE NM....

The Honeyhole

As promised, we met our newest friends at a roadside cafe on a minor road off the Interstate. After a few minutes of chatting, we loaded in to 3 vehicles and drove for hours along roads I wouldn't normally even walk. The crystal clear, blue sky contrasted with the light brown of the dried-out hills stretching to the horizon. Under that backdrop, we found Gambels Quail, Scaled Quail and 4 new kindred souls. Ruby picked up another Scaled Quail. Ace added Gambels Quail to his list and Cap tried with the heart of a champion, but came up dry.

And that is all I can say about that.....

Tomorrow, we are on our own.