Left Saturday night at 10:30 pm and arrived in Dearborn, Montana at 8:00 pm (7:00 pm)....Straight thru (stop at BPS) and no problems....Lots of rain when I got north of Provo and pretty much never stopped till I hit Helena....Chips, cookies, and black tea kept me awake pretty good... 
Monday started off raining as well...After a great breakfast at our favorite restaurant in Cascade, we started looking for fowl....With a sandhill crane tag in hand....We were looking for pterodactyls...,Didn't take long and we found honkers and the sandies....Got the permission for Friday....While looking for waterfowl, we found a cut barley field that had a bunch of doves & pigeons...State land, so Ronnie and I were good to go for Tuesday morning....
Yesterday was a beautiful morning....48 degrees, slight breeze and nobody in the field but us....1st birds to show up were mallards and they decoyed to the dove spinners beautifully....Next were the mourners....Not big numbers, but consistent....Ronnie had to leave early and he had 10....Then came the pigeons huge flocks....I decided that Coley could use the work....So, I let them have it....The Euros never decoy much and by 9:30 am....I was done....15 mourning dove, 2 eurasion dove, and 11 rock dove....Good start, good practice...
This morning was supposed to be just a scouting trip, but Ronnie had business to take care of....So, I headed out solo with Coley....1st stop was a trip to the prairie dog colony....They seemed to be happy to see me....Well not really, because I was red hot with the .17....
Next up was to scout for pheasant and any other upland I could find....There's been a hedge row that I've been looking at for years....It's on a wildlife area and right next to the road....It was midday and I thought, what the heck....It's all up hill and it's a thick row that's about 300 yds long....I walk to the top and nothing....I then switch to the other side and start back down....I go about 50 yds and Coley flushes a single sharpie....A bit of a long shot, but I roll him....Coley's inside the jungle, but I send him in that direction....Instantly, I can tell it's running on him....Back and forth he goes until he's 200 yds away....He never did catch up or it found a hole or something....Bummer!....After at least 30 minutes, he returns and we continue down....We're only 50 yds from the truck and I'm not expecting anything else....When Coley flushes at least 25 huns....Most go out the other side of the hedge row, but 2 come out my side...Bang, bang, and I have a double....It appeared most went back up the hill....So, back up we go....Nothing until we get on the other side at the top and Coley flushes 2 more....I miss the 1st one, but bag the 2nd....Not back....3 Hungarian partridge....
Our next stop is a BMA spot....After I sign in, I head for a hedge row on the side of a hill....As we get close, I see them....Coley's pretty gassed and is only about 10 yds in front of me....Perfect....I go around to the other side of the row and one flushes out....Down it goes....With the report of the Benelli 20 gauge M-2, the rest flush....I whack one over the top of the row and into the thick stuff....My 3rd shot was thru the trees and have no idea if I got it or not not....Coley finds the 1st one quickly....I send him in to try and find the 2nd....5 minutes later, here he comes out with #2....We walk around the row to the other side and within seconds....He finds the Hail Mary....A triple on sharpies....
At this point, I think I have one more long walk in me and Coley ain't doing much better....We head to another BMA I've hunted before, but have never gotten anything....This time it would be different....It's about a 1/2 mile up to a great hedge....We get about 3/4 of the way thru it and Coley flushes about 15 huns....No shot, except for one that goes backwards....Dead bird....This no sooner happens and he flushes another 25 or more....No shot....He finds the 1st bird and we continue to work the row....We get to the top end and he flushes another 10....Miss, miss, hit....Now, we're at 5 (The limit is 8)....I see where they went and it's near or at the top of the hill....Up we go....Just as we're cresting the hill, up come 15 or so....Miss, miss...WITW!...As is common with upland birds, there was a late flusher....Got 'em....#6....We go another 50 yds and flush another 4 or 5....I get one....#7....The covey is pretty busted up now, but there's still one nice thicket a little higher....Let's go....Sure enough, there's 2 in there and I get #8....My 1st limit of huns....
What a great day in Montana....Lots of game seen and a few for dinner....I love this place....
Monday started off raining as well...After a great breakfast at our favorite restaurant in Cascade, we started looking for fowl....With a sandhill crane tag in hand....We were looking for pterodactyls...,Didn't take long and we found honkers and the sandies....Got the permission for Friday....While looking for waterfowl, we found a cut barley field that had a bunch of doves & pigeons...State land, so Ronnie and I were good to go for Tuesday morning....
Yesterday was a beautiful morning....48 degrees, slight breeze and nobody in the field but us....1st birds to show up were mallards and they decoyed to the dove spinners beautifully....Next were the mourners....Not big numbers, but consistent....Ronnie had to leave early and he had 10....Then came the pigeons huge flocks....I decided that Coley could use the work....So, I let them have it....The Euros never decoy much and by 9:30 am....I was done....15 mourning dove, 2 eurasion dove, and 11 rock dove....Good start, good practice...
This morning was supposed to be just a scouting trip, but Ronnie had business to take care of....So, I headed out solo with Coley....1st stop was a trip to the prairie dog colony....They seemed to be happy to see me....Well not really, because I was red hot with the .17....
Next up was to scout for pheasant and any other upland I could find....There's been a hedge row that I've been looking at for years....It's on a wildlife area and right next to the road....It was midday and I thought, what the heck....It's all up hill and it's a thick row that's about 300 yds long....I walk to the top and nothing....I then switch to the other side and start back down....I go about 50 yds and Coley flushes a single sharpie....A bit of a long shot, but I roll him....Coley's inside the jungle, but I send him in that direction....Instantly, I can tell it's running on him....Back and forth he goes until he's 200 yds away....He never did catch up or it found a hole or something....Bummer!....After at least 30 minutes, he returns and we continue down....We're only 50 yds from the truck and I'm not expecting anything else....When Coley flushes at least 25 huns....Most go out the other side of the hedge row, but 2 come out my side...Bang, bang, and I have a double....It appeared most went back up the hill....So, back up we go....Nothing until we get on the other side at the top and Coley flushes 2 more....I miss the 1st one, but bag the 2nd....Not back....3 Hungarian partridge....
Our next stop is a BMA spot....After I sign in, I head for a hedge row on the side of a hill....As we get close, I see them....Coley's pretty gassed and is only about 10 yds in front of me....Perfect....I go around to the other side of the row and one flushes out....Down it goes....With the report of the Benelli 20 gauge M-2, the rest flush....I whack one over the top of the row and into the thick stuff....My 3rd shot was thru the trees and have no idea if I got it or not not....Coley finds the 1st one quickly....I send him in to try and find the 2nd....5 minutes later, here he comes out with #2....We walk around the row to the other side and within seconds....He finds the Hail Mary....A triple on sharpies....
At this point, I think I have one more long walk in me and Coley ain't doing much better....We head to another BMA I've hunted before, but have never gotten anything....This time it would be different....It's about a 1/2 mile up to a great hedge....We get about 3/4 of the way thru it and Coley flushes about 15 huns....No shot, except for one that goes backwards....Dead bird....This no sooner happens and he flushes another 25 or more....No shot....He finds the 1st bird and we continue to work the row....We get to the top end and he flushes another 10....Miss, miss, hit....Now, we're at 5 (The limit is 8)....I see where they went and it's near or at the top of the hill....Up we go....Just as we're cresting the hill, up come 15 or so....Miss, miss...WITW!...As is common with upland birds, there was a late flusher....Got 'em....#6....We go another 50 yds and flush another 4 or 5....I get one....#7....The covey is pretty busted up now, but there's still one nice thicket a little higher....Let's go....Sure enough, there's 2 in there and I get #8....My 1st limit of huns....
What a great day in Montana....Lots of game seen and a few for dinner....I love this place....
Last edited:
