ND Grouse - Cut Pad Remedies?

[Wagonmaster]

Went to ND for grouse starting last Thursday through Sunday. Unfortunately no pics because the camera got too wet in AK the week before. Grouse were good, but not great.

Have a long time hunting partner who came up from FL. He could not bring his dog because gas prices made driving prohibitive, and his flight up was still in the black-out period for flying dogs out of FL. Another partner missed the hunt with his dog because he sprained his ankle while carrying gear out to his car, to leave for the trip. So we just had the one dog, mine (the sister to avatar dog).

We filled out the first day and got some nice pieces of bird work. Have been breaking the dog this summer, so she started out doing the 50 yard windshield wiper thing like it was a birdfield, but it did not take too long before she was running at range. Did not have any true limb finds, way out there 400 or 500 yards. However, she did have one find on a rooster at something over 250 that was a long long walk to get to, and she held. We could tell the bird was running on her at the end.

Ran her too much, though, because of the lack of any other dogs. Her pads were getting cut up, then took the last run of the day on Sat. We were starting into a pasture when birds got up out of an adjacent alfalfa field, so we took a swing through there. Bad deal, because it turned out the alfalfa field had a gravel base, and she slipped sections of both front pads in short order. On the way back to the truck, she made a move to the top of a hill, now running on bad feet (we did not know it yet) and so not looking very strong, and seemed to be just messing around up there. We decided to head back to the truck and called her in. She swung and stood over the crest of the hill. Could not tell because of the distance and partial concealment whether she was pointing or just too tired and messing around, but decided to trust her. (First rule of bird dogs: Always trust the dog. Second rule: Reread Rule #1) Half way through the long walk out there, which was again over 250, I said to my partner, "She better not be kidding about this." We had already put in our 10 miles and were dogging it ourselves.

Over the hill she stood on point. We flushed and killed a sharptail which she had held for a full five minutes at least. So the trip was a success right there.

Next day we found one big covey and filled out right there. Made the mistake of trying to run the dog with boots, and the boots did not help much, so I put her up and did not run her the rest of the trip, except to get her out for blank gun work when we saw roadside birds close by.

The remaining two days we did not do so well, lacking a dog. Also, a front moved in, and in a half hour the birds went from holding, to rising a half mile or more away. We did get up one big covey of huns at a distance, about 40 of them, and I got one of those.

Am hearing reports from friends throughout ND that the sharps are down, but they are seeing lots of pheasant. The pheasants run the sharps out, so maybe that is part of it. We also felt the sharps were down, but lots of pheasant. Although we had plenty of sharps and a few huns to eat at camp.

Anybody have a good remedy for healing pads?

[snips]

We had alot of problems with cactus this yr. They would get in sparatic areas of patches, we`d have to stop and pull them from their feet or mouth after they pulled them. Still have 3 dogs sore footed from it. We were in as many Sharps this yr as last, quite a few young birds. The last day we found the motherload tho.

[Wagonmaster]

Sounds like a great hunt. We found a motherload of Huns, at least 40 in what looked like two joined coveys. We found a couple big groups of sharps, one we could shoot, and the other rose way off.

[sdgord]

John, too bad about the pads, the Gordons never seem to have pad problems, but the weim takes some healing after a long weekend on the prarie. I use pad heal a foul smelling concotion that I purchase at Cabelas. If you can keep the dog from licking the feet EMT gel works , if you can get it to dry and set up before they walk on it.
Went to the grasslands south of Pierre on Monday for a couple of hours, shot two chickens saw lots more that were real jumpy. More "bleep" pheasants out there than cows. Had coffee with RGWest at the store and he and his party shot 27 birds only 4 of which were sharptails. Makes me wonder about the pheasants driving the sharps out.SDGORD

[rschuster54303`]

Just curious, I went to ND this Fall looking for Sharp Tails. We drove out of Green Bay, WI and headed to Minot. We hunted around Minot a couple of days and then tried around Bismark. I must admit our results we less then stellar but but better then what we found in SD. Any suggestions on better areas of ND to try next?

Also as a side note going to try the Sounth East corner of ND for a mixed ag in about a week. Is this a dent area or am I wasting my time?

Regards,

Rob

[Britmandogs]

I have to say that the Sharptail hunting in ND this year has been pretty good, I hunt the south central part of the state. The thing you have to remember about Sharpies is that they can be any where. Last Sunday we went out and it was really windy so we thought we would hunt nice cover on the leaward sides of hills, only found a few so we moved to the edge of sunflowers found a few, then we decided to try stubble fields, bingo got into three really nice coveys in one stubble field of about 75 acres and this was around noon, go figure. These birds are very unpredictable unlike pheasents or huns. Sometimes you really have to put the miles on but when you find them you find them.

[Britmandogs]

Rob, it depends on how far east you are. If you are talking about the Whapeton area you will find little, this is a very heavy agriculture area. However, move a little farther west around Oakes or Ellendale and you should do fine.

[Wagonmaster]

Rob-

The thing about sharptails is that they are mostly in different covers than where you would expect to find pheasants. We generally hunt specifically for sharptails only in the early part fo the season, before the pheasant opener. Later in the season they group up and get more skittish, and when we get into them then, it is usually incidental to pheasant.

Early season cover is generally much different from pheasant cover. Sharps are a bird of the native prairie, and are much more at home out in the open the pheasants. Where pheasants usually like broome grass covers, sharptails seem to use those covers only for night roosting and for safety if they have been flushed from somewhere else. Our favorite cover for early season sharps are the pastures that have been grazed to the nub except for patches of buffalo berries. The sharps are out there during the summer eating grasshoppers, and the walking is terrific.

During hot weather, they will sit in big groups in clumps of bushes and tree lines to get out of the heat. You can tell the bushes that are used by sharps because the ground is bare underneath. If there is high grass in the bush clump, they are not using it. It seems that the ground is bare, in part, because they dust, and thus keep the grass down.

Alfalfa fields are also a big draw, and they are in those out in the wide open. Stubble can be also.

In recent years, the oil seed crops are also a draw, like flowers, canola, rape and grape seed fields.

But if you are walking in big high grass or typical pheasant cover, you are just working yourself, not the sharps. Also, if you are flushing a lot of pheasants, you probably are not in the best area for sharps.

I see you are from Green Bay. My hunting partner now from FL was "Number 43 in your program and number 1 in your hart" from the Lombardi days. A great shot and can sure walk for those sharptails.

Britman-

We are in the same area. I agree, they are where they are and they are not where they are not. You can work alot of ground and find nothing, and then get healthy very fast. A good wide ranging dog sure helps to work the big covers, especially in the areas like alfalfa fields, pastures, stubble where they could be just about anywhere.

[snips]

Funny little hunting story.....Rick had pulled his knee out at the Trial in Ks the week before our hunt in ND. Doug and I had gone out hunting leaving Rick back at the van sitting in a chair, wishing he could be at it too. While sitting on that rise he saw a couple of hunters around a 1/4 mi away hunting. They ended up pushing a covey of around 25 birds flying his way, landing closeby. He watched the hunters and dogs come by hunting the birds and not coming far enough, turned to leave. He proceded to get is dog and gun and head out. He limited in about 5 min, plus took out 2 birds with one shot. Walked back to the van and sat there waiting for us to return. I have heard that story probably 10 times now!

[Wagonmaster]

They fly so far it is often difficult to see where they land, and then they sometimes run quite aways after landing.

A couple of years ago we got a group up on the edge of a full section, they landed what appeared to be half way out. Good thing we had a dog that could cover ground, because we were about to make that fatal short turn after a half mile poke out, when the dog made the find in the far kitty-corner of the field from where the birds had first gotten up. Don't know the math on that, but I suppose it was a mile and a quarter walk out total. We managed to get a few and then, of course, had to make the walk back to the truck.

[Britmandogs]

Brenda, that is classic...you will never hear the end of that one.

[snips]

I have found that out, anyone that knows Rick will appreciate this story. We set out one a.m. splitting up. Landscape was extremely hilly so we soon lost each other. Logan was with me and Fritz with him. Shortly I heard him yell as it sounded like a covey gone bad. I was out maybe 45 min and got a covey point, I got some wonderful work, and just enjoying being out on such a beautiful day and place. I was limited on birds and got a call on my radio from Rick. I asked him where he was, he said he was back at the van. I procedded that way, stopping about half way back to sit in the shade and give Logan & I a break. Anyone that hunts knows how heavy 3 birds can get going upand down hills. It was then I gt another radio call, Rick wanted to know where the singles headed from my covey. I said "WHERE ARE YOU?' He was behind me, and [he played a trick on me to get me out of there, so he could hunt my birds! Now you all know what I have to put up with! You can probably tell it`s raining here, can`t do much.....

[grant]

Funny little hunting story.....Rick had pulled his knee out at the Trial in Ks the week before our hunt in ND. Doug and I had gone out hunting leaving Rick back at the van sitting in a chair, wishing he could be at it too. While sitting on that rise he saw a couple of hunters around a 1/4 mi away hunting. They ended up pushing a covey of around 25 birds flying his way, landing closeby. He watched the hunters and dogs come by hunting the birds and not coming far enough, turned to leave. He proceded to get is dog and gun and head out. He limited in about 5 min, plus took out 2 birds with one shot. Walked back to the van and sat there waiting for us to return. I have heard that story probably 10 times now!

LOL, Lindsay and I always talk about the times we come up to your place. We get a kick out of Rick telling stories and tilting his head back for a laugh. He's a NUT!!!!! =)