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That looks like a great time hunting those mearns. AZ or Pointer, how are they for eating? Imagine pretty fine.

All the ones we shot ended up at a taxidermist, so I can't comment on the taste.
Untitled by Tyler Staggs, on Flickr

Nice mearns mounts!

Mearns are considered the best eating quail. I hunted them 26 times last year and 26 times the year before.

Been chasing them in good and bad years for decades. IMO there is nothing like it in the bird hunting world. Shirtsleeves in January. Best time for hunting is 11-3 a true gentleman's hunt.

Here is Asa her second year hunting with two limits of mearns (8) in a undisclosed location <grin>.

As good as those quail look, that Asa dog looks better. Well done sir.

30338,

Earlier you mentioned wanting to get another. After the two older dogs helped train the pup and passed on, I looked forward to getting back to only one dog. (Quite frankly it is much easier to keep track of one dog while in the field) I told my wife I would get a pup when Asa was 8 or 9 so she could help train it.

When Asa was three my wife convinced me to get a second for several practical reasons. She said that Asa would be young enough to play with the new pup, something the two older grumpy dogs didn't do. Second, what if Asa gets injured? Then I wouldn't be hunting for a while. Third, she said all dogs should have a companion. We have the space so why not? So we got Oli.

This pic shows Oli before I picked which pup to get. Wife says forget the interesting marked animals, look at that one looking at the camera while all the others are just wandering around. I didn't think much of it at the time. A few weeks later the prospective owners were allowed to choose which pup. By total coincidence I chose the curious pup!



At the risk of being accused of taking over this thread..(it is your fault 30338, you mentioned you used imageshack, I had not been able to post pictures for a long time so I signed up) Here is one of my favorite pics with Oli in the boat. All my dogs have been boat dogs. When you get them in the early spring what else can you do with them?

AZ, more great pics. Oli picked you it looks like. That may happen more than we realize as I look back at getting Bane. Those two are just upfront smiling as only dogs can in the boat!

You've got a great quail tandem there. I'll be working on adding another behind Bane as I am researching a couple of kennels now. Thinking 2020 probably.

Great pictures!! Thanks for sharing. The times you mention correlate with what our guide told us. We were a bit put off not starting early in the day since we were paying, but he stated that if you start early the dogs have a much harder time finding them. It truly was a super fun hunt! His English pointers were rockstars! He ran GPS collars and they'd often hold point for 10+mins it took us to get to where they were on point as they ranged FAR.

Hy, GWP here, I've had a gwp for the last 13yr. They will simply amaze you. Not just hunt wise, they are very intelligent. You'll see mark my words. This one of mine 🏆🏆🏆🏆 best pal yet & so in touch with you it's scary!!! I could go on & on. Right now I hope he makes Christmas. Any way , I'm out 🐾👣🐾👣🐾👣

Congrats on your dog GWPGUY. They sure are special mutts. Hoping mine will get me 13 years.

First mearns hunt usually means a nasty mess with the hollow sticky plant found on the slopes. This year I discovered a hair product that has helped immensely to untangle and free this nasty mess in the long hairs of my two GWPs. As seen here Oli's finer hair gets really tangled.







I use a stainless comb with large gap teeth at one end fine at other, found at most pet stores. The new secret ingredient is Pantene Leave It In Conditioning Spray with moisture renewal DETANGLER. It helped save hair that would have gotten pulled out. Still have to start near ends of tangled mess and carefully work up length of hair to get this sticky plant out.

Second day out with the conditioner still in the hair from the day before seemed to lessen the mess.

One of my friends suggested we try a horse product before the hunt. Going to feed store to find some Show Sheen or similar. Friend says you can't tie a horse's tail in a knot as the hair becomes slick and slippery.

Have some similar weeds on Colorado's plains. May try that out. Have also heard that Show Sheen works well. Curious to see what you think if you use it. Dying to get back out myself.

I added the pantene detangler moisturer yesterday before the hunt. I sprayed and slicked down the hair on both dog's snouts, chins, leading edges on shoulders and legs, plus the insides and outsides of their thighs. After 4 1/4 hrs of hiking the same type of mearns habitat, the dogs came out of it with very few pieces. Amazing!

I'll be honest I have no idea if there were as many sticky plants there or not. I don't get them on my clothes but rarely so have no control. Stay tuned, I go out again tomorrow.

Got Bane out for a couple of days. Had a poor shooting day yesterday. Did better today. Pic is Nebraska limit before 9 am. Loaded him up and stopped to see a friend in eastern CO. Dropped the tailgate, walked a half mile, and had a Colorado limit in hand. He had a very good day. And he retrieves anything that is shot. Only burrs are in his beard right now and those were eastern CO. I'll try the spray tomorrow on him.

Nice to see Bane and you are having a good time.

Took dogs out again where there was lots of that sticky plant. A few got into their fur but nothing like before the conditioner. Still trying to get a limit of mearns. This year isn't working out so well. Finding more Forest Service lands grazed to dirt. There are NO mearns where this occurs.

I am ticked off that the Coronado National Forest lets this happen. Supposed to be supervising the grazing according to their management plan.

Recently there was a reassessment and a new plan was implemented. In the early stages many interest groups suggested with only 3% of cattle production is on forest service lands that NO GRAZING should be allowed. That didn't happen but I wish it would.

The pantene not only keeps the plant life off the hair it fluffs up a bit. Thought this was a good pic of Oli with his new look:

Oli looks all ready to go. I was going to test some of the new stuff out but while I was putting stuff up, my wife brushed out Bane's beard. I'll try it next time. That sucks about the grazing down there. I see private land in the midwest that gets grazed very low and of course there are no birds there. Thinking I may need to head farther north into Nebraska to try my luck on sharptails with Bane next. Researching that now.

Bane's a stud! Well done! I so wish I had more time to get out after some wild birds. Will be heading out to a preserve or two just so Hank doesn't forget that he's a bird dog...

Really great thread!!!!👍

I suggested I would try the product for a while and get back here to report.

Got into some thick mearns country yesterday. Have to report that detangler product may prevent SOME of the sticky plant from attaching to the dog's hair but there was still some that to be removed after the hunt. I did notice during the hunt a dog would show with face full of plants then later there was far less. Appears the product allows the sticky plant to slide off far easier. Fortunately it combs out easier with the soft conditioned hair and some more sprayed on the tangled mess. Trying not to have bald GWPs by end of season.

AZ, sounds like that product has some potential. On the bald GWPs, not good lol. Bane comes out of season lacking a beard and about the time it grows out, another season starts. Thanks for the followup and hope some more Mearns get knocked down.