This is not a fishing report!

I got to go hunting with my son Matt, a bonus hunt around Great Falls before pheasant opens in a week. We loaded up Murphy, his Brittany, and went in search of quail and partridge.

Driving an hour and a half due northwest of Great Falls we found a promising looking field of grass and cut hay. The day was breaking and had that wonderful crisp fall feel to it. Bundled in layers (soon to be removed) we set Murphy in search of our quarry and began to work the large field.

Within 15 minutes of starting Matt called out “birds, behind you!” Murphy had been working 50 yards in the other direction when this group of a half dozen quail decided they would flush on their own. I spun around and took aim at the rapidly receding birds, managing to get off a couple shots that fell wide of the mark. Watching them fly off toward the next field we had hope of finding more birds, but had no further fowl encounters. A group of hunters a couple fields over let loose a volley of shots a bit later as we watched another group of birds fly off.

After working this large field for three hours we got back in the car and explored a few more locations. One field in particular looked really good but we had no success. With the day getting long we packed Murphy up and headed back home, another perfect day of hunting in the memory book.

On a side note, next year Matt and I will be adding a second dog to our hunting parties which should improve our opportunities. With the passing a few weeks ago of our last senior dog, Diesel, my wife and I decided it was time for a new dog. This time we decided to go with a puppy, and hunting dog. Welcome to the family “Duke”, a tri-color Springer Spaniel! The last week has been interesting to say the least, like having a new baby in the house. I’m looking forward to getting Duke trained up and ready to hunt Montana next year!

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