The Smart Old Rooster
By Adam JohnsonDriving to the spot where we were going to turn the dogs loose on some ringneck pheasants I spotted a big rooster strutting next to a farmhouse while I slowed for an intersection. I was thinking; Now there’s a smart old rooster. He knows where to go where the hunters can't get to him.
When we got out of the truck there was some commotion, doors slamming, dog kennels banging and at one point I looked up and saw a big rooster running along the edge of a fenceline, hightailing it as far away from us as he could get. Once again the thought crossed my mind that this was a smart old rooster who wasn’t going to be chased by any of our buckshot.
The first dozen birds that flushed were hens that held tight for the dogs and had we been able to shoot these birds we would have had easy shots. The first rooster that busted from the cover was a young bird that provided an easy shot for the hunter on my left. His shotgun barked, the bird dropped and the dogs had something to retrieve.
About halfway through the hunt the big lab that belonged to my hunting buddy picked up a scent and started moving out ahead of us. He’s a well-trained dog so he was easy to call back, but whatever he wanted to chase was obviously on the run.
I told my friend to let the dog go and let’s see what he’s after. That big old lab put his nose to the ground and took off.
First that dog moved to the right and then to the left. Sometimes the trail took him away from us and sometimes he would turn back. After a minute of zig-zagging, the rooster flushed. It was a big bird and he was wasting no time putting distance between us. We each got off a couple of shots but those little balls of lead were way behind that bird. That was one smart old rooster.
A couple of times during the chase that pheasant tried to circle behind us but we obviously cut off the escape route. If we hadn’t let the dog loose to chase that bird he might have ran enough circles that he might not have had to flush. The rest of the day we gave the dogs more freedom to pursue when they got onto a hot scent. It paid off.
As we neared the end of the cover both dogs were excited. Hens were busting out of the grass and taking to the air and when a big rooster flushed to my right I swung the shotgun and squeezed the trigger. The bird crumpled and dropped. Yes, it was a big old rooster. Maybe just not as smart as the others.
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