96 Hunting Trips of a Ranchman 



lies in getting up early and working all day; and 

 this at least we had learned, for we were off as soon 

 as there was light enough by which to drive. The 

 ground, of course, was absolutely fenceless, houses 

 being many miles apart. Through the prairie, with 

 its tall grass, in which the sharp-tails lay at night 

 and during the day, were scattered great grain 

 fields, their feeding-grounds in the morning and 

 evening. Our plan was to drive from one field to 

 another, getting out at each and letting the dogs 

 hunt it over. The birds were in small coveys and 

 lay fairly well to the dogs, though they rose much 

 further off from us in the grain fields than they did 

 later in the day when we flushed them from the 

 tall grass of the prairie (I call it tall grass in con 

 tradistinction to the short bunch grass of the cattle 

 plains to the westward) . Old stub- tail, though slow, 

 was very stanch and careful, never flushing a bird, 

 while the puppy, from pure heedlessness, and with 

 the best intentions, would sometimes bounce into the 

 midst of a covey before he knew of their presence. 

 On the other hand, he covered twice the ground that 

 the pointer did. The actual killing of the birds was a 

 good deal like quail shooting in the East, except that 

 it was easier, the marks being so much larger. When 

 we came to a field we would beat through it a hun 

 dred yards apart, the dogs ranging in long diagonals. 

 When either the setter or the pointer came to a 

 stand, the other generally backed him. If the covey 

 was near enough, both of us, otherwise, whichever 

 was closest, walked cautiously up. The grouse gen- 



