More Snow Day Musings (with photos)

[Chris Pope]

Originally Posted by Garry L Gordon

Snow in the South!?!? You need to get out in it and chase those pups around. At the very least, it will burn off the calories from that delicious looking bread.

So, we hunted in shin deep snow yesterday after the high temperature finally cleared 20. Mushers Secret for the paws, extra snow-proofing on the boots and the exasperation of hunting quail in the snow.

Chris, I hope it's okay I add a photo from yesterday to whet your appetite for hunting in the snow. Aspen found a covey that flushed wild and scurried into an impenetrable pile of osage orange cuttings (the toughest wood known to human kind). The photo, courtesy of Elaine, shows yours truly doing the brush pile dance trying to get a bird to flush (and you're thinking, how will you shoot while dancing on top of a brush pile?). Don't worry, no birds were injured in the making of this photo...and we had to literally dig Aspen out as he got himself stuck try to burrow in. One bird flushed, almost taking Elaine's hat off.

Ah, snow days. Give 'em a try. At the very least it will increase your blood pressure.

Once again, great photography by your spouse capturing the graceful movements of her husband!
My good hunting buddy claims that's why he likes small flushing dogs to get under the nasty stuff and root out the tight birds!
...oh, and the photo is proof that occaisionally I like to get out in the cold and snow to chase birds! You'll have to believe me that I was the photographer.

[mobirdhunter]

THAT is a great photo. And unlike in my case, you got a bird.

So, growing up in Virginia, it was illegal to hunt quail in the snow. The assumption was that it was unfair. When I got to Missouri and could hunt quail in the snow, I discovered they were right, it is unfair…to the hunter!

[J. A. EARLY]

Originally Posted by Garry L Gordon

THAT is a great photo. And unlike in my case, you got a bird.

So, growing up in Virginia, it was illegal to hunt quail in the snow. The assumption was that it was unfair. When I got to Missouri and could hunt quail in the snow, I discovered they were right, it is unfair…to the hunter!

The main reason for not being able to hunt quail in the snow in Virginia was in my opinion the road hunters, who would ride around and find coveys roosted on the side of the road, maybe under a cedar, and shoot into the whole covey. And when the snow was partially gone and we couldn't wait any longer we always wondered if the game warden would disagree with us about the legality of hunting with some snow left.

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Jerry Harlow

The main reason for not being able to hunt quail in the snow in Virginia was in my opinion the road hunters, who would ride around and find coveys roosted on the side of the road, maybe under a cedar, and shoot into the whole covey. And when the snow was partially gone and we couldn't wait any longer we always wondered if the game warden would disagree with us about the legality of hunting with some snow left.

You may be right about the law trying to prevent covey shooting. We always thought it was because being able to track coveys was an unfair advantage. On those occasions when my father would visit us in Missouri and we could hunt in the snow, about every half hour he’d ask, “Are you sure we’re legal?” After he was humbled by some Snow-Bobs (as we liked to call them), he certainly changed his idea that hunting in snow was unfair.