Reminder of a good Quail season “in the books!”

[Kevin McCormack]

We had wild quail in VA well up into the 1970s. Thanks to "clean" farming by former suburbanites who demanded well-groomed country 'estates', out of control predator populations due to restrictions on shooting hawks and owls, the collapse of the fur market under siege by Hollywood glitterati which helped ground predator populations to explode, and perhaps the most underated of all, the burgeoning population of feral cats, it is almost unknown to see a quail off of game farm property today. The exact same criteria torpedoed the wonderful native pheasant hunting we had in north central MD just below the PA border in approximately the same time period. When you drive up into that country today, you occasionally see people pulled over in stopped cars trying to get a cell phone picture of a rooster. Millenial locals tell me it is quite and event.

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Kevin McCormack

The exact same criteria torpedoed the wonderful native pheasant hunting we had in north central MD just below the PA border in approximately the same time period. When you drive up into that country today, you occasionally see people pulled over in stopped cars trying to get a cell phone picture of a rooster. Millenial locals tell me it is quite and event.

Let's go back to those happier times Kevin - I'm gonna search the Internet for plans for building a time machine.




.

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

Let's go back to those happier times Kevin - I'm gonna search the Internet for plans for building a time machine.
.

I'd sure help with this project. I'm an anachronism. I'll bet we could get help through a Go Fund Me initiative.

[SXS OHIO]

As a kid I remember three or so big covey's that lived in a 100 acres of grown over farmland across the gravel dead end road we lived on also lots of roosters too! They would scar the daylights out of me when they got up. But that was 1965 and I was only 10! My dad did not hunt so I never got to do quail hunting..)-: That was about 1971. By the time I started rabbit hunting the Quail were all gone. They built a Flippin mall on that land that now is all but empty. We still had wild roosters and we would get one or two during a good rabbit hunt with a beagle dog. Dad gave my brother a sweet little Fox 20 with English stock and 28" tubes. Man I loved that gun! Later on I was given a Ranger 12 with SST and 30" tubes. It shot game like a rifle, I learned to let them get out there, we ate all the game taken. Them were the days!

So that was the history lesson....now about hunting quail now days. I have been going to Kansas now for about 10 seasons. The north west corner holds lots of wild roosters and some Bobs. We think the bobs are bonus birds kind like woodcock when grouse hunting. Anyway my hunting bud is younger than I and also lives in Ohio. He had never saw a covey of wild quail in his life while hunting anyway. I remember like a picture in the minds eye the first time he walked into a covey. At that time November 2011 quail numbers were o.k. we would see them most everyday. We were hunting our most favorite grown over 1/2 section home place. It always hold birds. It was one of those mild sun/cloud days with light breeze and we had hunted the circle and was almost done. There is a old fenced area about 8 or 10 acres with CRP grass and plumb thickets mixed in. We were walking the edge of the cut corn to the corner of the field leading to the center of this area. Steve was out in front about 10 yards and had already crossed over the old barbed wire fence that was partly down, the three dogs were out front to our right and did not pick up the scent. I was just stepping over the barbed wire when the covey went. Steve had stopped walking just for a moment. He was standing in the middle of the covey! All it took was that little pause was all it took and the quail all got up under him. I looked up at him dancing around shouldering his Fox 16, He shot two times fast, never touched a feather and Steve is a pretty good shot! I just stood there as it transpired as they all went strait away and left me no safe shot. Oh but one last bird went left and I downed it with one shot...(-: I wish I had a video of the flush. It would be priceless! God I love Kansas and wild quail!!! SXS Ohio

[TxHuntermn]

Nice to see a vizsla

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Mark Ray

Nice to see a vizsla

...and a Gordon! (That Miss Ruby is a beautiful dog.)