28 ga Wild Quail

[mobirdhunter]

I hope it's okay I righted your photo...

[Dollar]

Believe it or not but there are a lot of wild quail in Florida.South central right in the middle of the state.There's probably 4 or 5 coveys on one ranch I have right now.I've had several ranches over the years that actually had huntable numbers.What's called the prairie region has a lot of birds but its mostly private land.There are more than a few public areas that hold birds but walking will be required.There are also released mang. areas also.

[Kevin McCormack]

Originally Posted by Garry L Gordon

So, John, where are you? Our North Missouri/Southern Iowa covers have areas with good bird numbers…and, some, not so good. I guess I’d call it spotty.

I lived and worked in Overland Park KS in the early 1970s and fell in with a couple who wanted to learn how to waterfowl hunt. Being a Chesapeake Bay area transplant, I struck a deal with them to take me on their every-weekend forays up into northern MO and southern IO for quail and pheseant.

It was a marriage made in heaven; they had a great Brittany Spaniel, no children at home, and a "Mini Winnie" (18-ft. Winnebago). On Fridays after work we would drive north from KC into southern IO and park the Winnie either on public hunting lands or private farms they had cultivated good relations with over the years. We made the weekend of it, hunting roughly in a triangle from Adair northwest to Exira then due east to Guthrie Center then back to Adair. There were wild quail everywhere and the biggest pheasants this Eastern Boy had ever seen.

We found a local man about an hour and half southeast of KC who owned a farm within a couple of hundred yards off the mainstem of the river who would cut the dike every fall with his bulldozer and flood about 50 acres of standing milo, then repair the dike for the winter. I taught them everything I could about duck shooting; decoy placement, how to call, effective range of their guns, concealment, lack of movement, etc. There were no divers to speak of in that area but we ran wild on puddle ducks; lots of ringnecks and woodies not to mention mallards and the frequent Black Duck.

They were great people and we both learned a lot. I think of them frequently. I left Kansas in 1973 and moved back east to MD; the lure of the salt air and the Canvasbacks were my siren call. Those were the days!

[Reggie B]

Kevin what guns were you shooting for both the waterfowl and quail?

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Kevin McCormack

I lived and worked in Overland Park KS in the early 1970s and fell in with a couple who wanted to learn how to waterfowl hunt. Being a Chesapeake Bay area transplant, I struck a deal with them to take me on their every-weekend forays up into northern MO and southern IO for quail and pheseant.

It was a marriage made in heaven; they had a great Brittany Spaniel, no children at home, and a "Mini Winnie" (18-ft. Winnebago). On Fridays after work we would drive north from KC into southern IO and park the Winnie either on public hunting lands or private farms they had cultivated good relations with over the years. We made the weekend of it, hunting roughly in a triangle from Adair northwest to Exira then due east to Guthrie Center then back to Adair. There were wild quail everywhere and the biggest pheasants this Eastern Boy had ever seen.

We found a local man about an hour and half southeast of KC who owned a farm within a couple of hundred yards off the mainstem of the river who would cut the dike every fall with his bulldozer and flood about 50 acres of standing milo, then repair the dike for the winter. I taught them everything I could about duck shooting; decoy placement, how to call, effective range of their guns, concealment, lack of movement, etc. There were no divers to speak of in that area but we ran wild on puddle ducks; lots of ringnecks and woodies not to mention mallards and the frequent Black Duck.

They were great people and we both learned a lot. I think of them frequently. I left Kansas in 1973 and moved back east to MD; the lure of the salt air and the Canvasbacks were my siren call. Those were the days!

Kevin, I know the area. It still has decent cover, but not nearly the birds it once had. We still enjoy it.

[Kevin McCormack]

Originally Posted by Reggie Bishop

Kevin what guns were you shooting for both the waterfowl and quail?

Reggie, I shot a 26" Browning Superposed 20 ga. IC/Mod for the quail and a Remington 870 12 ga. 30" for the ducks.

[Dollar]

Saw a small covey today on south ranch.Probably the worst habitat for quail of the 4 ranches I hunt.

[John Marscher]

It is looking to be a good year down this way. 7 coveys moved in really bad rain/weather. Healthy coveys of 20+ birds was good to see.

Cant beat wild birds.

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[Double Lab]

Nice going John. Is your dog a Lab. Coat looks a little curly.

[John Marscher]

Beggar Lice is the main food source it appears.

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