Does anyone understand quail hunting?

[BPierce]

For the last 3 posters:

Have you tried it? Are you speaking from experience?

I can't speak about Quail but I have hunted pheasants on a number of preserves AND shot hundreds of wild birds. If I wanted to hunt Late season birds that run and flush out of range, then I would NOT go to a preserve. On the other hand the birds on a well run preserve will act just like wild birds and they are not any easier to hit.

If you have had a bad experience on a preserve, I hope you will try again. Ethical operators will provide you a quality experience.

Wild birds
License $100.00 (two weeks, I might get to go twice)
Gas: $48.00
Overnight or drive both ways in one day
Meals $???
need to plan in advance (weather???)

Preserve birds
License $ 0.00
Gas $3.00
Fee $55.00
Go whenever I want

If I lived in the ND town I grew up in, I would hunt wild birds all the time. But, as you can see, I can't do that often and the biggest difference is when I hunt wild birds I do so with a big group and lots of dogs. At the preserve, it's often just me and my dog. Both a good experience.

[neophyte]

BPierce: Sir; my practical shooting experience is nil.
My setting out birds; more than once. "Quail"
I wasn't invited to shoot. Walk behind

Sir; our Quail sets, are not like our wild birds. Just don't seem to have a spark.

Again; I recognize the need for the service and have extreme respect for the Land Owners who are trying to preserve game.

[billy]

it sounds like fun to me.
and you can eat em.

[Earl Easter]

Loveguns
This is a good topic. Around Pennsylvania you could go out on any given day of the week in the 60's and at least shoot or miss a half a dozen natural flushes with out a dog. Gradually those days dissappeared. So i got into The training and bringing up the German Shorthair breeds. Not as a Professional, just as a crutch to find them and enjoy there ability to drive and please the hunter,with the points, the stay on points and the overall eagerness that dog seem to have bred into her. I've had two, One female and one male. The female seem to be the smarter of both not saying the male was bad its just the female was a little layed back in comparison. That got to expensive for me personally and after losing them both i went back to just the natural hunt which certainly was my preference at the get go. Spent lots of money time and walking which was a good thing but i did not have the nose to find them.
The population of the birds at the present time is just about nothing...... Quail,Chucker,
Pheasants. The Grouse have been plentiful in most areas and thats mainly what i hunt, with out the dog. They have also become a lot smarter, flushing out of range,sneaking away in a distance on the ground on foot. I agree with all you fellers Game Farms Game Reserves is just a joke. This past hunting season since the pheasant population of natural ground PA birds are i think extinct. I thought i would try the stocked birds, the ones the state puts out in county selected areas listed in the game book. Well its no fun, they run around on the ground scared and helpless. And i passed without shooting unless they at least flushed, so i got a few and they with the cropped tails and easy shots at best were taken. I heard Nebraska? maybe and PA have a deal with us trading. Wild turkeys for Nebraska Pheasants in hope would bring back some pheasants that are wild and kick start the population back again;. But last week my son and i witnessed the red tailed hawk have lunch with a female pheasant and i would imagine the fox and coyotes have good dinning with them also.The game commission in PA stated that it costs around $10.00 a bird to stock each released pheasant and rumor around here that they might eliminate all. That would end it for me. I would at that time consider the Game Farm hunting just to be able to to have a good dinner, but what i hear about the cost of such hunts i could not afford. Would have to win the lottery and then maybe go. Or buy a couple at the expensive grocery store that carries them on occasion. Sorry to be so winded, its just my favorite................... hunting birds.....

[neophyte]

Earl: Sir; as a youngster; a flush would scare the mess out of me.
Led me trying "flush" and shoot. Finest times without a dog.
Chasing about with hounds, I saw the demise.
Down on the farm, doing walk abouts, it was nothing to flush a couple different coveys.
Last summer, did a walk about, didn't see a one.

[BPierce]

At least with pheasants, the person setting the bird can have some control in how the bird reacts. If you need a bird to hold tight for training a new pup say, he can help with that and even mark where he placed it. On the other hand he can set the birds so they react exactly as wild birds do. One difference he has no control over is that on a preserve you hunts hens as well as roosters. If you have hunted wild birds you know that hens naturally hold tight. They do however fly faster and more erratically than roosters when they do flush and that is the same on a preserve. I hunted one preserve that had a large red willow swamp. After it froze over they would place birds in the swamp. They may have been pen raised but they would naturally sneek through the grass till they had a bunch of willow between you and them and then flushed cackling at the frustrated hunters.

All this is dependent of course on the operator using healthy mature birds. If you have the "shooting fish in the bucket" experience then something is wrong. This thread was started pertaining to quail and they may be different than pheasants.

[Earl Easter]

My experience with Quail has only been at dog trials prior to buying a dog. I've participated in about five trials prior to purchasing a German Shorthair Pointer. And What i saw in some of the session with owner and dog was quail that flushed pretty darn natural looking to me. Even as the dog on point would hold up for the gunning trainer or owner those fellas had a rough time hitting those explosive,eratic outs and aways. I was pretty impressed. I believe the dog got points and the trainer/owner points were tallied at the end, with trophies, metals and ribbons depending on placement aloted points. And sorry i did not stick to just the Quail at my first post. I love all bird hunting. I also have to apologise, stating game preserves being a joke. They are not!
I could see the experience the trainer as well as the owners gaining knowledge with one another, later reflecting on all. Each time getting better and better.

[SwedeSteve]

Farm raised qual will go wild perfectly. They eat all kinds of things, so they won't starve. My father was the Head Game Warden on an AFB for many years in S Cal when I was a child and we released hundreds of farm raised quail and pheasant.
The only worry, to me, is to do with genetics and inherent immuno-deficiencies.
I think the game ranches fill a niche, but I would not personally hunt one.

[Earl Easter]

Neophyte
I still get the beegeebers when those missiles explode, safety goes up, gun raises to bird and most of the time they are well out of range, but i pull one off anyway. Sometimes i get lucky and most of the time i miss. Thats still the best fun, just being there.

[neophyte]

Earl: and aint it fun
I met a 'pheasant' hunter years ago. Them folks are "eat up with" pheasant and dog's. Just like hunting dog lovers all over.
I didn't get to go with him, maybe someday.

Heart a racing with anticipation; birds blow up in all directions, and me with a mess in my
britches
Call it FUN

[PistolCity]

In southern indiana there is no wild phesants something about the ground soil. The quail population is almost nil. I have read that the DNR is offering help to farmers as well themselves in providing cover and what not to attempt to regrow the quail population in my half of the state and the pheasant in the northern part. Hopefully by the time my son is old enough to go there will be some birds again. If not then I will attempt to go to a bird perserve once a year like I have the last few years. Is it as fun as wild birds I dont know Ive flushed very very few wild coveys, probably could count them on 1 hand in the past 10 years. And I love the taste of game birds. My father on the other hand goes to several reserves a year with the company he works for and they kill 100's if not 1000's each trip. With that said I cannot complain about game preserves because I honestly dont know anything else. To me is it diffrent than any other preserve or guided hunt? Be Texas deer hunting, Flordia turkey hunting, or any of the others? A Alaskan, African, or Candian hunt may differ because I fell alot of average joes may not come home if they hunt without a guide. And this is based off what Ive seen on tv.

[Earl Easter]

Neophyte
Its the best thing going. Oh don't get me wrong i like the deer,bear, yoaties also, and the turkey, especially the turkey in the spring i have not failed spring gobbler in quite a few years. The fall turkey season i try to help the fellas that never get one, so most of the fall i get calls from folks i don't even know and subject myself to making sure they get one to keep the trend up. Just got off the e-mail site with a realtor in Raleigh /Durham her name is Eva Kolev nice lady, my wife and i are looking to purchase a home in around there Zebulon, Cory area after we sell this home. Good talking with ya.

[JBS]

When I was in my teens, the Quail were abundant in my part of Arkansas. Now, it is very rare that anyone finds a covey of them...Reason? The coyote moved in and has become very prevalent. Never heard nor say a coyote when I was younger.

[ArkansasHunter]

Fire ants have hurt any come back too !

[Dustdevil]

Personally, I have a strong preference for hunting wild birds. But I have hunted private ranches, and will likely do so in the near future to train my pup. Due to such dry weather the last two Spring seasons, the hatch rate is very low here in California. I have not been able to put her on live birds.

In my view, private ranches are valuable resources which keep pressure low on wild populations nearby. They also contribute healthy birds to the wild population because a number of them are not shot in private fields. These birds do not lose their instinct from being raised on ranches, especially the better ranches. They are a little clumsy when placed at first, but if they are not shot, they revert to their instinct and covey up with a wild covey soon enough.

For some parts of the US, this last two years has been rather dry. This contributes to a lower bird population. In addition, grains are not planted by many small farm operations any longer, many times corn is more valuable due to the demand for ethanol. Since quail love grains, the habitat will not support the larger populations we may have seen in the past in these areas. The quail follow the grain, so they are likely in huge populations wherever larger farming operations are growing milo, wheat, etc.

But once my dog is trained, I'll revert to my natural preference: I'd rather hunt fewer wild birds that are very difficult to find and shoot, than many ranch-raised birds that yield a larger take. It's the reason I took four trips this year for quail with nothing to show for it. There just aren't any birds in places where they once flourished. Hopefully, the rains will come back this Spring.

Sorry, I didn't even answer the question:

Yes, I understand private ranch quail hunting. For those hunters who value the number of birds in their bag over all other aspects of hunting, it's the place to go. A hunter is sure to find birds on the ranch. Personally, this isn't my style. I prefer the hunt to the head count.

[GlockMeister]

Sounds like the way some hunting clubs do there quail hunts in areas where they have limited to no quails; so they buy them and keep them caged until time to hunt so their investment don't fly the coop so to speak.

[Windwalker]

Neophyte Sir, I like your eloquent and friendly way of making your point and really enjoy your posts.

[Brian VT]

He do talk funny...but well. I'm enjoying this new-to-me site. Seems like a good bunch of people that respect each other. If only there were more of that in this world.

Originally Posted by neophyte

Condemnation, placing my values, dictating another's outing, isn't me

[toolman]

Personally, I feel that if it comes out of a cage, it's not a true hunt. Then again, I'm blessed (so far) with plenty of free-range game to hunt. We put over 200 dove in the freezer this season, but for various reasons, didn't even try for any quail. I'll probably try for a couple of spring turkeys (toms only) in a month or two.

[mym1a]

originaly the sport of trap shooting was done with live birds.