# Change of pace--wild quail



## GLS (Dec 17, 2018)

Taking a break from woodcock, Floyd and I got a generous invitation to stay and hunt wild quail with a like-minded gentleman.  As good as the hunting was, the hospitality and his dogs were even better.  From about 8 to just after 11 on Saturday, we found 7 large coveys which was remarkable given the early conditions of ground fog the first half hour.  His dogs were incredible and tolerant of my Brittcom MuttPak, Abby and Willa, who didn't screw up.  We had 6  pointed rises and another one flush behind a strip of sapling pines as we looked for a downed bird on the near side of the stand.  And I had thought these days were a thing of the past.  We picked up 6 and lost two that were hit but continued flying into the next county.  We made great effort to find them with five dogs on the ground  to no avail.  Willa and Abby's  best work involved a lot of luck.  As we drove down a stretch of road, our friend stopped his truck to check out a spot.  All dogs were kenneled in the trucks.  He wanted to check out the food sources in a clearing as he was looking for rag weed.  He stepped between the trucks while moving to the edge.  A dozen or more in a covey flushed from the edge and most landed within 75 yards.  He told me to let my dogs out and he'd keep his in the dog box.  Willa quickly pointed the covey with Abby backing.  We moved in behind Willa and flushed the birds.  We got two down and recovered them easily.   If I never have another hunt for wild quail, I will be content with holding on to the memory of this one for the rest of my days. 
Floyd's Ithaca SKB 20 and my 1940's Darne R10 20 ga.
Gil


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## whitetailfreak (Dec 17, 2018)

Sounds like a good time. Thanks for sharing.


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## NCHillbilly (Dec 17, 2018)

Looks like a perfect day. I miss wild quail. They just don't exist here any more.


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## trad bow (Dec 17, 2018)

Sounds like a great day. Happy y’all got into the wild ones. Makes you realize how managing for quail can make a difference. 
Jeff


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## nrh0011 (Dec 25, 2018)

Very nice


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## Michael F Sights (Dec 25, 2018)

Nice!


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## Gaswamp (Dec 26, 2018)

wow very nice Gil...thanks for sharing.


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## KyDawg (Dec 26, 2018)

The quail are gone up here for the most part. There is nothing I miss anymore than chasing wild Quail with some good dogs. There is something about a dog pointing a covey of wild quail in a fence row.


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## coveyrise (Dec 30, 2018)

If you quit carrying that Funky Darne gun you may have killed 10. Mathew Quigley special edition upland gun.


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## GLS (Dec 31, 2018)

It was designed for shooting Funky Chickens.  Gil


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## coveyrise (Jan 2, 2019)

You were just hoping it would make you a Darne good shot.


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## Mr Bya Lungshot (Jan 2, 2019)

Nothing better and nothing worse than flushing a covey of quail with your feet.
Something I took for granted as a kid.


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## GLS (Jan 2, 2019)

Walking to a turkey on the limb and flushing a covey on the way will clear the sleep from one's eyes better than any cup of coffee.


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## blood on the ground (Jan 2, 2019)

What a great day!


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## mlandrum (Jan 2, 2019)

Memory of a Lifetime ??


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## Mark K (Jan 5, 2019)

Lucky enough to have access to a wild bird plantation (not to quail hunt, lol). Ive learned so much about these birds over the last several years. It’s absolutely amazing how these birds are able to actually make it from egg to adult in the wild. A lot of land and predator management goes on in these woods. 
I have come to HATE some of these coveys! I swear they know my Stand locations and intentionally set themselves up for me to flush and cause my language to change to that of a sailor!
Congrats on a fine take of wild birds. It’s always entertaining to see release bird hunters come in and walk up to the first covey and not even get a shot. They have that, whisky tango foxtrot, look on their faces after the flush, lol.


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## asc (Jan 5, 2019)

very nice!


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## spring (Jan 8, 2019)

Nothing quite like the thrill that comes from a covey rise, especially when you've been managing the place for that.  It's a year-round effort, and every year you find yourself living through the life-cycles of the little birds; the May/June/July rooster calls, the first coveys in July all filled with little guys the size of golf balls, the hope of a successful late hatch in Aug/Sept, the excitement of the fall as you start keeping a covey count, and then, of course, the dreams of opening day in November. Feeding the birds year-round, discing in December, and all of the other aspects of habitat management all converge in a burst of pride and adrenaline as your dog locks down and you take those steps into the brush....  I love it!


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## trad bow (Jan 8, 2019)

Spring that sums up a bird hunter and conservation by someone who lives for the hunt and the bird. Great post. 
Jeff


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## Mark K (Jan 9, 2019)

Spring, it’s always nice to find grown coveys, birds that can fly short distance coveys, and those that barely make over the Wiregrass coveys in September. 
Great post. The quail language is something else as well. I have heard these birds my whole life and never realized it until having access to this place. It’s private so I won’t mention names, but extremely thankful to have learned what little I know about these amazing birds.


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## spring (Jan 9, 2019)

If you appreciate the sounds of the bobwhite quail, I think you’ll enjoy this:

Sounds a quail make


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## Mark K (Jan 9, 2019)

That was great. Heard all those sounds and then some. 
And since you mention quail sounds maybe you can help me out. I’ve heard this about three times this Fall/Winter and it appears to be the Rooster making it. It almost sounds like a softer version of a Pileated Woodpecker and is done by a rooster that flushes one direction and the covey flushes the other direction. I’m interpreting it as an alarm call of some sort, but I have yet to see a predator. Like I said, only heard it 3 times, but all 3 times was exactly the same scenario. And I say rooster because I’ve seen the rooster flush first. This was not over dogs, just sitting in the stand observing.
And something you’ve probably already witnessed, was quail fluttering up in the privet and fluttering from limb to limb eating the berries. And as you know, quail don’t flutter quietly, lol. Those wings either beat 90 to nothing or not at all.
And last, watched a covey take cover under the leaves of a fallen oak and travel and grand total of 20 yards in 2.5 hours! That was it. Fed around for 2.5 hours within a 20 yard span.


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## GLS (Jan 11, 2019)

Adam, a poster who seems to be MIA, had the below quote in his signature line.  I've always liked the line and I tracked it down to  Aldo Leopold's 1953 book, Round River. It's as true now as it was then:
"...a thicket without the potential roar of a quail covey is only a thorny thicket..."
The full quote and book is easily found by googling the line above.  It's worth reading.  It can also be applied to the twitter of a flushed woodcock.
Gil


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## spring (Jan 11, 2019)

Mark K said:


> That was great. Heard all those sounds and then some.
> And since you mention quail sounds maybe you can help me out. I’ve heard this about three times this Fall/Winter and it appears to be the Rooster making it. It almost sounds like a softer version of a Pileated Woodpecker and is done by a rooster that flushes one direction and the covey flushes the other direction. I’m interpreting it as an alarm call of some sort, but I have yet to see a predator. Like I said, only heard it 3 times, but all 3 times was exactly the same scenario. And I say rooster because I’ve seen the rooster flush first. This was not over dogs, just sitting in the stand observing.
> And something you’ve probably already witnessed, was quail fluttering up in the privet and fluttering from limb to limb eating the berries. And as you know, quail don’t flutter quietly, lol. Those wings either beat 90 to nothing or not at all.
> And last, watched a covey take cover under the leaves of a fallen oak and travel and grand total of 20 yards in 2.5 hours! That was it. Fed around for 2.5 hours within a 20 yard span.



They do make lots of different sounds, not just depending on the circumstances, but also the time of year. In the spring I like recording them. Sometimes you can hear the sultry call of the hen that has all the roosters fired up. You should be able to hear her early in the video here:

A hen and her roosters


Here's another you might enjoy:

Springtime quail


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## spring (Jan 13, 2019)

Another good weekend with a mix of quail, ducks and dove hunting.


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## spring (Jan 22, 2019)

Yesterday's hunt was a lot of fun. Tried to get after them on Saturday but the wind made scenting conditions very difficult.  Headed out Monday morning after after a chilly morning duck hunt.


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## spring (Jan 27, 2019)

Another cool covey rise from this morning. I was working my dog so, you get a one man band of a dog handler, videographer, and shooter... You can really see the speed of a rise in this video, especially if you watch it on a larger screen.


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## trad bow (Jan 27, 2019)

Thanks for posting that covey rise. 
Jeff


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