South Texas Quail Keep You on Your Toes

This magazine is about Texas hunting and fishing and let me tell you, it’s one of the best!  This time of year, is extremely eventful for Paradise Guide Services. As a guide, I am currently on the water fishing, as well as working bird dogs for quail season. Although I am not able to be on the water as frequently during the winter season, I am still going strong with both of my passions, hunting and fishing. Here we go!

story by GERAD MERRITT

Hunting bobwhite quail this time of year in South Texas can be tough. The weather is typically hot and dry, with the occasional humid, cold, or windy day. The key while hunting during this season is to keep your bird dogs hydrated, rested, and out of the sand spurs as much as possible. 

This year we had above average rainfall on the ranch I am guiding on. With this being said, the birds are not going to have to travel as often to find food. It is important to keep this in mind when trying to find the right spot to drop dogs down to begin the hunt. The green grass is abundant and pretty after high rainfall amounts, but poses an obstacle, as it will cover and mask the scent that our bird dogs rely on to locate and point a covey. Yes, that is right, the dogs smell them, not see them! Each year, a commonly asked question by hunters is, “How did that dog see those bird’s way over there?!?” This question is by no means something to be ashamed of! Many people do not realize how much effort goes into the breeding and training of these bird dogs. Their noses are AMAZING tools when hunting bobwhite quail. 

Hunting in this terrain will continually keep you on your toes.  For example, bobwhites have a tendency to run rather than fly. If the cover is thin, there is a good chance the birds are running while hunters are approaching, leaving no birds to be flushed. Listening to the calls can be challenging for many hunters as well. Many people hear a single bird calling and want to rush over thinking there is a covey to hunt. However, this normally does not work out in their favor. More often than not, it is a single bird looking for a mate or a lost covey. 

Learn your animals. Most dogs will have a tell-tale sign if there are actually birds in front of them or not. Sometimes it is a roost or a spot where birds were earlier that day. A dog not wanting to disappoint his owner or handler will lock up and point, but there will normally be something to tell an experienced handler there are not birds. For instance, I have an English setter male who is great at pointing birds, but he normally has an ear flipped when he is marking a false point. Last year, the same dog also grew into a habit (which I don’t mind) of his tail leaning to his left side when he knows birds are very close to his nose. All this information is helpful when deciding if a dog is telling the whole story. 

Hunting season in South Texas is just as challenging as it is rewarding. It is extremely gratifying to work behind amazing birds’ dogs and learn from them as they learn from you. I am excited to see what the entire season brings for me, the ranch, the dogs, and the quail. I hope you enjoy you hunting season as much as I will enjoy mine!

 

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Dove Hunting Beyond September

Although many Texas hunters see the opening of dove season as a holiday, very few take advantage of the second season.

This second season starts on December 18 statewide and continues into January. Most hunters will be hunting big game and pay little attention to the flights of doves. The second season can be more consistent and opens many uncrowded public lands for dove hunters.

story by JOEY FARAH

September tropical rains and early cold fronts can break the hearts of dove hunters that find empty fields and water holes. As December rolls around, the Texas landscape dries out making water hole hunts very productive. Crops that draw a large percentage of the dove population will have been harvested and fields plowed under. This moves birds to find natural food sources, which play into the late season hunter’s advantage.

Summer grasses and seeds will drop to become the most common natural food source for our winter dove populations. Large fields with brush lines are great spots to find doves moving in and out at dawn and dusk.

I like to hunt large trees in the fields, or along their edges. Landing birds are much easier to take than those sweeping and changing direction. Decoys, simple and wing moving models, both, are a great attractor. Even just a few decoys on a homemade stick frame can bring an afternoon of birds to hand. Follow the daily routines of flocks of doves and intercept them.

Strict regulations against hunting over baited areas are enforced, so make sure there are no corn feeders where you hunt. Check with your local game warden if you are in doubt.

Texas Parks and Wildlife has a very generous Texas Public Hunting Lands map. This book outlines all the public hunting properties in partnership with private landowners for the general public.

I’ve hunted many of these tracts in South Texas and have found some world-class hunting. Scouting these tracts is essential. Some may have water tanks, fields, or brush lines swarming with flocks of doves at any time.

A license to hunt these properties is only $48 which opens up more than 180 sites. With the high price of big game hunting, a second season dove hunt can make it easy to get friends and family into hunting.

Many of the migrating doves we hunt in the September season move south into Mexico. The second season fills in with birds from the northern reaches of the Midwest.

Don’t lock up your shotgun when deer season rolls in. Grab some shells and take a second shot at dove season here in Texas.

 

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