A Dapper Little Bird

STATEWIDE QUAIL HUNTING runs through February 26, and the upcoming weeks can provide some of the best potential for “birds” — both bobwhites and blues.

The thick ground cover that frustrated dogs and gunners during early season has been thinned by Old Man Winter. Also, the “bumblebee” quail from late-summer hatches now are mature and fully feathered.

Finally, since quail do not migrate, the surviving birds on a given range remain in residence. Unlike mourning doves or mallard ducks they are not blown into the next county by salvos of cold fronts.

Most of the classic quail hunting in the Lone Star State occurs in South Texas, with the best of it on rolling terrain of grass interspersed by mesquite mottes and brushy fence lines and tank levees.

The Panhandle and West Texas—with blue (scaled) quail showing in greater numbers—can be outstanding, but flying under the radar, so to speak. Sadly, East Texas is so-so, with scattered pockets of worthwhile gunning usually associated with grain fields and levees.

Regardless of region, most quail hunting occurs on seasonal leases, so for the hunter on the outside of a posted gate it pays to cultivate privileged friendships. Either that or be prepared to ante up big bucks for a serious bird lease — it’s expensive, requiring plenty of acreage and serious support equipment.

Here are a few tips for the lucky individual invited on a primo quail hunt:

Be mindful of gun safety. Quail hunting is potentially dangerous. Moving hunters and handlers often scatter amid screening brush, and many of the shots on flushing birds are taken at low angles (opposed to ducks and doves usually well above the horizon line).

Wild quail tend to stay low rather than vaulting into clear blue. They are ground birds. In flight they tend to hug any available brush. This probably is a conditioned instinct against hawks. A damp morning with heavy air encourages dangerous low trajectories.

Bright orange on the shirt and cap is — or at least should be — required on any quail hunt. Unlike other types of Texas hunting, camouflage is not an asset. It is a liability. You’re trying to flush huddled game, not blend with nearby brush. You want everyone involved to know exactly where you are.

Brush safety also should be considered. High-topped boots complement the uniform of the day. They should be able to turn big mesquite and pear thorns — or a set of rattlesnake fangs.

Rattlesnake encounters in real life are not that common, but chase enough Brush County quail and sooner or later a step will stir up an irritable specimen of Crotalus atrox — the dreaded western diamond-backed rattlesnake.

It is terrible irony that “Gentleman Bob” and “Mr. No-Shoulders” favor the same habitat. In fact, the bigger the lease, the bigger the rattlesnakes. Mature snakes survive best amid vast pastures with limited human interaction.

 

Shatterproof shooting glasses are another mandatory accessory. The proper yellow or light orange lenses help contrast buzzing birds against grey-on-grey brush.

More important, good quality glasses provide protection. The wide lenses might turn an errant pellet or a slapping thorn. The latter can be a real and present danger during the inevitable brush busting.

When a dog goes on point, the designated shooters (usually two, no more than three) approach at a brisk pace and in a straight line. The loaded shotgun is held in both hands with the barrels pointed up and out, away from the bug-eyed pointer — and the bloody safety is on!

Wild birds (opposed to pen raised) often scoot ahead of a staunch point, so aggressive shooters might legitimately push past the dog. When the covey flushes, only then, as the stock is coming up to the shoulder, is it time to release the patient safety.

Don’t be in a desperate hurry to shoot. Despite the whirring commotion, the birds are close and launching from a dead stop — or at least a high-stepping gait. We’re not talking about a mourning dove or blue-winged teal blasting past on a 20-knot south wind.

You have a second or two to plant your feet and select a bird and lean into the mounted gun for a clean swing at 20 to 25 yards. This bit of deliberation also ensures that the immediate background is clear.

Shooting etiquette dictates that each gun swings straight ahead or to the open side. A frantic sweep into another shooter’s airspace is rude at best and dangerous at worst.

Wild quail are, well, wild.

Running birds often flush in a staggered rise — eight up ahead, now six to the left, and — oops! — a single from behind, that sort of thing. If the regimented advance breaks down, be extra cautious about turning to select a shot. 

The same applies to chasing singles — assuming the lease allows shooting beyond the initial covey rise. Some well-managed properties do not, especially during late season after many coveys are thinned from winter weather and hunting pressure.

On that note, the late Val Lehmann, longtime manager of wildlife resources on the King Ranch, offered this advice in his 1984 book, Bobwhites in the Rio Grande Plain of Texas: Do not shoot into a sunset covey.

Quail moving to roost against the setting sun huddle in a tight circle amid low grass, relying on the cluster of body warmth and beady eyes to stay safe. To bust and scatter the covey against darkness invites hardship and predation for the lonesome singles.

These dapper little birds so troubled by factors they cannot control deserve better. Wild quail are a beautiful, but fragile resource. They should be hunted with appreciation and respect. 

It is a huge feather in Texas’s cap that this opportunity remains.

 

Email Joe Doggett at ContactUs@fishgame.com

 

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