Cimmaron Grasslands question

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duckn66

Well-known member
Was wondering if anyone has hunted out there. Thinking about a trip out there for some quail hunting mainly because I have never been there and I thought it would be neat to see.

Is the quail hunting very good out there this year? Or should I wait until next year to do it?
 
duckn66 said:
Was wondering if anyone has hunted out there. Thinking about a trip out there for some quail hunting mainly because I have never been there and I thought it would be neat to see.

Is the quail hunting very good out there this year? Or should I wait until next year to do it?
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Don't know about this year, but went down there last year and found a good mixture of all birds....
 
Never shot any scaled quail. I guess that is what is out there. Really don't care about pheasant too much as I can kill those close to home. But quail, thats another story. I love quail hunting and eating as well. :thumbsup:

One more question. Are boot necessary for the dogs out there?

Thanks for the info!
 
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It has been a few years since I hunted Cimarron National Grasslands, so someone may have some more current information for you. There are pheasant, prairie chicken, bob white quail and scaled quail. I have shot all but prairie chicken there. I have a map somewhere that shows the areas where you will likely find each. The area is over 100,000 acres, so it is a big hunt.

For bob white quail, look in the Cimarron River bed(dry). There are a lot of salt cedar(tamarack) there, along with plenty of sandburs, so dog boots are a must. Some prickly pear about everywhere on the Grasslands.

For scaled quail look at the guzzlers. There are something like 95 guzzlers on the Grassland. The problem with the scaled quail is that they would rather run than flush. A guy I know that successfully hunted the scalies there shared his routine with me. They put someone as high on the truck as possible as they drive up to a guzzler. This lookout is watching for the scalies to run out of the guzzler area into the sagebrush. Once they know there are scalies there and know the direction they left, they hurrily surround the birds to keep them from running. Problem with this is that all the hunters are approaching each other. I have never shot many scalies there, but then I never have used this approach.

I do enjoy hunting the Grassland, but as I mentioned it can be rugged. Do be sure to have boots for your dog.

Good luck,

Maynard Reece
Dodge City
 
Thats awsome info! Thank you very much.

I always like to go to new places and that is one area of the state that I have never been. So, I thought a little trip there with the 20 ga O/U shotgun and my vizsla would be nice. Have to hit Cabelas for some dog boots first though.
 
I drove the 11 hours down from Kc 2 years ago and it was worth the trip. My buddy and i had our limit of whites in 2 hours down along the river.There was snow on the ground and it was only 15 degrees out but i think that helped us.

It took us a bit longer on day 2 to limit but thats because we were chasing scales in the morning.You will need dog boots.
 
Scaled Quail

scaled-blue-quail.jpg


There is little chatter here about scaled ("blue") quail. Maybe they're too much of a low-density, low-percentage game species in Kansas, but I wonder if there are any blue quail specialists who enjoy targeting these birds.

Here is a cached version of the article "Kansas' Other Quail" by Jim Pitman.
 
I have attempted to chase them down there, with no success. Found plenty of Bob's, a few pheasants, but no scalies. Going to keep trying until I get it right!
 
Never seen a scaled quail. Shot plenty of bobwhites. If a scaled were to get up in front of me, would I recognize it as a quail based on flying pattern, wingbeats, etc?
 
I'm going out to the grasslands and try to shoot a scaled quail one of these days. Its the only upland bird in Kansas I've never hunted and would like to take one sometime.
 
Thanks guys I feel like the biggest dumbass now. I am 38 and didnt know scale quail lived in Kansas. I always thought they were desert birds. Someone post back on cheesys question. I wouldnt have a clue if one got up in front of me. But thanks for teaching me another COOL fact about Kansas.
 
cheesy said:
Never seen a scaled quail. Shot plenty of bobwhites. If a scaled were to get up in front of me, would I recognize it as a quail based on flying pattern, wingbeats, etc?
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yes, you would identify them quickly as a species of quail....the far southwest part of Kansas is the only part of the state that i know of that harbors scalies.......we call them "blues" down here in Texas, i wouldn't trade a bobwhite for a half a dozen of them. bobs are much more cooperative for the dog, guess that is another reason i don't hunt in Texass!
 
i would like to go there and hunt scales to do they use the same cover as bobs i am guessing its all grass out there so what do they eat and what is high percentage spots for them?
 
I haven't found them yet, but believe the grass is a key element. Not always a lot of grass, but scrub of some sort. They will eat grain, but forbs and weed seeds probably make up the majority of their diet since their isn't much grain on the grasslands.
 
Scaled Quail

here in New Mexico this is what we look for when searching out these "track stars"

semi-arid rangeland with mixed scrub and bare ground patchwork
prickly pear cactus, acacia, hackberry, bristlegrass, snake weed, thistle
in very dry years a water source

avoid pure grassland, you need to find a high diversity of plants

good luck and don't expect them to act like bobwhites, they love to run
 
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