I need some help- Thanks

[jonesbs@chibardun.net]

Hi,
I am fairly new to quail hunting. My dogs and I have been finding a few coveys but after the flush we have a hard time finding singles. I hunt by myself so I rarely shoot on the covey raise. I try to watch were the birds land so I can get more work for my dogs. As you can guess the birds usually are not were I thought I saw them go down. If I find birds they typically flush wild and I try to shot only pointed birds. How do I get my girls to settle down and hunt singles? How can I do a better job finding singles?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Prairie Drifter]

Sounds a bit like the deck is stacked against you a bit. To start with, flushed birds are often quite hard to find soon after they flush because they are "air washed" by the flush and flight. The molecules that they need to spread in order to be scented again take some time to disperse, so the dogs will not be able to always locate them without some time passing. Add to that the low humidity and dry conditions and scenting is difficult for them anyway. You didn't say where you were hunting, public/private, but heavily pressured birds do learn evasive tactics and often bury, run, land in trees, or any of a number of tactics that make them seem to disappear. If your dogs are used to other birds, they may also not have gotten "dialed" in on quail yet and that could account for a few % of the problem. Just be persistent and give them the time to work for scent. Not all days are created equal and they'll have some better days.