Lexicon of the quail hunter

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oldandnew

Active member
In the off season, I think we should have a vocabulary blog. If we are true quail hunters we should use the right southern terms for quail hunting. The quail is a B-U-R-D! , I realize that it is southern vernacular for bird. In the south ALL birds(burds, as it's said), are bobwhite quail. Even the civilians know this, because there are no other burds to be discussed in polite society. Here a bird might be a sparrow or meadowlark, but where bobwhite quail are a focus of hunting life, sparrows are "stink sparrows", Ever notice how a finished pointer will point a tiny little sparrow? The sparrow smells remarkably like a quail, colloquial then nominated as a "stink sparrow". Meadowlarks can be of interest to young quail dogs, then become whizzo-queen's. I don't ever remember being told why! But I have known it for years. All of these terms are defense against bad behavior of your dog, False pointing, running pell-mell after "whizzo-queens are graciously excused with these terms. Bad shooting can be excused with the "running' burds. I.E. Those "Mexican Birds" the game department re-stocked with in 1968, were runners, got up wild and in brush. Blue Jays can help with bad shooting too. All Blue Jays are j-birds! always believed that they peck quail eggs, reducing the quail population, if you were shooting a covey, and a daring J-Bird, flew at the same time, the fact you missed your shoot because you were un-nerved by rascal J. We might as well get the covey and bevy thing hammered out! Both are equal, but I have very seldom heard bevy anywhere. If you become a quail hunter with distinction, Maybe you should become, a captain, major, colonel, or general, or boss. At least some of your matron dogs will be named "belle", "ginger" "lady" or "scarlet", the male dogs, will be named after great civil war battles, preferably, and reverently, where your granddad or Uncle "bought the farm" or was seriously injured. Special consideration where a dog is named after them. Bo, ( English teacher might prefer Beau!), Sarge because of a rank, or Jim Bob. Burd shot is #8. you shoot doves with it too! 3-1-8's what else do they make? All right I'll leave the fun to you. Shall we take up the tradition, or just whistle the dogs into the truck, grab a pocket full of shells, the trusty rattling pump and have a day of it! I'm out the door to the quail "johnny house" now, Hope I don't find the dreaded "stink sparrows" in my field! :)
 
Good one! In KS I think the term "bird" hunting could mean pheasant or quail. Definately not dove, duck or goose.

It's a shame that the wild quail has all but gone away in the south.
 
duckn66 said:
Good one! In KS I think the term "bird" hunting could mean pheasant or quail. Definately not dove, duck or goose.

It's a shame that the wild quail has all but gone away in the south.
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Because in the south all their worried about is ducks. In my opinion take less skill. My wife's family lives in Iowa Louisiana and Livingston Louisiana and I'm the first bird hunter they know besides the wife's great grandpa.
 
Upland4Ever said:
Because in the south all their worried about is ducks. In my opinion take less skill. My wife's family lives in Iowa Louisiana and Livingston Louisiana and I'm the first bird hunter they know besides the wife's great grandpa.
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Never were very many burd hunters in Louisiana. Ducks, gators, crawfish and tabasco. By the way, no famous civil war battles, ( gave up to soon), which makes a dent on the patriarchal names and titles for burd dogs;). I don't think there is a all-age championship FDSB trial in Louisiana, to qualify to the National Championship, have to point woodcock!
 
I lived in KY before we move to KS, so I may be a mixture,

But when we go bird hunting its quail, but we will also go on pheasant and Chicken (Prairie) hunts.

Bird dogs are Setter and Pointers.... period. If its another breed they are called by their breed name, Brit, Vizsla, GSP...

Birds are best hunted with Bird Dogs, and you only shoot pointed birds.
Pheasants you can blast at will :D
 
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Nice post. Here in Indiana the term "burdhuntin" conveys quail hunting or Pheasant hunting. When one says :burdog" it most often means a Pointer or Setter. I learned from the old school hunters and I love the old talk and really enjoy post like yours.
 
Upland4Ever said:
Because in the south all their worried about is ducks. In my opinion take less skill. My wife's family lives in Iowa Louisiana and Livingston Louisiana and I'm the first bird hunter they know besides the wife's great grandpa.
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Almost the entire hunting community is waterfowl oriented these days. I grew up a waterfowler. Hunted over some of the finest retrievers anywhere in the country. I enjoy the rich history of it, the mud, the water, the wet dogs. Waterfowling was once not a sport for everyone. But, now that we have the largest migrating flock of waterfowl in the history of keeping records, clothing that keeps you warm and dry, videos that show you how to do it, crooks that claim to be retriever trainers, and duck dynasty which is making the art of waterfowling into some sort of 3 ring circus, everyone is out there doing it.

Long gone are the days that guys worked during the summer training their dogs, fixing up boats, making blinds, reloading shells ect. Now, you buy your blind from cabelas, you learn how to waterfowl hunt via video, and you send your mutt off to a wonderful trainer who will have him ready for you to hunt with come opening day.

They don't practice calling during the off season so when opening day comes their is a bunch of daffy ducks hail calling ducks cupping into decoys, guys yelling at their dogs because they don't have a clue, trucks in the hunting areas with stickers of ducks with cupped wings and a "bone collector" sticker in the window to go along with their mossy oak decal.

Then when they have mangaged to skybust a duck or two they throw it in a dumpster because they don't like the taste of wild duck or give it to someone else.

I want to know what happened to the die hard waterfowler. They guys who spent summers building blinds, painting boats and decoys, working dogs, and talking duck hunting during the off season.

This is why I have turned to quail hunting. Not as many quail around but by gosh I don't have to put up with someone setting up decoys 100 yards down wind of my spread and shooting ducks working my decoys.

I'm not bitter. I just miss the old days. The days when I knew who's truck belonged to who in the parking area. The days when two guys started out from their truck and instead of making it a race to the best spot one would ask the other "where are you going to hunt" and I'll make sure I am well clear of you. I've litterally seen foot races in the marsh before! No etiquette what so ever.

Yep, I'll stick with my pointing dogs and the small population of quail because I rarely see another hunter out and about where I go. I like the peace and solitude that quail hunting can have. Just me, my dogs, and my wife or daughter when they go. Stop and sit on a log and eat lunch with your dog, take a break, and be thankful for a good day in the field whether you shoot anything or not.

So yes, there is an ART to waterfowling. And it takes skill to do it properly. It takes knowledge to be a GOOD waterfowler with ethics and morals.
 
Oh, I forgot one:
It is illegal in some parts to hunt quail with anything other than a pointing dog,.......

Done right its a pointer or setter. Remember, other than pointers and setters most of the other pointing breed didn't show up much here in the states until after WWII.
 
Interesting! Great post.
 
How bout the old sportsman who owned thousands of acres in south Georgia. He got pretty infirm in his old age. Could not get around vary well. But wasn't going stop quail hunting. Real quail hunting was done on horseback, " in the gentleman's world". He could no longer stay stabile mounted. So his farm boss/dog wagon driver, rigged up a seat on the dog wagon to cart the old gentleman watching the dogs, his saddled horse behind. When the got to a road, many of which transected the plantation. Beyond view, they would stop, hoist the old gentleman on his horse, he would then cross the road with the trainer and scout, all mounted! After that when out of view, he would be hauled of the horse, and deposited, exhaustedly on the dog wagon. You see, the tradition was that all quail hunters were mounted. Except ladies and kids. He didn't want the townspeople to see he was that debilitated and could not hunt the customary, traditional way. I may be to old enough now! and the coveys are wide spread and few. I could need a horse now! In about 5 years the dog wagon! I guess my kids and wife can drive. Now to find the property!
 
Here's my quail vocabulary contribution. Everytime my grandpa's pointers couldn't find a single we were looking for he would say "those damn quail get airwashed after they fly and the dogs can't smell em." He was always making excuses for his bird dogs. I think it's genetic as I seem to have inherited the same trait.....
 
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