Uplandhunter67
Active member
We have been hunting quail these last few weeks on the South Platte. My hunting partner is not a big quail hunter and has managed to shoot a few on covey breaks. I have tried to hunt singles with him but just moves along to fast. Well this Saturday he figured it out. We busted a covey and were trying to pick up singles. I found the first one and down it went. We walked through the same spot twice and didn't flush another bird. I suggested to my partner we switch spots and I'll walk where he was. I told him he really needed to slow down and take his time and kick likely spots that the quail might hold. I told him that hunting singles was harder as quail will let you step on them rather than fly. Not to far in the dog stopped and more or less pointed (he is a lab not a pointing lab). I started telling him to get the bird. He jumped right in and tried to grab the bird. He managed to grab it but it got loose and flew. Of course right at my partner so needless to say he got away. We continued walking and started making a new sweep over some uncovered area when my partner signaled me to stop. He says there is a quail looking at him about a foot from him. I responded sarcastically that he try to catch him by hand. He said he'd try.
So I moved over closer and got ready just in case the quail broke cover. My partner bent down slowly and manged to grab this little male bobwhite. He looked at him and gave him a couple pets on the head and let him go. I guess you could say we practiced catch and release.
As we were walking back to the truck my partner looks at me and says, "Now I get how tight those birds really sit." I just smiled and nodded my head. Yes now he finally gets it........
Lots of people were out shooting at waterfowl, stomping through the wildlife areas, and intertain themselves shooting through ice on a frozen pond(have no idea what that was all about but I guess they got bored)... Only managed to bust one covey and scored two birds. Saw some pheasant tracks in Cottonwood SWA but no birds....
View attachment 3711
On a side note:
We did run into a pointer that was running on of the SWA's. She was covering a lot of ground and we didn't see her master but we heard him/her shoot and the pointer when flying off in that direction.. They were far enough away we couldn't even see them. We promptly left as this pointer looked like it had run the entire SWA.... Too bad as this area generally holds a good sized covey...
So I moved over closer and got ready just in case the quail broke cover. My partner bent down slowly and manged to grab this little male bobwhite. He looked at him and gave him a couple pets on the head and let him go. I guess you could say we practiced catch and release.
As we were walking back to the truck my partner looks at me and says, "Now I get how tight those birds really sit." I just smiled and nodded my head. Yes now he finally gets it........
Lots of people were out shooting at waterfowl, stomping through the wildlife areas, and intertain themselves shooting through ice on a frozen pond(have no idea what that was all about but I guess they got bored)... Only managed to bust one covey and scored two birds. Saw some pheasant tracks in Cottonwood SWA but no birds....
View attachment 3711
On a side note:
We did run into a pointer that was running on of the SWA's. She was covering a lot of ground and we didn't see her master but we heard him/her shoot and the pointer when flying off in that direction.. They were far enough away we couldn't even see them. We promptly left as this pointer looked like it had run the entire SWA.... Too bad as this area generally holds a good sized covey...