Quail Hunting First timer

Y

ylrdogs

New member
Hi All,

Myself and a friend from a few states north of you have decided we "need" to take a trip somewhere this hunting season. Upland seasons are winding down here and we thought a mid- to late January trip would help make our winter go a little faster. Since we shoot a few roosters around here, we've decided we would like to concentrate on quail (and shoot whatever roosters get in the way).

Having never hunted quail before, really don't know much about them. What type of cover do they like? Do they hang out near stubble fields like their long-tailed cousins?

What can you tell me about Scaled Quail? I noticed that their range in Kansas is limited to the very southwest. That area has a large chunk of National Grassland. Is that the type of habitat they prefer?

Thanks in advance!
 
From the M R Byrd Dictionary ---

Quail Habitat(kwal hab e tat)---See below

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Quail in Kansas

ylrdogs said:
Hi All,

Myself and a friend from a few states north of you have decided we "need" to take a trip somewhere this hunting season. Upland seasons are winding down here and we thought a mid- to late January trip would help make our winter go a little faster. Since we shoot a few roosters around here, we've decided we would like to concentrate on quail (and shoot whatever roosters get in the way).

Having never hunted quail before, really don't know much about them. What type of cover do they like? Do they hang out near stubble fields like their long-tailed cousins?

What can you tell me about Scaled Quail? I noticed that their range in Kansas is limited to the very southwest. That area has a large chunk of National Grassland. Is that the type of habitat they prefer?

Thanks in advance!
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Most of Kansas is Bobwhite country which I have experience on. Some live near grain fields - milo and corn stalks - where there are trees and trash piles with some grass or weed cover. Have a great hunt.
 
Quail Info

swellcat said:
I'll defer to the quailmeisters, but don't ignore edges, transition zones, as examples, where stalks meet short grass, where short grass meets scrubby trees, where weeds meet fields, and where old home places meet any of that cover.
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More good info.
 
Nice thing about quail is they generally hold well for the dogs. You can really see what kind of wheels your dog has on open ground.
 
Thank you for the visual guide, M.R. Byrd. That looks similar to the type of cover in the western part of our state. We typically find sharptails in that stuff, though.

Looks like the kind of country made for some long-legged pointing dogs. I'm "stuck" with my retrievers but we'll make a go at it.
 
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From the rest of the replies...it kinda' sounds like you "find 'em where you find 'em":)

It'll be a learning experience. Looking forward to trying to figure it out.
 
You mentioned, scaled quail also. I have only shot two of them and that was down in the Cimarron National Grasslands(extreme SW corner of the state). Here in this part of Kansas it is all bobwhites.
 
M. R. Byrd said:
You mentioned, scaled quail also. I have only shot two of them and that was down in the Cimarron National Grasslands(extreme SW corner of the state). Here in this part of Kansas it is all bobwhites.
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Yes, I was wondering about them. I'm assuming the population isn't very high? Would be pretty cool to add on of those to the list of gallinaceous birds I've taken. Might have to spend a day or two pursuing the little critters.
 
Plenty of room to chase them. I think CNGrasslands is about 110,000 acres(170+ square miles). There used to be 95 guzzler locations.
 
Blast from the past while Google searching "Cimarron National Grasslands +guzzler":

M. R. Byrd said:
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
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Also, here's a nice little Colorado piece on scaled quail: http://wildlife.state.co.us/NewsMedia/OutdoorsJournal/ScaledQuailBonus.htm

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plum thickets are a great hiding place for bobwhites. But you can find them about anywhere. in the corn/milo stubble or in CRP.
 
Wellâ?¦we came, we saw some birds, the birds kicked our butts for the most part.

My hunting partner and I spent Monday afternoon thru Sunday morning hunting around the State. We hunted different parts of the state every couple days, mostly to get a feel for what KS had to offer and see some country. We stayed away from the â??popularâ?� pheasant areas since shooting pheasants wasnâ??t our main goal.

Pard made some contacts with some gracious residents who allowed us to tag along on some of their ground a couple days early in the week. The last part of the week was spent hunting WIHAs. Only once did we find ourselves â??competingâ?� for a field. That was due to another party starting at the other end of a mile-long WIHA and us at the other. Neither party knew the other was there. Mutual respect for keeping our distances and dogs under control, both parties turned around and walked back from whence we came â?? no worse for the experience.

The quail were fast and the pheasants wary. Finding the quail was a challenge and hitting them after they flushed was more of a challenge. Not like the slow moving, big red birds weâ??re used to. The dogs got in the way a couple times, some trees, brush, and fences got in the way a couple times, but we had our chances.

Wore a lot of rubber off the boot soles and truck tires. Met some gracious and friendly KS locals and had a great experience. The game bag may have been light, but the mind is heavy with memories. God willing, weâ??ll be back next year.
 
If your not used to hunting quail (like me) it's always a humbling shooting experience. The ammunition companies love it when I quail hunt. Hope you shot those fast flying SOB's better than I did this year in KS.
 
shorthairs4life said:
If your not used to hunting quail (like me) it's always a humbling shooting experience. The ammunition companies love it when I quail hunt. Hope you shot those fast flying SOB's better than I did this year in KS.
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Humbling indeed. I know I shot six times before I connected on my first. I didn't keep track after that but I'd say I shot two-three times for every bird after that. I hit a hot streak and got the last two with three shots. Just when I was getting in the rhythm, it was time to come home:(
 
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