Scaled Quail

C

cbass12

Member
What's the furthest north and east that somebody has encountered a scaled quail? We were hunting around Cimarron opening weekend and in the first CRP field we walked the guys closest to the road kicked up a small covey of quail. I made a comment to the guys I was walking next to that they were very big for quail. Looking back on it I believe those may have been the first scaleys I've ever seen.
 
Got into a covey of scaled quail around Hugoton in 2010. About 20 birds in the covey. Let them all go.
 
Plenty around Southwind Golf Course in Garden City. Many birds reside around the homes there. Common to see them. Can't say I've seen them between there and the grasslands.
 
Since Cimarron is not too far from Garden, I'd say it's entirely possible and probably likely that they were scaled quail. Considering their bigger size I really don't believe they were bobwhite (I've always been under the impression they were a little bigger). I only saw 2 of them but the guys at the road said there were more. Thanks for the replies fellas!!
 
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Interesting. I have shot quite a few of both and I always thought bobwhite were bigger. However I have not shot both at the same time, or even in the same year, so I may be wrong.
 
marsingbob said:
Interesting. I have shot quite a few of both and I always thought bobwhite were bigger. However I have not shot both at the same time, or even in the same year, so I may be wrong.
Click to expand...

I could very well be wrong on the size thing, I just remembered reading somewhere that they were slightly bigger. Really thinking about planning a hunt down that way next year to try and get into some.
 
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The scaled quail are bigger. As far as wild birds go. I've never seen one in all my years of hunting Kansas though. Havent spent much time in the far southwest corner though.
 
I have pretty much all the upland birds in KS pointed and shot,,,,,except a Scalie..... going to have to remedy that soon.
 
They are in the Grasslands in decent numbers , like what was mentioned earlier they run like Crazy .

Once they are busted up they hold better .

The Scaled quail in the Grasslands we shot were smaller than Bob's
 
Hunting the SW corner in a couple of weeks. I'll keep my eye out and I'll let the dog know to keep his nose open.
 
I've hunted them in SE Colorado. When they run or fly, they seem big but once you shoot one they seem smaller than Bobs. Scale quail country is sure hard on your dogs feet.
 
When I lived in Holcomb just 9 Miles west of Garden they were along the river and we'd get into them 4-5 miles away from it where the sagebrush country extended unbroken along farmland.

Think we always found them s of the river. Never got to shoot one though until I hunted the grasslands. Got 4 out of one covey (a big one)
 
See "Texas Quail: Ecology and Management 2007" According to this text Bob's are the smallest

Bobwhite < Gambel's < Blue < Montezuma

Size is a poor identifier of species, lots of variation exists within species and size differences are small enough between species that your unlikely to be able to tell the difference from a fleeting glance on covey rise.
 
I run into both regularly where I hunt, several times have ended up with both (plus roosters) in a day's bag. Would agree that cottontops seem bigger on the rise, but pretty much the same when in the hand. Scalies "sound" bigger also - a bit more volume to the whir when they rise. Also, they don't run as much in and around croplands as they do out in the "pure" sage/sand. Many times they've held for me just as tight as bobs.
 
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