This season has not been good so far

[duckn66]

Shaping up to be my worst season ever. Not from lack of seeing quail but just from the lack of being able to shoot said quail. Seems everytime they fly out the other side -all of them! Quail hunting is best done in pairs.

Spent two days at two different areas out west. One has become my new favorite spot and I saw plenty of birds just couldn't get them on my side.

Put Obie on phez yesterday. First time ever. They gave him fits. He'd point and I'd go to him and 80 yrds behind of off to the side the rooster would flush! He didn't know enough to relocate I guess??

So yesterday I take my young lab with me. I want her to be my pick up dog. I'd sit her and then walk into flush in front of the pointer. Quail would go out the other side and she would look at me as to say "why didn't you shoot?". Or the above scenario would take place!

One time I could have. Stopped at first spot, let them out to air before we start walking. Obie takes a dump goes 40 yrds and locks up. Problem is my lab is right there with him. She flushes birds and my damn gun isn't even loaded yet because I just finished "airing out" lol.

That's an example of how my season is going!!

 

[s.davis]

I have inexplicably not been able to shoot pheasants at all this year, but have been Annie Oakley on quail. Incredibly frustrating. At least something is falling, but I hunt a lab, who does much better on pheasant work than quail work, and have seen decent pheasant numbers, and I like killing pheasants more.

Can't figure what I'm doing wrong or different, but I have basically inverted my previous problem of dropping pheasants and whiffing on quail.

 

[SetterNut]

I have had more quail than normal go out the back side on me this year.

Some of it may be due to the coveys being bigger this season so far. I hear them moving around under the cover more than I remember in past season.

 

[esetter]

The quail frustrated me too. Shot AT plenty , mostly in brushy draws. I usually do better on singles than on a covey rise. I think because its easier to pick out singles rather than the tendency to '' flock shoot '' a covey. Definitely harder to hunt quail alone. Even with multiple guys I find myself on the wrong side sometimes.