We arrived at the Covey Lodge of Pine Hill Plantation on Sat. evening. As we pulled into the drive, I could smoke rising from the chimney. It was a chilly afternoon and I was looking forward to a toasty fire. We were welcomed by Miss Marcy. After a quick tour, we unpacked and headed down stairs to enjoy some hor'douves (spelling?) while watching the Alabama-Florida game. Then we stepped outback to see the sunset over the private 100 acre lake. Supper was delicious. Grilled quail, Miss Marcy's special wild rice (the best I have ever eaten), green beans, homemade biscuits, and a coconut desert with fresh squeezed lemonade to wash everything down. Throughout the night, all the plantation workers stopped in to meet us. We had the entire plantation to ourselves. It was very private and relaxing. After supper, we read some Shooting Sportman, PDJ, and Double Gun Journal and then we watched Mission Impossible. We went to bed early. The next morning, Steven Coe (son of the owner, Doug Coe) picked us up to take us to the barn and stables. The wagon team, our horses, and 2 other guides were waiting for us. We saddled up and hit the woods. The land consisted mostly of longleaf pine and wiregrass with live oaks and dogwoods scattered about. Food strips of corn, milo, and Egyptian wheat dotted the land. We found many coveys in the food plots in the early morning and late afternoon. As the day warmed, we hunted the hardwood thickets located throughout the woods. We found about 20 coveys of good, hard-flying quail. Some of which could have been wild. On our hunt, we had 3 guides. Mr. Hilton was our wagon driver. Todd was huntmaster. And Steven was our scout/dog handler. The matched pair of mules pulled the wagon which we rode part of the day. The wagon could carry 8-14 dogs (2 of which were labs). Miss Marcy and Miss Jane prepared a wonderful field lunch. The break area was set under some large oaks and had several tables covered with white cloth, hammocks, 2 skeet throwers, and those things to tie up the horses on. We had grilled burgers, sausage, and chicken as well as beans and cole slaw. After a quick nap, we were off again for another hunt. It was a wonderful day. It was awesome to have experienced quail hunting is its purest form.
The Covey Lodge.
The private 100 acre lake.
Sunset over the lake.
Rusty chillin' on the dock.
Our host, Miss Marcy.
The gun room.
Me inspecting the hammer gun.
Dad with Cal.
Point!
Longleaf Pine woods.
Heading out.
Pinning down a single.
Hilton bringing up the wagon.
Preparing the field lunch.
Catching some shut-eye before heading out.
Geddy Up Cowboy!
Yahoo!
Sharing some laughs with Hilton.
Changing braces.
The wagon team. Hilton, the driver, with his grandson Duck.
The end of great day!
Adam
