March
S M T W T F S
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Who's Online Now
3 members (Borderbill, battle, GeorgeGibbs505), 798 guests, and 2 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums10
Topics38,374
Posts544,009
Members14,391
Most Online1,131
Jan 21st, 2024
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 2 of 4 1 2 3 4
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 301
Likes: 76
mel5141 Offline OP
Sidelock
OP Offline
Sidelock

Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 301
Likes: 76
Sunday afternoon provided a fine follow up to the previous day's outing. Scenting conditions remained favorable and we pointed 7 coveys in two hours with 2 additional coveys sent skyward by my wayward student Pointer .
These numbers run constant with my season long average of @ 3.3 coveys/hr. Hunting conditions (weather) have been a limiting factor in my outings.... warmest December ever recorded in our weather history......

Buzz, I am confident that I have sufficient birds to sustain my shooting habits. Pre season surveys backed up the reports from my "cowboy crew" bird census, confirmed a pretty decent hatch and some subsequent late summer nesting success as well.
I do ( and have for many years) harvest at a rate higher than that now prescribed by various researchers. Oh well if I am the cad that shoots the last wild Bobwhite, so be it. I can always rationalize it by saying, Hell, No one saved me any Passenger Pigeons.
Yours in Good Sport.....

Joined: May 2008
Posts: 8,158
Likes: 114
Sidelock
**
Offline
Sidelock
**

Joined: May 2008
Posts: 8,158
Likes: 114
Just curious, as I live in a "no quail or dove hunting State- but grew up reading about both game birds in stories by Nash Buckingham, Havilah Babcock and Robert Ruark, among others cut from that "Tattered Coat Cloth"-- "We Only shoot cockbirds (burds) in Dixie- is it true that Southern Gentlemen only: (shoot for the outgoing, from a covey, the "edge" birds, and never into the covey? And once a large covey is scattered, and you are working your dawgs on the "scatters"-- you only shoot the cockbird, and if only a single henbird flushes, you let it fly off unscathed?? RWTF

We don't see Passenger Pigeons up Nawth now, but my area farms (dairy and beef cattle) have a shitload of barn pigeons. They can be tricky targets with the wind behind them, and some altitude under their wings-- love to shoot them.. RWTF


"The field is the touchstone of the man"..
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,966
Likes: 293
Sidelock
**
Offline
Sidelock
**

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,966
Likes: 293
Shooting into the covey, (called “Browning” in the UK) is frowned upon.
Doesn’t matter if it’s Grey partridge or quail, flock shooting is a no-no.
It’s ineffective, generates wounded birds, and shows you aren’t focusing.

Taking the edge birds, when shooting a rise as a pair of gunners, keeps you from doubling the same bird.
Left guy takes left, etc.
It gives you something to focus on.
You can see hen or cock if you are focused on a single bird.

The fellow doing the flushing is at a disadvantage on the rise, so we alternate the flushing work.

Quail season ended here yesterday.
Time to rest the dogs, cleanup a bit, and get ready for the shooting season.


Out there doing it best I can.
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 148
Likes: 108
Sidelock
Offline
Sidelock

Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 148
Likes: 108
Being conscious of shooting roosters is often done when shooting wild birds, but not everyone can spot them easily as the explosion and confusion of a covey rise is often so sudden and fast that picking out a male vs a female is much easier said than done. There are some tactics a few people use, such as shooting the higher flying birds, but it's still tough.
A key component of managing for wild quail, aside from the obvious habitat issues for nesting, safety, and feeding, is winter survival and not over harvesting (10% or less based upon a fall covey count). Much of the research shows that birds that make it to February will survive winter, and additional harvest then may be additive, as comparted to compensatory, in annual mortality. High winter survival enhances spring nesting, which enhances summer broods, which sets the table for more birds in the fall. We are right now in the middle of anticipating spring nesting season, so being conscious of anything that may enhance that is very important, and two of those issues are survival and having more hens. That's where the issue comes in about ideally taking more roosters. As mentioned, though, it's easier said than done.
By the way, after a covey rise, we don't hunt singles. Killing birds is about our lowest objective.

Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 301
Likes: 76
mel5141 Offline OP
Sidelock
OP Offline
Sidelock

Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 301
Likes: 76
Well Mr. Fox, your questions are well covered by the gentlemen who responded above.......I will simply add anecdotical information as to how my hunting style has evolved......I don't actively hunt "singles" following a covey rise. There are however situations where previously flushed single birds will be pointed by the dogs while in pursuit of the next covey. My call on shooting that flush is dependent on the dog(s) involved. More directly whether it offers a training opportunity for an unfinished prospect. I find such occasions opportune for ingraining the Dog-Bird-Gun triad in the mind of an impressionable dog. The connection of the point, the flush , the shot and hopefully the downed bird for the dog to mouth/carry and receive praise for the success he/she has contributed to helps make a country dog come around quicker.
In that same vein I frequently look at a covey rise with intent of picking a target bird that is in the easy peripheral view of the dog I want to school on. Hopefully to carry out the same procedure as outlined above.
An interesting take on the process of concentrating on shooting cocks over hens was first shown to me by its originator, Dr. Dale Rollins. His game of "Quail Snooker" is to encourage shooting roosters over hens. Usually causing one to "lose' the match after taking the third hen of a shooters outing. It will make you look a little closer.
Since I generally gun alone (by preference) I am given a good deal more flexibility in my gunning choices. Not the least of which is a higher shooting percentage since the gunner does not have to make a "safety check" of his companion gunner's location before picking a target. If I have a good view of the dogs on the ground, knowing my horse ( or vehicle ) is behind me, and the shooting field is anything 5-6 feet or higher off the ground. Makes for a higher kill percentage.
Conditions look favorable for this afternoon, and i intend to put in a couple of late afternoon hours behind a rested dog pack. Hopefully the birds will cooperate and some will fall into the scent cone of my loyal canine pals.
Yours in good Sport

2 members like this: Stanton Hillis, spring
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,966
Likes: 293
Sidelock
**
Offline
Sidelock
**

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,966
Likes: 293
Is there anything more exciting than the flush of a covey up your pant legs?

We had 4 dogs on a covey of blues hiding under some thorny bush today when I walked in to flush.
It was like being in a blender for a split second.

No sporting man should pass without that experience at least once.

I’m glad all your hard work is rewarding you, Paul.

I’ve been on the birds since Sept. 15th. It’s time to heal up some.


Out there doing it best I can.
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 148
Likes: 108
Sidelock
Offline
Sidelock

Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 148
Likes: 108
Quail hunting is indeed a remarkable experience and It doesn't matter how often you do it, the rush you get is simply a thrill. I flushed a covey late this afternoon that my dogs pointed while we were riding around. I didn't have a gun, but finding the birds and seeing that explosion was again simply so cool.

Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 301
Likes: 76
mel5141 Offline OP
Sidelock
OP Offline
Sidelock

Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 301
Likes: 76
Mr. Zap,
That is indeed some excitement......don't quit too quick to "heal up".... the older you get , the more precious those outings become.....don't pass up any opportunity......you are a long time dead.....
I keep pushing it as hard as I can.....

1 member likes this: Stanton Hillis
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 13,127
Likes: 1128
Sidelock
**
Offline
Sidelock
**

Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 13,127
Likes: 1128
Originally Posted by mel5141
Mr. Zap,
That is indeed some excitement......don't quit too quick to "heal up".... the older you get , the more precious those outings become.....don't pass up any opportunity......you are a long time dead.....

Words of wisdom.

Originally Posted by mel5141
.....I keep pushing it as hard as I can

Me, too.

Last edited by Stanton Hillis; 02/09/22 07:16 AM.

May God bless America and those who defend her.
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 8,158
Likes: 114
Sidelock
**
Offline
Sidelock
**

Joined: May 2008
Posts: 8,158
Likes: 114
"Browning"?? you say==Humhabit, - did our Limey pals across the pond chose the great gun genius John Moses Browning's surname to tag a practice that is not only unsafe, but unsportsmanlike at best-- Why not after their own gun makers--?? "If a Sportsman true you'd be, listen then carefully to me- etc. "" doesn't jibe in my books on the ethics of shotgunning- Ray P. Holland, Paul A. Curtis, T. Nash Buckingham, Robert C. Ruark-maybe they could change their terminology for that sorry practice to, let's say- "Cheney-ing" or at least name it after Havilah Babcock's legendary (in his own mind) quail shot, "Slim Boggins"-- and then again, maybe not. // RWTF--


"The field is the touchstone of the man"..
Page 2 of 4 1 2 3 4

Link Copied to Clipboard

doublegunshop.com home | Welcome | Sponsors & Advertisers | DoubleGun Rack | Doublegun Book Rack

Order or request info | Other Useful Information

Updated every minute of everyday!


Copyright (c) 1993 - 2024 doublegunshop.com. All rights reserved. doublegunshop.com - Bloomfield, NY 14469. USA These materials are provided by doublegunshop.com as a service to its customers and may be used for informational purposes only. doublegunshop.com assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in these materials. THESE MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT-ABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. doublegunshop.com further does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these materials. doublegunshop.com shall not be liable for any special, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including without limitation, lost revenues or lost profits, which may result from the use of these materials. doublegunshop.com may make changes to these materials, or to the products described therein, at any time without notice. doublegunshop.com makes no commitment to update the information contained herein. This is a public un-moderated forum participate at your own risk.

Note: The posting of Copyrighted material on this forum is prohibited without prior written consent of the Copyright holder. For specifics on Copyright Law and restrictions refer to: http://www.copyright.gov/laws/ - doublegunshop.com will not monitor nor will they be held liable for copyright violations presented on the BBS which is an open and un-moderated public forum.

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.0.33-0+deb9u11+hw1 Page Time: 0.110s Queries: 38 (0.069s) Memory: 0.8569 MB (Peak: 1.8988 MB) Data Comp: Off Server Time: 2024-03-28 20:17:46 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS