doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Bird Gun.... aka Quail Gun

Well folks, we got quails South of the Equator too. Here the species is California quail (Callipepla Californica), introduced in the 1870s by Chilean miners coming back from the Gold Rush. Sorry no quail pictures this time.

They are quite numerous over a 1000 mile range; the open season goes from April to August, bag limit is 25 per daily outting.

My current quail shotgun is a Josef Winkler (Ferlach) 16Ga, 27.5 " barrels, 15.5" LOP. Weight: 5lb 14oz, DT SG.



Last season I had four shooting days averaging 12 pieces each. The usual hunting method implies a beater that shakes blackberry bushes that grow along irrigation canals where quails take refuge. Outgoing quails are not easy targets, success rate is usually below 30%. Dogs are helpful fetching runners.

Next season I am planning to add a second gun; an A.Fox AE 20 Ga that is now with the stock maker.

Regards

EJSXS

Great posts, guys! Keep 'em coming!

Ed, yes, there is still a lot of put and take but there are wild birds around if you're willing to work for them. This year, I and a few others, are taking up a 500 acre lease in Southwest Georgia. This property has a long history of quail management and offers a good wild population. We also plan to conduct early release and maintain established coveys of "almost wild" quail.

This year should be good. We had a severe drought early on which really hurt properties that conducted burning this year (our place was not burned this year) but nesting seems to have been good and insect production was great. Just last week, I flushed 3 coveys (off the road) in 2 1/2 hrs while walking around taking photos.


Jose, thank you very much for your insight. Several years ago, I read an article in an old Pointing Dog Journal. They were hunting banded quail and redbreasted quail in Morelos. It was horseback hunt through farmland in a fairly mountainous area. This article spurred an interest in all the "exotic" quail species.

For those of you who are interested, here are some photos of the some lesser known bowhites (most of which are found in Mexico)

Crested Bobwhite


Speckled Bobwhite


Black-throated Bobwhited


Tennessee Red


Masked Bobwhite



Wood Spotted Quail


I know that was a little off topic but I really enjoy learning about these lesser known quail... especially the bobwhite variants.


Adam

Thanks for those pictures Adam, I'm also very interested in the numerous Bobwhite "variants"...Geo

One would be hard pressed to find better knockabout little bird gun then "ribless" Beretta 'White Wing' 20br.

Really like that hammer gun Lang. And PA24 as usual I can see your super restoration skills at work mate. Thanks for showing them.
T

Thank you on the Lang! That's really a compliment coming from a man who can do the quality work on guns that you do. Smallbore brought this gun over and I bought it at auction back in 2007.

It's a fun gun to shoot once you get used to the non-rebounding hammers. I quit counting last year when I reached 3000 cartridges through it. I'll be shooting it at the Vintagers in two weeks. There's something special about shooting a 145 year old gun. If the good Lord allows me another five years of good health I plan to take it quail hunting on March 6, 2016, for it's 150th anniversary. I only hope that it's successor custodian enjoys it as much as I have.

Fantastic, enjoy the gun. Thanks for the comments.

Dig can "dig" up some gems eh?

Cheers

T

Adam,
thanks for this thread. Quail is my favorite hunting bird as I'm sure it is for many that have posted.

I love to hunt them with my .410's. I've come to completely trust that my .410's are capable and I don't even give any of my larger gauge guns a thought when going quail hunting in the last few years.

Here's a couple of mine.






Some of you may consider these as proper quail guns as well.

An Ithaca 20g grade 3 ejector with a factory single trigger restored.


Parker 28g Repro 28".

I've only hunted a few varieties of quail. The ones that come to mind are Tennesee Reds, Mearns, Scailed, Gambels, and California (Valley) quail. But they've all been great game bird experiences.

My personal favorite is still the California (Valley) quail. The beauty of the bird, the terrain, and their flight habits are all something I really find to be the best wild bird hunting of my region.

Here's some pics

Browning Sidelock, 20 gauge. 28" IMod/ISkt, 6 lbs.