I touch off a shot down a darkened corridor between the trees, unsure whether a quail drops. But the telltale feathers lingering in the still forest air give hope of a bird in hand and a bird for Parker to retrieve.
Something learned along the way of my own journey into mountain quail hunting addiction is that mountain quail can happen anytime. Any upland hunter venturing into mountain quail territory will frequently be surprised by wild covey flushes the first time they erupt from the side of some ridge in the Coast Range. Mountain quail won’t hold well for a dog until the covey is broken up, and then the singles hold for stylish points. Take just only a few so the covey doesn’t take a huge hit.
Some years ago I relocated from New England, serendipitously settling in Corvallis, Oregon, all within a 30-minute drive of wild quail hunting opportunities. Although the pheasants that once abounded even within our city limits have disappeared, the mountain quail are a constant. Sure, like other game birds, populations are cyclical, and a harsh winter or unusually wet spring can affect mountain quail numbers. However, mountain quail can be reliably found in habitat that — unlike the haunts of the ubiquitous California quail — is usually far from development.
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Esta historia es de la edición Autumn 2020 de The Upland Almanac.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
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Luigi Franchi Imperial Monte Carlo Extra: One of Italy's "Best" SxS Doubles
As on London’s gun-maker’s row, Italians had skilled craftsmen who made “Best” guns of superb quality
An Upland Bird Hunter's Equipment in Need and Equipment Indeed...
From the first year I discovered upland bird hunting in my early teens, my search for the right clothing and equipment began in earnest. All you need to see to support this reality is to look at all the upland clothing and equipment I have stored from ceiling to floor in my garage and sportsman’s closet downstairs
Day's End - Making memories
Has there ever been a bird dog man or woman with a soul so dead that he or she has not been re-energized by the first cool days of September, by the first forecast of frost, by noting the opening days marked on the calendar so many months before?
A SIMPLE PLEASURE: THE HUNT LUNCH
In William Harnden Foster’s classic book, New England Grouse Shooting (1942), for which he wrote the text and provided numerous black-and-white sketches, he includes a wide-ranging catch-all chapter called “Grouse Shooting Outfits
PACKING for Success
I spend a lot of time these days chasing game birds. But it hasn’t always been this way
Shooting FAST and SLOW
Scientists have recently discovered that human brains operate in two settings – a fast, reactionary “fight or flight” mode (System 1) and a slow, considered, contemplative mode (System 2)
Private Lands, Public Access
“Just what lies behind that fence?”
Early Season - GREATER PRAIRIE CHICKEN HUNTING
Greater prairie chickens are tailor-made for early fall gunning. Young birds hatch early enough to be nearly full-grown by September, offering lots of potential targets in good habitat
QUAIL Struggle to Survive a Multitude of KILLERS
By some estimates, the wild bobwhite population in the U.S. has declined 70 to 80% since the 1960s
Journeys Shared: A Worcester Letter
Hi Bob, Just finished the sensational roller coaster “memoir-style” essays of man and bird dog(s) that you and Dave Smith assembled and put into print