WooHoo!! Finally going Quail hunting

[MaddBaggins]

For the first time in years, I'm finally going Quail hunting in the a.m.
Hopefully we can limit out. I got a new shotgun earlier this year and haven't even used it yet. Remington 870 Wingmaster 12ga, 28". I'll be using 7-1/2 shot and some 6 shot.

I'll post some pics of the spoils!:REOutShootinghunter

[Haggis]

Good Luck! Never hunted quail, none around here, but I bet they're alot like shooting woodcock; fast little feather balls. Wine and rosemary marinade, sounds good to me.

[grouch]

Good Luck! Never hunted quail, none around here, but I bet they're alot like shooting woodcock; fast little feather balls. Wine and rosemary marinade, sounds good to me.
Not at all like woodcock, they flush in covies of eight or so and go in different directions just to screw with you! They also taste a heck of a lot better. I do love me some woodcock though, they are so magical and mysterious. Given the choice, I'd rather hunt woodcock due to the local you find them and the fact that you stand a good chance of finding a grouse or two.

[MaddBaggins]

No birds! It was 32* and winds were strong. The covies didn't want to leave their hiding spots. We got a couple shots off, but didn't hit anything. Saw a beautiful owl in flight.

I, however, did get some much needed exercise for my fat arse.:shakin:

[Ridgewalker]

Did you have a dog?

I am heading out later this week with my GSP to a preserve near Denver for pheasant, bobwhites and chuckars.

So far this year has been a slow one for me in my hunting. Started out good with sharptails, blue grouse and ptarmigan hunting...then came to a dead stop.

Hopefully I'll make it to southeast CO for blue quail and southwest KS for pheasant, prairie chickens and bobwhites in January.:gunt:

Best of luck to all you upland bird hunters!:jumping:

[MaddBaggins]

No dog, our family pet is a bit gunshy.

We're talking about heading out again this sunday. I may pick up a stamp for duck and get some steel shot. There is a nice pond where we quail hunt and there are always some mallards and a couple other kinds around there.

[MaddBaggins]

Got 2 quail on our sunday hunt and had a blast! I cooked them up with a little sea salt and thyme with olive oil and some eggs over easy. MMMM MMMMM...

I had to kill one of them 3 times. I shot him, then he kept moving around in my pack. I pulled his neck and thought I broke it, 5 minutes later he was moving again, so I pulled his head clean off and watched him do the funky chicken for a minute. Some hunter, had to kill one little quail 3 times :oops:

[Haggis]

Was it trying to eat your brains at the time? If it was, you needed to shoot it in the head.

[Ridgewalker]

[QUOTE=MaddBaggins]Got 2 quail on our sunday hunt and had a blast! I cooked them up with a little sea salt and thyme with olive oil and some eggs over easy. MMMM MMMMM...

Sounds delicious!:chowtime:

:chowtime: I had an invite to a very nice bird preserve...The Bluffs...just east of Denver last week. I hunted with my little GSP. He was excellent with the exception that the pheasants were very wild and came up a lot out of range. Still between 4 of us we got 6 pheasants 8 chuckars. It was a fun day just watching the GSP work.:wings: I also got to use my new Merkel 96K 12x12x.243. When I did my part, it did it's part.

Good luck to the upland bird hunters!

[MaddBaggins]

Was it trying to eat your brains at the time? If it was, you needed to shoot it in the head.


Now that you mention it, he did have a glazed look in his eye...

Damn zombie quail!

[MaddBaggins]

:chowtime: I had an invite to a very nice bird preserve...The Bluffs...just east of Denver last week. I hunted with my little GSP. He was excellent with the exception that the pheasants were very wild and came up a lot out of range. Still between 4 of us we got 6 pheasants 8 chuckars. It was a fun day just watching the GSP work.:wings: I also got to use my new Merkel 96K 12x12x.243. When I did my part, it did it's part.

Good luck to the upland bird hunters!

I'd like to do Pheasant sometime. And duck is next on my list. :chowtime:

Glad you had some good luck and fun!

[Haggis]

We where flintlock hunting for deer today, and came across a whole scad of grouse instead. Plus waterfowl season is back in for ducks and geese and did we see a bunch of them today. I guess we'll be bearing shotguns instead of blackpowder tomorrow.

[Ridgewalker]

Haggis, that is the reason I finally broke down and bought my life long desire...a 12x12x.243. It is a side by side 12 ga with a .243 rifle barrel under the side by side barrels. It just irritates me to no end when a coyote comes up 75+yds out and all I have is a shotgun. Now my plan is to use the .243 to take Mr Yodel Dog when he shows up.
I am planning an antelope hunt to WY again next year, while at the same time hunting sage grouse. The Merkel should (if I do my part) work well for that.
Good luck on your grouse, duck and goose mixed bag hunt.:wings:

[Haggis]

I'm thinking of going all Hawkeye. You know, Flintlock in one hand - Beretta Silverhawk in the other. Running thru the woods screaming "Stay Alive! I will find you!" to nobody in particular.

[MaddBaggins]

I'm thinking of going all Hawkeye. You know, Flintlock in one hand - Baretta Silverhawk in the other. Running thru the woods screaming "Stay Alive! I will find you!" to nobody in particular.

I bet you wear a kilt while doing that also. :)

[Haggis]

Well today didn't go quite as planned. Woke up to freezing rain and sleet this morning, not the best weather for flintlocks, so bird hunting sounded good. But then the old man had to run his truck in to get it checked out so he and my step brother where late. When we got to our swamp property it had been cold enough last night so that it froze the ponds over and when there's no open water there's no geese. We were trying to figure out what to do when we spotted the tiniest pudddle of open water and that there were a load of mallards huddled there. As we were laying out our tactics, those darn ducks decide not to wait around for us and took off in the opposite direction that we would have like them to have flown; ie... towards us.

Since the only open water around was Oil Creek and it was at flood stage and in no condition to float, we thought we'd bust some grouse. I could not get a grouse to jump in any other direction but through the thickest part of the grapevines and hemlocks. I could see the blur of their wings but that was about that and I'm not a bush blaster. If I can't make a clean kill I'd rather hold my fire and try another day.

So on to deer hunting in the afternoon. My dad made a small drive thru the grapevine and hemlock woods on our property and pushed a scad of deer out to Tom and me. I saw a fine buck crest the hill and enter a hemlock thicket followed by several does and a few smaller bucks. Eventually a group of seven deer, 4 does and three bucks (2 - 6 points and a Y), passed within 25 yards of me, but I was holding out for that big 'un. That smart old deer dumped into a small ravine and circle his way right out of our sights, so no smokepoles were shot off today.

All in all it was a horrible day, spending a whole day hunting four different kinds of animals with no one else in the woods but us three. I really wish I was at work reading this post on a computer than to have wasted my time in the woods....Oh yeah we're goning to do it all again tomorrow and Saturday....:shakin:

[Ridgewalker]

I feel for your tough day. Miserable time obviously. You should have gone to work.:wings:

Where is Titusville, PA? My better half is originally from north of Pittsburgh (Apollo), PA.

We still have family and friends we visit there occasionally. One has 75 acres with a teepee in the back where we have stayed. Beautiful country!

Ruffed grouse would be fun to try to hit in all the thick country there.

Better luck this weekend!

[MaddBaggins]

Knock em dead Haggis!

[Haggis]

Ridge, Titusville is about 2 hrs due north of Pittsburgh and about 50 miles south of the lake. Our claim to fame is this is the site of the first production oil well, namely Drake's well, and the birthplace of the oil industry.

Only hunted half a day today, saw some ducks and a few fuzzy heads, but the ducks were out of range and we're not really planning on killing any deer other than a real good buck. We've took 4 management bucks of the property so far, and one of them was a mercy killing. Found a fair 8 point that was wounded, all but dead so we finished him off. The meat was tainted so we had to dispose of the carcass, what a damn shame it was. In our Game Commissionmanagement area (1B) bucks need to have at least 4 points on one side, unless your a junior or senior hunter than its just one horn over 3". With the freezing rain yesterday and the frigid air last night, the snowpack was like walking on cornflakes, a squireell sounded like a herd of wildebeasts coming through. Well flintlock is on till the 7th and duck is in to I believe the 22d, so there's still time to have some fun. It's not about killing things, but getting outdoors and having some fun. Besides my log home interior chinking job is on hold till after the holidays so I'm not getting in the way of the homeowners holiday plans. Works for me.

[calamaridog]

I haven't gone quail hunting in way too long. I much prefer hunting with a dog though.

Cook some wild rice and stuff the little bastards before putting them in a hot oven for a few minutes. That will teach them!