ARTICLE'S - 14
"PRESERVE QUAIL HUNTING IN THE SOUTH"
By:
Don Kirk
“Wild quail are tough to find in numbers
these days, but great shooting is available at
the growing number of pay-to-shoot preserves of the South.”
Like many southern sportsmen, quail is what I cut my hunting teeth on. Thanksgiving Day my dad and his brothers assembled for a day long hunt that was as much of a tradition as turkey and dressing. Looking back on it, I can not help but wonder how I took for granted those many coveys of quail that we kicked skyward then. Changes in farming techniques, the South’s widening urbanization, and the blanket protection now afforded to hawks that were once shot on sight have all contributed to today’s diminished population of once plentiful coveys of wild quail. In many areas such as my home in eastern Tennessee, the standing crop of quail on opening day is at such a low level that is now hardy worth hunting them..
Luckily for Dixie’s wing shooters, the love gunning for the “prince of game birds” has begat an explosion of pay-to-hunt quail shooting preserves throughout the region. Once regarded by southern wing shooters as little more than back pasture shooting galleries, today’s modern quail hunting preserves operators go to great lengths to provide shot gunners with a quality, old time southern quail hunting experience.
“At White Oak Plantation, we go to great lengths to create a the ambiance and flavor of old fashioned, Dixie bobwhite hunting,” says Robert Pittman, owner of that 15,000 acre establishment located in the heart of Alabama’s legendary Black Belt near Tuskegee. “Between them, our top quail hunting guides, Marion and Red, have over 60 years of experience at putting hunters on these birds. They use only the highest quality bird dogs. Hunters are carried in open wagons identical to those used 100 years ago on plantations when hunting quail. At White Oak Plantation we use flight trained and ready, liberated quail. Such high quality bobwhite typically flush and fly much the same as wild quail.”
Convenience is a byword of modern preserve shooting. Arranging a morning or afternoon of gunning fun for a pair or threesome is as easy as reserving a tee time at a golf course. Most preserves have standard packages that include a designated number of birds set out prior to hunting, the use of bird dogs and a handler, and care and dressing of birds for taking them home to enjoy for supper. Most preserves allow dog owners to bring their own bird dogs, but this is not necessary. In fact, even if you do not own a shotgun, these can usually be provided.
Costs for half and full day preserve quail hunting varies widely as does the quality and amenities of such a hunt. Costs range from $100 to $200 per half day of hunting, which usually entitles you to take the 10 to 20 birds per hunter that are set out prior to a hunt.
If you have not sampled Dixie’s pay-to-hunt quail gunning fun, consider giving it a try this fall. It is like stepping back in time to a world that has escaped us forever.