Failure....but lessons learned

[Baldkrash]

I found a beautiful spot in ANF. Looked like the perfect habitat for quail. Grassy, with bushes, some creeks nearby. Lots of other game sign as well. TONS of deer droppings and footprints, some coyote sign too. (saw what looked like a deer hindquarter bone). I'm hiking around this "perfect" spot for about 45 minutes. Everything about it tells me there should be quail. Finally i get discouraged and start hiking back to my truck. I'm walking kind of fast, thinking about where I'm driving to next. I step onto the edge of a deep dry creek bed and bust a covey of close to 20 quail!!!! Some fly one way, some fly another, and about half bounce around in the bushes "pit pit pitting" I wasn't paying attention so was caught off guard and didn't get shots at the ones that flew and I could barely see the birds moving around in the bushes. I fired a shot into the bushes then my gun jammed. I spend 5 minutes getting the shell out and get it cycling properly. By then I couldn't see or hear anything. So i hike around the area for another half hour hoping to bump into the group, or any of the ones that flew off....to no avail.
Lessons learned:
1. Always be looking for game, you never know when they may pop up right in front of you.
2. Take better care of my guns so they don't jam (duh)
3. Ask the guys on SCH how to find quail after a covey is busted. (Any advice would be great)

 

[ilovesprig]

You shot into the bushes?................ ???

 

[Gspman]

You shot into the bushes?................ ???

Xs2. Let's try not to do that.

 

[nicapopolis]

Lesson 4: Never shoot into bushes! Always know your target and what is beyond.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Snake Charmer]

Ground sluicing into unknown terrain is not a good idea.

 

[Baldkrash]

I hear that about the ground sluice, but the bush had a 10 foot dirt wall directly behind it. It was not an unsafe shot, just a stupid one. I would never fire when i wasnt sure what was behind my target.

Anyone have advice on how to follow up and track down the flushed birds?

 

[SurfNHuntSD]

I hear that about the ground sluice, but the bush had a 10 foot dirt wall directly behind it. It was not an unsafe shot, just a stupid one. I would never fire when i wasnt sure what was behind my target.

Anyone have advice on how to follow up and track down the flushed birds?

No quail hunting sage here, but can offer a few things that have worked for me. First, try if u can to flush em downhill or toward a reasonable area to push. The spots I hunt, if they go uphill into the thick steep stuff its game over. Once they flush they will want to regroup so listen for their calls. That'll let u know where they're at but they might be onesies/twosies. Lastly, if u let them rest and regroup, u can walk another area then come back to see if they've covey'd back up. Hope this helps, someone on here might have better tactics.

 

[8SteelTown]

X2.

From my experience: I listen for ChiCaGo's or the pit pit. If it's Chicago, move towards the sound. If it's pitpit, they're going to bail. I try to freeze up so they might foot bail instead of flush away and you can at least see them. Try to find the scout on top of the rock keeping watch. I always see a scout sitting on rocks as the birds are walking from bush to bush. Sometimes they flush or foot bail in stages so don't let your guard down. They want the best cover possible and most distance away from you. I try to get further down and around them and zig zag back. If you're dogless, try not to make a bunch of noise so you can get close and ambush.

Be careful on bush shots because you may clip some birds and not know. Be a bad deal if you have wounded birds left behind.

 

[MJB]

Please don't shoot into bushes it's never wise and NEVER SAFE! Back stop or not no bush shooting PERIOD!

This is how hunters/people & dogs get hurt or killed......

 

[Baldkrash]

Please don't shoot into bushes it's never wise and NEVER SAFE! Back stop or not no bush shooting PERIOD!

This is how hunters/people & dogs get hurt or killed......

Got it.

 

[Bowman]

it's hard to hunt quail alone, and even more so with out a dog. it works better with a buddy or two.
that way a group can work the covey. once busted and you lose it's tough to get on them again.
especially like said before, in the thick brush it's over. I use to have good success being quite and stealthy. and i would pick off singles.
also use a quail call and try to call them in or at least respond.

 

[Kellendv]

I hunted quail for a long time without dogs before I got mine. I find that the singles will hold tighter, so walking and stopping near a likely bush for an extended period of time can sometimes produce a flush. They get uneasy if you don't walk on by. I have sometimes stopped next to a bush that I thought held birds for quite a while, then walked on, only to have a bird flush behind me after I moved on. If you're on stable ground and can safely do so, you can kick a bush that you think might hold a bird, or toss a small rock to spook them out.

When you see the covey flush, try and mark where they land and hurry to that position, they will undoubtedly run when they hit the ground so don't expect to find them right where you mark their landing, but you will be closer and may be able to see some scurrying away.

Good luck! Have fun, and keep getting out there. Sounds like you have good instincts on where to find birds.

 

[TonyS]

Mark is right, that's the way someone could lose their dog or get hurt.

Now a days, I like it when we break the covey. More opportunity to see my pointy dog working.

 

[Sdbirds]

You sure can't tell who doesn't have dogs or know how to hunt with dogs