Missouri Quail Hunt, November 27

On Wednesday, November 27th Don Bowlen and I went on a Missouri quail hunt near Nevada, Missouri. This was on property that the company Don works for owns, we thought. Don had a map showing the property lines. We drove around it to see what it looked like and the best places to turn the dogs loose. The farm was one of those places that you see and think, I sure would like to hunt that place. It had hedge rows around harvested soy bean fields interspersed with draws, CRP and pasture. There was several ponds and a creek for water. Everything that quail need; food, cover and water.

Don had Ava his Brittany and I turned loose Luke and Whitey at an old home place. The house and barns were gone and the yard was grown up with grass, saplings and trees. The dogs hit the edge and were off down a hedge row. Each hedge row had draws and water ways coming off on each side. Perfect habitat. We made a large circle back to the old house place and checked it out without finding a quail. We loaded those dogs and pulled down the road about a quarter of a mile to another hedge row.
This time I turned Lucky and Whitey out. Don took one side of the hedge row, running west, with Ava and I was on the other. The hedge row was about 1/2 mile long then turned north and ran another half mile with draws and water ways coming off. To the west of the hedge row running north, was a large CRP field. The CRP ran to the road on the west. Don said he would bring the truck around if I wanted
to hunt the CRP. I like to keep my dogs on the ground and see new country.

When Don got back to the truck a farmer was there. This was not the property that his company owned. But it was some property his company was going to lease but it had not been finalized. The farmer was okay with us being there as he knew, by the map we had, that it was an honest mistake and that the lease was going to happen.

While this was going on I was still hunting. As we worked our way through the CRP I heard a covey of quail flush. Both dogs were south of me and the quail were about 30 yards north. Had they not flushed I would have walked by them. This area had a lot of saplings and thickets of sumac. It hadn’t been mowed in a long time.

As I got closer to the road it opened up into CRP grass that wasn’t very tall. As we moved into the area a single flushed and flew across the road without me firing a shot. Then Lucky went on point. Before I got to him a single flushed and I knocked it down. I worked Lucky in to find the bird. He came into the area and went on point. I kept saying, “he’s dead, he’s dead”, but Lucky didn’t move. I stepped up to tap him on the head to move him and a quail flushed. I knocked it down and Lucky retrieved.

I started back toward the place the first bird had fallen when Don got there. I told him what we had going on as well as the bird I hadn’t found yet. He said he would get Ava out to look for it. Then Blaze was on point. I walked in front of her and nothing got up. She was real solid so I kept trying to flush something in front of her. Then I heard a bird flush behind me. By the time I saw it, it was probably out of range. I shot but missed.

As we worked the area I finally heard Don saying, “she’s on point and I don’t have my gun out.” I went to where Ava was on point and when I went in front of her I saw a wounded bird running. Ava caught it and brought it to me. Good girl, Ava.

We continued to work the area and Lucky pointed again and I got one more quail. We hunted the area but found no more quail. The farmer that owned this land told Don how to find the land that his company owned, so we drove over to look at it. It was mainly woods and pasture without much cover so we went to a friend of Don’s near Adrian, Missouri.

This farm had a creek with a bean field on both sides. West of the bean field was CPR with a brush filled water way. Don went up one side of the creek and I took the other until we got to the north end of the property. I crossed over to Don’s side and started up the fence to the west. I hunted all the way to the west side then turned south down a nice hedge row then across the CRP back to the truck without seeing any quail.

This year, I have seen more quail than in the last couple of years. I’m not harvesting more but I’m getting more dog work. The dog work is the reason I go.