When a hunting client of mine invited me down to his quail lease in south Texas I was all in, as I love to hunt wild bobwhite quail. For most bird hunters the Bobwhite quail is the iconic All-American game bird with a historical range from South Florida to extreme southern Ontario, then from the Atlantic Coast of New Jersey to the Western Plains of Texas and Oklahoma.
For years the epicenter of Bobwhite quail hunting was the southeastern United States where a strong hunting and bird dog culture was prominent. For a variety of reasons, namely loss of and fragmented habitat, the Bobwhite quail has almost disappeared or retracted from its range. In the East, the exception is an area of southern Georgia and northern Florida where vast plantations remain and the habitat is groomed to ensure healthy and huntable populations. Western States such as Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas all have good populations with the latter two considered as strongholds of sorts, probably due to warmer weather.
Lisa gave me the hall pass to go off radar for a week to chase “Gentleman Bob” as this species of quail is appropriately named. I had the run of the lease, running dogs and getting them into birds. The Bobwhites did not always play fair and we had numerous coveys that would run out from the dog’s points and then flush. Other contacts resulted in textbook dog work, the birds held tight then flushed when I walked past the dogs and into the covey. I also made a few nice shots!
Unlike Arizona, hunting in Texas takes place on private land. The landowners and/or lease holders have a vested interest in maintaining good wildlife habitat and looking after the resource. The rules of the game are ‘no chasing single birds after the covey rise,’ and ‘no hunting past 4pm.’ The intent is to allow the birds to remain coveyed up throughout the night. This shows great respect for the resource.
Like all trips, mine came to an end. Both the dogs and I enjoyed our stay in the Lone Star State and look forward to returning in the future.
