There is still time go chase some great upland game birds. I know it is late in the season for some areas, but January is one of the best times to take to the field. If there is snow on the ground in the area you hunt, don’t miss the opportunity to take after the pheasants and quail. The conditions are ideal for the dogs. Information I am getting is, the birds are holding tighter. The recent cold spells we have been having has the pheasants in big bunches. Also, the quail are being found in traditional habitat and thickets. So if something looks birdie, make sure you go check it out.
I have been hunting quail for over 50 years. For many of those years quail hunting was my very favorite outdoor activity. Growing up in Southern California, outside of Riverside, we had huge covey’s of California Quail. It wan’t unusual to see coveys of a 150 birds or more. Then when I got back to the mid-west and discovered that a 25 bird covey of bobwhite quail was really good. Now I realize why all the guys I hunted with got so excited. We are still not back to covey’s that big in the mid-west, but quail populations are on the rise in Kansas and parts of Oklahoma.
Looking forward to getting out over the next 10 days and see what we can find. It looks like we may be heading to western Kansas. Reports have been very good and we have access to good areas. What makes these late hunts fun, is the dog work. Dogs live for these types of opportunities, and it is up to us to make sure they get out and do what they were bred for.
The Outdoor Quarterback