Bobwhite Quail Hunting
"... the Association the last 27 years has made my quail hunting career..."
Bobwhite Quail hunting for the do it yourself quail hunter seeking recurring dog work on wild quail throughout the entire hunting season in Kansas, Missouri and Iowa on natural habitat on private land. Several key points include always having more places to quail hunt each day than daylight to hunt. Not mixing your dogs with any other. Not stepping over boot prints. And, the Mid-America Hunting Association partners will assist all first year Association quail hunters and those that seek to travel to new Association regions with recommendations where to hunt. Those recommendations will be based on our own behind our own bird dog experience as well as having traveled the quail lands throughout the year. Review the Association quail hunting partners
Wild Bobwhite Quail Hunting
Bobwhite Quail hunting in Kansas during late January with the picture capturing part of the covey on a slow rise.
Our service is private quail hunting land access. Our product is the right habitat in the right region of each state that has a history of reproduction and covey counts.
Those hunters we allocate membership to are seeking quality dog work, enjoyment of the day and of the bird rather than bag limits. Those expecting a covey each time stepping from the truck or a limit every day should go elsewhere. We offer only wild quail hunting and that requires the willingness to walk, shooting ability and dog power. Those that possess these three elements will be able to step from their truck onto a different field each time, every day of the entire season and never cross their tracks or mix their dogs with others.
We will discuss by telephone with all new members where to quail hunt and we also provide a local lodging listing for every county where we lease land. By this means we take the mystery or uncertainty out of the trip making sure all have as good of a hunt as we can make possible. This is one difference that marks us a a business and not a hunting club. As a business we have a customer service attitude that ensures all are treated the same, have equal access and get a good jump start that ensures their return membership the next season.
Quail Hunting Unit
When we recommend a hunter where to hunt it is to a "unit" of land. the background on units is that we break down all of our leases into management segments first by state, county, then units and later by individual numbered properties. All lease land is posted to a 8x11 map sheet to a web site. All members have access to all the same map sheets covering all land in all three sates on the same web site. and the same telephone reservation system to our secretary from 9 to 530, Monday through Friday.
For quail hunting what these units of leases means is that we do not let any one quail hunter or group to continuously hunt any one unit of coveys over pressuring the land. This is one of those intangible aspects of our organization that individually make a little difference and collectively makes for all to have as good of a quail hunting experience as possible throughout the entire season.
These units also spread hunters as most counties have several unit and they are available on a first come first served basis. Each has a gun limit per day based on habitat quality and what region of the state.
About the quail hunt, not the bag
In my attempt to get in one picture a dog on point and flushing birds what I thought was a pheasant point was quail and I did get two in the picture as brown blurs. The covey was large and surprising just how much faster they are than my reflex to take take a picture. I shot more with my camera this year than my gun. Thanks.
Let us keep perspective. This is a youth hunter and his bag for the day. The choice is to achieve this or go to a plantation and have a pile of dead quail in front of the lodge sign.
We are out in the field 12 months every year and tracking populations. We will recommend to the new member/upland bird hunter where to hunt for his habitat and upland bird of choice.
Good habitat in the right region makes for good hunts. The land, habitat, wild birds and the organizational strength of MAHA are here. It is a mater of finding the right hunters to have the hunt.
The average good quail hunting day for the better quail dogs is a four covey day with much singles action. Zero covey days and up to eight may occur for some, however most should not expect too many of either. The four covey average is as much driven by our 8 quail daily bag limit than all else. This experience is relative to one's background and magazine articles. Have a read about our quail hunting quality providing comparison to several other quail hunt examples.
As a do it yourself quail hunter organization most train and hunt their own dogs and that is the focus, the dog work not the quail. Most of these hunter run a brace and shoot two quail per covey either on covey or singles points giving each dog a chance and move on. The value is the opportunity to return to that same covey later in the season or the next year as they are residential or headquartered to the same spot for the life of the covey.
We keep our system simple with one cost for all for all lease land access for all seasons in all three states. This allows all quail hunters to select which state or states they would like to hunt and at what time during any state seasons.
All may hunt as often as desired and for as many days each trip.
If we agree that MAHA and the do it yourself hunters we seek enjoy more the quality of dog work than having to have a quail limit every day then we should also agree to the following hunter management issues.
Not to quail hunt the last hour of daylight to allow the birds to covey up before dark.
Not hunt to shoot coveys less than 10 birds and assume two pairs may survive for the next breeding season.
Shoot pointed not jumped quail.
No covey shooting.
Dogs on the ground limitation of two per any one hunter and not more than three per hunting party regardless of size. More may be in the truck and rotated.
No gang hunts.
During the Missouri rifle deer season during the middle two weeks in November we close bird hunting due to safety considerations. Upland bird hunting continues in Iowa and Kansas during those state firearms deer seasons. Missouri is distinguished due to their deer tag being cheap and over the counter allowing for many hunters in the field where in Kansas and Iowa the deer tags are restrictive to the point of not adversely impacting bird hunts.
Missouri quail hunting is the classic edge habitat well suited for the long running quail dogs. The walking is easy and much eyes on the dog possible. Missouri quail hunting
Kansas upland bird hunting offers the most pheasants and equally within some regions to Missouri on quail hunting. Those desiring a mixed bag hunt find Kansas best suits that requirement.
Kansas quail hunting is similar to Missouri's crop edge except the fields are larger and Kansas has the brush filled draw offering miles of huntable habitat as well. This one variation alone makes for that added bit of adventure that avoids the routine of the same habitat through all field trips. Kansas quail hunting
Do not allow Iowa's pheasant hunt reputation cloud anyone's quail hunting. Our south-central Iowa lease land is on the same watershed as north central Missouri.
This is the Grand River Watershed a very large area of multiple sized stream that are tree lined and cutting through farm country. The right combination of cover and food in small repeated areas over the entire region. The fact that the Iowa - Missouri state line separates this locality does not inhibit the coveys.
Iowa quail hunting does distinguish itself from Missouri with its higher pheasant density. Iowa quail hunting