Missouri Hunts
Quail Interests
Hunter Interests | Private Land Quality and QuantityIt is always tough to show the size of the private land area available for quail hunting and the habitat coveys occupy. Ground pictures are truly just a snapshot of a very small space while aerial photos provide little illustration of low to ground quail holding cover. With the aerial below of a good Missouri quail hunting lease the only points we want to make are first the amount of edge habitat to be found on a 1/2 mile square, 1/4 section of land covering 160 acres and around a two hour hunt, if hunting the entire farm.
The second point unique about this farm is that it seems to have just one covey anchored to it and it is a large covey. That covey is found within less than 10 acres of the same spot on this farm each of the last three years hunted (John Wenzel's first hand experience behind one dog). Once knowing where that small covey anchor area is, some call it headquarters, the hunter will most likely be able to return to that one spot, hunt that one covey in 45 minutes or less and then move onto the next farm. Having several such farms within close proximity is how a single hunter can hunt 4 or more spots each day. Getting to that level will initially require hunting each spot entirely of all its acreage to locate if and where that covey anchors itself. For the seasoned quail hunter with mature dogs traveling from farm to farm finding such spots is the price to pay for a self guided hunt. The payoff will come later with a first season pup's experience on wild birds all the more effective by going back to known covey locations.
|
