Mike
Several snapshots of one quail hunt in one field on January 29.
A covey point in milo stubble.
The quail covey split with some flushing out of the milo and into the wooded drainage. These were the quail the dogs saw fly away and lead Mike to where to hunt next.
That drainage is deeper than the first picture above shows. Mike is barely visible in the center of the picture below at the bottom of the 30 foot deep drainage that is 100+ yards wide hunting out singles. Tough through the trees shooting leaves most quail for seed next year.
Coming out of the drainage and into a running pheasant point, track, point again and wild flush.
Looping back through the milo field to pick up the segmented covey that unlike the other part that flew down into the drainage offers a chance at some clear shooting.
This was a 20+ bird covey allowing for an uncounted number of covey segments and singles points. A 90 minute hunt with about half the time being on quail covering a straight line half mile distance from initial covey flush to last singles point with at least three miles walking between.
A singles point in late season milo stubble gives plenty of cover with food mixed in.
More singles points.
We walked along with Mike on this one field hunt that showed two pheasants in range if hunting with a large bore. Mike's small bore light loads left this a quail only hunt. If all pointed quail were shot this could have been a limit quail hunt in one field. Mike like most of the gray haired successful upland bird dog training quail hunters seek the day with the dogs with no concern for a limit and putting several of these fields together in a day will make for limits. Harvesting but a few from each covey will allow that covey to sustain itself and be hunted for seasons to come.