Field and Stream - Hunting Pheasants, Quail, and Grouse RSS

Food Plots for Bird Hunters: How Should I Plan My Covey Garden?

Sarah Smith — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:31:10 -0400

by Chad Love

Wildlife food plots are an integral part of many a deer hunter's strategy, especially on smaller acreages where a few small food plots can make a big difference in your hunting success. But what about bird hunters, or, for that matter, gundog owners looking to improve bird habitat on their land or training grounds?

Now, obviously, planting food and/or cover plots on large public WMAs or hunting preserves is fairly routine, but what about those of us small landholders who are just looking to get a few more birds around our houses or small acreages? Could a few small, upland bird specific food plots make a noticeable increase in the birds you hunt or train on?

The folks at Pheasants and Quail Forever think so, which is why they're selling food plot seed designed specifically for bird hunters.

From the Quail Forever website:

Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever has launched the expanded Signature Series of food plot mixes for spring. PF/QF biologists across the country have developed a tremendous variety of grain and green-browse mixes to meet the food and cover needs of pheasants, quail and wildlife. These proven, field tested mixes will now be more readily available to chapters and retail customers throughout pheasant and quail country. High-energy grain food plots are an essential wildlife management practice. When designed and placed correctly, these areas reduce bird mortality and help bring hens through the winter in peak condition for breeding. The nine Signature Series grain mixes include sorghum blends (Blizzard Buster, Covey Rise, Winter Shield, etc.), and diverse recipes like Winter Survival Mix, Rooster Booster or Dove & Quail Mix (blends of corn, sorghums sunflowers, buckwheat, millets, and more) that fit almost every planting situation.

Since many of our members are active big game hunters, we have also developed an expanded line of five Bird and Buck Green Browse Mixes. These forage offerings are irresistible wildlife magnets that attract and hold big game. They also create a leafy, insect rich structure that provides high quality brood habitat for upland birds. PF/QF Clover & More, Whitetail & Gamebird Mix, Deer Kandy and Whitetail Forage Brassica Mix make great bugging areas for pheasant and quail chicks, while hauling the deer and turkeys under your bow-stand.

The folks at QF tell me all the varieties are selling very well. Intrigued, I recently ordered a 25-pound bag of Quail Forever's "Covey Rise" seed mixture and I'll be planting it around my house and on my in-laws' quarter-section farm in the hopes of luring and holding a few more quail this fall, not so much for hunting, but for the enjoyment of having more of my absolute favorite bird hanging around the yard, as well the opportunity and convenience of being able to let the pup get into a few more wild quail prior to the season.

It will be an interesting experiment. I have absolutely no experience planting anything other than a vegetable garden, and I have no powered implements with which to plant, so I'm soliciting advice. My half-baked plan for a couple small one-acre plots is to chain an ancient, rusty, seized-up discer to the back of my truck, weight it down with some scrap iron, put it in four low and simply drag it around and around until I've sufficiently loosened the soil, then broadcast the seed by hand. A real farmer I 'aint... I'll also have to build some temporary fences to keep out the cows, but that shouldn’t be too much trouble.

And if all goes well, I'll have some nice cover later this fall in which to run the dogs and maybe shoot a few birds out of. But it's me we're talking about here, and when I'm involved things seldom all go well... See any potential pitfalls with this plan, aside from destroying my transfer case? Any suggestions? Anyone else ever planted a food plot for the birds and dogs rather than the deer? Have any of you ever used the ATV-based ag implements? How did it all turn out?

The 35 Best Photos From Field & Stream's 2012 Spring Trail Cam Contest: Round II

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:15:02 -0400

Who says trail cams are only fun in the fall? Set yours out this spring, then send us your best photos. You could win a new Bushnell Trophy Cam HD (MSRP $323.95).

Here's how it works. This contest will have three rounds. The first, Round I, began, March 12, and closed on April 12. Round II ran from April 12 to May 12, and Round III from May 14 to June 14. We're giving away three Bushnell Trophy Cam HDs (MSRP: $323.95) in each round, one cam each to the top three entries, as chosen by our editors.

Congrats to users luna, mod70 and Semibald, who each have won a Trophy Cam for their shots in Round II.

So go set your trail cams up already. And have fun! --The Editors

Click here for more info on the prizes.

Click here to enter ROUND III of the 2012 SPRING TRAIL CAM CONTEST

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos from April 2012

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 02 May 2012 09:25:49 -0400

Each month, Field & Stream editors review the hundreds of photos submitted by readers to our Trophy Room. If your photo is chosen to be printed in the Game Faces section of the magazine, you’ll win a Rapala Fish ‘N Fillet knife!

Submit your photos here!

Here are the other best reader photo collections from this year:

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

The 50 Best Photos From Field & Stream's 2012 Spring Trail Cam Contest: Round I

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:22:02 -0400

Who says trail cams are only fun in the fall? Set yours out this spring, then send us your best photos. You could win a new Bushnell Trophy Cam HD (MSRP $323.95).

Here's how it works. This contest will have three rounds. The first, Round I, starts today, March 12, and closes on April 12. Round II runs from April 12 to May 12, and Round III from May 12 to June 12. We're giving away three Bushnell Trophy Cam HDs (MSRP: $323.95) in each round, one cam each to the top three entries, as chosen by our editors.

Congratulations to users Kim Doucette Kelly, Isham C. Shelby and Stephen Schimacher who each will receive a camera for their entries in Round!

So go set your trail cams up already. And have fun! --The Editors

Click here for more info on the prizes.

Click here to enter ROUND II of the 2012 SPRING TRAIL CAM CONTEST

Make Hot Drinks on Windy Days with the Kelly Kettle

Online Editors — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:27:45 -0400

by Chad Love

One of life's great simple pleasures is (for me, anyway) sitting on the truck tailgate on a crisp fall or winter day out in the field, with the dogs at my feet, sipping a hot cup of coffee or tea after a morning's hunt, idly ruminating on Life, The Universe, and Everything. That's the bucolic, highly idealized Corey Ford version, anyway. The reality is, I live in Oklahoma (you know, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains) and usually the wind isn't merely sweeping, it's howling. Which makes preparing my coveted hot beverage a frustrating proposition.

A Thermos just doesn't keep water hot enough for my little French press to work effectively, so what I've done in the past is take a little single-burner propane stove and a small teakettle with me on bird-hunting trips. This works fine when the wind is down, but the wind is rarely down in my part of the world. The slightest breeze renders my stove, even with the windshield, not very effective.

In addition to wind trouble, space is now at a premium for me. I've largely parked my gas-guzzling 4x4 truck and started doing most of my hunting out of my wife's old Subaru Forester. Having to tote along a stove, a propane cylinder, a kettle and a French press in addition to the dog crates, hunting gear and everything else, makes things a bit cramped. So I started looking around for alternatives last season. And when I'm researching effective, minimalist camping or trekking equipment, the first place I look is on the various bushcraft websites, bulletin boards and forums. That's how I stumbled across the Kelly Kettle, a European import originally used by Irish fishermen, gamekeepers and herders to quickly boil water for tea and cooking.

It is often called a "volcano" kettle. Why "volcano"? Because that's basically what it is: A double-walled kettle with a big, open hole in the middle in which you start a small fire. Due to the kettle’s extremely large surface area, the water heats up very quickly. And the fire is protected from the wind, thanks to the kettle walls surrounding it (a biggie for me). In fact, the fire burns hotter as it gets windier because the kettle's stand acts like a bellow that draws air into the fire chamber.

On paper, it sounded perfect for me. I could get rid of the teakettle because this thing holds water. I could get rid of the stove and the bulky propane cylinder because it works with grass, twigs, bark or pretty much any other combustible material you're likely to find out in the field. Plus, it is allegedly windproof.

After a field test, I have to say that it works brilliantly.

I was scheduled to go quail hunting on the day I received my Kelly Kettle, but had to cancel because the weather was so bad. Temps were plunging, the wind was screaming and snow was starting to fall. What better time to try it out, right? So I immediately took it into the backyard, poured some water in it, scrounged a few twigs from the ground, lit the fire and waited. I didn’t have to wait long. In fact, I was, quite frankly, shocked at how quickly this thing boils water with such little fuel.

I dropped a few more twigs down the chimney and had the water boiling within a couple minutes — three at the most. Really boiling. All this during a bitterly cold, strong and gusty wind: The kind that would have been quite impossible to keep my cheap little propane jobber lit, much less heat water.

The next week, I took the Kelly Kettle and my French press to a quail hunt at a local WMA. The weather was sunny, but with that ever-present stiff breeze. I scrounged some tufts of grass and a few dry twigs from the parking area, lit the fire, and within a few minutes, was enjoying a nice cup of coffee out in the field with the dogs instead of choking down a Styrofoam cup of battery acid in some convenience store parking lot. That, however, was the only hunt I got to take my Kelly Kettle on. The season ended a couple days later. I've made backyard tea and coffee several times since then, and the Kelly Kettle has performed flawlessly every time on just a handful of twigs.

Are there downsides? A few. One, it's relatively expensive compared to the fuel stove/tea kettle route. Prices range from $59.95, for the aluminum "Trekker" model that holds 17 ounces of water all the way, to $84.99, for the stainless steel base camp model that holds 50 ounces of water (stainless models are a bit pricier). Will I ultimately save money by not having to buy propane cylinders? We'll see. Two, the large base camp size is a bit bulky (but still not as bulky as the stove, cylinder and teakettle it replaced). I got the base camp, and I'd probably opt for the medium-sized "Scout" model if I had it to do over again. Finally, the fire base and the inside chamber of the kettle itself will get messy and sooty, and will pretty much stay that way. The kettle comes with its own bag, and I just keep it in the bag when not in use.

Those are, however, very minor nits, especially when compared to how much better the kettle performs in the wind than did my old set-up. The Kelly Kettle will definitely become a permanent part of my kit come next fall. For the particulars, you can check out the Kelly Kettle USA website and videos on YouTube.

The 50 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos from March 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:00:43 -0400

Submit your photos here!

Here are the other best reader photo collections from this year:

January 2012

February 2012

A Call For Gun Dog Tips From F&S Readers, Win a FireKnife

Dave_Maccar — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:15:49 -0400

by Chad Love

First, thanks for all the great name suggestions for my new pup.

I really did read every one both on the blog and on Facebook, and in the end we named him Ozzy. Not for any particular reason or after any particular person, we simply decided that, for some reason, he just looked like an Ozzy. Although I will say that, thanks to his exceedingly calm demeanor, he almost ended up being named "The Dude."

I'm happy to report that Ozzy is doing just fine and settling in with the other dogs. In the short time he's been here he's already gotten himself caught in a pigeon trap, broken into the pen where I keep my training quail, learned that an open dishwasher door means good licking opportunities, and (somehow, when I wasn't looking) caught and partially ate his first gopher. Or maybe the gopher was already dead from one of the neighborhood cats. I don’t know. All I know is when I came around the corner of the house he was gnawing on the gopher's head. I'm sure the rest of it will show up in a few hours...

With that out of the way, I'd like to introduce a new feature here on the blog, one I've been wanting to try out for a while, but it all depends on you.

One of the neat things about writing a blog like this is getting the interaction and exchange of idea with readers. I love hearing about better, cheaper or innovative ways of doing things, so what I'd like to do is start up a semi-regular blog feature showcasing reader-supplied training tips. However, it doesn't strictly have to stick with training. If you have a favorite tip or trick you use regarding any aspect of gun dog ownership, training, care or bird hunting with your dog, share it with us. It could be a money-saving tip, a time-saving tip, or a sanity-saving tip.

Do you make any of your own equipment or substitute other items for expensive training gear in order to stretch your budget? Let us know (here's an example). Or maybe an indispensable piece of kit you always take along on your hunting trips? You get the idea.

Send your tips to fsgundogtips@gmail.com and try to include a picture to better demonstrate the concept or practice of your tip. Periodically I'll choose a tip to feature on the blog, and if it's yours, you'll win a Swedish FireKnife from Mora and Light My Fire. I mean, FireKnife just sounds cool, doesn't it?

As a good example of out-of-the-box thinking, here's a great idea from the always-interesting 8 More Miles bird hunting blog wherein the blog author brainstorms and then fabricates a very handy, neat and portable roll-up multiple-dog chain gang for use on extended hunts.

From the blog:

This summer, I think I've built a better chain gang. For those of you unaware, the chain gang is a useful tool if you've got a bunch of bird dogs in your care. Trainers use it so an entire pack of dogs can observe others being trained. For me, they make a lot of sense when you're airing, watering, and feeding a string of dogs.

Last year in Montana, we had six dogs, and every night at feeding time, we hammered six stakes into the often-hard ground. After two weeks on the road, it got a bit old.

This year, we'll have eight dogs. The chain gang lets you hammer just two stakes -- one at each end -- and you hook up a dog every six feet on 18-inch drop chains. It gives the dogs plenty of room to stretch out, drink and eat, do their business, all while not tangling (literally or figuratively) with one another.

After a lot of Internet reading, discussions with buddies, and scores of visits to various hardware stores, I came up with a pretty handy system that I think will suit my needs well.

That was a great idea that served his needs and didn’t break the bank in the process (further chain gang details can be found on the blog). That's what we're looking for. So if you have a favorite Nugget 'O Wisdom, send it along to fsgundogtips@gmail.com. Fame, fortune and beautiful groupies await those lucky enough to be chosen*

*not really, but send your tips along, anyway.

Matching 1984 Hand-Engraved Holland & Holland Shotguns Go for $135,000

Sarah Smith — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:44:36 -0400

Anyone who says guns can't be high art hasn't laid their eyes on this spectacular, custom-made matched pair of Holland & Holland shotguns commissioned in 1984 by a wealthy Texas businessman. These bespoke beauties took three years to complete, and feature some of the most stunning and detailed engraving ever seen on a shotgun.

Enter The 2012 Spring Trail Cam Photo Contest to Win a $323 Camera from Bushnell!

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:59:09 -0400

The 2012 Spring Trail Cam Photo Contest

Who says trail cams are only fun in the fall? Set yours out this spring, then send us your best photos. You could win a new Bushnell Trophy Cam HD (MSRP $323.95)!

Here's how it works. This contest will have three rounds. The first, Round I, started March 12, and closes on April 12. Round II runs from April 12 to May 12, and Round III from May 12 to June 12. We're giving away three Bushnell Trophy Cam HDs (MSRP: $323.95) in each round, one cam each to the top three entries, as chosen by our editors.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER YOUR PHOTO IN ROUND I!

Meanwhile, click through this gallery of the best photos from last year's Spring contest.

Bobwhite Quail Pop. Decline in Texas Making National News

Sarah Smith — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:03:43 -0400

--Chad Love

First it was an article in the New York Times now comes yet another story in a national newspaper about the decline of bobwhite quail, this time in Texas.

From this story in the Wall Street Journal:

Wild bobwhite quail are disappearing from West Texas, one of the last places in the U.S. where until recently they thrived, raising concerns about the future of the state's traditional quail hunt. The ranchlands of Texas' northwestern plains have long been considered one of the bird's last bastions. But when an uptick in rain during the spring and summer of 2010 didn't result as expected in many more birds than the year before, hunters began to fear that more than drought was harming the birds.

The article basically summarizes some of the initial findings of the research being conducted by the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch in Texas, but the fact that the national non-sporting press is beginning to notice what outdoorsmen have known for years is perhaps the clearest sign yet of the increasingly precarious spot occupied by our most beloved gamebird.

The 45 Best Field & Stream Reader Photos of February 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:46:15 -0500

Submit your photos here!

Here is the gallery of the best reader photos from January 2012.

Clay Target Guys Can't Hit Feathers...Or Can They?

Online Editors — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:33:36 -0500

by Phil Bourjaily

I have heard a lot of hunters say “Take those clay target guys hunting and they can’t hit a thing.” I’ll disagree. Most good clay shots are good field shots, too. The best display of field shooting I have ever seen was put on by Sporting Clays champion Andy Duffy over the course of the two days we hunted grouse together in Minnesota a few years ago.

But, there are adjustments to make when you switch from clay to feathers. After a summer of practice at skeet and sporting clays, I shoot too far in front of real birds at first. Why it happens I don’t know. Maybe it’s the optical illusion presented by clay targets moving faster than they appear to be. Whatever the case, clay targets often require more lead than you think they should, while real birds often need less.

I’m not the only one with that problem. My predecessor Bob Brister--a great shot--used to write about shooting too far in front of birds at the beginning of the season. I saw a perfect example on the last day of goose season last month. I took my friend Peter, who graduated high school five years ago with my older son. Peter had a terrific Sporting Clays season last year, making a spot on Iowa’s All-State team, but he didn't have time to hunt much this fall, so he was still in clay mode when we put out the goose spread.

Long story short, I killed a goose out of a trio that split off a larger flock and was out retrieving it when the two survivors circled back and flew about ten yards high over Peter’s blind. He hesitated, because he is polite and I wasn't there. I screamed “Shoot those geese!” so he lead them too much, shot three times, and they flew away.

Naturally, I was sympathetic. I said, “You clay target guys can’t hit a real bird, can you?”-- a remark I will no doubt pay for on the sporting clays course this summer.

The 50 Best Shots From The 2011 Field & Stream Fall Trail Cam Contest

Online Editors — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:03:25 -0500

Here are the editors' picks for the 50 best entries in our 2011 Fall Trail Cam Photo Contest. Congrats to KSwhitetails who took first place with his "Bobcat catches a turkey in flight" shot and will receive the grand prize: a pair of Steiner 10x42 Predator Xtreme binoculars.

Congratulations to all this year's winners and thanks to everyone for the hundreds of great submissions.

You can check out the top photos from each round of the contest here:
ROUND I
ROUND II
ROUND III
ROUND IV

The Best Field & Stream Reader Photos From January 2012

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:06:52 -0500

Submit your photos here!

Here are the monthly Best Reader Photo Galleries from last year:
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November

3,500 Acres In Utah May Go To Coal Mine, Threatening Sage Grouse

Sarah Smith — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:05:34 -0500

--Chad Love

Three different federal agencies are among those opposed to a BLM plan to lease 3,500 acres of public land for a coal mine near Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park. Federal biologists say the proposed mine could wipe out the nation's southernmost population of sage grouse, a gamebird facing survival challenges in other parts of its range as well.

From this story on standard.net:

Federal biologists say a strip mine at the backdoor to Utah's storybook Bryce Canyon National Park will wipe out the southernmost population of sage grouse, even as their agency resists a broader effort to protect the bird across the West. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is among three federal agencies that have registered opposition to the lease of 3,500 acres of public range land sought by a coal mine that got its start on 440 acres of private land.

The mining is under way about a dozen miles from a corner of Bryce Canyon National Park, a high plateau of southern Utah prized for its clean air, wildlife and sparking night skies. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has set the stage for a group of Florida investors known as Alton Coal Development LLC to expand onto the surrounding public range lands. The BLM tentatively approved a lease sale open to all bidders last fall. The project's draft environmental study has drawn opposition in recent weeks from the Fish & Wildlife Service, the National Park Service and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

While the Fish & Wildlife Service doesn't have the staff or money to seek broader protections for the sage grouse, "our goal is to protect existing populations," said Amy Defreese, an agency ecologist based in Salt Lake City. Officials said other candidate species rank higher for protection. That position was upheld Friday by a federal judge who dismissed a lawsuit brought by environmental groups seeking Endangered Species Act protection for the ground-foraging bird.

Thoughts?

New Gear for Waterfowl, Turkey and Upland Bird Hunting in 2012

Online Editors — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:25:15 -0500

While the SHOT Show has taken a tactical shooting turn, there are still some great products for bird hunters. Here are the best gear items we found this year.

National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic: A Hunting Expo Worth Attending

Sarah Smith — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:11:51 -0500

by Chad Love

The noted French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once famously opined that “Hell is other people.” As a lifelong misanthrope, I’ve found that little gem to be not only a great way to kill conversation at dinner parties, but a wholly satisfying life philosophy. It’s not that I don’t like people; it’s just that I try to avoid large numbers of them at all costs.

So when the website informed me that I would be attending SHOT this year with some 65,000 of my closest friends, and that I would even be allowed to wander the show floor unsupervised, I questioned the decision as either a gracious but misguided act of charity or the result of a lost bet.

I took pains to point out to my editors that in matters of tact, wit and other social graces I’m roughly on par with Bat Boy from the Weekly World News. I reminded them, too, that, frankly speaking, I prefer the company of dogs to outdoor industry types, and that as a preferred destination for the third week in January I’ll take a CRP field in Kansas over Las Vegas, Nevada, oh, about ten times out of ten.

But in the end I went, saw lots of things, met lots of people and surprisingly, considering my personality (or lack thereof), enjoyed myself. But as interesting as it was, by no stretch of the imagination can SHOT be considered a must-attend for gundog owners or bird hunters, unless, I suppose, you're into zombie canines. When you wander into a room looking for the latest in dog-training and wingshooting gear, and you’re handed a flyer advertising a door breaching seminar, you know you’re in the wrong section of the show. Or maybe you’re at the wrong show, period.

But one upcoming trade show that I can heartily recommend as a must-attend for gundog owners and upland birds hunters is the 2012 National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic held this year Feb. 17-20 in Kansas City, Missouri. I attended last year's show in Omaha, and in three full days of non-stop attendance, I still didn’t manage to get through all of the dog-training, bird-hunting and habitat seminars the show offered, nor did I manage to see all of the hundreds of upland and dog-specific vendors on the trade show floor (and with nary a zombie or zombie-themed product anywhere).

And this year's show promises to be even better, if for no other reason than the attendance of legendary trainer (and friend of late Field & Stream gundog editor Bill Tarrant) Delmar Smith, who will be participating in a daily roundtable "Ask the Experts" discussion, as well as giving a seminar entitled "Then and Now: 75 Years." For anyone interested in the history of bird hunting and bird dog training, that's certainly a must-see. In addition, Rick and Ronnie Smith, Tom Dokken, Bob West and a host of other professional trainers will be conducting seminars throughout the show, along with a ton of seminars devoted to upland hunting, habitat improvement, research findings and wild game cooking (Here's the seminar schedule).

I'll be there from the opening "Bird Dog Parade" on Friday all the way through Sunday afternoon. If you're planning to attend, be sure to say hello if you happen to run into me on the show floor. You can't miss me, I'll be the one dressed up as the zombie bird hunter. Don't laugh, man, SHOT inspired me. I think bird hunters are behind the curve on this one. We need to get on and ride this zeitgeist while it's hot...

The Best Shotguns of 2012

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:56:43 -0500

Pop Decline Causes TX Officials to Consider Changes to Quail Season

Sarah Smith — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:26:09 -0500

--Chad Love

It's no secret among Texas (or Oklahoma, for that matter) quail hunters that the 2011-12 season has been about an order of magnitude worse than dismal. How bad was it? So bad that many Texas quail hunters--as hard-core a group of bird hunters as you'll find anywhere--voluntarily decided not to shoot anything at all.

In fact, the good folks at the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch (featured here in a recent F&S web gallery) have even sponsored a "Shoot the Covey Rise" photo contest for quail hunters who have decided to put down the shotgun and pick up only the camera this year. It's a really cool idea, and for more information on that click here.

In light of the ongoing issue of declining quail populations, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is considering changes to the Texas quail season. From this story in the Austin American-Statesman:

Texas Parks and Wildlife commissioners decided Wednesday they don't have enough information to make decisions about the future of quail hunting in Texas. Quail populations have been in a steady decline of about 2.8 percent per year for four decades, upland game bird program leader Robert Perez told members of the commission's regulations committee. "The decline is symptomatic of a habitat problem," Perez said. To address the current situation, state quail managers recommended that commissioners adopt a new set of regulations that would create two quail zones, a shorter hunting season and a reduced bag limit in part of the state.

One of the zones would be in the east part of the state and would have a 5-bird daily bag limit. The other zone would be in the west and would retain a 15-bird-per-day limit. The hunting season in both zones would close at the end of January rather than late February. Rather than act on the recommendation, Commissioner Ralph Duggins proposed delaying a decision until late August in order to give wildlife staff a chance to accumulate and assess February harvest data from this year, measure summer rainfall and review late summer call count surveys that are used to develop population trend data.

What do you think, southwest bird hunters? Even though no action was taken right now, I think most of us realize that a change in quail regulations is as inevitable as it is needed. Keeping in mind the current precarious nature of King Bob, what changes would you like to see made to quail hunting regulations in your state? For example, in Texas and Oklahoma the quail season runs through mid February (Feb. 15 in Oklahoma and Feb. 26 in Texas) and many hunters have long argued that shooting into next year's brood stock that late in the season is a bad idea and the season should end at the end of January. Others say reductions in limits would help. Your thoughts?

Texas Hunters Asked to Monitor Local Quail Population

Sarah Smith — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:10:04 -0500

--Chad Love

And in other quail-related news, as part of its ongoing research project into bobwhite quail numbers, the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch is asking hunters to be on the lookout for any sick, dying or dead quail they may come across while hunting (and by sick, dying or dead quail, that means by means other than shotgun blast...)

The Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch (RPQRR) is asking quail hunters to keep their eyes open for any “weird quail” that may offer clues as to what’s going on with Texas’ quail population. “We’re asking hunters to report any observations of strange-acting quail, or ideally any recent carcasses of sick or dead quail” says Dr. Dale Rollins, RPQRR’s director. “Over the past two weeks, several specimens have been submitted, and these samples may indeed be ‘witnesses to the crime’, so we’re acutely interested in having such birds examined.”

Texas quail hunters are sadly aware of the status of their favorite quarry—the bobwhite population is at a record low in the popular Rolling Plains of northwest Texas. While many experts believe weather and habitat change have caused the decline, Rollins says the RPQRR is looking at some less familiar hypotheses, and disease is in their crosshairs.

Last May, the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch announced its comprehensive disease research effort “Operation Idiopathic Decline.” The aim of OID is to conduct a comprehensive study of diseases and parasites as potential factors involved in quail decline. Subsequently, RPQRR funded a total of eight research projects to the tune of just over $2 million. Researchers from Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Texas A&M-Kingsville, plus the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, joined hands in a concerted effort to sample quail from across west Texas and western Oklahoma.

To date, the OID research team has tested nearly 700 bobwhites from a total of 21 sites in Texas and 10 sites in Oklahoma. Blood and tissue samples were obtained from all those birds, and 189 quail were sacrificed for additional examination. The results of these tests are pending and should be available by mid-March.

Rollins said few hunters are afield this season because of low quail numbers. “We encourage hunters and their bird dogs to be afield as our ‘scouts’ but shoot more with a camera than a shotgun. We need as many eyes afield as possible to monitor local quail populations.”

Hunters who encounter sick quail are asked to contact Dr. Rollins at (325) 650-0311, or e-mail him at d-rollins@tamu.edu.

The Best New Rifles of 2012

Dave_Maccar — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:41:18 -0500

There were more exhibitors and more atendees at this year's SHOT Show than ever before. That means more guns than one could ever see, but we did our best to find the best. Here are David E. Petzal and John Snow's picks for the best rifles from the show floor.

U.S. House Passes e-Duck Stamp Bill

Sarah Smith — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:49:36 -0500

--Chad Love

The ability to buy your federal duck stamp online is one step closer to reality after a bill seeking to make the program permanent passed the U.S. House this week.

From this story in the Washington Post:

The e-Duck Stamp would become a permanent part of federal law under legislation passed by the House Monday. Since 1934, migratory waterfowl hunters over the age of 16 have been required to buy the federal migratory bird hunting and conservation stamps, or duck stamps, at post offices or sporting goods stores. But four years ago, eight states joined a pilot program allowing them to sell temporary duck stamps through the Internet. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., said that program has been a success and it was time to make it federal law.

The bill passed 373-1. If passed by the Senate, it would give the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service authority to make that program permanent and extend it to all states. The electronic stamps are valid for 45 days, giving hunters and other purchasers time to get their actual stamps through the mail. The program also makes it easier for hunters to go online to buy their federal stamps and state hunting licenses at the same time.

That's great news and all, but it passed 373...to one? Seriously? Someone actually voted against it? Who? Is there some sort of designated, official House contrarian a**hole position? One whose sole job is to ensure there's at least one opposing voice to every vote, no matter how bipartisan, non-controversial or sensible said vote may be? God forbid that everyone actually agree on something, right? It makes you wonder what it would take to get a truly unanimous vote on a House bill. What would it take? How dangerously sensible would it have to be? Any suggestions?

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