Gun Dog Forum

I was out hunting scaled quail today and when my dog would go on point I would look out and about 20 yards I would see the whole covey running. My question is, do you A: keep allowing your dog to relocate and pray that a single will break off and hold. B: allow him to flush the covey, and hunt up the singles, or C: which I am not to keen on doing, shoot some on the ground he has pointed and hope they flush, and then hunt up the singles? I am interested in hearing your answers.


I myself, just keep pressing the covey until they finally flushed. Then I was able to hunt some singles, until I got on the main covey again. Then I would push them again until they flushed.... and on and on and on...... I was very tempted to shoot at the covey he pointed.... but didn't, whish is why I listed option C above.

GnM

Tough question, I passed up an entire covey I couldn't get to flush. Upon returning an hour later two guys and a lady in a brown excursion with a Gsp mowed the same covey down on the ground as I watched.
I try not to take more than two birds out of any covey in a day no matter what. We're lucky this year to have birds but it can turn to drought real quick. Pressure and educate the coveys early before season starts and the road hunters will be screwed.

I believe in fair chase meaning only take a bird on the wing, unless it's a wounded runner of course. I would like to see a change in laws to support this. There is no challenge in shooting them on the ground. Running quail need to be broke up or flushed into a wash or heavy cover to get them to hold. A good dog can also pin them but they are tough to get to hold sometimes. This is all part of quail hunting. However, once you get them to hold and get some decent shooting you'll feel like a trophy is being delivered to hand...

I let my dog relocate on them..

I would do as you had done option A. I wouldn't use option B with my pointing dog...just my opinion though. Option C your personal preference... are you there for the kill or enjoying the dog work? I'm not bias either way as I enjoy pulling the trigger, but like watching a dog work more...guess I'm getting old.

Option D, keep the dog on point , take a wide swing and try to get in front of the running birds, though most of the time it will take at least one re-locate.

There were times we almost had to sprint to get pheasants pinned and then of the ground.

Read the dog too, with mine it became very obvious when the birds moved enough to get the dog out of the scent cone.

Use a hawk screamer to hold the birds

blanked wrote:Use a hawk screamer to hold the birds

I have never seenb it work and it has to be awful for the dog with that thing right by their ears.

I hate to see people shoot birds on the ground. It is not sporting, and dangerous for the dogs.

In Oklahoma, there is a regulation against shooting Quail on the ground.

Pot Shooting
At no time may any quail or covey be shot while resting on the ground, commonly called “pot shooting.”

The hunter carries the hawk screamer

blanked wrote:The hunter carries the hawk screamer

Not the ones that I have seen. Mine was on a collar but I never used it after seeing a friend use one on his dog.

ezzy333 wrote:

blanked wrote:The hunter carries the hawk screamer

Not the ones that I have seen. Mine was on a collar but I never used it after seeing a friend use one on his dog.

The hawk screamer is a whistle that screaches like a hawk. I carry one on my lanyard along with my quail call. Works sometimes.

Let the dog relocate. Keep him steady.

I usually don't let my dog relocate blues, when I see the little devils on the ground I am in a foot race to catch them myself to get them to flush. We have watch are dogs play that game for what seems like miles on one covey and eventually loose them somehow in big open country. Bobs always allow the dog to relocate. Most states have a law against ground pounding and for good reason as it will destroy a covey.