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Quail mega-covey! #6475024 09/30/16 05:58 PM
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cactusfishman Offline OP
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Saw the largest covey I have ever seen cross in front of my truck last weekend. Counted 43 of those suckers! They kept scurrying along side as I drove up the field. Thought I was going to run them over. They had no fear.
My place is in Haskell county.
What is the largest covey y'all have seen?

Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6475036 09/30/16 06:10 PM
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Multiple coveys when I was in Arizona as a child of 20+ im not a quail hunter and im sure ive seen bigger coveys but wasnt paying them any mind. In texas the biggest was 7 birds at my grandpas near eastland. Have recently considered giving quail huntin a try



Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6475044 09/30/16 06:14 PM
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Originally Posted By: cactusfishman
Saw the largest covey I have ever seen cross in front of my truck last weekend. Counted 43 of those suckers! They kept scurrying along side as I drove up the field. Thought I was going to run them over. They had no fear.
My place is in Haskell county.
What is the largest covey y'all have seen?


It's called the fall shuffle. A covey of quail starts out as a family unit. They merge onto a large covey of several family units, then split back out into social units. I've seen too many to count. Maybe as many as 60.


Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6475062 09/30/16 06:23 PM
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In 04-05, I know we saw coveys of Blues and Bobs both that were 60 plus. No way you could count them.


Originally Posted by bill oxner
Haven't had it in years but never spit any out.


Originally Posted by bill oxner
I am a sucker for happy endings and strapped cowboys.
Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: bill oxner] #6475064 09/30/16 06:25 PM
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Bill's correct, years ago during the shuffle had a dog point along the Medicine River in south central Kansas and maybe 100 birds got up. Made the dog crazy. A month from now 20-25 bird coveys will be big ones.

Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6475163 09/30/16 08:04 PM
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One time, 1992, north of Sweetwater, I flushed a covey with at least 100-120 in it. Never before nor never since. My greatest witnessed covey rise of all time. One that I will never, ever forget. Yes, there had to be a shuffle of 4 to 5 coveys together. Seriously, they blacked the sun out for 2 to 3 seconds as they left. It left me speechless and looking for TP.

Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6475189 09/30/16 08:28 PM
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Waders are needed for this thread.


Tigger
If it isn't white it is not a birddog.

KC
Lying is lying. Don't bitch about one doing it and condone another. That's called hypocrisy.
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Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: tigger] #6475207 09/30/16 08:41 PM
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Originally Posted By: tigger
Waders are needed for this thread.


Tigger,
This will hit close to home with you. I COUNTED 60+ birds at one time under a deer feeder last season in Kent County. All Bobs.

Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: tigger] #6475247 09/30/16 09:17 PM
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Originally Posted By: tigger
Waders are needed for this thread.


Make sure the waders are new don't want any leakage, less than a week later I was working dogs with Don Gerstner who had a wonderful dog named Oklahoma's Mark. Mark pointed on the edge of a huge plum thicket and at least 50 or 60 birds lifted all around Mark. They flew across the river and we got a pretty good count on the birds. Those are the only times I have been out and witnessed the shuffle but if you hit it right it's really an amazing deal..

Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: NorthTXbirdhunter] #6475276 09/30/16 09:45 PM
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Originally Posted By: NorthTXbirdhunter
Originally Posted By: tigger
Waders are needed for this thread.


Tigger,
This will hit close to home with you. I COUNTED 60+ birds at one time under a deer feeder last season in Kent County. All Bobs.


How many coveys do you believe that was.


Tigger
If it isn't white it is not a birddog.

KC
Lying is lying. Don't bitch about one doing it and condone another. That's called hypocrisy.
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Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6475278 09/30/16 09:47 PM
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The last boom year I shot a pointed covey and a least 5 coveys flushed from the shooting.


Tigger
If it isn't white it is not a birddog.

KC
Lying is lying. Don't bitch about one doing it and condone another. That's called hypocrisy.
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Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: tigger] #6475305 09/30/16 10:27 PM
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Originally Posted By: tigger
Originally Posted By: NorthTXbirdhunter
[quote=tigger]Waders are needed for this thread.


Tigger,
This will hit close to home with you. I COUNTED 60+ birds at one time under a deer feeder last season in Kent County. All Bobs. [/quoti
How many coveys do you believe that was.


4-5

Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6475617 10/01/16 04:38 AM
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Nothing like the numbers you guys are reporting but in Schleicher, Tom Green, Concho, Runnels and Taylor counties where I hunt and check cattle I am seeing more quail than I have in 20 years or so. No huge coveys but plenty of 8-15 bird coveys. It's great. I'm not hunting any of them this year. Will wait and see what next year holds.

Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6475640 10/01/16 05:41 AM
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Wait if you want, but can't get much better than this year. I will be hunting in all those counties this year and a few more to boot!


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Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6475651 10/01/16 08:55 AM
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05 was the best year in memory. We hunted 1/2 mile of creek bottom all season and never failed to limit. It seemed like you never really got out of one covey into the next. It was public land too! I suspect this year could rival 05.....

Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6475868 10/01/16 03:11 PM
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Two weeks ago within about a 30 minute period, I flushed two good size groups on my place in Cottle County while I was out filling deer feeders. I'd say that each covey had 20-25 birds, maybe more. Our place is in CRP so it doesn't get grazed, cut, anything.

Gonna be a good year!


"If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you're reading it in english, thank a Marine."

Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: bill oxner] #6475906 10/01/16 04:02 PM
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Originally Posted By: bill oxner
Originally Posted By: cactusfishman
Saw the largest covey I have ever seen cross in front of my truck last weekend. Counted 43 of those suckers! They kept scurrying along side as I drove up the field. Thought I was going to run them over. They had no fear.
My place is in Haskell county.
What is the largest covey y'all have seen?


It's called the fall shuffle. A covey of quail starts out as a family unit. They merge onto a large covey of several family units, then split back out into social units. I've seen too many to count. Maybe as many as 60.


It cuts down on incest.


Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6476720 10/02/16 11:38 AM
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We had coveys of blues last year over 100 and bobs in the 70 range.
And I expect they will be that good this year too.

It's a very good time to be alive and living in Texas.


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"Give me an Army of West Point graduates and I'll win a battle... Give me a handful of Texas Aggies and I'll win a war." - General Patton


Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6477731 10/03/16 02:00 AM
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I have seen coveys of blues bigger than 75 birds on several occasions. Looks like the ground is moving out from underneath you.


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Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: reeltexan] #6477734 10/03/16 02:01 AM
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Originally Posted By: reeltexan

It's a very good time to be alive and living in Texas.


Very good way to put it!


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Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6478062 10/03/16 12:03 PM
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Exciting times ahead

Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6478290 10/03/16 02:32 PM
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I was out at the lease for a couple hours this weekend - flushed 13 coveys and all were over 20 birds with some over 30 all from the dirt road. Can't wait.

Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6479196 10/03/16 11:10 PM
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So I can conclude that a mega-covey of quail can be called a "shuffle" of quail? The "shuffle" then breaks up into smaller coveys. The "shuffle" occurs when... I think it's a good descriptive term.
Good to hear others are seeing this event across Texas!

Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6479268 10/03/16 11:47 PM
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The "fall shuffle" is I've been told dependent on hours of daylight and temp. In Kansas it is late summer to early fall but never been out and experienced it here in Texas. Also been told it only last a few days to two weeks.

Last edited by Chet; 10/03/16 11:51 PM.
Re: Quail mega-covey! [Re: cactusfishman] #6480352 10/04/16 05:40 PM
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I know the feeling. In high school me and my buddy in the Oklahoma panhandle jumped 100+ blue quail. Like NorthTXbirdhunter said, it blackened the sky as the flushed to the West from behind the log they were behind. All I know is we both shot twice and dropped 6 birds in those 4 shots.

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