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Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 #4058213 02/16/13 03:36 PM
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Nogalus Prairie Offline OP
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Just picked up a wonderful 2 volume set entitled "The Bird Life of Texas" by Oberholser. It is a detailed compilation of the author's life's work on all Texas birds-a treasure of detailed information and wonderful illustrations. It was published in 1974.

I have to say reading these words on the bobwhite made me sad:

"The Bobwhite is the most successful of the four native-to-Texas quail. Primarily east of the 102nd meridian, Colinus virginianus resides virtually everywhere-from sandy semi-arid mesquite country and open pine/oak woodlands to upland coastal prairie."

How I long for those days. May we see them again.....

Last edited by Nogalus Prairie; 02/16/13 03:37 PM.

Originally Posted by Russ79
I learned long ago you can't reason someone out of something they don't reason themselves into.


Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: Nogalus Prairie] #4058276 02/16/13 04:07 PM
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I was one of the more fortunates here in Texas as my younger years were fulfilled with twenty, good, long years of quail hunting in and around the Jacksboro, Graham, Olney areas. I raised liver and white pointers and lived and breathed quail hunting. Most of the time we had a section of land leased in Loving, Tx. where a quail hunters dream came true. Remembering one hunt that we got 35 coveys up in a days hunt, knowing some of those coveys were repeats from the early morning to late afternoon. What a grand memory I still hold of our campsite and quail, hot homemade biscuits and gravey and sorgum molasses and butter for dessert. And the sleeping was at a premium.



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Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: Cool_Hand] #4058482 02/16/13 05:36 PM
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Originally Posted By: Cool_Hand
I was one of the more fortunates here in Texas as my younger years were fulfilled with twenty, good, long years of quail hunting in and around the Jacksboro, Graham, Olney areas. I raised liver and white pointers and lived and breathed quail hunting. Most of the time we had a section of land leased in Loving, Tx. where a quail hunters dream came true. Remembering one hunt that we got 35 coveys up in a days hunt, knowing some of those coveys were repeats from the early morning to late afternoon. What a grand memory I still hold of our campsite and quail, hot homemade biscuits and gravey and sorgum molasses and butter for dessert. And the sleeping was at a premium.


I started my first pointer pup in Houston in 1968, and moved to Dallas in 69 when she was a year old. We had a day lease in the Graham area. It costs $15 a day, and we never failed to put up less than 20 coveys a day. The limit was 12 birds per day. The possession limit was 36. We made several overnight trips to Graham and came home with the full possession limit.


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


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Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: bill oxner] #4059613 02/17/13 03:41 AM
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Thats what it's all about Bill. We hunted at Murry, just outside of Graham. We had at that time some Honda three-wheelers and after the second season the owner kicked us off. Said the three-wheelers were tearing up the ground. There was my second dad who was in his late 70s and my real dad who was 75 and me with bad knees at 50. Thats about when I started in the dog business and had some fine memories that are golden. Nothing like hunting behind a good dog, right Bill?

Last edited by Cool_Hand; 02/17/13 03:42 AM.


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Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: Cool_Hand] #4060976 02/17/13 09:23 PM
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Our favorite spot was near Albany. It was a cheap day lease - the old man had about 600 acres and though he was too old to hunt, he had done his share and loved to hear your stories after the day's hunting.

He had bigger coveys hanging around his barn and house then you can even find on the place now.

Of course, we had birds on our place in Ellis County back then too.

Will they be back?.......very doubtful.


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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: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: reeltexan] #4061117 02/17/13 10:51 PM
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You guys got a little earlier start than I did. I started quail hunting at age eight carrying a red ryder bb gun in the mid70s, trying to get off two shots before the covey was out of sight. My uncle really got me and my dad into, won two great pointers from Chandlers kennels in Mexia in a poker match. I thought all bird dogs were like Sid and Duke, and my first brittany was really a great dog for hunting in patches around hard woods like that. We used to hunt around Terrell, Wills Point, and Poetry and would find 10 to 15 coveys a day. Hunt a little 40 acre patch of open ground, load up and go 5 miles down the road and hunt the next one type deal. My dad and Uncle would go to Archer City to day hunt once or twice a year with two other guys, but the price of poker ($20/day) was too rich to take me on those trips but they would limit out by mid-afternoon usually. Got to carry a .410 when I was ten, trained my first brittany off Wolters book when I was 12. We had pretty good birds around Wills Point until about '84, started a rapid decline around then. The birds back then seemed about half as wild as they are now, lots of great memories of 20 bird covey rises right up your pants leg -- them were the days

Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: danceswithquail] #4061232 02/18/13 12:01 AM
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My second pointer was a secondhand dog named Rowdy from Chandlers kennels when they were still in Channelview. I traded a 1100 for him. He was a Paladin bred dog. My first litter was by him and out of my Alleghany Sport female.


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


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Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: reeltexan] #4062039 02/18/13 04:33 AM
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ReelTx, I used to live in DeSoto for 45 years but years ago at Rocket, Texas there was a quail farm there. I want to call it Walter's. Bought many birds from him to train pups on.



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Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: bill oxner] #4062045 02/18/13 04:35 AM
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Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


Love that sig.



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Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: Cool_Hand] #4062498 02/18/13 02:23 PM
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I wish I had y'all's memories. The best I can do is recall walking across the street from my house on the neighbor's place and finding a few coveys there and if I was lucky picking off one or two. This was in Garrison,TX (near Nacogdoches)in the mid-70s. I can still hear the explosion of whirring wings as the covey rose...

Last edited by Nogalus Prairie; 02/18/13 04:45 PM.

Originally Posted by Russ79
I learned long ago you can't reason someone out of something they don't reason themselves into.


Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: Nogalus Prairie] #4062542 02/18/13 02:43 PM
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And a beautiful sound that was. As I think about this thread and remember about all the different things that occured, the memories are endless. More on a sadder note! Some eight years ago when my wife and I came into our ranch property, quail hunting was at the top of the food chain being that it was the bread and butter of our hunting operation.

Our outfitter was solidly booked each season for quail hunting and our place appeared in magazines and newspapers. And then...the drought set in and what seemingly appeared to be overnight, the quail were gone! Folks, with the decline of the bobwhite and now the scaled quail, we have never recovered from that drought.

Only this past quail season have we seen any size of numbers of quail. One week end the outfitter pushed 15 coveys in two days! The very most reported in half a decade. Yeah I know, there are reports of better hunts having occured in other areas but for us here on the Edwards Plateau and on westward the pickins' are slim. Memories may be all we'll have before too long.



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Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: bill oxner] #4062639 02/18/13 03:16 PM
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Originally Posted By: bill oxner
My second pointer was a secondhand dog named Rowdy from Chandlers kennels when they were still in Channelview. I traded a 1100 for him. He was a Paladin bred dog. My first litter was by him and out of my Alleghany Sport female.


I bought my first (and only) english setter from Chandler. But I remember him being in LaPorte ... I guess LaPorte or Channelview, close enough. Anyway, I was ~15 or 16 years old at the time ('67-'69 time frame), and Mr Chandler sold that pup to me for $50.

Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: 1971snipe] #4062784 02/18/13 04:02 PM
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I think you got it right Snipe.


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


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Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: bill oxner] #4064408 02/19/13 01:47 AM
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Y'all just keep bragging about the good ol days while us young pups sit here and cry! Best I've ever done is 8 coveys. EVER.


Say When.....
Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: CinchMan] #4067084 02/19/13 11:41 PM
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I think it's a slow dance to extinction, except the success in raising pen raided birds.


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


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Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: bill oxner] #4068110 02/20/13 06:24 AM
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Love hearing the good ole day stories because those really were. 2005 was the last time we could attempt to relive them for those of us born too late.

Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: Txduckman] #4068862 02/20/13 04:37 PM
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You fellows are giving up to easily. Yes, there are only a few birds now, but the deer and turkey were mighty scarce in the U.S. at one time a century ago.

We're not giving up on a cure for cancer, or Alzheimer's, and I don't think we should give up on wild bobs either!

The solution and implementation may not come until you and I are gone, but this old earth has a way of rejuvinating itself.

Watching the dog cover the field smartly, then snap into an intense point, or finding the dog on point and his continueing to hold as we make our approach, and then that magical covey rise, is one of life's true pleasures for me.

I just can't give it up. I gotta believe it'll always be around somewhere. It would break my heart to think otherwise.

Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: Pointer] #4068884 02/20/13 04:48 PM
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I remember when I was a kid I hated them because when I walk to the tank to go fishing they would flush and scare me Wish they were still there to scare now

Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: sallysue] #4069344 02/20/13 06:54 PM
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I grew up in Borger , Tx . Lots of good quail huning , free , in the Canadian river breaks. blues and bobs.

Moved to East Texas in 1982. I have seen one quail in the
last 20 years.

Sad.

I remember two 14 covey mornings , once near Shamrock and
once on the graveyard bluffs on the Red River , Love co , OK.

Mo

Last edited by MO; 02/20/13 06:55 PM.


MY BACKYARD , 20,000 ACRES , NO MOWING smile


Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: MO] #4071076 02/21/13 05:10 AM
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Got to go with Pointer. Don't know many years I have left to hunt, but hope I never quit looking for gentleman bob. Look forward very year to the opening and the anticipation of a pointed dog on a wild covey.

Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: LABIRDDOG] #4075110 02/22/13 05:58 PM
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Originally Posted By: LABIRDDOG
Got to go with Pointer. Don't know many years I have left to hunt, but hope I never quit looking for gentleman bob. Look forward very year to the opening and the anticipation of a pointed dog on a wild covey.


I'm with you 100%, my lease showed a marked improvement this year. Don't think the fat lady has sung yet.

Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: Chet] #4116064 03/12/13 07:44 AM
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I am a very lucky man we have a farm in Hamlin.tx and i was abel to shoot a limit at any time. Only had the pleasure of a dog one time sad i know but all i needed to do was pick a fence row and walk. It was
Great untill four years ago . They just disappeared one season crazy thing is between April and mid October they are every where sept first we jumped 11 coveys in 2 days . But every year now mid October they are all gone that way all over the county i haven't pulled the trigger on one since it started. Hope something changes soon sure makes it hard to do the rigjt thing dove hunting.

Re: Texas Bobwhite Quail Disbursement 1974 [Re: bill oxner] #4124754 03/16/13 02:21 PM
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Originally Posted By: bill oxner
I think it's a slow dance to extinction, except the success in raising pen raided birds.


I agree. I grew up hunting Bobs in the 70's. Had Plenty of Birds in COOKE county. In the 80's they disappeared overnight.

What is now under Lake Ray Roberts and north was covered with birds back then.

Had a spot between Archer city and Seymour that had so many birds on it. They were like fire ants.



Now I live even further West. I have a few birds on this place, but they are never hunted and the few coveys get smaller and farther between every year.

Last edited by Sprigblaster; 03/16/13 02:25 PM.
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