Hello everyone,

I'm a newbie to this board but have been hunting a bit much of my life. A couple of years back my uncle got me back to quail hunting and I have been happily hunting mostly penned/released quail on a corporate lease near Buda, TX for the past four years. That ranch is rumored to be shutting so I'm looking for new options.

I really like hunting on ranches that release penned birds as you are guaranteed to be on birds when hunting, OK it's not a guarantee but I've always been on lots of birds. One problem is these ranches are more expensive than a simple lease and I don't want the solo burden of the nearly $5500 for the membership. Many of these ranches offer family membership but this options doesn't allow guests.

I am looking to find 3-4 other hunters willing to form a co-op to join a corm membership near Houston. One ranch I have researched, Walton Ranch, is located near Navasota, TX. see http://www.waltonranchtx.com I've heard good things about this ranch but have not hunted it. If you or someone you know would be interested in something like this please contact me. Maybe some of you are already in this kind of arrangement and looking for a new member, I'm your guy.

I'm also interested in other options where me and my Vizsla can hunt. Please let me know if you have other suggestions.

I would be interested, and have thought of something similar. PM me if you would like. If it's just pen raised quail we may be able to do something cheaper than a ranch. I have a couple GSP/Pointer pups that will need some field work this fall.

Top Flight near Columbus is a good choice if you want to join an existing club. I think their memberrship is $750 per year, and you can bring a guest. You could probably split the cost of the membership. They charge $6 for each bird put out. You can call them, or PM Stick on this forum. He has all the details.

You can join the lease at Katy where we hold our NSTRA trials. I think their annual cost is $350 a year. You'd have to bring your own birds. Several people have Johnny houses out there. The contact for that lease is Ron Connely in Sealy. I don't have his contact information.

I have his number actually. I might try and give him a call as it is about 5 minutes from my door.

I have done the Top Flight membership in the past. It's only $575 of you pay by May 31st. I think it's a great way to get some work in for the dogs. My buddy usually pays for the birds since I have covered the membership and dog cost. He gets a fun quail hunt for $120 and I get to run the dogs.

Thanks for the replies. I like the idea of top flight, their website looks like it it something that makes much since for me.

I don't like the idea of bringing my own birds since I don't have a P/U, I'm not sure I want them in my SUV.

well If you got a group together though it is possible someone might have a truck. I might stick with the idea of getting a group together, or just going to that field.

Roadside wraps the cages with the paper from their feed sacks. I've put them in the cab of my truck in the past.

http://www.topflighthunting.com/index.htm
I prefer Topflight Hunting Preserve in Columbus, TX where the owner (Leon Randerman)and his guys put the birds out... quail, chuckar and/or pheasant if you want them...The annual membership is less than $600 and you just pay for birds. I went about a dozen times this year.