Since they do not act like Bob Whites(will not pin; can't use dogs, they run like greyhounds more often than they fly) how do you hunt them and what do you use?


Tbar

you can use dogs......just break up the covey....

Best way I have found......drive until you find a covey...
skillet shoot and break them up.....

then break out the dogs and hunt singles and doubles...

as long as they are running they will continue to run and gun you......

They are fun to hunt.......and YES I said skillet shoot...

Make sure your hunting boots are good and broken in, you're going to be doing lots of fast walking and/or running. I winged a blue quail once and he went down wounded. Dumb thing out ran me on his little feet. The only reason I caught up with him is because he ducked into a scrub bush trying to escape. He didn't need to worry, I was running dead out and I still couldn't catch him...until he stopped at that bush. LOL

If you have a dog that is use to hunting blues it makes life a lot more enjoyable. They will run, and they will run fence rows for miles. Bust up the covey and hunt the singles is the easiest.

skillet shot???????????????

The advice I gave first time blue hunters was 1) take the skillet shot 2) use #6 shot, forget 7, 7 1/2 and 8...they have kevlar vests under their feathers, and 3) if it is down and flopping pick it up NOW, because 99% of the time it won't be there when you get back.

I had two bird hunters one time and when the covey busted one bird passed from left to right in front of the truck about 15-20 yards out. They both shot (12 guages) and hit about 3 feet behind the bird, they shot again and got taile feathers, and the third time they shot both loads bracketed the blue quail. I watched that bird take off and fly. JMO on what to do.

I had a friend with a Tri-colored Setter, they are both dead now, but that dog knew how to hunt blues. The blues would run on him a while, and the dog would figure it out. He would make a wide loop around them and cut them off. I watched him do it many a time out near Fort Stockton. The dog's name was Sport and I named a setter that I got last year in honor of him, and hoping he could be half as smart.

Repowered Willix Jeep

Tbar, don't ya just love dog pear cactus? There ought to be a law against that stuff. Nothing worse than going through the bottom of a draw with dog pear around your feet and catclaw grabbing at your arms.

Nice mess of blues.

We always drive into them and make them fly, do it twice and they will stick, Then turn out the dogs. If you run you'll never catch them!

I grew up in Fort Stockton and have hunted blues all my life. Now that I am an OLD man, the trips are fewer. Dogs can hunt singles but it is hard country on dogs. Forget the boots, get a good pair of "trail" type running shoes and really watch where you step. And YES, shooting them on the ground is perfectly acceptable IF you really want some for the grill. PS - The advice about using #6 is sound! We used to use the old "Duck and Pheasant" shot before waterfowl shells all got "unleaded".

I am scheduling some vacation just after Christmas of 09. I was thinking about hunting Woodcock in Louisiana, but reading all this is really making me lean towards a tour of all the big WMAs around Big Bend last week of Dec/first week of Jan for Blue Quail. Might run across Gambels too. Drop by the deer lease on the way down or back up for Bobwhites, and call it a Texas Quail Grand Slam trip. Hmm, what to do? Got a year to think about it I guess.

Give me a holler on your way down and I'll put you on some blue's.

you work your butt off, they run, but once split up and driven to a thicket singles will hold to a point and flush.

IF----you can bust up the cove and then flush to ticker, taller grass, they will hold.

you need to use motion snesors on your dogs and set them to the hawk screch! this makes them hold up in cover vs running. very effective.

Quote:

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Watch out, might take you up on it.

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Please do!

SniperJon

Take Mike up on this offer just watch out for the prickly pears. It will be worth the drive.