Anybody here hunt Blue Quail (Scaled Quail)?
I hunted them in the Big Bend Region of Texas and thought it was a blast,them rascals are so good to eat.I sure wish i could afford to return to Texas and hunt them again.

We have them in Brooks County, too. Much harder to knock down than Bob Whites but better to eat! We always use #6 shot just in case we flush Blues.

Them Blues is sure good to eat.Our guide fixed up and they were a feast fit fir a king.
He layed a strip of jalapena pepper on top of the breast and wrapped it with slice of bacon and slkow roasted them over a mesquite fire (coals) mmmmmmmmmgood!
It was fun since we didn't use no dog we just ran up on them and when they took off we shot.As you know they ain't afraid to run a good ways before taking off.
I sure wish we still had quail here.The winters of 76,77,78 decimated our quail population.

We've only gotten ours back in numbers since the hurricane of 2000 and the tropical storm the next year. We finally had enough water to break a drought that had knocked 'em back pretty hard (at least on the property I hunt). Glad you enjoyed them. I think hunting without dogs is a blast. It requires a lot of patience and discipline for us as we have to shoot singles only or we'll lose too many birds. Makes the hunt last as long as we want it to, though. Also easier on the coveys.

I grew up in New Mexico hunting blue/scaled quail and no one who has ever hunted (or eaten) them will ever forget it. I can't help loving this wonderful bird.

If they have never been hunted before, they are fairly easy to hunt...but they are fast learners and once they've been shot into a couple of times.....good luck!

Typical technique is to explode right from under your feet, turn immediately with the wind so they can add the wind speed to their own extremely fast flight and before many people can get over the shock and get a shotgun to their shoulder......the quail are gone out of range.

If these birds are REALLY in a hurry, they just run!

I always wore tennis shoes to hunt them because I knew it was as much a track event as a hunting sport. One of my last quail hunts with my dad I was running flat out trying to ambush a group of quail that ran on us. As I came to the end of a wash, I lept off to fly down to the next lower level and sailed straight into a 4' tall cactus.

OUCH

You gotta love a bird that will sucker you into that sort of trap.