Hunting Quail in the Snow

Hunting Quail in the Snow

By Troy Hoepker

Not far from where Southern Iowa’s rolling hills turn into Northern Missouri’s rolling hills, lies my little slice of quail hunting heaven. A sentimental sense of nostalgia hits me walking in the same footsteps of my grandfather and great-grandfather, shotgun in hand, on the farm that our family has owned for a century. Roots run deep here both physically and spiritually. Parts of the land likely look the same as they did 100 years ago with untamed habitat exactly where habitat naturally should be still to this day. The familiar sound of a distant Bobwhite whistle has likely reverberated over that habitat ever since. If ever a Quail Forever habitat sign should have a place to stand, this is it.

I moved briskly down the first fencerow behind my beloved shorthair Ace noticing his beautiful black coat contrasting with the blanket of fresh snow of his surroundings. The white ticking in his fur that normally stands out was unnoticeable as he resembled more of a shadow bouncing around the cover surrounded in a world of white. These farms, bordered almost entirely by brushy hedgerow fence lines, hold thin timbered draws within their boundaries meandering around the row crop and scream quail at every turn. Here, it’s not a matter of if you will find quail; it’s when and where.

After several turns along the cover, Ace and I approached the best spot on the farm. Sure enough, as we approached a place where the cover thickens, Ace’s dogtrot came to an abrupt stop right on the edge of cover where he rigidly held focus on a single point of the earth under a group of cedar trees as if nothing else in this world was of more importance. The battle was ready to begin in this thick spot where quail could defend their lives perfectly against a single hunter.

The sound of one 6-ounce bird taking flight isn’t all that loud. It always amazes me however, just how loud the sound of twenty 6-ounce birds all taking flight in the same heartbeat can be. This covey rise was no different. The sudden buzz of wings burst from cover directly in front of Ace’s nose in a bouquet of airborne acrobatics that stuns your sense of sight. The little targets were everywhere at too close of a range. Some quickly disappeared over the top of the trees in a veritable barrel roll of flight while others melted away into the heavy cedar limbs covered in snow, somehow defying belief that they could actually find an opening to fly through. As quickly as they were there, they were gone again into deeper cover.

We had found them and now the battle really began. Once birds relocate they separate. Their scent disperses and at times they bury in deep. For more than the next hour this covey of quail would put on a clinic of how to escape using cover and short range shooting conditions, some individually and some in groups of two’s or three’s. Time and time again Ace would point and time and time again quail would rise in a spot so tight that once they were airborne, they were gone through the trees before I could shoulder and shoot. Eventually I tried to snap shoot a few before they disappeared in close cover only to be disappointed. I felt as though I was virtually shooting from the hip as quickly as possible.

At one point Ace pointed on a mound within the cover. I circled around below him and as I arrived directly in line with his nose I knew the quail was between Ace and I a mere 8 feet away. As I searched and moved, I noticed a bobwhite run down the mound on foot catching glimpses of it coming right at me. It traveled under the snow covered forbs and tangle foot until it emerged from its patchwork of tunnels almost directly under my feet. As it sprang upward it passed close enough to grab in hand and was over my head and gone over the trees in a flash offering no shot.

I had fired several times and Ace had pointed no less than a dozen times without a single feather being harmed on any single bird. If only I would have had a hunting partner on the other side of some of these trees. Maybe then we would have had some luck. Bobwhite quail can humble even a seasoned hunter and dog.

Later in the day walking along one of our hardwood draws, Ace’s little bobtail began to shake side to side as his pace increased. Apparently bird scent flowing through Ace’s nostrils goes through his entire body just to fuel his tail. Soon I noticed the covey load of tracks in the snow that likely held the scent Ace was picking up. Ace jumped the covey in another flurry of wings merged in airborne unison and was finally rewarded with a downed bird in an area more conducive to shooting quail. Picking out a single bird in open air gave me much more of a fighting chance than I had earlier in the day. That little Bob was a real trophy after a hard-fought day of chasing quail.

Locating Quail
Quail tend to covey in large groups when it’s cold and snow covers the ground. They huddle to stay warmer and safer with larger numbers. They may change locations slightly in snow-covered conditions. The same food source areas they relied on with dry ground conditions may not be utilized once snow covers it. Quail often rely on other animals to help them feed if the snow is too deep. Turkeys, pheasants and deer are able to scratch their way through the snow much more easily than quail and where you find these scratchings, you sometimes find quail also trying to eek out a living. Wind swept areas of flatter ground or ridge tops where the snow is thin or nonexistent also become hotspots for feeding activity. The south facing slopes melt off faster on sunny days and quail will hit those as they melt. Concentrate on cover near these areas to find a good hunt.

Don’t Overlook Thick Cover
Quail love overhead, shrubby cover year-round but especially take advantage of these places in the winter. They hide from aerial and ground predators under the snow covered branches of shrubs and small trees, under the leaves of rolling grasses that fold under the weight of snow and heavy, wide leafed forbs that also hold snow above the ground.

Areas like these provide them escape access under a roof of vegetation and snow in a tunnel-like ecosystem. That understory is warmer with a blanket of snow providing an insulation barrier from the elements of wind and further precipitation above. Quail will also find very deep ditches and large holes to covey into. They need places to survive the extreme cold where they won’t get buried alive. Heavy cedar tree branches are thick enough to leave dry ground around the base of the tree and are wonderful places to find coveys when snow cover is thick.

Quail have a reputation of being an edge-cover bird, but they are not. Quail can be found anywhere their preferred habitat exists. That can be a small pocket of quail type cover or large areas. It is true that they are often found on the edge of cover, however it’s important to understand that we have created much of this edge cover through farming practices and pasture management of cattle production. The snow, wind and cold oftentimes drive quail deeper into the cover when they are resting and hiding. Extra time investigating these areas is worth it and usually means slowing your dog down to work deeper within the cover.

Quail habitat usually involves shooting near obstacles and when quail might be in heavier cover than usual as we discussed, it’s always a good idea to have a partner to hunt with. Quail notoriously escape the flush side of trees by putting the trees between the hunter and themselves. If you have a partner on the other side your odds increase tremendously. This can lead to dangerous shooting conditions however, so it’s paramount to always know where other members of your party are at before pulling that trigger.

Hunt Smarter, Not Harder
Lastly, know when to hunt them and when not to. Pay attention to the current conditions and the forecast. If you disperse coveys in extreme cold or the afternoon before a severe winter storm comes rolling in that night, it can lead to death for birds in that covey left alone to fend for themselves. They are an extremely resilient bird but are still vulnerable to Mother Nature’s fury.

A snowy day Southern Iowa mixed bag hunt of pheasants and quail is an upland hunter’s dream. Given a choice between the two however, I’ll choose bobwhite every time!