16 replies to this topic

[turkeyman85]

Well tomorrow morning at O'dark 30 we are off to the quail/chukar lands of Kern county. Wish us luck and wish me a lil extra luck since I'll have a new hunter with me. Hope he doesnt mistake me for a chukar or quail. lol Jk I've taken him to one other spot and he did just fine. Well anyway good luck to anyone out there chasing birds.

[screwwork]

Go get em TurkeymanGood luck, be safe and have some fun.I will be looking forward to your report.Have the new hunter run up and down the ridges and flush the birds down to ya..JK.

[Air Rifle Hunter]

That's great. I hope you have a good hunt and a great time. I look forward to the photos.

[turkeyman85]

I would never go to Red Mountain lol I've heard to many horrible stories about that place. lol

[True2ThySelf]

What's wrong with Red Mountain? I planned on scouting there the next time I was out that way.

[stephen722]

I saw chuckers right in the middle of the cement plant at tehachapi and people working there did not even know what they were! have fun stephen

[turkeyman85]

Well it was freaking cold!!! the watering hole was frozen solid. Well we go there and decided to skip the chukar hunting and only quail hunted. It was hard hunting,this is the first year I have not limited out on quail. Birds were flushing super far and they were also not calling. But I was still able to get a few I shot 4 the first day and lost one, the second day I only shot 1. My dad dropped 2 today but we were only able to find one,And so did my gf brother the first time hunter. He was so determinded to get a limit that he strained his knee pretty bad. But I have to give to him he work his butt off and so did my dad. Well here are some pictures of the hunt and area.

[Yateswell]

That's pretty steep,

[True2ThySelf]

Any time you're out of the house and in the outdoors sounds like a good time .I've barely managed to hit anything this season (2 rabbits out of maybe 6 hunting trips) and I don't think I'll be able to get out again this season but during the off time I'll have to find a place to try to shoot the two boxes of clays I got so I'll do better next season.

[Air Rifle Hunter]

Nice job Turkeyman85. Those are some beautiful pictures too. Nice looking birds and countryside. I bet your GF brother is hooked now! Congrats on some success!

[turkeyman85]

thanks guys I love that area for quail but this year was a bit harder than others. The spot has been in the family since the 50's and it always hold lots and lots of birds. They were still there but they were super tough to get on. I dont hunt with dogs but I might have to get one for the later season in that area. Thanks for looking.

[Bisley]

Beautiful area, but sure makes me appreciate my flat hunting grounds .Gotta love taking someone out for the first time too. I love watching the combination of scared/excitement in their eyes when they flush. Good job.

Birds were flushing super far and they were also not calling.

Late season quail is exactly why I still have my full choked 30" barrel on the 1100. You pair that up with some handloads of #6's at 1500+fps or so which is about 25% faster than anything you can buy without breaking the bank. And the #6's I refer to as "Ma Belle" loads as they really reach out and touch something. Also, do you have guys staggered on the hill side? If so, you may just want to put one guy on the peak and one guy partially up the hill. This will tend to make them fly up or down the hill to each other rather than sideways across the hill. Just a thought. Goo luck, and remember, it's not about how many birds you get, but rather how much time you get to spend out there with friends

[turkeyman85]

Ya the full choke and the hand loaded 6's would be over kill in that area since the cover is pretty thick. Trust me I would use a 30in barrel and handloaded 6's if it was more open. But it really is nothing but super fast snap shots for the area. Average shot is inside 20 yards. I think also the main reason they were flushing like they were was that there was no wind. They could hear us coming lol.And we do use the tactic you mentioned but those bird have been getting some pressure that they never use to. Its bummed me out a bit but you cant keep everything to yourself.But when I go there I like to hunt by myself since its kinda my time to get away from everything. And Also I really get at them,that the only reason I shot those few lol. Im half dog when it comes to hunting quail. I really wish we could have hunt the chukar but no one ever wants to hunt them with me. lol I need to find one of those flat places so my dad can hunt,old guy was tell me that he cant walk like he use to.(first time he addmitted to it too)! lol

[Bisley]

Been in that "dad losing the legs" scenario for quite a few years now myself. Sorry to hear about it happening to anyone. Luckily I have the greatest hunting partner(s) a man could ask for, and they absolutely understand the concept of a catering to dad weekend. Gotta love them for that.Funny how the birds always seem to be flying faster this time of year. I don't believe it's true that they are "faster" this time of year. They are always fast! I do however believe that we are moving a lot slower this time of year mainly due to the weather being so much colder. I always feel that every bird taken is surely earned, but the later the season, the more it is earned. Two birds this time of year (cold weather and pressured birds) can be as much of an accomplishment as a limit early in the season. And anybody that hunts all season long, and not just the "easier" opening weekends, should never hang their head. Good luck, and keep taking the "rookie", they usually appreciate for the rest of their life.

[turkeyman85]

Oh ya I just spoke to him and wants to go tomorrow but we cant afford it just yet lol. But we are planning another hunt before the season ends. And I agree with you on that they are always fast. Its the main reason Im so good with a shotgun,dad started me out with quail when I was young. He told me that if I can kill quail and get good at it,I can kill any game bird thats out there with easy.Hes alway been a big time bird hunter and I second his statement but I think he needs to and TEAL to that also lol.

[lenny]

This has been one of my best years in Kern Co.and Ive been hunting there sence 1979,A buddy and I got another 35 quail in three days of hunting and we saw 200 plus birds in one spot but they were to close to some homes,and another 100 plus bird at a new spot we found.

[sportyg]

Great photos turkeyman, you gus did well as cold as it was...