Quail Hunting without Dogs

 Many hunters are under the impression that it is necessary to hunt game birds with dogs. This is just not the case! Many of us especially those of us that lack funds for proper hunting dogs go out every season and are quite successful without the use of dogs. In some cases having dogs can actually not work at all for you. Where I live in Central Arizona we lack the foliage to properly hold birds for dogs to flush them out of and can sometimes even make the quail run away instead of allowing a proper shot. Although hunting with man's best friend is a rewarding experience it is definitely not necessarily required. Let me help you to go quail hunting without having the use of dogs with the techniques below.

First of all in the beginning of quail season get up early (before dark) and use a quail call to locate coveys of quail. These calls are available at Cabelas, Bass Pro Shops and the Sportsmans Warehouse for under 10 dollars. I use my voice but I practiced daily and drove my parents nuts but it is possible to do so. After locating the quail stalk in and get as close as you can. If you have buddies spread them around on either side and make sure they know only to shoot at the 10 and 2 positions and be aware of others locations ( wear hunter orange to help) to avoid any accidents such as that of a certain political figure. The quail should be all around after those first shots and scattered like crazy. Utilize the quail call and you will be surprised if your are quiet and not running all around how they will calm down and bunch up again and give you even more opportunities. As the day gets warmer and quail become more active and get shot at more this will become a bit more difficult but will still be effective for some time. If they are getting too jumpy and you can't keep up on foot let em go and calm down and search for another less educated covey. Typically quail like cover and like to stay in washes or grassy plains and you should be able to locate using a quail call and stumbling upon them randomly.
As the season progresses hunting quail becomes a bit more difficult and thats what makes it fun. The quail tend to be a little less vocal and when they see you they haul butt and don't stop! Being in decent shape helps out a lot here. If your not in shape keep chasing them and you will soon be in shape for sure. My techniques for hunting this time of year involve the use of a boomerang. Yes folks a boomerang! I obtained  this technique recently from our friend Steve Ontiveros. The boomerang resembles a bird of prey and will make the quail seek cover and hold them up. Utilizing the quail call as a warning will also help. Also you can try lobbing shot over their heads at long distances to help scatter them and get them to be more vocal. This time of year do not use # 7 1/2 shot, switch to #6 shot as you will have better success. Try and be as quiet as possible and if you have friends make sure they are spread out to cover a larger area and keep calling to try and locate as many as you can. Definitely stay off roads and go out on foot as most folks are simply driving up and down the roads and the quail are going to be away from the roads. Early morning and evening hunts tend to be the best times as in most hunting situations. Just remember to stay at it and don't get frustrated as more opportunities will come.
Well I hope this article was helpful to those of you looking for info if you are looking for even more info or would like to share your own visit trutestedhuntingproducts.com and sign up. Together we can become better hunters and enjoy our sport even more. Thank you for your support and God Bless!