by John Jefferson
I’ve heard wrist watches are worn by people who are only concerned with units of time shorter than a season. I misplaced mine recently. So, I guess that brands me.
But at least I know what season it is.
Horace Gore, former TPWD big game program leader, was an experienced quail hunter and dog trainer, pictured here with his retriever, “Ruff”. It was rewarding hunting with both. (Photo by John Jefferson)
Deer seasons are either over or are winding down to just South Texas’ late antlerless and spikes (three-pointers included). Duck seasons end Jan. 31 – even for “dusky ducks”. I’ve previously written that goose season ends in the East Zone Jan. 31 and West Zone Feb. 14. But you can shoot light geese until Mar. 14, provided there are still any remaining in Texas.
See! I know what time it is.
And quail season ends statewide in Texas on February 28. Quail, called “codorniz” in Spanish, are one of the few species in Texas that are truly “hunted” in the traditional definition: going out and searching for game, instead of just sittin’ and waitin’ on it to arrive.
But don’t think I’m knocking hunting from a blind. It’s legal and I do it. There’s a hopeful suspense in the anticipation of awaiting game. And I do some of my best thinking and praying in a deer blind.
The fact that quail season is standardized across the entire state is a little rare — at least as compared to deer regulations. A sage observer once commented when deer regs first became such a hodgepodge from one county to another that you practically needed to take a lawyer with you to stay legal! And it’s more of a maze, today.
Nowadays, however, all qual hunters need to know is that the season opens Oct. 1 and closes February 28, STATEWIDE. The bag limit is 15 a day, and 45 in possession. Shotguns don’t have to be plugged, either. Plugging shotguns is a federal rule for hunting migratory birds (doves, ducks, geese, etc.).
Most of my quail hunting has been in South Texas. Once in Zapata County, I came around a curve in the sendero and a long, blue-black snake stretched all the way across it. I told the guide about it after the hunt, and he asked if I had shot it. He looked relieved when I hadn’t, adding, “Indigo snakes were imported to eat rattlesnakes.”
I asked if that worked. His smiling reply was, “Did you see any rattlesnakes?”
I wear snake leggings when hunting quail. Except for released quail preserve hunting, Texas quail are now mostly confined to South Texas, West Texas, the Rolling Plain, and the Panhandle – all snake country.
Early in the season, you need to carry water — and ALWAYS if you hunt with dogs. They work a lot harder than we do. Many guides take extra dogs along and trade them out during the hunt to avoid overexertion. Snake bit dogs are also ever-present risks.
Hunting with dogs adds an extra dimension to the hunt. Not only do dogs find coveys a walking hunter might miss, they also add respectful companionship to appreciative hunters. The bond is strong.
JJ
