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This article was originally featured
in The Mississippi Woods & Waters Magazine.
Quail Hunting
Modern Day Style by Michael O. Giles
With the disappearance of the small family farms along with drastic
habitat changes over the last 30 years, quail hunting has almost
become a thing of the past. However, with the advent of modern
day quail farms and preserves, hunters are now able to experience
a "taste" of what traditional quail hunting was like.
February is a time when most hunters have put up their favorite
deer rifles and brought out their trusty old shotguns. While many
hunters are looking for squirrels and rabbits, many others are
heading to the fields in search of bobwhite quail. Yes, the same
almost forgotten quail that was once the premier game bird in
Mississippi.
The Good Old Days
Old timers like my late grandfather J.P. Nolen and his brother
J.W., spent many a day in the fields of Webster County as teenagers
chasing wild quail. Many a story has been told about their quail
hunts. It was said that the two brothers and their dad Granville
would leave out in the morning and hunt all day.
There was no shortage of quail in those days. Their hunts were
spent jumping covey after covey, all day long. Once they found
a covey, they would shoot a few and bust it up. After hunting
up a few singles, they were on their way to find a new covey.
With an abundance of crops and fields along with the birds, they
didn't want to shoot the coveys down too low.
As a teenager back in the seventies, I got to experience a few
good hunts along with my grandfather Papaw Pat (J.P. Nolen). Papaw
taught me how to wingshoot with both eyes open. This drastically
improved my shooting prowess. When it comes to action, nothing
beats a quail hunt with plenty of quail!
Opportunities Today
Sadly, however, the good old days of quail hunting slowly disappeared
with the disappearance of the small family farms and pea patches
that provided grain for the quail to thrive on. As the fields
grew up and became woods, white-tailed deer were transplanted and
really began to thrive. All is not lost for the quail hunter however,
with the advent of new quail hunting operations over the last
few years.
With all of the deer hunters finally out of the woods, February
is quail hunting time in my book. With that in mind, I recently
had the privilege of joining MWW's Dan Robinson and Whitney Adams
on a quail hunt at Pollard Quail Farm in Mathiston. It was to
be Whitney's first quail hunt and it was both challenging and
rewarding for all.
Once we arrived at the farm, we were greeted by Linda Pollard
and made to feel right at home. Mrs. Linda signed us in and we
were ready to go. After pointing us in the right direction and
giving us a few instructions, we met her son Jeff and readied
for the hunt. Jeff is a guide and a pretty good one at that.
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The Pollards raise and train bird
dogs and have a kennel full of top-notch dogs numbering twenty-seven
currently. On this hunt Jeff
had three of his crackerjack dogs. Two of these wee pointers,
named Phoebe and Hoss. My favorite of the three dogs was a Brittany
spaniel named Jake.
Old Jake was pretty tough when it comes to finding quail. On a
previous hunt the dogs pointed on one side of a small pond but
came up empty. Old Jake was having none of that however, as he
worked upwind and around the pond.
Shortly thereafter he pointed again, the time in the correct location.
Ironically, he had originally pointed the bird where the smell
was blowing across the water. Once the bird was finally located,
he locked up tight on point and we quickly dispatched the quail.
The Hunt Began
As we started our hunt, Dan and I positioned ourselves on either
side of Jeff in anticipation of flushing some birds. Whitney started
out observing and taking photos. Since this was her first quail
hunt, she wanted to observe before joining the action.
Shortly after entering the field the dogs locked up tight on point.
What a sight it was to see three dogs on point. As Robinson moved
in, the birds flushed in different directions with one almost
hitting me in the head! Needless to say we didn't get a bird.
Minutes later the dogs pointed again and the birds flushed wildly
again. This time it sounded like a skeet shoot, but still no birds
fell victim to our shooting ability - or should I say lack thereof. "Some people say that wild birds are harder to hit, but most
of the time they flush and fly straight away from you. These preserve
birds are liable to fly in any direction," stated Pollard.
"It makes it even more challenging when you don't know which
direction that they're going to fly."
Well, they say shooting is like riding a bicycle, once you learn
how you never forget. You can get rusty however and we did dust
off the rust in short order. Finally, on about our third point,
two birds flushed my way and I busted the first one on the second
shot. The second one got away however. I'm not quite sure, but
Dan may have missed another one as well. The action was fast and
furious and a bit much for me to keep up with!
As the dogs pointed again, Dan finally had a couple of birds fly
his way and he promptly dispatched on in short order. Finally
the rust was off and we started hitting a few birds. Dan was shooting
a Benelli and I had my trusty .12 gauge Remington Wingmaster that
I purchased some thirty years ago. The old Remington 870 pump
has taken all types of small game and was even responsible for
my fist two bucks. The gun was old and worn, but almost like a
member of my family. It had been with me on many previous hunts
that became good memories. On this day, it once again proved to
be a match for the newer, more modern Benellis that Robinson and
Adams utilized.
First Quail
Although it took a few minutes to get Whitney in on the action,
she took to quail hunting like a fish in water.
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Adams didn't waste a minute burning
a few shells. In fact, she found out that anyone could miss real
easy, like the rest of us. In fairness, shooting quail for the
first time is challenging at best and downright had when you have
to shoot in and around bushes, brush and trees. One thing was
for sure, Adams wasn't afraid to miss and that is ultimately the
path to success.As the dogs lined up on point again, Adams took
one side of a large shrub and I took the other. As luck would
have it, the bird flushed her way and she quickly dispatched it
with a snappy shot that literally sent the bird spiraling downward
in a "puff" of fathers. Talk about being on the money,
you just couldn't have done it any better than that!
As we continued on through the sage, brush and small pines, the
dogs would lock up on point and we would shoot again. Each time
we never knew which way the birds would fly. On one occasion,
Robinson nailed a bird that went his way and I nailed one that
flew past me.
Not to be outdone, Adams quickly dispelled the notion that her
earlier kill had been luck. After several more kills with a few
direct "home run hits," it was obvious that Adams was
really getting the hang of it. Although she did miss from time
to time, she was consistently knocking them down! If you haven't
missed a hot, then you just haven't done much shooting.
Family Tradition
Many families are now getting in on the quail hunting action at
Pollard Quail Farm. From children, to parents, to grandparents,
there is plenty of room for almost anyone. "We have one customer
that brings his eight and ten-year-old boys to hunt thee to five
times a year," related Linda Pollard. "Jeff says that
you wouldn't believe how good they shoot!"
Whatever it takes to make a hunt successful, you can be sure that
the Pollards will do their best to make it become a reality. They
are already gaining a reputation of running a first class operation
with hunters coming from places such as Texas, Georgia and Kentucky.
Although some people are just continuing a family tradition of
quail hunting, others are starting their own tradition of hunting
with the Pollards.
Quail preserves have a long season running from October 1st through
April 30th, providing hunters with an extended chance to be in
the woods after most of the traditional seasons have close.
Tradition is Born
On a previous February trip to Pollards, my brothers Joe and Mark
and nephew Justin got to experience the challenge and thrill of
a quail hunt. Although most of us will never experience the old-time
glory days of quail hunting, preserves such as the Pollard Quail
Farm give everyone a chance to make a few good memories of their
own. As soon as we got to the field, Russell Pollard quickly released
three of his best bird dogs. Shortly thereafter, they were locked
up on point. And what a beautiful sight it was! As Pollard slowly
eased toward the dogs, the lone quail suddenly burst forth and
flushed directly my way. In an instant I shouldered the old Remington
Wingmaster and fired, and our first bird was history. 11-year-old
Justin Giles has become pretty proficient with a gun as evidenced
by his many deer and squirrel kills. However, Justin had never
shot a fast moving blur that is called the bobwhite quail.
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With four hunters and three bird
dogs, one never knew which way the birds were going to fly. More
often than not, they would fly directly at one of the hunters.
Sometimes the birds would fly in and around shrubs, trees, and
all manner of things. Shooting a deer standing still in a food
plot, or a squirrel from a limb just doesn't compare to wing shooting
a frantic quail. After quite a few misses with his trusty Remington
.20 gauge, Justin finally got the hang of it. As he approached
the dogs, two quail flushed and he picked out the nearest one
and lowered the boom. What a time of celebration it was! He had
experienced the thrill of his first wingshot kill, along with
his dad Joe and uncles Mark and Mike. After downing his first
bird, Justin followed up with several more kills. As the day progressed
we all took turns shooting, with an occasional hit and a lot of
misses as well!
As the coveys were flushed, there were always a few birds that
got away. If a bird was missed they might fly 150-200 yards. What
a thing of beauty it was to watch the dogs hunt the errant singles
and lock up tight on point when they had found them. After about
fur hours of nonstop excitement, our day had come to an end. It
had truly been a wonderful experience, literally a day of making
memories. We had experienced a taste of quail hunting and had
harvested quite a few for the supper table as well. Along with
the shooting and fun, we had started our own family tradition
as well! And what more could you ask for?
Conclusion
At the end of our recent morning hunt with Adams and Robinson,
the rest of the Pollards greeted us. The Pollard Quail Farm and
Shooting Preserve is family owned and operated. The husband and
wife team of Russell and Linda Pollard are partners with their
son Jeff and daughter-in-law Tabby. Everyone plays a big part
in the success of the operation while they all pitch in to make
the hunts an enjoyable experience.
In fact, at the conclusion of our hunt, we got to see some real
teamwork from Russell, Linda, and Tabby as they had an "assembly
cleaning line" going. Each one had their own job to do to
get the quail dressed. Once cleaned, they were placed in Ziplock
freezer bags for transportation.
Each year the Pollards also ship out and deliver over 40,000 flight-conditioned
birds. In addition to that, they also hatch out and deliver over
100,000 day-old chicks to different parts of the country. They
even sell to operations as far away as Minnesota. With an operation
as big as that you can rest assured that they know a thing or
two about quail.
If you're looking for some affordable excitement now that deer
season is over, a trip to Pollards should be just the ticket.
Prices are reasonable and guides and dogs are also available for
a reasonable fee. If you want to make some memories with
your own family or friends, then contact Russell or Linda Pollard
at 662-263-4881 or online at www.pollardquail.com.
You'll be glad you did - I guarantee! MWW
About the author - Michael
O. Giles of Meridian is a lifelong outdoorsman. A member of the
Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, he currently has a weekly
column in the Meridian Star and is a regular contributor to various
other newspapers and magazines.
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