Wednesday, 13 January 2010

• The Reality Of Quail Hunting In Florida

  For many generations now, quail hunting in Florida has been a time-honored tradition that has brought together friends and family members, all of whom are eager to share each other’s company while engaged in that most entertaining of outdoor pursuits: quail hunting. Unfortunately quail hunting in Florida as it is now is not quite the same as it used to be.

  As many of the state’s most ardent hunters will tell you, you are probably not going to have much luck quail hunting in Florida unless you have a trusted local guide with you to tell you where to hunt. This may seem at odds with the recent postings on numerous websites as to the feasibility of quail hunting in Florida, but many locals will tell you that there are far less opportunities for quail hunting now than there was only a few years ago.

  That being said, there are a few opportunities left for hunters that are looking to bag some quail in Florida…you only have know where to look. For example, a fairly prominent website that caters to anything and everything hunting related in the state holds quail hunting events annually. A few other organizations have also been known to hold quail hunting events on a less frequent basis.

  However, it is hard to ignore the lack of any Special Opportunity hunts, which is in itself a strong indication that all is not well as far as quail hunting in Florida is concerned. The fact of the matter is that the state’s public hunting grounds are simply not productive enough to support even such limited participant events. The absence of Special Opportunity quail hunts has been noticeable for several years now, and if there is any solid indication that quail hunting in Florida has seen better days, this would have to be it.

  Some particularly persistent local hunters do still regularly trek into the public hunting grounds in search of quail. Whether such pursuits are fruitful for the long term remains to be seen, but it is refreshing to note the fervor with which these hunters approach their passion. Tools such as swamp buggies are routinely used by those who have them, and it is not uncommon to see hunters with as many as six bird dogs set out in rotation to preserve their energy. A particularly common technique is letting the dogs run free for a while in order to sniff out the quail. If there is no prey to be found in the area, the hunter typically moves on to another place instead of using up the dogs’ energy in a futile search. Although this allows the hunter to cover more land, the technique reduces the chances of the dogs being able to find coveys.

  It may be disheartening to realize that finding quality quail hunting in Florida nowadays is a slim chance. Nevertheless, one can only hope that things improve enough in the future so that local residents can uphold this fine tradition for many generations to come.

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