Quail Hunting in Mexico

Quail hunting in Mexico ranks up near the very top of my favorite experiences in life. I think the only events that are higher are the births of each one of my kids and the day I got married.

This is my third time going down to Mexico for a hunt and in many ways, so far the best.

I don't know if it looks like it to you, but that is a genuine smile on my face. I call it the Perma-Grin. It starts before I leave for the trip and it doesn't end until work stresses erase it a few weeks after I return. It takes that long for the good mojo to wear off. It returns from time to time when I reminisce, like right now as I write this I am grinning like an idiot. If anybody saw me they'd probably wonder what was wrong with me or what did I just do.




Of course, there are dangers in Mexico...I almost stepped on this one. Snake boots are a must. I go overboard perhaps and wear full-length snake resistant chaps by Rattlers. They are a little heavy and can be hot, but worth the peace of mind.

We lost a dog to a rattler on day 3. She was bit in the evening and dead, or muerte, by the next morning despite treatment. It was a sad event and the only downside to the whole trip.

An added bonus is that the snake chaps turn most of the thorns in the brush. Wearing plain old brush pants will make you feel like your are running naked through a needle factory. Before I went to Mexico, I thought our briers and brush in Georgia were bad. Mexican Flora is the Devil's Garden on Steroids. Every plant in Mexico has something that can stick you. Its an infernal conglomeration of vegetation that no human would likely ever venture into, except a bunch of crazy quail hunters. Walking in in on the twentieth point of the day, somehow you don't notice the multiple spines that penetrated your patellar tendon until you get home at night and realized your knee is swollen like a football.

I want to try some Snake Armor TurtleSkin Chaps, supposed to be much lighter than the heavy Cordura chaps I wear. I am curious to see Turtle Skin is adept at deflecting the hypodermic inferno that quail inhabit in Mexico. I will probably wait until my stock investment plan pays off since I think the $225 for the Total Protection Chaps is better spent right now on baby formula and diapers. https://www.turtleskin.com/store/category.aspx?categoryID=1&referrer=GoogleAdWords&gclid=CLmqksSkj5ECFQFclwodhTNtHg

I picked up my Rattlers brand chaps for $5 at a garage sale years ago, but they can be had here:

http://www.rattlersbrand.com/snakechaps/originalrattlerschaps.html



At left is a Scaled Quail. Its the only one I've ever seen up close, and of course this will likely launch me on a quest for the Quail Slam. Up to this point I'd only shot Bobwhites, but now I think I need to travel around and experience some other quail hunting in other parts of the country.
Another genuine bunch of smiles, and my Perma-Grin grows. Good companions make the trip so enjoyable. Its a real pleasure how this diverse group gets along like Peas & Carrots.

I have been blessed with some good friends who are great to travel with and are as passionate about quail hunting as I am. Good people make for a good trip. The other guys are all native Texans but they don't seem to mind a Georgia boy tagging along.




Some tired quail hunters at days end. Also note the habitat. The part of Mexico we hunt is miles and miles and miles of endless habitat. There is a lot of diversity in the habitat as well. It ranges from lightly grazed pasture to the left, with bufflegrass planted for forage and interspersed with native grasses to thorny brush taller than your head, basically waste areas or old gr0wn-up pastures. There are also hedgerows and agriculture (mostly milo for livestock feed) on a grand scale. You don't see much center-pivot irrigation nor is there really such a thing as a clean fence-line. Clearly their farms are very productive, but they are also quail friendly.

It doesn't all look this wide open. Watching dogs work in this cover is a real joy and a lot different shooting in this wide open area than in the pines of Georgia. Some of the cover is pretty rough, but the shooting is just open enough to make it worth your while.

All in all, we found 113 coveys in 2-1/2 days of quail hunting. That is not a typo. One Hundred Thirteen Coveys in two full days and one afternoon of hunting over dogs. On the first day we hunted afternoon only and shot into 29 coveys. On day two, we hunted all day, including taking lunch in the field, and shot into 40, (Yes FORTY!) coveys. I nearly passed out from cardiac arrest. On day three we bested day two by shooting into 44 coveys. There was one stretch in the morning, with a single, excellent brace of Pointers (Bud & Sally you are Immortals!) where we shot into 11 coveys BEFORE Nine in the morning. This was certainly a hunt of legendary and epic proportions. I almost don't believe it writing it down here and now, but I was there and it is the real deal!

There was just some absolutely phenomenal dog work, but you would almost expect that with some much wild bird contact. If a man had this many quail and poor working dogs, he ought to be shot. Either he was victimized by some really bad breeding and genetics, or he doesn't know the first thing about bird dogs. Our guide and his staff however clearly know exactly what they are doing and they do it extremely well. I cannot compliment the guides, outfitter and dogs enough. There were times when we had a dry, stiff wind blowing pretty hard, yet these pointers were able to handle the coveys and we did not bust a single one because of flawed dog work.

I can't wait to go back. Its an annual pilgrimage that thankfully that is becoming a tradition. I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to experience quail hunting that is BETTER than the old days with a group of fine companions. Next year I hope to sport another Perma-Grin, Lord willing.