quail hunting 2.34

Jun 2

Posted in: Quail Hunting | No Comments
Tags: florida quail hunting, Quail Hunting

Florida is a great state for quail hunting. With over 5 million acres of land for hunting all sorts of animals, quail hunting remains one of the most popular animals for sport hunting. And, because the season for hunting quail is during the months where, across most of the United States, it’s relatively cold, Florida stays warm and thus, hunting can be in a relatively calm climate.

Quail are interesting birds. They don’t migrate like other birds, meaning they’re in Florida year round. Their favorite habitat is low brush and flatlands, but they also like wooded and grassy lands, anywhere that lends itself to being able to hide. They’re not a bird that hangs in the trees, but their first response isn’t always to fly into the air to make themselves easy targets. Quail can be elusive, which makes hunting them more of a sport than duck hunting, because quail won’t respond to mating calls or any other tricks that hunters will usually employ.

Because Florida can contain many types of animals, most people will usually find a lodge of some kind that owns thousands of acres that are set aside for quail hunting. This also makes it easier for the casual hunter because there’s not only specific gear that hunters might want, but it may take having a guide and dogs specially trained in flushing out quail to not only find quail, but to be protected against dangers such as rattlesnakes, which hang out in the same kind of terrain as quail.

The strength of hunting in Florida lies in its hunting clubs and lodges. Unfortunately, the quail population has been declining since the mid 90’s, as more housing developments eat into the areas where quail like to live. Though the quail is a hearty bird, which environmentalists say will make sure they not only survive, but adapt to the changes and will flourish once more, this means that, going alone, even an experienced hunter might have to wait a long time to spot a quail.

What hunting clubs do is actually buy quails raised on farms, then release them within their property near the time hunting season begins. These hunting clubs make sure they have created the type of terrain that quail like, which keeps them from just flying off to look for other places to be. This offers new hunters a great opportunity to learn how to hunt quail, because even doing this doesn’t make it any easier for them to shoot quail. Also, these clubs make sure the grounds are fairly well maintained when it comes to having to worry about dangerous animals such as rattlesnakes and alligators, although there’s never a guarantee that one might not come upon either of those predators. And hunting clubs usually have lodges, so that the cost of hunting is all inclusive as a full vacation package plan.

Guided tours maximize the opportunities new hunters will have in at least finding quail. It takes a much sharper shooting touch to nail a quail because they’re tinier and faster than ducks. However, guides will also usually have hunting dogs trained at flushing out quail, which will give new hunters plenty of opportunities to bag a quail.

Because Florida quail hunting is so popular, lodges will quickly sell out, so it’s important to book your reservations early if you hope to get a spot. Hunting is better earlier in the season than later, since they’ve had six months to replenish the supply. If you’re looking for a new challenge, quail hunting in Florida just might bring the excitement you want.
=================
Jun 2

Posted in: Quail Hunting | No Comments
Tags: florida quail hunting, Quail Hunting, quail hunting guide

If you’re going to go quail hunting in Florida, one of the best ways to go about it is to stay at a quail hunting lodge. Quail hunting lodges are great because they can offer an all around hunting experience, equipment, lodging, food, and often at an all-inclusive rate that won’t break the bank.

The first thing you want in a quail hunting lodge is size. Hunting lodges range anywhere from 3,000 acres to 30,000 acres of land. The larger the lodge, the more apt they are to offer hunting for more than one type of prey. Also, the cost may be more, as the license fees will also be higher.

The next thing you want to know about is how they take care of the grounds. This isn’t like taking care of a golf course; the main idea is to have the grounds set up so that the quail feel like they’re getting what they need as far as food and places to protect themselves, otherwise they might fly away to other plantations, which would be a double hit on the plantation since many of them buy extra quail for the hunting season, trying to make sure hunters will have plenty of opportunities to at least have some shots at quail.

Some other things you want to find out is how they’ll take you out, what kind of guides they have, whether they have dogs, and whether they have guns you can rent and shells you can buy. Guns and shells usually aren’t included in the all-inclusive price. You are always allowed to bring your own, but if you’re in another state, you’ll want to check the laws for transporting both guns and ammunition across state lines.

Once you’ve determined where you’re going to stay, you’re going to want to prepare yourself for the experience of quail hunting. If you’re not using your own gun, it might be a good thing to find out if your lodge has a shooting range where you can practice. Most people are surprised at the recoil of rifles as opposed to pistols, and picking up some pointers on technique wouldn’t be a bad thing, since quail are hard to hit if you’re an experienced shot.

Also, make sure the clothing you select is comfortable, yet protects your skin, since there’s the possibility you’ll be out in swamps areas, which means a lot of mosquitoes and other bugs that like to bite. Definitely make sure your shoes are not only waterproof, but strong, as you never know if you’re going to walk up on one of the many types of snakes that populate Florida.

If you’re new at hunting, make sure to stay with your guide, as they’ll probably go out with groups of at least 5 to 7 hunters at a time. They will find you the best places to hunt quail, probably help you flush them out with the dogs, but their biggest asset is that they know the land and the dangers, and they will be there to keep you safe.

Quail hunting in Florida can be a very exciting experience if you take the time to learn more about where to hunt, what to wear while hunting, and, of course, how to shoot a gun.
===========
P-Arrow Plantation has been extensively managed for game and fish for 30 years. Its owners offer hunting and fishing for individuals or for corporate retreats. The P-Arrow is located in Livingston, Alabama, east of I-59 and I-20 halfway between Birmingham, Alabama and Jackson, Mississippi.

Located on the P-Arrow is over 100 acres of lakes for largemouth bass, crappie, and bream fishing. The P-Arrow is a prime location for exciting whitetail deer hunting from shooting houses overlooking green fields or tree stands.

Hunters can ride on a Belgian Mule drawn wagon carrying English Pointers and English Setters, or ride Tennessee Walking Horses to experience covey rises of fast flying bobwhites from sedge grass covered pine hills or stream side fields of partridge peas, Egyptian wheat, and corn. We have opening day dove hunts. Private dove hunts and turkey hunts are also available.

For those who simply want an outdoor experience in the old South, nature trails and historic tours are available.

Quail Hunts
There are three types of Quail Hunts which are available. They are:

The most authentic southern style quail hunt is by Belgian Mule drawn wagon. Dixon and Luke are our 1600 pound mules that pull the dog wagon. A hunt master and Hunt scout on a horse will direct each hunt. Lunch will be provided in the field by a cook.
The other type of quail hunt we provide is a full or half day hunt using the John Deere Gator with a customized box to carry the dogs and seats on top to carry the hunters. A scout on a horse will direct the hunt along with a hunt Master.
We also provide customized quail hunts to fit your desired experience.

All of the birds are either native or early released birds. There is NO LIMIT!!!

Dove Hunts
Opening Day Hunts are available. Hunters are served an excellent BBQ Lunch!!

Turkey Hunts
You will enjoy our Spring Hunts over chufa fields and wild game sorghum. We provide our turkey hunters with a personal guide.

Deer Hunts
Guided whitetail deer hunts are available. You may hunt the wary Whitetail Buck on green fields from comfortable shooting houses or tree stands. Bow hunting is encouraged!! We also offer customized hunts.

Accommodations
3 bed rooms /3 baths (1) king (1) queen (1) twin and a loft with a king and a full bed and a full bathroom. Every bedroom comes with its own private bathroom.

Fishing
P Arrow consists of eight lakes that comprise 110 acres stocked heavily with Northern, Florida and Hybrid large mouth bass. Additionally, different lakes have coppernose, bluegills, shellcrackers, and crappie. The largest lake on P-Arrow is horseshoe lake, which contains about 33 acres of water and has quite a bit of grass in it. For the angler who enjoys fishing rubber rats, rubber frogs, swimming worms and grass type baits, this lake can be very exciting. Another honey hole at P-Arrow, the brewer pond, is more than 65 years old and contains a native strain of large mouth bass. It is also home to shellcrackers blue gills. If a fly-fisherman likes to catch bass and bream this is the place for him to do that. Pruitt built coyote lake with the structure fisherman in mind. After seeing Ray Scott’s video on how to build a pond to produce big bass he adopted many of the ideas for Scott’s tape.

Available are guided largemouth bass and bream fishing trips in over 110 acres of lakes. Bass as large as 14 pounds have been caught. And, catches of as many as 50-75 fish a day are the norm for the P Arrow fishing experience.

A guide will accompany the fishing party. We will provide you with a boat and a guide for the length of your trip. Fishing for Bass are catch and release.

Testimonials
Clayton Batts – Fishing with the New Bio-Bait!

P-ARROW Plantation is truly a heaven on earth. The staff is some of the best people you will ever meet and the food is worth coming in early for. It is truly an outdoorsman’s paradise whether you come to fish or hunt; I promise that you will leave with a smile on your face. The cover is abundant from fishing trees in open water, to simply beating the banks you are guaranteed to catch fish. The fish are strong and healthy and willing to bite anything in your box. The question is not when am I going to get a bite, but how big is the fish going to be. Thanks for a great trip and hope to see yall very soon.
Thanks,

Clayton Batts
======================

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The De-evolution of a Hunter
Written on: 10/11/2009 18:28 by: Paleo
Click a star to rate this entry Average user rating: 5.0 (of 2 total)

As a kid there were two skills I mainly learned from my father, how to work and how to hunt. My father was in the army, I remember him talking once about the $800 he got a month and where it was to be used. Needless to say we didn’t have a lot but by hunting and raising a garden we ate pretty good.
Venison, quail, pheasant those are meats you might find in a swank restaurant but we also had plenty of squirrel, rabbit, dove and an occasional ground hog…hell I even ate a raccoon once. To me this was normal, to me the best meat you could buy from the grocery store were hamburgers and hotdogs because when we did buy a steak from the store it was a cheap cut, tough as shoe leather and laced with fat and gristle, which, by the way, my dad made us eat. You know…”Finish everything on your plate boy, there are starving people in India that don’t have as much as you.”
Hunting was different then, we’d jump in the truck drive out into the country, stop at a house and ask if we could hunt their property. Sometimes it was yes, sometimes it was no, but it was simple…straight forward. My dad would make friends that way and when he did our freezer was stocked for the year.
Deer hunting………………The first deer hunting experience I had was on Fort Hood. There’s a rod and gun club there and during the season they set up a lottery for soldiers/hunters. The soldiers arrive about 4:30 am for the morning hunts, 2:30 pm for the afternoon hunts, wait to see if they were drawn, the lucky ones are taken to a stand in a big army truck everyone else goes home. My dad took me one afternoon, we were drawn and I remember well the bumpy ride out to the area we were to hunt. We laid down behind a downed tree and waited for a deer to come out so my dad could shoot it. I wasn’t hunting, I was there to observe, I was six years old. It started getting cold and as it did my teeth started chattering, I couldn’t help it. My dad became really perturbed and pushed my down under a heavy green army canvass we were laying on and told me to be quiet.
The next several hours were miserable to me, etched in to my mind, I reckon for the rest of my life. We didn’t get a deer that day but as we stood in the dark waiting for the big army truck to pick us up we looked at the stars and talked, my dad wasn’t angry anymore and I heard for the first time a deer snort, “the warning there’s danger present”, he said. The ride back was just as bumpy, a truck loaded with cold soldiers in camo and a couple of dead deer.
And that was deer hunting to me for the next ten years, laying on the ground scanning a brush line, looking out across a field from the loft of a barn, aiming my rifle out of the second floor of an old dilapidated farm house, no matter where it was it always seemed to be cold.
Then things changed, my dad retired from the army, went to a community college on the GI Bill and started an AC business and for once we had a little money. He had a lease we could hunt and we built blinds with soft seats, sliding windows and even propane heaters. Part of it was because we had money but I think the other part was because my dad was getting older and just wanted to be comfortable.
The last year my dad hunted was the year I stopped hunting and didn’t hunt again for about ten years. It was the year after I graduated highschool, I bought into the lease and could hunt when I wanted for the first time. My dad bought the back end of a refrigerated truck and set it up as a meat processing areas complete with a bandsaw to cut steaks. The thing that made me stop hunting was that my father shot more than the legal limit that year. I won’t say how many more, it still embarrasses me. I became really perturbed, I wanted to push him down under a heavy green army canvass and tell him how disappointed I was in him. After that, what he had taught me about hunting meant next to nothing to me.
Time ticks on and after about ten years I started hunting again, rediscovering some of what I had lost. I rifle hunted a couple of times in Bandera with reps. from a wine company trying to smooze me. Took a couple of deer and pretty much stopped again unsatified with the same ol’ same ol’. A few more years went by and I was talked into trying bow hunting by a friend of mine. I’d played around with compound bows as a teenager and was really quite good though I’d never hunted with one, but this was traditional, the classic stick and string. So my de-evolution began, I had to relearn everything, not moving for an hour at a time, covering my scent , learning the subtle signs that tell you where to set up, making myself invisible in my surroundings.
I’ve been hunting a ranch by Lake Buchanan for almost a year now. Dozens of times I sat there and watched the day turn into night, sometimes sitting through the night to watch the sun come up again. In those times I’ve only taken four shots with my bow and with those four shots I’ve taken three hogs and a deer. All clean, ethical. All easy to track.
Last night I walked down one of the ranch roads, found a place where game traversed and sat back a little ways in the brush, a cool wind in my face, a lane in front to take a shot if presented. My bow sat three feet away leaning against a wild persimmon. As I sat there a hawk swooped between me and my bow, oblivious to my presence, the tip of it’s wing inches from my face. It flew out through my shooting lane and landed in a tree across the road from me. It perched there for a minute and then started back towards the opening. At the last moment it saw me, spread it’s wings stopping in mid air, changed directions and was gone.
I watched a group of deer feed ten yards in front of me, three does and a couple of yearlings. Two of the does were mature, one was huge. I could have taken her but I was waiting for a buck I’d seen in the area earlier this year. I watched them for about thirty minutes as they grazed and made their way off. Later I had three bucks come out, three I had seen with the buck I wanted. One was a four and a half year old eight point. Classic Hill Country rack, not real high, not real woody but symmetric. Another eight, not as big and a younger six. But the one I wanted wasn’t with them, probably split off by now in anticipation of the rut. As they moved into the brush the two smaller bucks started to tussle a bit then they were gone. The light faded and I walked back to camp in the dark, through the woods not bothering to turn on my light. Best hunt of the year, what hunting is to me.

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Comments:
Author:ggonzales Comment Left:10/12/2009 14:12
Great journal entry and so very true how we evolve as hunters, I grown an appreciation for wildlife and the habitat they live in and have passed what I learned to my son. I don’t bow hunt, but can appreciate the skill it takes to take wild game up close with a bow, good luck with your hunting and I hope that trophy buck comes out, try using some good doe scent or rattling horns, this has paid off for me.
Author:wohalliburton Comment Left:10/12/2009 18:13
After reading your post it reminded me of how precious the time you spend in the woods can be.
Hope you get that big ‘un you’re looking for.
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Fall Hunting Season
Written on: 08/11/2009 16:25 by: ggonzales
Click a star to rate this entry Average user rating: 4.33 (of 3 total)

As a true Texan born and raised I feel extremly lucky to be living in one of the best states in all of America to enjoy the great outdoors. With the coming of the new fall hunting season I am eagerly awaiting cool weather which will host classic Dove hunts early for me. I really look foward to the begining of hunting season so I can dust off that old shotgun and sight in the trusty deer rifle in preparation of a new hunting season. I like to share my outdoor experiences with others so I have recruited my brother-in-law, son and anybody else willing to put up with me on hot september afternoons to hunt Dove. I take Dove hunting very seriously and plan my outdoor outings very carefully to ensure 100% success. I like to hunt at least two weekends in September, three in October and then start deer hunting in Novemeber. This year I plan to focus most of my hunting time in the cooler months chasing after a trophy wild boar. Last year I shot a nice buck and look foward to adding a fat pig to the tall hunting stories I like to share with others.
Already we have been hitting the coast this summer chasing after the elusive redfish and sleek speckled trout to satisfy our outdoor appetite. If I can’t be out in the mesquite brush hunting then I would rather be knee deep in shallow water heaven filled with tasty game fish. Becuase of the summer heat we prefer to do our summer fishing early in the am or late in the evening. There is nothing better the getting up early at the crack of dawn to head out on the water for some early day wade fishing or relaxing in the sunset of a great evening fishing trip. This year I was fortunate enough to put some great eating fish in the freezer to fry up at the ranch when deer hunting.
I consider myself an outdoor activist and enjoy recruiting new members to our elite society of hunters and fisherman. I am blessed to have an extended family that love the outdoors and have access to family ranch land. One of these locations is a sweet piece of South Texas located near Mathis lake loaded with whitetail deer. The best part of the deal is that I don’t have to pay costly lease fees or trophy fees, it is purely a family run hunt club. All that is required is respect of the land and a promise to lend a helping hand off season to ensure the property is kept in prime condition. If this was not good enough I am also happy to say that my father is part of a historic hunt club of aluminum workers who lease a small ranch near the famous King Ranch. Good bucks have been shot at this location for many years and the place is loaded with huge wild boar. A bonus to this classic South Texas deer lease is the amazing quail and dove hunting that can be had.
I promote hunting and fishing as a way to deal with stress and life in general with a positive activity that can influence our youth to be good stewards of the land. I absolutely enjoy taking my ten year old son hunting and fishing with me on all my outdoor adventures so I can ensure that this great outdoor tradition will be passed on to others. I hope everyones outdoor adventures are plentiful and boutyful this hunting season and would like to wish all the outdoor sportsment good luck affield this year. May you catch that big fish that had been eluding your hook and may you take that nice buck that you have been dreaming about for all those years.
==========================
P-Arrow Plantation has been extensively managed for game and fish for 30 years. Its owners offer hunting and fishing for individuals or for corporate retreats. The P-Arrow is located in Livingston, Alabama, east of I-59 and I-20 halfway between Birmingham, Alabama and Jackson, Mississippi.

Located on the P-Arrow is over 100 acres of lakes for largemouth bass, crappie, and bream fishing. The P-Arrow is a prime location for exciting whitetail deer hunting from shooting houses overlooking green fields or tree stands.

Hunters can ride on a Belgian Mule drawn wagon carrying English Pointers and English Setters, or ride Tennessee Walking Horses to experience covey rises of fast flying bobwhites from sedge grass covered pine hills or stream side fields of partridge peas, Egyptian wheat, and corn. We have opening day dove hunts. Private dove hunts and turkey hunts are also available.

For those who simply want an outdoor experience in the old South, nature trails and historic tours are available.

Quail Hunts
There are three types of Quail Hunts which are available. They are:

The most authentic southern style quail hunt is by Belgian Mule drawn wagon. Dixon and Luke are our 1600 pound mules that pull the dog wagon. A hunt master and Hunt scout on a horse will direct each hunt. Lunch will be provided in the field by a cook.
The other type of quail hunt we provide is a full or half day hunt using the John Deere Gator with a customized box to carry the dogs and seats on top to carry the hunters. A scout on a horse will direct the hunt along with a hunt Master.
We also provide customized quail hunts to fit your desired experience.

All of the birds are either native or early released birds. There is NO LIMIT!!!

Dove Hunts
Opening Day Hunts are available. Hunters are served an excellent BBQ Lunch!!

Turkey Hunts
You will enjoy our Spring Hunts over chufa fields and wild game sorghum. We provide our turkey hunters with a personal guide.

Deer Hunts
Guided whitetail deer hunts are available. You may hunt the wary Whitetail Buck on green fields from comfortable shooting houses or tree stands. Bow hunting is encouraged!! We also offer customized hunts.

Accommodations
3 bed rooms /3 baths (1) king (1) queen (1) twin and a loft with a king and a full bed and a full bathroom. Every bedroom comes with its own private bathroom.

Fishing
P Arrow consists of eight lakes that comprise 110 acres stocked heavily with Northern, Florida and Hybrid large mouth bass. Additionally, different lakes have coppernose, bluegills, shellcrackers, and crappie. The largest lake on P-Arrow is horseshoe lake, which contains about 33 acres of water and has quite a bit of grass in it. For the angler who enjoys fishing rubber rats, rubber frogs, swimming worms and grass type baits, this lake can be very exciting. Another honey hole at P-Arrow, the brewer pond, is more than 65 years old and contains a native strain of large mouth bass. It is also home to shellcrackers blue gills. If a fly-fisherman likes to catch bass and bream this is the place for him to do that. Pruitt built coyote lake with the structure fisherman in mind. After seeing Ray Scott’s video on how to build a pond to produce big bass he adopted many of the ideas for Scott’s tape.

Available are guided largemouth bass and bream fishing trips in over 110 acres of lakes. Bass as large as 14 pounds have been caught. And, catches of as many as 50-75 fish a day are the norm for the P Arrow fishing experience.

A guide will accompany the fishing party. We will provide you with a boat and a guide for the length of your trip. Fishing for Bass are catch and release.

Testimonials
Clayton Batts – Fishing with the New Bio-Bait!

P-ARROW Plantation is truly a heaven on earth. The staff is some of the best people you will ever meet and the food is worth coming in early for. It is truly an outdoorsman’s paradise whether you come to fish or hunt; I promise that you will leave with a smile on your face. The cover is abundant from fishing trees in open water, to simply beating the banks you are guaranteed to catch fish. The fish are strong and healthy and willing to bite anything in your box. The question is not when am I going to get a bite, but how big is the fish going to be. Thanks for a great trip and hope to see yall very soon.
Thanks,

Clayton Batts

quail hunting 1.23

==========================
The Poore Farm is a working farm established by R.D. Poore in 1905, just south of the Solomon River valley in an area of gently rolling hills. Larry and Barb (BJ) farm with Larry’s parents Alvin and Venda Poore. Our crops are wheat, milo, and forage sorghum. This land is also managed for optimum bird production, nature trails, and fantastic photo opportunities. On the farm we produce beef for our own consumption and the feedlot industry. We also raise chicks from day old to the freezer and always have a good supply of farm fresh eggs.

Hunting has always been a big tradition on the Poore Farm. Larry started hunting with his grandfather who instilled a great love of the sport and good dogs. With our location in North Central Kansas we have some of the best hunting to be found. We specialize in pheasant and quail with the opportunity to shoot both with either a gun or a camera.

If hunting isn’t your sport come walk around our farm and experience quiet country life. Go on a nature walk and you might see wild turkeys, deer, skunks, coyotes, snakes, badgers, pheasants, quail, rabbits, birds, and owls. At night the stars host a show that is beyond words.

After owning several breeds of dogs BJ influenced Larry to go with Labradors because of their superior hunting instinct and their super family disposition. Our dogs will hunt all day or are just as much at ease in the house keeping you company. The Poore Farm began their breeding program to provide high quality purebred Labradors with the pointing instinct at an affordable price. All our dogs have several field trial champions in their background and our producing females have an OFA certificate of at least good. Come play with the puppies and talk to us about taking one home.
=====================
I have raised and hunted beagles, hounds, retrievers and pointing dogs for hunting as well as a couple of stock dogs for working cattle. I guess all dog people that raise pups with the hopes of hunting them look forward to the day when they come of age, or the proverbial light comes on, or however you describe it when they start to figure out what they are here for, and it always feels good to see them start to come into their own.
This story s about a lanky English Pointer I bought from a guy in Midland, TX. My wife Karla and I drove from Hondo, a small town West of San Antonio, one Saturday to pick him up after picking him out of a line up sent to me by email. Karla wanted to name him after a gun of some sort and so he was named Colt.
At 12 weeks he showed that he was going to have the makings of a good bird dog, pointing and retrieving pigeons in the yard. By five months old he was pointing and holding until I flushed the bird. And as he grew older, he just kept getting better. When he was just under a year old, we went to the Texas Panhandle pheasant hunting. The second pheasant hunt of my life and Colt’s first.
The first day, he busted a couple of roosters in some heavy cover. I wasn’t really concerned since he was still basically a pup, and I figured he was due a few mistakes. The second day, my son Zach took Colt and his lab Chester and headed in one direction, while I took 2 of my Brittanys and went another. It wasn’t long before I heard Zach shoot. When we met back at the truck he had a big rooster, and told me how Colt had pointed in some thick cover and held while Chester went in and flushed the bird. Zach shot it, Chester retrieved it, and then Colt checked it out and after Zach spoke to him he took off again. I was impressed that he held while Chester flushed the bird. Later that afternoon, Colt pointed for me and I shot a nice rooster over him. Again, he never budged until I flushed the bird. He had a pretty good trip for a 10 month old pup and I was happy to say the least.
In January, my wife and I loaded the dogs for the weekend and went to the Chaparral WMA for the last quail hunt of the season there. It had been a weak year, but it was the only quail spot I had available. The first afternoon was about 50 degrees and clear. After a few minutes Colt was on point. I called to Karla and we moved in and shot a pair of quail. A few minutes later, he was on point again. I went in and got another. The rest of the afternoon was a blast. It seemed as if Colt was making quail. He found I forget how many coveys and a few singles. He handled like an old dog and never broke until after the birds went down. Sunday morning’s hunt was a short repeat of Saturday afternoon. The trip home had me thinking I might have myself a special dog.
Towards the end of January, my Dad booked us a shoot at a preserve in Navasota. Zach and I loaded up and left early to meet him there. After we were shown the pasture we would be hunting in, I turned out my Brittanys first, saving Colt for later. We found and shot a bunch of quail, pheasants, and chukar partridge before I turned Colt out. Dad said he would sit this round out and stayed in the truck watching us, and Colt put on a show. He found bird after bird, and this was after we had run Dad’s German shorthair pointers and my Brittanys for about 2 hours. We found singles, twos, and threes here and there. Then he pointed in a grown up fence row and when we got there, we saw what must have been about fifty quail bunched up under the brush, leftovers from previous shoots. Colt was locked up in the midst of them, but they were across the fence and we had been told not to cross the fences. So I threw a stick behind the quail hoping they would flush our way so we could get a few of them. At that point, they ran and flew and Colt had quail hitting him in the face and running down his back and he just stood rock steady with his eyes bugging out. I was pretty sure at that point he was a special dog.
All that next spring and summer, he worked the quail here close to the house. I would let him out of his kennel while I cleaned it, and would look out to see him on point, usually with a Brittany honoring his point. I was really looking forward to the upcoming ’08 season.
Opening weekend at the Chaparral found us in camp early on Friday waiting for Saturday morning. When it finally came the temps were in the 50’s and it was clear. From 8 o’clock until 11, Colt had found 7 coveys. It was game on and he was doing a fantastic job. Dad’s German shorthaired pointer and my Brittanys had their share, but once again it just seemed as if Colt was making birds. We went in for lunch and to wait until evening to make another run.
About five that evening, Colt had found two coveys, and on the last bird he retrieved it to my hand. He had gotten to the point where he let the Brittanys do the retrieving and he just went ahead hunting after the shot. He went on with his new running mate, my little 7 month old English Pointer Willi, right along with him and Zach close behind. They went around some brush out of sight when I heard Zach screaming with a pleading in his voice for Willi to come in. I just knew what it was and when I heard him shoot three times, I knew I was right. They had run over a huge rattle snake. When Zach saw him, the snake was reared up about thigh high and Willi was trying to get away from it. We started looking her over for fang marks when Colt ran up to me and howled and fell against my legs. I started looking frantically all over him for fang marks. On his legs, his face and neck, everywhere. And then I saw them, straddled across a rib, back on his rib cage, just below his loin, fang marks that were 2 inches apart.
Zach picked him up and took off for the truck. I was in tears as I followed behind. Colt was current on his rattle snake vaccine, but I felt that he had been hit in the lung and the vaccine wasn’t going to do much for him. We headed out of the ranch and Karla started calling vets in Laredo, Freer, Dilley, Devine, and finally we just headed to San Antonio to the emergency clinic I knew about. We got there and took Colt inside. The folks there had him for a long while, and told us what they felt they needed to do, they called me in again and said he was going downhill fast. Long story short, I decided that if he was going to die, he would die with family and I took him to the truck. I had him in my lap in the back seat while Karla drove home to Hondo. About four miles from the house, he took his last breath while the tears ran down my face.
Zach and I buried him in the back yard the next morning where he could hear the quail calling next door and then went back to the Chap to load up our camp and other dogs that Mom and Dad had been watching for us. It was a sad day. Colt was 22 months old, coming of age, and taken from me all in one swift stroke.
I have a new English Pointer pup, Waylon, to go with Willi, who is now coming into her own as well as my four Brittanys, but Colt was special, and often times I wonder if he was that “ Once in a life time” dog.
=======================

The other day we took our friend Nais (pronounced “Nye-eese) to the pistol range. Nais is a young schoolteacher friend of ours from Taekwondo. Formerly dating a Border Patrol Agent (also a friend of ours), she has developed a desire to shoot guns.
Heck, I don’t see how anybody wouldn’t want to shoot guns. I mean, the heft of the cartridge, the careful aim, the pressure of the blast on your skin, the sharp smell of nitrocellulose vapor in the air, the satisfaction of the bullet punching a near perfect bulls eye in the paper, far down the range produce an ethereal natural high better than any drug or drink could ever come close too. It simply cannot be found anywhere else. Accept no substitutes!
I have been involved in the shooting sports since my father first put that little .22 pistol in my hands on that range in Quail Valley California that I still vaguely remember. He gently guided me through the process of firing my first shot as well a allowing me to shoot several other guns that day including his .22 Mossberg match rifle and I watched as he fired his old model .70, .270 that day. It was as big as a cannon and I was instantly in love.
That day launched me on a life of hunting and fishing for close to half a century now.
I found myself giving encouragement to Nais as we drove toward the range. Getting there we found ourselves alone with the entire facility, a true treat. Inside, D and I unpacked the guns we brought, the two Glocks, the XD-9 subcompact, the Kel-Tech and the two Browning Buckmaster .22’s. Before we began I gave Nais the standard, time honored safety lecture, and let D coach her in the art of aim, fire and follow through. Timid at first I beamed like a proud dad when she finally conquered her initial hesitation and begun punching very pretty little groups through near the center of the target at 10 yards. I’ve always believed that women are the best shooters by and large.
While we were coaching our friend, another shooter walked in and set up his .22 at the far corner of the range. American Firing Range is an indoor facility and only has six lanes so it wasn’t too far away. As always we were polite and friendly, but this guy just seemed to have an air of superiority. One of those kinds. He also had a mid western accent, specifically Minnesota. Great. Probably a Winter Texan.
Reloading magazines, this guy pauses to do so and sort of smugly says; “ I can shoot this .22 all day long for what it costs to shoot my .380. I nod and agree. I sure enjoy our Buckmasters, but there’s also nothing like shooting bigger calibers, and besides if you carry one for defense it’s essential to stay comfortable with that weapon. Hell, we even shoot IDPA…..
Then he says:” Besides, .380 ammo has been pretty scarce. I can’t even find any. Know where I can get some?”. “I’ve had some problem getting .40 caliber, but lately I’ve found a few boxes here and there” I say, thinking back to about March of last year when it was essentially non-existent here. “Yea” I continue…”ammo has been pretty short ever since that guy took office last fall”. “Well” he says, “I heard the government needed it to supply the war in the middle East.”
Now, I’ve heard this preposterous statement before so I told him: “You know, the military doesn’t shoot .380 and the only folks in the military that shoot .40 cal are the MP’s and that’s by choice. I was beginning to suspect this guy was one of those people that can’t figure out if they’re liberal or conservative, a child of the 60’s that just never shed the social affectations of liberalism a la Woodstock. The most pathetic kind.

So I continued on, now getting just a bit impassioned. “Man, can you believe what they’re doing to limit our second amendment rights”. I get NRA’s America’s First Freedom and read it from cover to cover to stay abreast of what’s being done to rob us those rights. “ He just shot back; “Well, I don’t see that anywhere’…..letting his thought trail off down the range.
I could tell I was dealing with an idiot. Unfortunately a somebody that there seems to been too many of. I felt weary. The elation I felt over Nais’ accomplishments were quickly succumbing to a sense of morose.
“We’re doomed” I mourned to myself.
I thought for a moment about trying to enlighten this guy, and then I realized it was folly. He was as set in his ideas as I am in mine. It would make no sense.
So I just turned away and shook my head, mumbling to myself:
“Maybe Texas will Secede”
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San Felipe is a sleepy little fishing village on the north central shore of the Yucatan Peninsula. For 15 years our guides have been hunting quail in the fields of the ranches surrounding San Felipe. This area is a quail hunting paradise – the exotic black-throated quail is king in these parts. The terrain is rugged, but manageable, with the quail coveys scattered throughout open cattle pastures and in the dotted brushy cover. Lightweight waterproof boots and light chaps are recommended.

Typically, Yucatan quail hunting begins at around 5:00 AM with drives from 20 – 45 minutes to the ranches. Once in the field you will meet your guides and their expertly trained English Pointers. Quality dog work is the mark of a quality quail hunt, and our Yucatan quail hunting guides provide this in spades. The morning quail hunting ends around 9:30am and are followed by a quick trip to town for breakfast and a siesta. Afternoon quail hunting begins around 3:30 PM. Snacks and drinks are always provided during the hunt. Hunters can expect 15-20 coveys per quail hunt, and under optimal conditions, 20+ coveys are not uncommon. Our Yucatan quail hunting rivals, and often surpasses, any wild quail hunting found in the US. With pristine quail hunting conditions, limited hunting pressure and the area’s boundless natural beauty, it’s easy to understand why more and more quail hunting aficionados are heading to the Yucatan.

Our quail hunters are accommodated in a small charismatic San Felipe hotel, just blocks from the beach. Groups are normally limited to just eight at a time to ensure the most personable service and quality quail hunting for all.

* Make it a Yucatan mixed-bag hunt – Click here to learn more about our Duck / Quail combos!

Side Trips
The Yucatan offers endless adventure options. Side trips and adventure options include trips to Cancun, Playa del Carmen and the area’s many Mayan ruins. Fishing and golfing packages are also available year round.
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Jun 1

Posted in: Quail Hunting | No Comments
Tags: florida quail hunting, how to hunt quail, Quail Hunting, quail hunting guide

Quail hunting isn’t easy. Quail are small, elusive birds that don’t scare as easily as other game birds. It takes being a great shot, as well as mastering terrains so you have a basic understanding of where you might find quail, to be successful at hunting them.

Quail are usually hunted by flushing them out into the open in some fashion. Most hunters use dogs to achieve this, and there are certain dogs that are favored:

• Beagles – hunters love beagles because they’re close to the ground and can get into areas that larger dogs can’t. They also have a good sense for hunting, and can be trained to both point or baying in their own unique way that notifies hunters of their quarry

• Curly-coated Retriever – among retriever dogs, this is the favored dog for quail hunting. It’s a large dog with a thick coat that can handle thorns and burrs, as well as cold water, if it needs to get wet. It’s considered one of the smartest dogs for training

• Wirehaired Pointing Griffon – this dog is considered one of the best pointers for quail. It’s a medium sized dog with a rough coating, and a strong nose that’s great for both pointing and rooting out game. Its color also works well in helping to camouflage it in the wild

• American Water Spaniel – this is a dog that loves to hunt and seems like it can run all day. They’re also very good swimmers, but their specialty is getting into the woods or rough terrain in scenting out their prey

Of course, many other dogs have been trained for hunting, but these would be your best bet.

Also, when it comes to hunting quail, there are debates about the best kind of gun to have. The one thing everyone agrees on is that you need a scope with great accuracy, because a hunter will need all the help he can get to bag a quail, as it is a smaller bird. Many people like using a lighter gun because they’ll be carrying them around for a long time. When it comes to gauge, it doesn’t take much to kill a quail, so large shot might be a bit of overkill, but small shot means you have to be on target to get a quail.

Something else a hunter might want to think about is a good pair of binoculars. There are two features one wants to concentrate on when it comes to quail hunting binoculars. The first is to buy binoculars with range finder options. These send out a laser beam to whatever a hunter is looking for and sends a signal back helping hunters calculate the distance the quail is away from them. This works best if the gun doesn’t have a scope on it.

Of course, even with a scope, you might want binoculars that have some sort of night vision capability. Even though they don’t work great in sunlight, if you’re in a dark, wooded area, or even on an overcast day, they may help in seeing the quail.

Using these tips will help you in your quail hunting endeavors.
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Jun 4

Posted in: Florida Hunting | No Comments
Tags: central florida hunting, florida hunting, hunting guide

The central Florida area of the state, one of three zones, is the largest hunting area in the state. It comprises of 44 counties, including Sarasota and Orange Counties, so if you’re into a full experience with the family you can set yourself up for the hunt during the day and take the kids to Disney World in the evening.
Something that hunting in central Florida adds that many other areas don’t have is a more lush background of woods and swamps, as well as many lakes and waterways. For instance, Lake Okeechobee, the second largest freshwater lake within the United States, not only offers some of the top fishing in the nation, but also has deer, duck, turkey, wild boar and alligator hunting as well. Other game that can be hunted in central Florida includes quail, pigeon and dove hunting, and a few clubs even purchase pheasant for hunting.
One of those clubs that has pheasant hunts is the Quail Creek Plantation in Okeechobee. On certain days, they’ll release up to 400 pheasants and 300 wild pigeons and let the hunters enjoy the shoot from one of 12 shooting stations.

Quail Creek Plantation is indicative of the type of terrain that most plantations and clubs have in central Florida, that being landscapes of trees rising from the swamps and uplands carpeted with native grasses, and most of it untouched or unchanged for centuries, except for modern additions such as living quarters. This type of terrain offers lots of lush vegetation that all sorts of animals can enjoy and hide in, which makes hunting an even more enjoyable event.

Also like Quail Creek Plantation, many plantations in the area offer not only live hunting, but sporting clays tournaments and range target shooting. Quail Creek Plantation hosts one of the hundreds of shooting clays tournament Florida has each year.

There are over 240 species of bird in the Ocala National Forest, the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River. Some of these birds are endangered, therefore no hunting of some species is allowed. It also contains over 600 natural lakes and ponds, along with lots of slow moving rivers. The Florida Black Bear population has its highest concentration here, but they’re also not allowed to be hunted. Alligators, white-tailed deer, wild boar, and numerous small animals, including bats, coyote, gray fox, red fox, opossum, raccoon, the North American river otter, bobcat, Southeastern pocket gopher, and nine-banded armadillo can be found as well. The sandy soil is home to the Gopher Tortoise. Out of these, the otter is the only animal which can’t be number.

There are also five species of poisonous snakes in the forest: the cottonmouth, coral snake, and three species of rattlers. Some other snakes, which can grow as long as 20 feet or so, reside here as well, each with its own way of damaging or hurting you, and many of them can climb high into the trees, so it’s another challenge for hunters to be on the lookout for.

Hunting in central Florida can be a major challenge, but it can also be a lot of fun if you decide to hook up with one of the plantations and allow their guides to be with you.
========================Jun 4

Posted in: Portfolio | No Comments

Hunt the true wild and elusive Osceola gobblers under 100% fair chase conditions.

Jun 4

Posted in: Portfolio | No Comments

Experience the true joy of pursuing bob-white quail. All hunts are fully guided.

Jun 4

Posted in: Portfolio | No Comments

Come join us for a round of sporting clays at the newest course in Okeechobee. 14 fully automatic stations.

Jun 4

Posted in: Portfolio | No Comments

Located centrally in Florida, Quail Creek is the premium location for hunting in the South.

Jun 4

Posted in: Turkey Hunting | No Comments
Tags: florida turkey hunting, Turkey Hunting

Florida is a great place to hunt for turkey, as they are plentiful and there are many areas where turkeys are so that one can get different hunting experiences. For instance, even though turkeys like dry flatlands, there are some turkeys that live close to water, including rivers, lakes and swamps. This makes it challenging, not only because turkey hunting involves patience and stealth, but because there are other animals one has to watch out for including some pretty dangerous ones.

Of course, like other states, Florida has some specific rules for hunting turkey in its state. For instance, there are two turkey hunting seasons in Florida, one in the middle of autumn, the other in spring. In the northwest hunting zone, there’s actually a third special hunting period of only a few days. Holmes County, in the northwest zone, doesn’t allow turkey hunting in the fall.

In the fall turkey hunt, only males are allowed to be hunted. This is to make sure there are enough females for mating season in the spring. Males are known to literally have a harem of females, so this makes turkey hunting even more difficult in the fall because hunters have to make sure what it is they’re shooting. This means that, if you shoot a turkey during this season, you must leave the head on so you can prove that you’ve killed a male.

Hunters are allowed a daily limit of one turkey, but for each season they’re allowed only two. Therefore, if you kill your allotted number of turkeys early, you’re heading back home. However, turkey hunting is more difficult than that, so it could take the entire season to catch one. Not because you may not see one, but because of how you have to hunt turkey. They’re smarter than people have been led to believe, and they learn hunting patterns within a few days and figure out how to stay safe.

Dogs, which are prominent in hunting quail and other feathered game, are not allowed to be used to hunt turkey. The reason for this is that turkeys don’t fly up and out into the sky like other birds do, which means dogs could mutilate turkeys and spoil the hunt.

You can’t shoot turkeys while they’re on the roost, nor can you shoot turkeys if they’re in a baited area. Baited areas are meant to draw other animals, but turkeys will wander into these areas and become easy prey.

The state of Florida has a couple of certifications you can apply for based on your kill. One of those is known as the Outstanding Gobbler Certificate, and to qualify the “beards” of the turkey must be at least 11 inches long, the spurs at least 1 ¼ inches. The other is known as the First Gobbler Certificate, and is awarded to hunters under 16 years of age.

Overall, the best way to hunt turkey in Florida is to hook up with a club, lodge, or plantation. They offer a full hunting experience in the safety of a group and guides who will go out with you, show you the basics of hunting turkey, and try to make sure you stay safe. Even on private lands, there are things that owners have no control over; after all, nature doesn’t always follow the rules. However, you could also have a lot of fun if turkey hunting is something you’d like to try.

Jun 4

Posted in: Florida Hunting | No Comments
Tags: florida hunting, florida hunting tips

Florida is a great state for hunting, but like every other state, it has its rules, and it has things you should consider as a part of your hunting experience.

The first thing to know is that you have to have a license to hunt in Florida. There are different licenses for different game, and if you’re not from Florida, it’s going to cost you more for a license. There are also special licenses that will cover multiple game or multiple areas. You can learn more about licenses, including downloading forms, at this link.

Another thing to think about is whether you want to hunt on private or public property. Private property means hunting lodges and plantations; public property refers to the few WMA’s, or wildlife management areas, available. You need a special license to hunt in WMA’s, but if you’re an experienced hunter this might be just the thing you want to do.

There are wild animals in Florida that aren’t in other states, or many other states, that you’ll need to be cognizant for. The main one everyone knows about is an alligator, and it’s bigger and faster than you might think. Not only that, but they’re also quiet and stealthy, and many a hunter has either walked right up to one or had one sneak up on them. There are also rattlesnakes and bobcat to worry about, but you may not have to worry about bobcats as much if you’re at a hunting lodge.

Next is researching the type of clothes you should wear depending on the game and the location where you’re going to be hunting. Camouflage works well for some animals, but doesn’t work well for others. Some lodges will offer clothing for you, which may be included in the price of staying there.

You’ll also need to think about protecting your skin. Florida is a hot state, especially southern Florida, and much of it is surrounded by swamps. That means lots of mosquitoes and other biting bugs. So, you may need to think about including netting as a part of your clothing. You definitely want to wear both waterproof and steel toed shoes, to protect your feet from the water and from the snakes. Alligator bites will go through even steel toed shoes, so no protection there. Also, don’t forget sun screen, because it’s sunny often, but make sure whatever you select doesn’t have scent to it, as animals can smell pretty well.

The best tip to give anyone deciding to hunt in Florida is hooking up with a hunting lodge or club. They will offer guides who will show you where the game you’re hunting might be, and they’ll also be able to handle the dogs that you’ll go out with. Guides also make sure you’ll stay safe and make sure to watch your back.

One final thing; don’t be overly disappointed if you end up not shooting anything. Shooting is tough to begin with, and it’s tough even if you can hit a standing target. A moving target is even tougher, because you never really know where it’s going. Make sure to learn at least a few rules for whatever it is you’re hunting, not only to make sure you’re not violating any Florida laws, but also to give yourself the best chance to actually bag something. That, plus safety must always be taken; you don’t want to shoot your best friend like former Vice President Dick Cheney did.

These tips should help to enhance your Florida hunting experience.

Jun 4

Posted in: Quail Hunting | No Comments
Tags: florida quail hunting, Quail Hunting, quail hunting tips

There’s lots of good hunting of quail in Florida, and it’s a nice, long season that’s helped by Florida’s wonderful climate. Whether you’re an expert or novice at hunting, quail or otherwise, it never hurts to learn some tips on how you might take care of yourself, become a better hunter, and get more enjoyment out of hunting. Below are ten tips that you might want to follow.

1. Hook up with a quail hunting lodge of some kind. The experienced hunter might not believe this is true hunting, but for everyone else this is the best way to go. Each year, quail hunting lodges, many of which are old plantations from the antebellum days, actually purchase more quail to let loose on their grounds, making sure everyone has plenty of opportunities to at least have a shot at bagging some quail. Also, most of these lodges will not only have guided tours to help you find the best spots for hunting, but many will supply both guns and dogs to help you flush out your quarry.

2. The best time to go quail hunting as it pertains to the season is at the beginning. Quail have finished mating, there are more quail to go around, and, of course, if you followed the first tip and hooked up with a lodge there are even more quail available.

3. The best time of the day to go quail hunting is late afternoon, when they’re more liable to come out of hiding on their own instead of having to have the dogs to and flush them out.

4. Quail like open lands, weedy cover, and, when threatened, will look for thick briar patches, where most predators can’t get to them. Don’t waste your time shooting an animal you can’t get to even if you kill it.

5. If you’re hunting for quail by gun, you need a gun that you can fire and reload fast. Unless you’re a marksman, you probably won’t hit a quail with your first shot, and it may take multiple shots just to graze a quail. But quail aren’t sturdy birds when it comes to killing them, so even grazing a quail might be good enough to catch one. You don’t need a gun that can bring down big game; speed counts when hunting quail.

6. Don’t make too much noise. Like most prey, quail can be skittish when they hear sudden noises, and will make a break for it. If you’re calm and steady, it’s even possible that a quail will walk right up to you. Have your gun at the ready, though, otherwise even a close target will be missed.

7. Never shoot a low flying quail, and unless the shot is extremely easy, never shoot at a quail still on the ground. This is for safety reasons, because you never know if another hunter is in the area tracking the same quail, and many dogs have been killed this way. If you have dogs with you, wait until they’ve flushed out your quarry and shoot them while they’re in the air.

8. You’ll need good clothing, that’s thick and waterproof, especially in Florida. There are two schools of thought as to whether it’s best to wear camouflage clothes, which can help you get closer to quail, or bright colors to help protect yourself from being shot at by other hunters. It’s best to ask the people at the hunting lodge you decide to go to what they recommend, as each lodge might have its own rules.

9. If you’re tracking quail with or without your dogs, it’s always best to keep your gun aimed relatively high, since they will fly up.

10. A big part of hunting is being out in nature and absorbing its overall beauty and calmness. Don’t waste the opportunity to drink in its beauty and splendor; you never know when you’ll get another chance, especially in a state like Florida, which has nature and scenery unlike most other states.

Jun 4

Posted in: General | No Comments
Tags: florida skeet shooting, skeet shooting, trap shooting

Skeet shooting is a challenging sports to learn for novices, whether they’ve hunted before or not. There’s a great difference between shooting at a live animal and shooting at something where your skills have more to do with timing and great aim. The state of Florida has clubs all over that either totally geared towards skeet shooting, or combine skeet shooting along with other forms of hunting, both live and “non-live”.

Skeet shooting came to America in the late 1800’s after being developed first in Britain. It started out as a recreational sport for only the wealthy, as early hotels and plantations would set it up along with pastimes like golf, horseback riding, and bicycling. It really became popular in the 1920’s, and the first Florida clubs started popping up in the late 1920’s, after it became known as a real sport, which led to the National Skeet Shooting Association and, in Florida, the Florida Skeet Association.

The first skeet shooting tournament in Florida was held by the Jungle Gun Club of St. Petersburg, which opened in 1928 and held its first tournament in 1929. It was so popular that the second year the number of participants almost doubled from the previous year, and skeet shooters from 16 different states came to the event, which was a series of 100 target shoots for 16 classes. The best performer actually hit 99 out of 100 targets.

How does skeet shooting work? Clay disks are flung into the air at high speed by what are known as “traps” from different angles. Shooters alternate positions, as they’re usually standing somewhere between two small houses. The houses, known as a “high house” and a “low house,” contain the traps. Shooters move to different stations, eight in all, to get through their round. They don’t have a lot of time to catch the clays either, as they’re moving at an estimated 50 to 60 miles per hour.

The difficulty in the sport isn’t necessarily the speed, though it’s a component. Usually the difficulties are figuring out the distance of the clays, and learning how to track the clays. Experts know how to get themselves into a position where they can estimate where they believe the clays will appear so that they can do what’s known as “swinging through” towards the target instead of having to jerk their guns up and down. They also have to learn how to shoot while their moving their guns, which most shooters usually do not have to learn.

Although there many clubs and lodges that have skeet shooting throughout the state, only 19 clubs are registered with the Florida Skeet Association, which has close to 100 skeet shooting tournaments a year throughout the state. One doesn’t have to be a member to participate in a tournament, though, which is usually broken into four classes, which gives shooters at all skill levels a chance to compete against each other. Tournament locations and dates can be found on the Florida Skeet Association website.

Jun 4

Posted in: Sporting Clays | No Comments
Tags: florida skeet shooting, florida sporting clays

Shooting sporting clays is one of the fastest growing participation sports in the United States. People like it because they’re not shooting at live animals, and there’s no one season set aside to go it. As long as the weather is good, one can shoot sporting clays.

Sporting clays began coming into prominence in the early 1980’s in Florida, and the Florida Sporting Clays Association, which is affiliated with the National Sporting Clay Association, was founded in 1989 to oversee all sporting clays competition in the state.

Since most sporting clays tournaments like having conditions that look and feel like real hunting, Florida is a great place for both personal and competition sporting clays. That’s because many clubs that have already been set up for live game hunting such as for quail and pheasants already have the vegetation and landscaping, thus that part is covered, and all anyone has to do is set up the course.

Florida also seems to be a leader in what’s known as 5-stand shooting. This is different than traditional sporting clays in that there are five stands, or stations, to shoot from, and no two are alike. Participants shoot in turn at each of the 5 stands a between 6 and 8 targets, with different combinations of targets being thrown. It’s usually performed in a smaller space that normal sporting clays, which makes it great for training.

In February 2009, there was an event known as the Rhino Rally, a four-day event held at a place called Rhino Outdoors in Williston, FL. About 188 shooters participated in this event, one of the first of the year, and it was being followed the next week by the Seminole Cup, held at the Quail Creek Plantation in Okeechobee, and the Caribbean Classic at IRTS & SC in Vero Beach. The owner of Rhino’s, Joe Morales, also announced he was creating an RV resort for sporting clays, which would be the first of its type in the United States.

It was known as a premiere resort because shooters in sporting clays competitions like a mixture of different sizes and shapes, as well as changes in speed from the release of the clays. That, plus weather conditions that are normally pristine, are great backgrounds for a shooting clays competition (although the last day of this particular competition was a bit cooler and windier than the first three days had been).

There are close to 100 different sporting clays competitions in Florida every year. You can get a full listing of every competition off the Florida Sporting Clays Association’s website here.

Along with competitive shooting clays competitions, there’s a great number of sporting clays clubs throughout the entire state of Florida as well. Most of the clubs also have other game and shooting competitions as well, so you can get a little taste of almost anything. If you’re from out of state, it’s best to pay for a full package of accommodations, which will allow you to try out pretty much everything, although the cost of your ammunition and the rental of guns aren’t free.

You have many choices for shooting clays in Florida; take a look to see what Florida has to offer.

Jun 4

Posted in: Florida Hunting | No Comments
Tags: florida hunting, florida hunting laws

If you’re going to go hunting in the state of Florida, you need to make sure you’re not going to put yourself into a position of not knowing all the rules and regulations. There’s nothing worse than being hit with a fine or being put in jail for ignorance.

You can check out the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website where you can find all sorts of information. Some of that information and the links to it are:

General Hunting rules – these can be downloaded from here.
The most important link that every hunter should check out, which will download a pdf to their computers, is the Hunting Regulations Handbook, which can be downloaded right to your computer.

Florida also requires licenses for hunting in their state. They will be more costly if you’re not a resident, and if the hunter is under age 16 or over age 65 and are residents of the state, they don’t have to register or pay any fees. The link for license and permit information and applications is right here.

So, what kind of hunting laws does Florida have that you should be aware of? The most important rules to follow are the very specific hunting seasons and locations. For instance, Hudson County in northwestern Florida has shorter hunting seasons for many prey, and even some seasons that they don’t participate in with the rest of the state. Also, Florida is known to stagger the hunting season for some animals depending on which area of the state you want to hunt in, as they’ve broken it into three zones, northwest, central, and south. The staggering of seasons isn’t only for prey, but for different types of hunting, such as with crossbows.

There are types of weapons not allowed to be used when it comes to hunting in Florida. One big type of outlawed gun is semi-automatic rifles that have magazines that shoot more than five rounds at a time. Fully automatic weapons, and any weapon with a silencer, aren’t allowed. You also can’t shoot game from moving vehicles, even on the water; you must turn off the motor before shooting at anything. You’re also not allowed to use nets, snares or traps to catch prey.

There are other rules for places one isn’t allowed to hunt. You can’t hunt on state, federal, or county maintained roads anywhere. You can’t hunt on private land unless it’s been licensed for hunting. You can’t hunt in private sanctuaries. And you can’t trespass on private lands for any reason, even if you shot and wounded prey that ended up landing on private land.

There are a few more things that you need to know about hunting in Florida. There are specific times during the day when hunting is allowed, and those times may change based on the type of prey being hunted and where you’re hunting. You need a special permit to hunt in WMAs (wildlife management areas). Also, remember to stick with the quotas set by each county, which can range from very generous to very stringent (Hudson County, for example, only allows one turkey kill a season).

Following these, and other rules, could keep you out of trouble while hunting in Florida. To learn more state rules, don’t forget to download the hunting regulations guide, in pdf form, from here.
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Jun 4

Posted in: Turkey Hunting | 1 Comment
Tags: florida turkey hunting, Turkey Hunting

Florida is a great place to hunt for turkey, as they are plentiful and there are many areas where turkeys are so that one can get different hunting experiences. For instance, even though turkeys like dry flatlands, there are some turkeys that live close to water, including rivers, lakes and swamps. This makes it challenging, not only because turkey hunting involves patience and stealth, but because there are other animals one has to watch out for including some pretty dangerous ones.

Of course, like other states, Florida has some specific rules for hunting turkey in its state. For instance, there are two turkey hunting seasons in Florida, one in the middle of autumn, the other in spring. In the northwest hunting zone, there’s actually a third special hunting period of only a few days. Holmes County, in the northwest zone, doesn’t allow turkey hunting in the fall.

In the fall turkey hunt, only males are allowed to be hunted. This is to make sure there are enough females for mating season in the spring. Males are known to literally have a harem of females, so this makes turkey hunting even more difficult in the fall because hunters have to make sure what it is they’re shooting. This means that, if you shoot a turkey during this season, you must leave the head on so you can prove that you’ve killed a male.

Hunters are allowed a daily limit of one turkey, but for each season they’re allowed only two. Therefore, if you kill your allotted number of turkeys early, you’re heading back home. However, turkey hunting is more difficult than that, so it could take the entire season to catch one. Not because you may not see one, but because of how you have to hunt turkey. They’re smarter than people have been led to believe, and they learn hunting patterns within a few days and figure out how to stay safe.

Dogs, which are prominent in hunting quail and other feathered game, are not allowed to be used to hunt turkey. The reason for this is that turkeys don’t fly up and out into the sky like other birds do, which means dogs could mutilate turkeys and spoil the hunt.

You can’t shoot turkeys while they’re on the roost, nor can you shoot turkeys if they’re in a baited area. Baited areas are meant to draw other animals, but turkeys will wander into these areas and become easy prey.

The state of Florida has a couple of certifications you can apply for based on your kill. One of those is known as the Outstanding Gobbler Certificate, and to qualify the “beards” of the turkey must be at least 11 inches long, the spurs at least 1 ¼ inches. The other is known as the First Gobbler Certificate, and is awarded to hunters under 16 years of age.

Overall, the best way to hunt turkey in Florida is to hook up with a club, lodge, or plantation. They offer a full hunting experience in the safety of a group and guides who will go out with you, show you the basics of hunting turkey, and try to make sure you stay safe. Even on private lands, there are things that owners have no control over; after all, nature doesn’t always follow the rules. However, you could also have a lot of fun if turkey hunting is something you’d like to try.
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Jun 2

Posted in: Turkey Hunting | No Comments
Tags: florida turkey hunting, Turkey Hunting, turkey hunting tips

Turkey hunting can be an enjoyable sport for some hunters. Those with skills understand that hunting for every animal has its similarities and differences. Here are some tips for hunting turkey that will help to enhance your experience.

1. You can’t stalk a turkey. This isn’t because turkeys are necessarily smart and will know it’s a person stalking them. It’s because other hunters may not be able to tell that you’re not a turkey before shooting. Most turkey hunting accidents occur because someone else thinks you’re a turkey.

2. Try not to wear red, while, or blue if you’re going turkey hunting. Those are the colors of most turkeys, along with brown, and another way to be mistaken for a turkey.

3. Motion is your enemy if you’re going to hunt turkey. Most hunters will find a spot and remain there, as quiet as possible, until turkeys show themselves. They’re faster than they look, and if you spook a turkey too soon, you might not get another chance at getting one. Turkeys also tend to move in groups, so attracting the attention of any of them and they’re all gone.

4. Camouflage is helpful if you’re looking to catch a turkey. Blending in always works well. The standard camouflage clothes work well, but many hunters will also buy camouflage paint for their faces and hands to try to blend in even better.

5. Camouflage isn’t all you need. In the woods, there are lots of bugs, especially mosquitoes and gnats, and they will bite, you’ll move, and you won’t see any turkeys. Wearing scented bug repellant, however, is a major tell to turkeys, as it’s a foreign scent they’re not used to. Netting and gloves can go a long way towards protecting your skin; they have them in camouflage colors as well. Make sure the netting you buy covers your full face also, and pick netting without eyeholes. Sure, they’re just as effective, but you’re looking to protect all areas of your face, and eyeholes still offer skin that these insects will go for.

6. Be careful if you’re going to use something to call a turkey, such as a gobbler call. Other hunters might think you’re a turkey, and won’t follow what the next tip is going to be.

7. Don’t shoot at anything until you see a turkey. Don’t shoot at sounds of any kind, including scratching of branches. Don’t shoot at movement in the trees or leaves. Don’t shoot just because you hear a turkey call, ala the tip above. Don’t assume anything while hunting turkeys.

8. If you’re going to call a turkey with your own voice, try cupping one hand near the mouth before you make the call. This will help the call be more directional, especially if you’re trying to get a certain group of turkey that you may have an idea of where they might be.

9. If you spot an area with lots of grasshoppers, turkeys might not be far behind. Turkeys are attracted to grasshoppers because they offer protein to them, and they might even be used as a lure for turkeys.

10. Turkey hunting takes a lot of patience. If you’re going to wait for a turkey, find a comfortable spot where you can not only sit, but keep your gun ready for your shot. You might want to try to find a place where you can either sit or lay and aim your gun forward. If a turkey sneaks up on you from behind, you’re probably not going to be fast enough to shoot it anyway, so try to stay trained on your targeted spot.

These tips will help your turkey hunting experience go better and safer if you employ them well.
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h”Located in the heart of Lake Fork”

HIDDEN LAKES, named by my wife Kathryn, like all good things is the fulfillment of our personal dream to own and operate a hunting resort. The Resort is located one mile east of Highway 17 on County Road 1912 in Yantis, Texas 75497.

When we first purchased the farm I started constructing lakes and ponds on every draw. When completed we had eight ponds and lakes. Now with the additional ranches acquired we have fourteen in all. Two years ago we stocked every lake and if you like to fish just bring the rod and reel (catch and release only).

You can also look for the ducks, deer, coyotes, bobcats, and other wildlife that roam the ranch. Part of our uniqueness is we are very secluded but an easy drive from major urban areas. The Resort is accessed by two entrances, one to the cabin and guest house and the other to the working facilities, both are half of a mile off the main road. The north, south, east, and west boundaries are the back side of other farms. You will not see a highway from any location on the Resort. This year we added two adjoining ranches to our hunting resort but we still maintain our seclusion.

Wing hunting is the only hunting we do. Years of hunting and visiting other resorts has allowed us to create the ultimate wing shooting resort. To facilitate our hunting, we purchase birds but in addition we also have the facilities to hatch and raise about 14,000 birds.

There are six flight pens from 130’ to 160’ long. The birds are kept secluded from sight of humans and protected from predators until they are released for hunting. Birds are raised in seclusion so they react and fly as if they were wild. This makes for an exciting hunt.

For prime pheasant hunting, we planted seventeen and a half miles of milo and sorghum in 30’ wide strips. There are two rows of milo and then two rows of sorghum repeated until we have a strip 30’ wide. The hunters walk through the waist high milo. The sorghum, which grows to about 7’ tall, causes the birds to get up faster and fly higher. We left all the natural grasses and cover on Hidden Lakes. The scattered trees, briar patches and grown up fence rows are excellent cover and provide prime natural habitat for the quail and chuckers. To facilitate hunting we shred a 20’ path every 200’ in the open field in all pastures. We have six different hunting areas which provide hunters a diverse hunting experience and provides safety by keeping hunters well separated.

Lodging

The guest house is located half of a mile off the road. It has a large bedroom with three queen size beds and a second bedroom with a queen and a half bed. The dining and living area is where meals are served. The guest house can sleep from five to nine depending on arrangements.

The cedar cabin is about 100 yards due south of the guest house nestled in trees by a lake. It has 2 half size beds downstairs and 2 bedrooms upstairs each with a queen size bed. There is also a queen sized sleeper sofa downstairs. The cabin will sleep four to six depending on arrangements.
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Hunting and Fishing Community – The Ultimate Hunting and Fishing Community – GHF’s goal is to be built for its members. We want you to build this sight as if it were your own. We have implemented the ability for our members to be a part of this website and submit there information and knowledge of the outdoors including articles, photos, field journals and marine reports. This will not only spread the love and passion for our sport, but also help to give notice to those individuals that are the real reason our sport exists today and continues to grow.

Gray Ghost Plantation – Gray ghost plantation is a family owned and operated hunting outfitter in Middle Georgia just 1 hour and 45 minutes south west of Atlanta international airport. This region of Georgia is becoming well known for trophy whitetail deer, the abundance of wild turkey and some of the best Georgia Quail Hunting in the state. We hunt 1100 acres of a mixture of planted pines, hardwood timber, ponds and food plots. The property is privately owned and operated. The property is managed for quality Whitetail deer, large flocks of Turkeys and Quail. We take pride in our quality management of whitetails, turkeys and Bobwhite Quail . To help us do this, we have food plots of high protein clover, soybean, corn, wheat, winter rye, off season feeders, as well as natural acorns from oak timber.

We offer Turkey hunting in the spring, Deer hunting in the fall and winter and Wingshooting during Quail Season. The spring turkey season is gun and/or bow and the deer season is split up for archers who want to get a head start on hunting season and we also cater to the rifle hunters later in the season. For some of the most exciting bird hunting action reserve you trip today.

Premier Texas Shooting – This website is dedicated to promoting the wingshooting in the great state of Texas. Here you will find some of the best wingshooting outfitters and lodges in Texas. Whatever your wingshooting desire, you will find it here. Take your time and look over the many lodges that have chose to promote their wingshooting on PremierTexasWingshooting.com. Please fill out the contact form and someone from the lodge will contact you ASAP. “Your next Texas wingshooting adventure begins here. Happy Hunting!

Florida Everglades Bass Fishing – FloridaEvergladesBassFishing.com gives you all the information you could ever want to know about bass fishing in Southern Florida. If you live in Florida or are looking to take a bass fishing vacation in the Sunshine state, you should definitely check us out. We offer great bass fishing trips for the beginner and the seasoned angler, as well as for men, women, and children. We offer several varieties of bass fishing trips such as half day, full day, or weekend trips depending on what the client wants.

Flats and Backcountry Fishing – Your Backcountry Inshore Flats Fishing Charter Boat and Guide for Snook, Redfish, Tarpon, Trout, mangrove snapper and sharks. If you’re searching for the ultimate back country experience you’ve found the right place, the right Captain and the right boats. Whether you’re a seasoned angler or a first time fisherman, we will tailor a trip just for you. Ride on the quickest, most comfortable boats and use the best tackle to land that trophy fish. It is the ultimate backcountry experience for the guys, gals, families or small corporate groups.

Cypress Airboats – Cypress Airboats offers the best backcountry everglades airboat rides there are to offer in south Florida. We bring you deep into the heart of the everglades were the big gators are. Our custom high performance boats are second to none. We cater to both the individual who wants that scenic tour of the everglades and to the thrill seeker for the ride of a lifetime. We are not your typical airboat tour company; we are the real thing, third generation natives of south Florida born and raised in the everglades offering private tours and rides with smaller high performance boats that take you places that you would not normally get to see on the bigger boats.

Ft Lauderdale Airboat Rides – At Ft Lauderdale airboat tours we provide you with the real thing, a custom tailored tour of the old Florida Everglades. We are not a tourist trap or side show. We are the real thing. Our airboats are smaller, quicker and custom. We offer a variety of tour packages from 1 person to small groups. We will customize a tour to fit your needs starting with 1 hour tours to an all day excursion. We also do night tours with advanced notice. When you book a tour with us we will also see how good you are at driving the boat.

West Palm Beach Airboat Rides – At West Palm Beach Airboat Rides we provide you with the real thing, a custom tailored tour of the old Florida Everglades. We are not a tourist trap or side show. We are the real thing. Our airboats are smaller, quicker and custom. We offer a variety of tour packages from 1 person to small groups. We will customize a tour to fit your needs starting with 1 hour tours to an all day excursion. We also do night tours with advanced notice. When you book a tour with us we will also see how good you are at driving the boat.

Miami Airboat Tours – Our tours will take you into the heart of the everglades were you will have an opportunity to see different birds, possibly some animals and a lot of alligators. We will get you up close and personal with the big gators. We at Miami Airboat tours are third generation air boaters and have been in the everglades since the 1960s we know the everglades it’s our back yard.

Key Largo Home Rental – Key Largo home rental offers only the finest accommodations there is to offer, we believe that if you are vacationing locally on a get away weekend, visiting for a week, or spending the winter in Florida you deserve the very best. The home is located in Key Largo on the bay side tucked into a finger canal just off the bay. The home was custom built in 2008 and has a new dock and a boat lift if you would like to bring your boat or jet ski.