1/24/2020 Mississippi Wild Quail Hunting Divide Section WMA

I had a great preserve quail hunt at Little Q this weekend but instead of scratching my itch it only threw fuel on my upland fire. I needed to hunt quail again and I wasn’t willing to drive to where I or others knew there were birds (Copiah or Bienville or South Texas or Oklahoma). But I was willing to drive where quail where recently.

Divide Section WMA was the most productive Mississippi WMA for quail harvest last year (2018-2019 season) through the end of January and finished second only to Chickasawhay WMA for total quail harvest for the full 2018-2019 Mississippi Northern Bobwhite season.

The MDWFP showed Divide Section WMA quail call counts are down over 40% (1.4 2018 vs. 8 2019). Not that the numbers aren’t important but MDWFP acknowledged that weather conditions for 2019 counts in particular were not ideal. But it's worth noting that last year, the most productive total harvest and harvest per man days (Chickasawhay WMA) showed dismal population trends.

I wasn’t all that interested in killing quail. If I was, I’d be best served by leaving the State of Mississippi. I just wanted to hunt quail. And so I went on a wild quail hunt on public land in Mississippi with my bird dog and my shotgun.

Where quail hide apparently

I left Oxford around 9:00 am and made the 90 minute drive in record time on account of needing to poop. I did as the bear does in the woods upon arrival and sat off. I walked 2.2 miles at a pace of 2.7 MPH (thanks onX) around a disposal site and decided to try my luck at a different spot. I drove across the north end of Bay Springs and eventually found a spot to park and walk. I walked a tier or two above the creek and eventually made it to a disposal pond. There were a few ringed necks on the pond that I tried to skillet shoot but failed. I still had yet to see any quail looking cover or cover for that matter when Dublin ran off in a draw out of sight and flushed either a pair of woodcocks or two quail.

Not the kind of cover I was targeting but it goes to show you never can tell

That put a little pep in my step and I hunted the dog closer up to a grassy hill bordered by thin pines. Dublin froze at the top of the hill, about 40 yards from me, then took two steps forward, clearly birdy then on point. Within three seconds a covey of 8-10 birds busted. The birds were inside the pines and though I had a couple of shooting windows I missed twice on one bird and again on another. I opted to hunt em down in the direction I shot in case I put a pellet in one. Within minutes Dublin was on point again. This time I didn't fail to reward his good dog work. I dropped a cock. We had to search a few minutes but I kept the dog in the area of my mark and eventually he went back on point then grabbed the bird.

From this angle I suppose I see why quail bunker down here.

We started zig zagging in the primary direction of the flush when the dog went on point again. Another two shots, another several minute search for a lively cripple and a hen was added to the bag. Dublin went on point twice more, once on a single and again on a double, I missed both times. But we had so much damn fun walking a 10k to find a covey to hunt then walking another 5k hunting them down. I was so proud of the dog. I decided to allow those birds to die another day and was seriously considering trying to find one more covey when I stepped in boot deep water to discover my muck boots waterproof days were behind them. With soaked socks and full boots, I humped back to the corolla truck texting my hunting buddies while still keeping my head on a swivel for renegade upland game.

Two today, five public land Mississippi wild quail on two different WMA’s since 2018. Hard way to make a living.

I made it back to the gate and visited with a very nice man named Perry, a man of about 65 who was about to ride his .444 in on a mountain bike to catch a deer. He used to own a GSP and guide hunts in the mid-south. Just a real pleasant down to earth guy. I admitted that I needed to take a few millennial selfies and pictures and he excused himself to the woods.

I am without words for this guy, my Wirehaired Pointing Griffon Dublin. He continues to mature in all aspects as a hunting a dog and his nose is first rate. I heard someone wisely say recently I’d rather hunt without a shotgun than a without a dog and I couldn’t agree more.

Before dark and making it back to the house that day, I had already planned another quail hunt with my best good hunting buddy Austin Holt.

The contents of the crop of both quail, cleaned and sorted so I could try to identify primary forage.