Quail Hunting Guides and Outfitters – Trips and Guided Hunts

Quail is a name given to several different kinds of birds. In Europe, it refers to several kinds of game birds of the pheasant family. Americans use the name for several game birds of the grouse family. The best known of these American birds is called the bobwhite. The bobwhite is called a quail in northern and eastern United States and in Canada where many quail hunting guides and outfitters can be found, but many people in the South call it a partridge.

The Bobwhite: This upland game bird gets its name from its clear whistling call, which sounds like “ah bob WHITE”.This bird is the only kind of quail native to the area east of the Mississippi River. It usually lives in the region from the Gulf States to southern Ontario. The bobwhite is a plump bird, 10 inches long. It has reddish-brown feathers with black, white, and buff markings. These marks make the bobwhite look as if it had a speckled jacket.

The bobwhite builds its nest on the ground, and lives in the grass. Quail hunts are normally undertaken in fields and meadows, or other open areas that supply food for this game bird. A brood may include from 10 to 18 eggs or more. Weed seeds provide half the bobwhite’s food. The rest is grain, wild fruit, and insects. The bobwhite also eats insect pests, such as chinch bugs, grasshoppers, boll weevils, army worms and cutworms. Its habit of eating insects makes the bobwhite a true friend of the farmer.

Quail flesh is a popular food. They are round, chunky birds, ranging in length from seven to eleven inches. They have short tails and large strong feet and legs. Hunters killed so many of the birds in the early part of the twentieth century that most states had to form hunting laws to protect them. A quail hunting trip is not only fun, but makes a good meal as well. Quail scatter at the approach of an enemy then they sound a gathering call once it is safe.

Other kinds of American quail are the California quail, which is a brown, gray, and white bird with a black throat also has a comma-shaped black plume that curls forward from the top of the head. The Gambel’s quail is a desert species that has a similar topknot and a black face. Other kinds are; mountain quail, scaled quail, and Mearn’s quail. The mountain quail is the largest with a long narrow plume that juts backward from the crown. The scaled quail has a light breast marked with dark scallops. Its crest is short and triangular. The Mearn’s is the smallest. All except Mearn’s have crests that stand out from their heads. Their feathers usually are slate blue, olive brown, and black and white. These upland game birds live in the western and southwestern states mostly and the quail hunting guide or outfitter that you hire will be able to give you more information about them in their area of the state.

Scientific Classification: Quails belong to the family Phasianidae. The bobwhite is genus Colinus, species virginianus.

Tips for Quail Hunting