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A nice blackbuck antelope taken on a recent hunt at the Premier Ranch.

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Jay Presti’s Premier Ranch Texas Axis Hunt

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Premier Ranch Texas Hunting Season 2015

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Quail Hunting in Texas

If you’re reading this, you’re either already an avid quail hunter, or you’re looking to experience quail hunting for the first time. Maybe you currently reside in Texas, or maybe you live North of the Mason-Dixon Line and are itching to try some Southern Quail Hunting in Texas! Either way, we share your interest and passion for upland game birds and quail. From the bond created with the bird dogs, to taking the shot, to finishing with a delicious meal paired with your favorite beverage, game bird and quail hunting gets an A+ in our mind for types of hunting experiences.

Hunting for Quail in Texas

Chances are, a lot of you have hunted quail or other game birds at some point in your life. But for those of you who mainly seek out those trophy whitetail deer or other big game, let’s give you a quick overall explanation of how a quail or bird hunt typically goes.

1. Quail Hunting Dogs

Bird hunting dogs take, on average, about 6 months to train and get up to speed and ready to get out in the field for an actual quail hunt. This is a general rule of thumb. Some take less time, and some will take more, but it doesn’t end there. As long your dog is doing hunts with you, they should be trained consistently throughout their hunting lifetime, until you retire them from duty. A quail hunting dog is one of the most important elements in a successful quail hunt, so time and money is well-spent when you develop a high quality hunting dog. The bond created between any dog and owner is strong, but a bird hunting dog can invoke one of the strongest human/animal bonds imaginable. The “duty” of the dog, it’s sense of purpose, and the shared trust between owner and animal creates a dynamic relationship not commonly shared by a house pet owner.

2. The Quail Hunt

Quail hunts take place in the fall throughout the country. In Texas, with our mild winters, the Quail Hunting Season runs from Oct 25th through Feb 20th. On our ranch, quail hunts take place December – March.

Typically, quail hunts feature 2-4 people with a pair of specifically trained bird dogs. Dogs are trained to “point” to a covey (group) of quail when they pick up the scent. The hunter then commands the dog to rush the quail covey, producing a flight of birds, and that’s when the hunters take the shot, when the quail are in the air. The dogs will then retrieve the quail for you to dress and get ready for the dinner table! Quail hunts are done with shotguns and usually 7 ½ load shells.

3. Where to Hunt and Find Quail

The habitats that typically hold quail have been on a continuous decline with the increase of urban sprawl and less open land, therefore resulting in less quail than 25 years ago. That’s why hunting ranches in Texas have become more popular amongst quail hunters. We spend hours, days, and months to make sure conditions are ideal for our quail population and they’re currently thriving and we have an abundance of birds, unlike most public lands.

Like almost all upland birds, quail try to avoid open spaces, where they’re most vulnerable and feel less safe. Open fields and pastures are not your ideal places to find quail. They like cover, a combination of woody cover, briar patches, and fields with taller foliage than just standard grasses. This is another reason why a good bird dog is so important. They can flush the quail from thick cover that is difficult for humans to navigate. Basically, you’re looking for land that has diverse vegetation, a combination of woods, grasses, weeds, and shrubs.  

Feeding schedule:

Here’s a typical day in the life of a quail, so you can master your quail hunting techniques.

-Morning: quail can be found in high grass fields feeding on seeds from plants -Afternoon: after stocking up on morning food, quail rest under woody coverage -Late afternoon, evening: quail make their way back to grassy, weedy food producers -Night: quail tend to sleep in tall grasses

Wood lots and along fence rows can be good starting points for hunting quail, because they like to try and find cover as close to their feeding areas as possible.

Hunting Quail in a Safe Manner

This is quite a bit different from most “stalk” type hunts. If you’re trying to stalk a trophy whitetail or axis on a bowhunt, obviously you want to be as camouflaged and scent masked as possible. And here’s yet another reason for a good quail hunting dog. Their senses put ours to shame. Their sense of smell locates quail long before us, so it’s not necessary to get as close to the animal as other stalk hunts. Therefore, bright colors, typically orange, should be worn on all quail hunts. You’re usually in close proximity to other hunters in your party and you absolutely must be able to see them AT ALL TIMES. Bright colors ensure the safety of yourself, your hunting party, and your dogs.

When the dogs locate the birds, the safety of the hunting party should be considered before commanding the dogs to rush the quail covey. Take stock of your surroundings, the positions of everybody in your party, and where your dogs are pointing and where they’ll end up. Discuss each hunters “range of swing” before the hunt takes place. Typically, the space between hunting party partners is split in half. Don’t swing beyond your half, and no horizontal shooting. If your gun is level with the ground, that’s an unsafe shot, both for your other hunting pals, and your dogs.

What Can You Expect Quail Hunting in Texas with Us?

We have world-class amenities on our 1865 acre ranch, located in the beautiful hill country in central Texas. Our main hunting lodge is 7,500 sq ft and can accommodate large or small parties of guests. Cooks are on-site to prepare all of your meals. We also have a smaller, private hunting lodge for couples and a different experience.

You will hunt with one of our experienced, Texas quail hunting guides, and 2 of our professionally trained gun dogs. We can do half or full day quail hunts with lunch included, and we’ll process all of your birds for you on-site. As mentioned, we have overnight lodging and meals available if you’re interested.

"We've been extremely busy this spring and summer making sure all our bobs have food plots. We've soft released bobwhite hens to supplement and insure a large breeding population,” said Jon Hubble, main quail guide, and upland bird specialist from Premier Ranch in Central Texas hill country.  “From our call counts, big brood sightings, lots of rain, and our relatively cool summer, we're expecting to have a huge population come fall. The Premier Ranch version of quail management seems to be paying off, and we’re very excited for the upcoming quail season."

In addition to an epic quail hunting experience, the scenery and other animals you may see, will leave a lasting impact. You may decide in the future to come back to do one of our famous trophy whitetail hunts. We also have axis deer, blackbuck antelope, and fallow options if you’d like to try an exotic hunt in Texas.

Whether you decide to hunt with us, or on your own, we hope you enjoy the experience of a successful quail hunt as much as we do. The preparation required, and the challenge of the hunt, make it very rewarding, and it’s tough to beat a meal of wild game birds, shared with your friends and family.