For the Birds

There may be those who believe we brought Kali and shotguns along on this trip so we could bird hunt.  Well, maybe ... but there's a lot to be learned when afield in pursuit of upland critters.
In September I had called a WMA in Tennessee to discuss the likelihood of finding a wild covey of quail or two.  Spoke with Pam McDonald, a former game enforcement officer who had recently made the transition to wildlife management.  She asked me to stop by when we could so she could tell Sophia about that career from a woman's perspective.
Pam has some beautifully managed acres ... 15,000-plus ... and she spent a full hour of her busy day chatting with Soph about the opportunities and challenges for women in wildlife management.  We then spent a couple of ours coursing the fields with Kali ... looked nice, but no bird sign.
This part of the world is waterfowl central, especially around Stuutgart ... just clouds of them.  Fine if you like those clunky Lab-type dogs...

We also wanted to try the most highly-regarded WMA for quail in Kentucky, then found out you have to put in for a draw, can only be drawn once each season, and are only allowed three hunters with a two-bird limit.  Didn't sound very promising, but since we hadn't put in for the draw, we hunted another section - again, very nicely managed property, but no bird sign ... well, except for turkeys.

Interestingly, on our way further east, we saw one of those knot-headed pointers running along the highway with its locator collar whistling away.  She came to my whistle right away and as I called the number on her collar, her owner rolled up.  Said he'd been hunting KY his whole life and watched the constant decline in quail.  Had just hunted four dogs for four days in the area and hadn't seen a single wild bird.  Grim ... and it doesn't look at all promising.  Where have they gone?