South Carolina's WMAs were as promising as Georgia's were disappointing. We saw plenty of evidence of burning, clearing, replanting, and other steps to facilitate wildlife enhancement. And there were numerous deer, songbirds and other critters flitting about the properties unlike the silent forests of Georgia. Just didn't find any quail.
Don't know whether it's a matter of resources, terrain, or priorities, but have to tip my blaze-orange hat to SC for the effort. When we stopped into the Clemson DNR office, the warden and staff we talked with were friendly and knowledgeable ... loads of maps to study (love that). But they weren't very optimistic about our odds of finding wild quail anywhere except the very southern tier of the state.
Didn't stop us from trying...
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| Nice wooded edges along food plots at the Sand Hill State Forest WMA |
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| Tillman Sand Ridge Heritage Park along the Savannah River had excellent cover and plenty of wildlife, just nothing for Kali to get excited about. |
We skipped hunting the entire southern part of Georgia on our way towards Florida. Not so much because there's no indication of quail, but because all of the public hunting and access is strictly regulated by quotas. The Florida panhandle is the same way.
Suppose that works great if you live in the area and can put in for a January hunt sometime in September, but traveling wingshooters, especially those prone to wandering without specific agendas, are left to their own resources.
Online reports indicate the fortunate hunters (and dogs) that are drawn for the quota hunts have some success, so that does indicate that the southern parts of GA & FL have some quail left.
We explored the Choctawhatchee River WMA and did find some really nice openings with plenty of food and cover. Lots of deer and doves, but no sight or scent of Mr. Bob.
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| Kali's Florida hunt. |
Sadly, that's pretty much all she wrote. That puts 43 US state and 6 Canadian provincial flags on the hunting rig.
I suppose there's still room on the tailgate for a few more, but the logistics are a bit daunting. For instance, MA has a grouse season, but it's relatively short and there's lots of rules there. Even RI & CT have WMAs and occasional grouse and woodcock sightings, but I can't shake the sensation I've hunted BLM areas out west that are larger than Rhode Island! NJ, MD, and DE frankly just don't have that much appeal for me, even with the limited access they offer.
Hawai'i has tons of upland birds, but their hunting restrictions are daunting ... and there's the whole issue of getting the hunting rig across the Pacific. Remember, Kali don't fly. And yes, I have actually explored the option of putting the rig in the belly of a big boat and sailing...
No, I've grudgingly accepted that the flag wandering is complete. We'll just have to be satisfied with what we've seen thus far.
Kali is past twelve now and has to be lifted in and out of the truck. Only once on the entire trip did she venture to jump on Wade's motel bed and then I had to help her down. There's photos of me lifting her over big logs she can't leap any more.
Fortunately there are some wild quail around the center of the universe that we can spend a few hours chasing. The drive and spirit are as strong as ever and the nose still don't lie. Perhaps there'll be a few more seasons to return to some of the easier terrain we've run before. There's always new ground and new adventure, even for old dogs like us.
Been a helluva ride...
