For Immediate Release

All Hail the Quail

My favorite moments on the quail trail

Saint Paul, Minn. - June 17 -

As editor of Quail Forever Journal, I’ve studied conservation of the bird’s habitat and hunted them from Washington State to North Carolina, from Nebraska to Texas and many points in between.

Of the quail conservation and hunting enthusiasts I’ve met, many of them have one thing in common: they cherish these little, threatened birds.

The bobwhite, especially, is under the gun. It was recently voted the top most endangered (formerly) common bird in America. Because it is so threatened – its population has dropped by as much as 80 percent the last 30 years – it is so cherished. Those who steward quail know from all too many examples how quickly then can vanish from the landscape once their habitat goes south.

But, quail worship arises for other reasons, to which I can attest. If you’ve ever held a quail, especially one of those western varieties with the top plumes, you know how beautiful they are with their iridescent plumage, clownish faces and plucky personae.

Another reason for quail worship, as if you needed more, is that I believe they are THE best upland bird I’ve ever eaten. Now, pheasants, grouse, Huns and chukar are all very good eating, but the quail tops them all as table fare in my humble opinion.

From a political side of things, quail conservation and Quail Forever has also made Pheasants Forever a stronger, national organization. That means more votes, more acres, and more birds - no matter which one you prefer to chase!

So, find a place in your heart to help the poor quail. Join us (www.QuailForever.org) if you’re the joining kind. If not, do something else to help these diminutive game birds. You’ll feel better about yourself if you do.

Here’s a few of my favorite quail moments:

• Watching a bobwhite fly directly at me at eye level in a northern Missouri forest.

• Coming upon a flock of over 1,000 scaled quail in Texas as they flew away.

• Crawling through a thick, 20-foot high blackberry bramble in eastern Oregon hunting California quail.

• Traversing a southwest Florida swamp in pursuit of bobs. The area was so flat, vast and filled with wildlife it must have looked like it did 500 years ago!

• Boating up the big, gorgeous, wild Snake River in Oregon in pursuit of California’s.

• Seeing my first armadillo and roadrunner while hunting bobs in Oklahoma.

• Hunting with Fred Gutherie and Dale Rollins, two southwest quail experts. It was really a teaching expedition for me, with a shotgun as a prop.

• The look on my wife Terri’s face every time I come home with a mess of quail for the roaster. She loves them as much as I do!