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Hospitality is served on an all-you-can-eat platter in Texas. From the classic 50’s diner to roadside cajun dives to the extravagance of homemade EVERYTHING at the lodge, you’ll never stick to that diet in the Lone Star state. Between varmint, hogs and quail, this trip is nonstop, so fuel for the hunter is essential. Paul, the resident lodge chef (and Texas’ only rugby fan), produced a different cooked breakfast every day, only surpassed by his lunches and evening meals. He even understood that tea is a beverage best served hot, and not necessarily sweet.
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Our winged quarry was the bobwhite quail, a small bird with an enormous range. You find them from Mexico east to Florida, and from the midwest and northeast south to the coast wherever there are areas of young forest regeneration – what in Africa they call the forested savannah. Like our red grouse, the birds form coveys of 2 to 30 outside of the breeding season (October to April). Released quail can be hunted for 12 months of the year.
If you are a fan of walked up grouse or partridge, these are a bird for you. They flush like little pocket rockets, the covey emerging from the grass in a starburst, wings humming, to skim over the grass and away. Small, unpredictable, and as likely to flush at 20 metres as under the dog’s nose, quail are good fun whatever the season.
