how many bird hunters can safely hunt 1800 acres, as a lease?

Two. No more than three. You'll have to hold off on some of your shooting if you expect to have birds at the end of the season.

I agree with Bill. Should set up rules and limits such as o/u or s/s shotguns only, only two birds taken at a time on a covey, and the daily limit of 6-8. Guys, I really feel like we are rebounding and I don't want to go back to where we just came from. Conservation is king for a while.

PM's headed ya'll way thanks for the input

kt

One person per 1000 acres is a good rule on a quail lease. And as said above, just because the state has a limit of 15 birds does not mean that is what the lease can support. Also, as per the self imposed limit, if you drop a leg on a bird or drop a few feathers you need to count it to your limit. Even though it is not in hand it will most likely die.

Raymond - I was thinking back in my head we used to do a gun per 900 acres as a rule thumb when I had a good sized group I coordinated ...but... that is when we would also rate a good lease as pushing a covey every 40 minutes or so. Not sure what a good rule of thumb is now based on bird pops

It's not like the old days. We hunted on around 1,800 in three different pastures this year.

Some people count sheep. I count coveys when I have a difficult time sleeping. I counted 40 coveys. We only hunt half days anymore. We found 12 coveys on each of our last two days of the weekend.

The young dogs really came a long way. I saw some amazing dog work on our last two days.

I got the PM and am always open to talk, but it's more fun on this website. I agree with everyone so far.

I used a rule of thumb of 1000 acres per member walking and 1500 per member hunting from a mule. I allowed the member to bring a guest but he hunted off of the members limit. Up until 4 years ago I averaged 4 covey per hour. Went as high as 6 in great years and as low as 2 in the poor years. I managed about 50000 acres at one time.

There's one little hen quail in Wharton county that I'm pulling for. A friend dropped her. We had as many as 4 dogs looking for her. We finally gave up and started to move on. She ran out into a 30 foot open space to get to another bush. Three dogs were nipping at her tail. She made it and we still couldn't find her. I hope she gets well and produces.

I agree, no more than two. And also agree, limit how many you kill or you wont have much at the end of the season, if anything.

Why don't you give us an idea about what you're looking at and you'll get more replies? We seem to be pretty much in agreement on the numbers.

I want to lease the land out for quail hunting I have never done or been on a quail lease so I have no idea of what to ask for it, what to watch for ect...

it is very open sandy country w/ scattered oaks, lots of grass and low cover. I have been told there are tons of quail but I just got land and can't verify. The place has not been hunted in at least 3 years probably longer w/ respect to the quail.

kt

Depending on where it is, if its full season or just after deer season, if there is a house to stay in etc, it could be worth anywhere from $2-5 per acre for quail hunting. You will probably want either 2 or at most 3 people all from the same group to lease it from you. Because you cover so much country quail hunting its best for all hunters to know each other well so they can either hunt together or coordinate where they are hunting.

This thread has given more good advice than any thread I have seen in a long long time.

Heck, I am going to be the first to throw it out there. PM me the location, and meet me there and I will bring my dogs and transmule down and do a bird count for you. We need to do it quick before it gets too dang hot. By doing this, I will want first shot at leasing the place if it is showing birds.

I've hunted in Kenny county and had a lease there. There were quail there back in the old days, but I don't think tons anymore. That area can be loaded with grass burrs.

Now is a good time to try and lease it. Prospects will bring their bird dogs. You'll enjoying watching them work. I there a camp house or old farm house on the land.

1971 Snipe has a quail lease south of that area. He reported that they had a decent year this year.

I was thinking of doing a split season opening day through thanksgiving, break until last day of the regular buck season. so no bird hunting all of Dec and first 2.5 weeks of January. no overlapping each set of hunters would have the place to themselves.

the ranch is South of Falfurrias

There's one little hen quail in Wharton county that I'm pulling for. A friend dropped her. We had as many as 4 dogs looking for her. We finally gave up and started to move on. She ran out into a 30 foot open space to get to another bush. Three dogs were nipping at her tail. She made it and we still couldn't find her. I hope she gets well and produces. [/quote]

I learn something everyday with bill. Never heard of looking for one specific bird

I learn something everyday with bill. Never heard of looking for one specific bird [/quote]

They're all special to me. I never shoot any wild bobwhite quail anymore. I'd love to shoot them, hold them and let them fly away again.

You can have as many as you want on a lease, but as everyone else is saying, you need to set limits for yourself and hunting partners based on the number of birds on the place. If you hunt a place every weekend and kill 20 birds a trip you will kill all of them. We have a 200 acre places with about 13 coveys. It gets hunted about 4 times a year and we take about 10 birds or less per trip.

How does the type of shotgun make a difference?

I will be going to the ranch in mid march, the ranch is in hidalgo co. About 3.5 hours S. of SA
I have been put in as sole conservator over wild life production and cattle production. My goal is to strictly manage the birds as well as the deer. On my ranch in Kinney Co there are only a few coveys of BW and even fewer montezuma quail,quail hunting is strictly prohibited on the Kinney Co ranch. Because of this I'm in uncharted territory w the hidalgo ranch. As I said before it was said to be a quail hunters paradise.......
So that is my quandary

Do the math! Two shots versus five shots on a covey rise. Pretty simple, huh?

Thanks for the counting lesson but if you put a two bird limit per covey as you suggested it really doesn't matter what type of shotgun you use because two birds dead with an ou/sxs is two birds dead with a pump or semi.

It's a matter of decorum.

Killing two birds with a semi is less tasteful than shooting two birds with an o/u? odd.

I can assure you that typically you will not kill over two birds with a two barrel shotgun. I promise you that us old time bird hunters can wipe a covey out with a semi-automatic loaded to the gills with 5 shots.

I agree you could but if you don't trust someone to not shoot two birds per covey you shouldn't lease to that person regardless of the type of shotgun. A untrustworthy person using a sxs could just as easy chase the same covey around a few times.
My two cents, have fun.

Chris, your still young, you'll change your mind. Time will change your thinking. It isn't less tasteful to shoot quail using a semi or pump gun.
Remember quail hunting is a gentleman's sport for two shooters, if more than two you rotate, never more than two guns on the line. Thats just the way you do it. On your honor. You hunt a brace of dogs that should be a team and honor one another plus you use a double gun, preferably a SxS, small gauge.
No other reason other than tradition, thats the right way to hunt quail.

Plus he needs to quit sassing his elders.

I'm definitely ok with tradition and if that is the way it is I'm all for it. I didn't grow up quail hunting and would love to hunt with any of you. I just didn't understand how the type of shotgun had anything to do with managing quail which is why I asked my first question at which time I got a counting lesson for an answer like I'm 3 years old.
I think I made my point though that if you are trustworthy you will abide by the 2 bird rule regardless of shotgun type.

Because you're my elder all I'm going to respond here is that your comment is out of line.

just reminded me why I cant stand quail hunting anymore

Shoot once and don't eject if its that big of a deal... iv never had trouble finding hulls... but I do agree bill hulls need to be picked up.... its not the reasoning why they use it... its the mentality of im a big bad quail hunter and your young so you suck.. I have a dog go get all my birds but the guy that goes and kicks a bush shoots a bird then picks it up his self is doing it wrong... I always liked quail hunting the way my old man, and his dad did before but then actually went hunting with a "real" quail guy and had no want left in me to ever do it again... not focused to all since I have hunted with a few that arnt so up tight about it... but it really reminds me of a bass fisherman

That may have came off a bit harsh...lol my bad

Trust me Navasot, you would have a blast Quail hunting with us. Ask East, he came up to Oklahoma & hunted with us this past season, we didn't get into alot of birds when he was there, but we had a great time. Not all of us are as uptight as you are seeing here.

I believe you he told me it was a good time... like I said its not focused to all and I don't do it enough to have a say anyway... just remember running though blue quail hill in Del Rio walking for miles kicking up birds myself and shooting them with a 4-10 pump... loved it

Same way I got hooked but mine was Bobwhites with a 20 ga. pump. in San Saba County. Then Dad's boss gave him a 7 year old Brittany and the rest is history.

Interesting thread. The lease I'm on now is ~1000 acres in Karnes County; and there's 3 of us, all old guys, all 3 good friends, and I'm the youngest at 61. We baby the quail, and so does the land owner. I think I personally bagged 5 birds there this past season, and had a great time with the dog. (I also bagged several limits of doves.) It's been dry as a bone there; hope they get some rain this spring.

Years ago I was on a 750 acre lease near Benavides, in Duval County. There were 2 of us ... me and my bro. in-law. No dogs on that place. We walked up many-a blue quail thru the cactus, and I carried a thorn in my knee for 15 years before it finally worked its' way out ... and yes, I wore chaps. I think a 3rd and 4th or even a 5th guy on that place wouldn't have made any difference. Sometimes I still miss that lease.

Not sure I will ever get on a Quail lease. Usually too many unwritten rules and too political if there are many hunters. I love watching the dog work, but I also like to shoot things. I really did not hunt much this year, but I still hunted Quail on a half dozen different public land areas and killed a whole lot more that 5 birds this season. Once this year I did take 3 birds from a single covey and was encouraged to shoot more by the on site biologist who was helping me, but I do try to limit myself to two. One area I got access to a new area opened up on a refuge not known for quail hunting and limited myself to one per. Sometimes I use an over under and sometimes a 20GA SxS. If there are blues it most likely going to be an Auto 5 without a plug. The same auto 5 that my grandfather hunted Bobs with over his pointers in some of the same areas I hunted quail at this year. My favorite gun of choice for Bobwhites is going to be a Smith and Wesson 1000. On public land I may not pick up all my hulls, but I always come out with several more picked up empty hulls in my vest than shots I took. If I am the guest I of course stay with the bird of the day and don't shoot much, but if it is my hunt, most Texas Quail purists will not or would not want to hunt with me as my versatile dog and I might take rabbits, squirrels, dove, pheasant, snipe, rails, and ducks during quail hunts if they are in season and present. I saw very little hunting pressure on the areas I hunted this year. There was one exception as Flush was filming during the same day on one area I hunted, but I never saw them. I think a lot of hunters assume the public Quail are no longer in huntable numbers and have stopped even trying to hunt them in many areas. The birds may never be in the numbers of long ago, but for the public areas that still have some birds, the population cycles continue up and down and provide some good years and good hunts for those willing to get out, travel, and put the boots and paws on the ground to find those areas each year. For the cost of a Quail lease, I can buy an awful lot of diesel to get to those areas too. Turn your noses if you want and don't get me wrong; I do respect the Texas quail dog purist, but know that I am having the time of my life as a meat hunter.

I'm with you. There's way too much "hoity toity" coming across in a lot of these posts. The good old "my way or the highway" or "I'm better than you because my way is superior" seems to be very prevalent. Personally I have several OU's and SxS's that I use for sporting clays, including a Cesar Guerinni and a Blaser. Guess what my exclusive quail gun is - a 1947 Belgium Browning A5. Talk about tradition!!! It has more quail hunting tradition behind it that all the OU's and SxS's put together. Somehow I seem to be able to load only 2 shells or only take 2 only birds out of a covey anytime I want without a problem. Imagine that!!! And - yes I'm an old guy too, so I will feel free to Sass these "better that you" elders any time I want.

You never did reply online about a camp house. We got a little off track, but let's get back to your lease.

I guess I'm not a stickler. When my shoulder is bothering me I carry my auto. Its a lot lighter gun, and I can stay in the field longer.
I get to do some hunting on a friends private land, so I'm respectful of the property and the amount of birds I take from a covey.

I have a nice Beretta 20 o/u, which kicks more than my torn rotator cuff likes, that I carry when hunting where a breech gun is mandatory or if my shooting needs a handicap. I carry my 1959 Model 58 Sportsman 20, which fits me like a glove and don't kick much at all if at all possible. The old 58 only holds three shells but one is all I usually need so there are not many hulls to look for when the fun is over. If somebody wants to look down their nose at me over my gun, oh well, just as long as they don't make fun of my shooting.

When every spare minute of your time outside of your job involves restoration of quail and development of birddogs, you can call me "hoity toity" if you like. I could give two hoots about what gun you use, but I chose to tell you what I use and why. We are definitely blogging about the wrong end of the bird hunting spectrum when all we are talking about is killing quail anyway. Quail hunting is about the dog....Period. Here is my order of priority about quail hunting.

1. Development of young dogs
2. Enjoying a well-trained dog.
3. Research and restoration of wild quail.
4. Sharing the entire experience with family and friends.

99. Shotguns and killing quail.

Don't get me wrong. I love to shoot as much as the next hunter. It is just not the priority anymore in these lean quail years. If my passion for the sport, conservation methods and bringing back the bob white make me the so-called purist, hoity toity, gentleman bird hunter, so be it. I can live with it. I am just trying to make a difference. Tell me what you are doing.

There. I fixed it for you.

For sure Bill. Both of us are bad sick with it.

I apologize for not staying on thread but it also bothers me that people on the computer are so quick to jump on the young, inexperienced, or just not knowledgeable about a subject, for asking a simple question. I understand that sometimes people ask questions that just don't seem right but some people are to quick to respond with demeaning answers. Its a shame that some of these people with all this knowledge don't try more of an educational / teaching approach. I think this would help slow down the declining numbers of young hunters. How do you learn if you cannot ask questions with out getting ridiculed. I'm not against them but how traditional are e-collars, gps tracking, and atv/mules in the field?

How funny. Sir, the "hoity toity" isn't in your definition of gun. It's in your willingness to tell others that YOU are the one who gets to decide what quail hunting is for us all. Incredible.

BINGO!

Skillet shot!

Oh Hell, I went and done did it!

No, what is incredible is you think graining a road and shooting feeding quail on the ground from a two story tall truck is a sport. Now that is BS any way you want to cook it.

Elitism, in its finest form. I never trashed your chosen hunting method, but you feel perfectly justified trashing mine.

Because your chosen method somehow makes you a "better" hunter.

Thanks for the entertainment. I'll continue to shoot my quail, you continue to shoot blanks.

8. We promote a friendly atmosphere for hunters to exchange ideas. Differences of opinions are welcome and are an important part of this format. We do not, however, tolerate those that try to start an argument with every post. If you are looking to agitate people, simply to get a response or if you are a troller, this is not the place for you.

Not a freaking chance hoss.

Well that escalated quickly ......

Being in a big downturn in the quail numbers for quite some time now I don't think it matters what gun you shoot or how many guys you hunt with, but the number you take and the methods you use does matter (granted some areas have good huntable numbers). At least it matters if you want good hunting in the future, but I'm guessing you don't care what I think and I'm pretty sure from your post you don't have much respect for anyone or anything. Have a good one.

Leave that last part out and instead direct the reply to the original post question, that is actually a pretty good answer.

You should self limit the birds you shoot at the start of the season even if you do have huntable numbers, if you want birds there for your dogs at the end of the season. Early season birds are not all fully grown and make easy targets.

Seems sensible to me that if you got lots of birds it is alright to take a good many and if you got just a few don't shoot any. Why would someone who hunts where there are barely enough birds to justify releasing a dog want to tell somebody who has scads of birds how he needs to hunt just beats me. If a hunter is a sportsman nobody has to tell him anything and if a hunter is not a sportsman you can't tell him anything.

to redirect the thread....... as it pertains to a lease, I'm seriously questioning my need for the 3-6 dollars per acre..........

Yep. Especially when bird numbers aren't up to par

I have a quail lease question. Anybody have a spot open?

You might try to make contact with someone who has knowledge of the Briscoe ranches south of SA. There always seems to be openings on there.