DcT. 31, 1903.1 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
389 
In the Prairie Region. 
In Minnesota, Dakota. Nebraska, Kansas and other 
i*rairie States, the quail readily adapts itself to the 
)cal 'peculiarities of the different sections, utilizing 
nch slight adavntages as may oflfer. as hedges, fences, 
le cover with wMch most stream? are fringed high 
'ppds, etc.. in this re«i"ert the lialiitat of one bevy 
eing ai-ite distinct from that of another even in the 
ame immediate locality. 
Its Enemfps. 
The quail spdly needs cover for its protection., its 
estroj-ers being both of air and earth — bawks. foxes, 
ogs. etc.— and the eggs. too. fnll a prey to tlic raT>a- 
iotts aprtetites of some of its enemies. Tn the South 
^le cnr dorr's of \hf npirrof*? — evcrv family ownine one 
oU i-^'^* I'n 0 '-^id of '>iK fnmisliod condition — 
■owl through the fields seeking for food, they are 
he very worst of egg destrovcrs. Were it not so 
lardy and prolific, its fate would be swift and ex- 
errairation ce''tain. 
The nea-ro does seem to be almost omnivorous. Tn 
he fall they may be seen making daily visits to some 
ersimmon tree, ruder which they oat the fallen fruit 
/ith g-p'-t a^fp'-'^nt relish The ones which have some 
laini to l-o'-n-l Mood n~p not avpr=;p to m-tkino; a meal 
n thp co'-'-'field on corn w^-en it is in the milW since. 
Vi+b s"ch ra7?'~ioi's pncmies I'o contend asrnjn«t. the 
est'— r+i"n of the or,ai! must be g'-eat. b'"t 5n addition 
all t^^^^. mntiv by mi.n are trmned ^nd netted, 
iiethods which dest'-oy whole bevies at a time. 
Q.iail of the WoodT?-d. 
B^t to vpt'-rn to the mn^-^-pr of the nnail's habitat — 
n certain parts of the So-th, as in the oak woods 
n sections of Alabama. Texas, Arkansas, -or in the 
line woods of Louisiana, Mississippi, etc., the quail 
nay live wholly in the woods, food, always a first con- 
ideration, being the-ein secured in abundance. 
In cover. 'some of the shooting is easy and some of 
. -very difficult, though hardlv ranking in difficuhy 
vith ruflfed grouse shooting. The quail is neither so 
vnrv nor c;o wild as t^^e r-^fF^d erouse. Shooting in 
,^rri^ r>3i-+<! of the i-'ino v.'oorlc; ic cili-r»nst as Pn=V s'^OOt- 
up- as choo+ing' in tbp on°n. the trround b^ing bT-e 
sxecpt for its covering of dry pine needles. T^-^e 
smooth trunks of the pine trees standing several 
vards anart and f'"pe from limbs unwprd of .■^o or dO 
eet. offer no senior's ob^f^cle to tbe shooting. In 
3t]-'pr spctions of the nine woods- whp-p the (rrowth 
if the trees is more stunted pnd the limbs p-row from 
near tbe p:round vv- the difficultv of the shooting is 
cf^rond to none, and in som" sections is almost pro- 
libitive. 
Prai'-ie Q ail. 
Again, there are sections wherein the quail live on 
the onen prairie, as in parts of Arkansas, and beiner 
stricflv open shooting, it much resembles chicken 
jhooting, excenting the difTerence in the size and sneed 
of the two birds, the quail being much the quicker 
to o-et away at the start. The quail makes its flight 
in tbe open prairie, lighting near any little bit of 
.b.-1'hbery. be it no more than a bush or two of sumach, 
which, by the way, gr^s here and there on the 
prairie in Arkansas. In trhfe woods, when pursued, it 
frennently takes to the tree tops for safety, where it 
is h'rlden indeed. On the warm days, or when there 
hf-PH a long spell of pleasant weather, it is far less 
•wild than when the weather has' been stormy, or when 
tbp'-p has been a sudden chansre from warm to cold. 
g,.„i, ^i.^.,^P5 (.Q the difficulties of the shooting im- 
measurably. ! , '• 
N-'«''he'n ^h otVp. 
Tn +he North tl-ip n-^T^n m-'-oc h''t-:'-'i+ .,.t-e<-p ="mp 
bnrt-wl'prit or otl'er £r'-'ii-i '^"^'^ ^vp'^"'-!" ''or f foo^l 
sffAT^Iv 'l^* =0 a-'-p-^r'^S i^" tip'mfi; thnt it h-i<? cr>"-e 
f.f~,^,pr ,v;>M" eacv fVl^t in fVp f1onrp.ct r^ar♦■ of «vb? -h 
jt cop'-c cnfptv w'-'C'i fl-";bpr(. "ot rpf'"^mor the l-'pr-v'lv 
tt"n1-,f-.-rfi cwamnc! if too m^f-h r>p'-<;f„-..fpri h^' the 
shoofpf In cnrh nl-'ppc it ^p<: "n p^-f"-U^nt f-1-n'T-p 
from nnrciMt or +0 foil i^^c •^••-c^pr h\' cim^lv r-m->*n<r 
aW^V. or if r><-pccf<rt tr, t^^'-P fr-r'-*^ ^^ ^'.n-^r p1--,r,-ps 
to pcpnr»f» ri^'''tir» fo 
the difficulty of shooting accur- 
a^fptn^ in ft.n f^rt-ytzp co^'pr, 
fvcir F'!-'"-1''ti.r1 choof'"'-"^ i<; t''"p mocf f1.o*^..1f- ^\] 
c1i<-.otiiirr. pvppiti'nr.. r>prhat*s chnotiug in tt'e 
ftpncic Tiine? of cnmp cp'-fjonp «f the SoMffi Then to 
-imr i:"+;cf-)ptorv <:UCCeSS. thp <;piftp"pd b^"ds m"5t 
(tjli'o-pntlv fo11n^■<•cd n""^ <;0"ght in thp tt-'''Vpfc; 
tVpv ever so r^puse. In t^^i^ reoect it differs from 
shootinff in the spc+ioi-ic; of more pb-m'^an'-e. where 
.such close at-i-ention to the scHpred bir'^'; is nnneces- 
sa'-y either for sport or &:e in+erest of the bag. 
Tn the So^th. where there is an ab'mdgnce of bi^ds 
cornp3''ativp]v, the snortsman r^rplv tarrips with a 
hew which gives him any special difTictilty. It is much 
easier and more 5atisf?ctory to go on and «eek more 
birds. For this reason, even under favorable oppor- 
t'mity, the scattered birds are never, a,s a rule, huntecl 
till the last one is flushed, and flushed again when it 
is possible, as in the North. 
In New England buckwheat fields are the quails' 
choicest resorts for food, and any adjacent brush, or 
long grass of SM'amp or upland, or the skirts of woods, 
afford the shelter and protection that they need or 
seek. No do'dit the birds become AviMpr in thp Noi-th 
than in the So'nh. for fi^^t of all ike inc!emp"t 
weather of tbe North tends to mn'-e tl^pni so. and 
tbp'-p I!? a much mnrp rplpntlecc piiVs'M* of tbpm bv the 
shooter. The bi*"i''<= bpi"-? scarce, aft'c* thp bcvv is 
ppn+^prpi^ the cPO'cb COTi(|ii»*p5; wt'ilp t''P*'P is a hoi>p 
of ♦-n'Hnp- a single r''r'''"ini"S' one. a''''d if sncpcss with 
t^-'pm has I'ppn i-nsaticfiftorv the ^bootc mav retnrn 
lp«pr fn catf-h tb^m, v.'hen t'^pv are ".bi'^tliniT to each 
other in their attempts to come together as a bevy. 
Ln-at 0(*a?' r> PS. 
Jti tbp brOP'"' n^in^i'^'oris; nf '\ricj?ecinr>l. A'lbami, 
'ppii|i(ic:<?pp, /Sirt'a"«as. pfp.. a f^r\ir of rp^<o»int^!Y \H''de 
l-finrrp ?c r»prpcc'^ r^- r^^t./'ti y.Jflpr ^^^nn ^».*0"'^f bp PT^bpr 
ripov" il.lp or "sef'd m VpMr piitrl'ii-irl i-\r similar SPPtions 
?11 re^'^P''! to COI'Cr; fo*" ft^'prp Jo nT'cli nf lt->p co'-^ltt-y 
Jrr *t-,g f^o'tfti r)r>Pr» nn'-t '^OVCr i*.''*.-t> p.-A--\'.\.t.f^fr» n Or,->*-ftq 
3 I^' -t fortf"' c«T«'"'b7 a'**d 1 1 > p "p ^pi '-p. t^'P I'l'T't^ a rp 
|p t>P fovtirt ?r» *'ip fr^o*?* i*r>p v^pp* r *^tippc; T''/> po^-pr 
piT^ ^^.-1* t.-n^pr? fipt^c of t''*^ C/^i.-^t-* r^r) iT-»f o • *1>p ti'Mlt- 
pf'c '.. »'rrp.»r.«-»f pc to rr'^n fo ,1,Mr,*rtfa MtiI 
|tip^r r'o m \*pi\7 T7 r.-! .-, f1 r^'0''T*'"rT T''» * o I'.fi-o,- r>t-i<»p 
|t)PT.fi f>i*p po-M ni 1 Tr>t,r fp-*\r r>rpnQ m t^'lnch *-he b'ri|< 
pp*i >rpf fof-^H ^i'"'f^ po^'P'" fo'^p^^'pr. or p\*ptt foorf 
ptr,,To a'^''! *"t^p c ,-\ p, 1 c 1 n cP»^n tr>f).-riq frj ft i c »■ , r) pr» i] |^ 
tl^p fot'o*"a'*^p ^'a'^pc "'^tT t t-p ^ovib, i'1 poi'PT- a*"d oTiPf{. 
f-Vr.r.p Jq fooft MT fi ^>'..T n '^p pf p*-.\'\vh p '"p T'^'p'"*^ ore ^*a*^t 
^pt*-1q q t-v /\ of A1."''»pt^ OT. Pk,'p.*0**"O^*'r) >t.lt1-> CP-''^P CroQ^ 
Otl^Pr*; ^^'i^It \^'pprtq wi*b f'^^^.'tc of pof-+'^«"' riiii\ ro»-ri rn- 
fp'-c-^^prcp'^ ^f^v ^prf- of •i..1»!p|.j ^ f^f tTit->'t-qf fo*° t^^C 
]-,iT-rt(3- ft^fq tl'^p ctorr ii-ort-J+io*. O'-'t ^nc'i o^-o''".^ in tt^e 
^'^'■'fli pan_ as a ri'tp t>c.if -^ll f>o***^c of *f r,»-oH- 
ph^a ciipppct; Ttt ft->p rr*p,.-p o'^.^'''! pr'^o'-rfds of <tip J^o'"*1"t 
thp ftoor Pan bp cppn of ir.<-ip- o<cf'>nces, ''o that a wide 
rar»<TP 1Q ^-lof ft^+.-J,..^o,T*-ot 'it Jfcptf r>roi-?'*t*,^fv t^^at ttlg 
doQf is re-allj' v.'or'-'ng to the gun and not self-hunting, 
or sprnT-Qplf-bn^^^'TT 
A <^ to ^ « m ""npf- in yt^'-'^i .^'^p H|opr c^^.^'']ft ^""'rit. no 
f^T,-.4 .,,-,ft fo:,f rnJe can be laid down wbicli wo'dd apply 
to '^"'^ ctipf'Jons, 
^A.^t-Ti+PT-pr mav bp tl-p 1-">1^i('if. p.f fhp nrail, it 1pa'"ns 
to m^^-p f^^^ i.*.^oc.f of i*"c c;.i -.-o'.tT rtjTirrc ni promotino' its 
own <!n'«>tv an'^' mfprpc+<; Tt l^nrrts t-r."- ?t iq t->pt- 
tP" to fy or r"n in ei\Tr,A'i-<^ Jtq ■r^,.^q..pr, a"d the bpst 
s'^ratpgv to attain th^t end If !?ood cover is con- 
veniently near, it m-'y trust to its wino-s at nn-p f^f 
safety, and to its legs and wings if followed into the 
cover. 
If the country is open or with narrow and insuffi- 
cient cover, as in parts of Louisiana and other sec- 
tions where the ground is thoroughlv cultivated, it 
trusts a great deal to its legs and cunning devices. In 
working on such birds, the dog must learn to govern 
his work by the circumstances of it. He might be an 
excellent performer on quail in the North and a poor 
one in the South, or he miebt be a good one in Mis- 
sissippi and a pobr one in Louisiana, though the pre- 
sumntion is that, if he was good in one section, he 
Avould soon be so in any other section after the neces- 
sary experience. 
Dogs fn Lot'isiana. 
ATrtnAf of the plantations of Louisiana are drained by 
open ditches running parallel at reasonably eaual dis- 
tances from each other, though the distances may vary 
greatly one fi.eld with another, and mzy be 50 or 200 
yn.-^c MT^nj-p (-)-■ ipcg ap^rt. while ot''"'r d!*'''''ps of Ht-g 
p V '"^"^ ''"'P"*^^*'*'^ t i<.**.ar'^ppt tbp*^ at riprt-'f ano"]^c. thus a 
tn -f.! f 1 *^rt\f p"f i-*-^ ...1*1- Of tocc ry, . | o r J f y 
T'^'^o c»-ii-it1 cri"ti"pq q-..--o.-"'-V'' rV-t^l^t>c C.Mno nl-'n- 
|..*-°o<.,c t . I-^prv-'To t-t.,r ^^itC^'*pd ,T'1-.tr» o*'-«.-q 
^ r„;.. /tf^rr*-^!^ of .ix'r^tP'-gt.^^f^ rtot t"*^ r^'^^/^Unt^ ot ;^ I ] 
'~fhn l-p-i^'V rn'i-<c -o""'-' 0*'t t1-p V,ir.l-c: of tlig dlt'*''' a'ld 
l*-c t^o-^^om on'"' a f"'i'»p'p o ix*p.^^c: ori^t t^-Lct-, ft..ti*1.- and 
+ T^t-'^pc c*"ii-»rrc r^}r^^rr tt^p t-,o<Tl-c p'Trt r^ioT'pc a 
foi-tT p-oorl cliplf(;>j- for t'"p o"o'1 On M-ipcp land 
QO^o^-pc n r-^, rv-o..'.., r.o*-*p,»l_ or P'~»'"*^ O-^ nO"*^^'"*^ "-^ ^ tSf^ 
(-',cp 1'p tl-o'-ci-l' If not /-•-!* n—i+'>.-1 ft-ofp 1C il...n^i.<- 
f-f*-*-'?*-'-' to l^p a p'opirt p"0'> of ^yppftc_ afforf'mpf otp''>*v 
of ri""<t fo^d \^''-»'n fl.-c1-.prl in cmpIi ,-.to/~pq flip m'ail 
niav a fp'v vir-'U to t'^p ^••'if ''"t-ii or may cross 
ovpr two or three ditches before* finding a place to its 
Ijl-tn<v. 
s mpnt'ot-ipr? p1cr..iyt>pf p tt-'p pt;.^fp of tbp wea'hpf 
niov £yjag4'jy gfltpf-f^ ^^,Tj7'q ^ |^ (. The bpvv having 
g-ofip to the ditr'-'ps for cnfp+v the doe, to be useful, 
m-rot Vpvp gfrpnt t;i..r,p,-io'-tt V i«-i roT'^'"'!' if he purstie 
ji.'pppccf'-Hv. ^^'^hen m fVp ditrh. t'"p b'"'''s mn «wiftly 
aior>p- +1^« v^oftorn Tt is almost imnosc'l^de at first to 
inrf^re tl-'p rrrppr! do? to n-n into thp ditpb. or. being in 
it is imooc^ible to moT-p him reria'n thpre. thotitrh it 
mav rot be over a foot dppn, and dry. The screen dog 
Avill promptly cross o-'t from one side to the other, 
inissing the scent and accomplishing nothing useful. 
He does not know what is required of him. But once 
he catches the idea, he soon improves on it, following 
carefully along the bottom of the ditch and pointing 
the scattered birds here and there every few yards 
apart in ones and twos, the shooter having a good 
opportunity from his position on the outside to kill as 
the birds fly out. 
The shooting along ditches is not so easy as one 
mif-'hl imoeine. Sometimes the birds run swiftly sev- 
eral hundred ynrds of more in tb.e ditch and may 
then run o'-t and across to other ditches, giving a trial 
which may fv tbe most experienced dogs to follow. 
Tf the birds bapnen to be near a cotton or corn 
feld. where tbe ground is ba'*e and tliere are no ditches 
for concoabncnt. tliey may rim so last and far that the 
doe may never annroarb near enough to them to se- 
cure a point. a"d the shooter, who is inexperienced in 
this work, will then think that his dog is surely deceiv- 
ing him. 
'W'hen near the woods or switch cane the birds often 
takp sbpUer therein: when in the latter cover it is well 
to al^ai^dnn fnrther pursuit of them. 
Tn the snear cotmtry. where there may be corn 
fielrls here and thp'-e aniong the broad levels of the 
qi'o-ar ca"e. the cb'^rap'er of the shooting again 
{-i-;,pprpq AT-inv 1:i'-f1'; will be fo"nd in and around the 
cn-n'^clds. and then if i« very nrettv shooting. 
Tt mav pot be ami^s to metuion. for the benefit of 
{liocp M-1'o c'loot in the p"!Tar country for the first time, 
f^■n^ fhrv c1>o"1i5 kpp" t'^eir dogs out of sugar cane 
f;,.i^iq pq tnnch as nosqihle. 
T^"p ca"p. in harvpctine is cut diagonally across with 
3 l-nifp. f!i"s leav'ng- a stumn with an edee which will 
(■I't a doe's foot almost as a t-nifp wonlrj. Tt is a com- 
rnon mattpr for a rlo<? to split his toes or heel on cne 
st'-m-T's. wi'h the resultant crippled condition and no 
more work from him fcir a time. ' 
Wyn^er SboMirj? in the So- fh, 
. Jn TVicqisci'npi, in t'^e m'd'vinter season, the birds 
ptav in the woods mosflv Good shootin? may be I'lad 
in tlip 9oi'th from thp middle of Novpmber to the first 
of ■'\'"arch. l\Tany of the Southern States have a louTer 
lep'st or>pn treason, but the dense cover and warm 
weather make a natural limitation to the sport. 
The wea'her is mild the birds are strong and the 
sport is at its best in the winter months of the South. 
G'TS for 0<'^'I Shooting. 
Quail shoot inc in the main is close shooting as to 
tl^p ranges at which the birds are killed. Most birds 
dron v.-ithin 25 yards, some much nearer than that 
distance. 
A gun wpi'^hinn- from 6^4 to 7^4 pounds is of ample 
weicrht. The T3-bore is most commonly used, thou2;h 
the 16 and 20-bores are excellent, and are preferred by 
many sportsmen. 
As a matter of course, the smaller bores may be 
much lighter than the 12-bore. 
The 16 and 20-bores being smaller, their killing 
circle is less, though they shoot with good force in 
comparison with the 12-bore. Closer holding is re- 
quired to shoot them well. 
Whichever bore is used, it should not be closely 
choked. 
There is no need of a choke-bore in quail shooting. 
Some shooters use a .28-caliber shotgun. 
It is an extremely difiicult matter to induce the aver- 
age shooter to use an improved cylinder-bore gun. The 
recommendation to use an open bore seems to con- 
strue as reflecting on his ability to shoot a close gun 
instead of being accepted as sound information con- 
cerning the gun fit for that particular kind of game. 
It requires time to effect a reformation concerning 
the nsp of plTo'-e-borps ?n nn.ail shooting. 
One needs to feat in1"|p'entlv the emotional at- 
tacks, vrvhipf from spr'tinipnt'-.l to practical, whi'"h 
^nT>">'-'-f> in to cl'ootino-; from tl-'e romnnce of it which 
T-pp-'irpq that il'p Innftqea-pp be hatred in mellow sun- 
j;rri-t. t'-p r>r-ii»-;p 1-.pqna n "rh r! with flowers, the breezes 
l.ad'^n nn'th t'''e fmer'inpe of the wild woods, the glories 
of nitn.re potorinor all- to t'^e attacks in the practical 
rlpt'ilc w'M'ch rpo'-irp ^i^p pjosest of g-ms in shooting 
n"nil a'"' "'oorl,-ock. the heaviest of powder loads 
whpn t1"e lit h' est are be^-ter and what common sense 
dictate- or tb-t a noint. be it p-.-er so well done and 
so riP'^i-ratp 'vithal is sr'ortino' hprpcv unless made by 
a T^ItpI-^ ^ytijtp and tan "bh?e b'ood" dogr. 
Tl'p s'^ortcman sboidd go forth enuipped for his 
snort according to its needs, anrf not to the whimsicali- 
ties of spnseless fashion. He stio'dd tiot take a full- 
ctiol-e4 g-"n in cover, nor a cvlinder-bore s'un to shoot 
di'ct's. Therp shontd be intpni^ent adjustment of 
mearis to end.?- Tntlnstry and skill and woodcraft 
should not be balked by visionary theories and inap- 
propriate weapons. ' ^I'lfT! 
A Rare Scoff. 
The foreeoing ?? written of the quail as it refers to 
man's pleasure afield, with dog and gun. It naturally 
i« not fearful of man. It rather prefers to dwell near 
his haunts; not frosa tsr a^ection for him, but from 
