All About Pocket Knives

Quail season ended a while back, just getting around to posting this one....

GSPTOPDOG wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2026 11:45 pm Quail season ended a while back, just getting around to posting this one....

Quail, one of the best feathered proteins.

cudgee wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2026 12:15 am

GSPTOPDOG wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2026 11:45 pm Quail season ended a while back, just getting around to posting this one....

Quail, one of the best feathered proteins.

I reckon' that is the John Dory on that little guy mate one minute you are up in the air flying away.... and the next minute straight to the barbie!

What type of quail do y'all have out there? Are they plentiful?
Bob White quail used to be a common thing in our part of creation, almost like seeing Mockingbirds or Cardinals. Now hearing their iconic call is very rare. Their reduction was due to changing farm practices, one of the changes that contributed to their decline was the planting of pine trees on crop lands.
Treefarmer

As a kid I remember hearing ol' Bob White at the farm often but no more. With the dogs at the farm, it's even rare to see a cottontail. We have less than a dozen pines on 200 acres, but a little farther west they're plentiful.

Not many here anymore, but at one time when I was younger and hunting (about 60 years ago) I jumped a flock of about 200 quail on my papa's farm.
Too many rural farms have been turned into housing projects , you hardly ever hear quail anymore.

We have never had quail in this neck of the woods. We used to have some pheasant none of those left. Canadian Geese were sparse now you can shoot as many as you want for the most part. Turkey have become a bit more plentiful.
Steve

With straight head ploom, appears to be a Mountain Quail best I can tell from pictures.
Few mountain quail here but some. California Quail with the "question mark" looking head ploom abound here. Ton of other upland birds.

Chuckar is best tasting upland I ever had. All over here. Tough hunting. Tough! Mountain climbing on steep shale, runners as well as agile flyers.
We just grab by back with one hand, grip other hand around breast, and tear the breast out with our hands. No knife required. Coyotes get the rest. Pluck breast feathers and done.
Pretty medieval bird dressing.
Cast iron skillet, olive oil and Dalmatian spice. Very quick cook.
Phenomenal.

Love me some quail as well Steve. Thanks for sharing.

Jerry

royal0014 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 06, 2026 10:23 am A few shots from yesterday's expedition. Dinks were bitin'
Church on the water, moon through the trees, heron or stork tracks.

Good to see you made it out fishing. Some peaceful looking spot you have there . No one anywhere in sight! That pic of the church by the water is really nice.

Awesome pictures, Chris. It looks very peaceful.

Four of us went to my friend's ranch again this weekend. We fed the cattle, and shot some clays with shotguns and .22s. He has a little trailer with 3 wobble throwers that you run with a tablet. You can set up all kinds of throwing options - lots of fun. Then we fished his ponds and caught some largemouth bass. Later went and took some pot-shots at some pigs from 650 yds away with his 6.5 Grendel (close, but no cigar.) The little white dot in front of the tree line is the feeder where the pigs were. He had brined some quail the night before, and he smoked them on his fancy new smoker Saturday night. They were delicious. It's always a good time at his place.

Any mushroom hunters out there? Getting close to hunting time.

Thomasg wrote: ↑Mon Mar 09, 2026 3:54 am Any mushroom hunters out there? Getting close to hunting time.IMG_8697.jpegIMG_8698.jpegIMG_8699.jpegIMG_8701.png

We usually don't find them until April around here.

Unk wrote: ↑Fri Mar 06, 2026 5:04 pm Four of us went to my friend's ranch again this weekend. We fed the cattle, and shot some clays with shotguns and .22s. He has a little trailer with 3 wobble throwers that you run with a tablet. You can set up all kinds of throwing options - lots of fun. Then we fished his ponds and caught some largemouth bass. Later went and took some pot-shots at some pigs from 650 yds away with his 6.5 Grendel (close, but no cigar.) The little white dot in front of the tree line is the feeder where the pigs were. He had brined some quail the night before, and he smoked them on his fancy new smoker Saturday night. They were delicious. It's always a good time at his place.

Looks like a fun time, Unk.

Miserable day here in north Texas today.

doglegg wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2026 8:17 pm Miserable day here in north Texas today. 924.jpg925.jpg

I'm tryin' really hard, Floydlegg, but I just can't feel sorry for you in that "miserable" weather down there!

Beautiful pics!! Do you have any honeybees buzzin' around those blossoms?

Waukonda wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2026 9:27 pm

doglegg wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2026 8:17 pm Miserable day here in north Texas today. 924.jpg925.jpg

I'm tryin' really hard, Floydlegg, but I just can't feel sorry for you in that "miserable" weather down there!

Beautiful pics!! Do you have any honeybees buzzin' around those blossoms?

It's rough this time of the year. And amazingly enough there weren't any bees around these flowers.

royal0014 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2026 10:30 am You fried the feathers ??
That orta make for an interesting texture .... and smell !

.... ... Yeah ... it turns out that quail aren't so delicious with the feather still on 'em ....

treefarmer wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2026 12:57 pm What type of quail do y'all have out there? Are they plentiful?
Bob White quail used to be a common thing in our part of creation, almost like seeing Mockingbirds or Cardinals. Now hearing their iconic call is very rare. Their reduction was due to changing farm practices, one of the changes that contributed to their decline was the planting of pine trees on crop lands.
Treefarmer

Arizona is home to several quail species, including Gambel's, Scaled, Mearns', California, and Masked Bobwhite, each adapted to specific habitats across the state. Gambel's Quail is the most common and widespread quail in Arizona, they look very similar to the California quail.

...here are some pictures of Gamble's quail in the back yard.

TD,
Can you hunt those quail from your porch front or back, like the TF did with that deer a while back. I know it’s a big no no too be envious. I would love to hunt some wild birds.
Steve

LKSKNIVES wrote: ↑Sat Mar 14, 2026 2:38 am TD,
Can you hunt those quail from your porch front or back, like the TF did with that deer a while back. I know it’s a big no no too be envious. I would love to hunt some wild birds.
Steve

In Arizona, you can hunt on private property if the animal is in season (if not your property you must have the landowner's permission). I give the quail on my property a pass, my old hunting partner always says "If they are on your property, they are your neighbors"... so, the only shooting I do is with my camara. Also, it has been a tough couple of years for the quail out here, with fairly dry winters and all, so I am hoping they numbers can pick up as much as possible for the future.

When hunting them (especially w/o a dog they can be tough to spot as they are moving around in the brush/under-brush as seen in these pictures. Typically, a male will perch up on a big rock or low tree branch and call out to keep the covey together and spot for danger and warn the covey feeding on the ground.

royal0014 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 14, 2026 9:58 am Looks kinda like a pigeon with a hat on

Around here you never see quail perched on fences or limbs; they're always sitting on the edge of the road
and fly up right in front of you no idea what breed they are.

My buddy went deer hunting and didn't get a deer. On the way home he saw a quail fly in front of his truck. When he got home, he saw the quail had ended up dead caught in the front grill, I was there when he found it because I was taking care of his hunting dogs at his house. He plucked the feathers and threw it right on the grill then and there