| I remember well the days of old when there was | | | | become my favoritequail hunt ever and ranks |
| heavy frost in November andstill enough Bobwhite | | | | right up there with the greatest outdoor |
| Quail to stumble upon a covey while walking the | | | | experiences ofmy life, unfortunately it would also |
| woods insearch of deer or squirrels. I remember, | | | | be the end to my quail hunting days as I |
| many times as a youngster, nearly jumpingout of | | | | knewthem. Miles of walking with not a single point |
| my boots as a large covey exploded around me. | | | | while deer and squirrels were callingmy name |
| Those were the days. | | | | everywhere I turned. It was no wonder I finally |
| I was thirteen when my cousin Tommy and his | | | | called it quits to pursueother game. |
| wife Wilma invited me to livewith them in | | | | We entered the cedar thicket as Rusty and Sally |
| Lynchburg Tennessee. It was there that I | | | | worked the briars and cedartops scattered |
| developed a passion for theoutdoors that lives | | | | throughout the rocky slope. Tommy was toting a |
| and grows stronger everyday. Tommy was well | | | | 12-gauge Browningautomatic while my vest was |
| known in the areafor training bird dogs. He really | | | | filled with 16-gauge number eights for my |
| enjoyed training the culls that seemed un-trainable. | | | | Winchestersingle shot. The dogs worked the |
| Needless to say I followed many dogs many | | | | singles perfectly. Sally stayed in because she |
| miles along bean fields and creekbottoms. Some | | | | knewthe birds were close and Rusty stayed in |
| dogs did all right some not so well but the great | | | | because Sally did. Before we were out ofthe |
| part of it all wasthere were enough birds around | | | | cedar thicket we each had four quail apiece. Jokes |
| that with enough patience and guidance the | | | | were made about me killingas many with my |
| un-trainable could be trained. I must admit that | | | | single shot as Tommy had with his automatic. |
| some of the dogs may have had a fewquirks but | | | | Tommy mentionedthat the sun was going down |
| in the end could locate enough birds for us to get | | | | and we had better call it a day. I replied that he |
| a few shots a daybetween us and that was | | | | justwanted to get out of the woods before I |
| enough as it was just being out there that | | | | topped his four birds. |
| mattered. Or so | | | | We were making our way to the truck, happy |
| I thought. | | | | with our bird heavy vests, when Ijumped a single. |
| I was sixteen when we were beginning to notice | | | | Swinging to my right I took a quick shot just as |
| fewer and fewer quail in theplaces we had always | | | | the bird went intothe top of a cedar tree. |
| found birds. Finally Tommy purchased two | | | | Tommy and I both saw the shot part the cedar |
| top-notch birddogs that we had hunted over on | | | | boughs. Ofcourse I announced that I had made |
| previous hunts with their owner. Their names | | | | the shot even though I knew that the cedar |
| were | | | | hadprobably took the brunt of the shot and the |
| Rusty and Sally and I remember the setters well. | | | | quail was gliding safely to a brush pilesomewhere |
| Alone Rusty hunted a perfectdistance checking | | | | along the creek below. Tommy was sure I had |
| back and staying within sight the whole day. Sally | | | | missed and probablysecretly prayed that I had as |
| on the otherhand hunted wide, too wide really for | | | | I was prone to "rubbing it in" back then. |
| the many hills and hollers found throughout | | | | We were both laughing as I told him I hit the bird |
| Tennessee but in the end her technique helped | | | | and we would find him justthe other side of the |
| locate coveys that had grown fewand far | | | | cedar. He assured me I had missed and I honestly |
| between. She could cover an entire farm in no | | | | thought Ihad as well, that is until I spotted Rusty |
| time and would evenremember coveys on certain | | | | trotting up the hill, head held high, with afat |
| farms and leave the dog box like a streak of | | | | Tennessee Bobwhite in his mouth. I laughed as I |
| lightning. | | | | bent down and took the birdfrom Rusty's mouth |
| When she did this we would hold Rusty in his box | | | | and slid it inside my vest with the others. Tommy |
| until Sally was out of sight thatway we were able | | | | just shook hishead. |
| to keep Rusty close to hunt the areas Sally | | | | We made it back to the truck just as the sun |
| missed as she made abeeline for the covey she | | | | was setting and popped the topon a cold Coca |
| had found the weekend before. Sally would hold | | | | Cola and stood at the tailgate. Shedding our vest |
| until wegot there and sometimes it was more | | | | and unloading ourshotguns we relived the events |
| than an hour as we could see her pointed atopa | | | | of the hunt while Rusty and Sally drank from |
| hillside away as we covered the rest of the farm. | | | | thecreek and hunted halfheartedly around the |
| I can remember my last quail hunt like it was | | | | truck. I knew and I believe Tommy did aswell, |
| yesterday. Sally had run off on afamiliar farm and | | | | that this was one of those special moments that |
| we kept Rusty close. We hunted up to where | | | | deserved a little time to allowit to soak in and |
| Sally was pointed. | | | | make sure every moment of that day was |
| Rusty backed Sally while we jumped a huge | | | | committed to that placereserved in our minds for |
| covey. Tommy and I both missed easyshots and | | | | special moments in our lives. |
| watched as the covey glided off the hill and into | | | | We finished our cokes and commended the dogs |
| the nastiest looking partof the farm. We knew | | | | on a great day afield as thesun sank lower and |
| the shooting would be tough and were not real | | | | the air grew colder. Finally we loaded the dogs and |
| confident afterblowing such an easy shot on the | | | | eased theold Chevy down the gravel road on our |
| rise. | | | | way home. I can still hear the gravelspopping |
| Rusty and Sally watched as all the singles settled | | | | underneath the tires. It is hunts like this that need |
| into the cedars and briars andthen looked back at | | | | to be remembered. I amsure that our |
| us as if to asked "what happened boys" before | | | | recollections vary and maybe some memories of |
| loping off thesage covered hillside and out of sight | | | | the hunt have becomea bit fuzzy, as many hunts |
| inside the thick steep woods below. The airwas | | | | have come and gone but this one tends to rise to |
| cool and the sun was setting. It was going to be | | | | the topwhen I reminisce of the days of the |
| our last hunt of the season andlittle did I know, as | | | | Bobwhite Quail. |
| I trudged into that thicket that day, it would | | | | |