Hey guys, I was thinking of getting a few buddies from church together at my family's ranch in mid February for a quail hunt. Our place is near Plantersville, so there aren't a whole lot of wild quail out there.

I was thinking about releasing some pen-raised quail myself and then hunting them, has anyone ever done this?

I've hunted wild quail in South Texas multiple times, but have only hunted the pen raised variety once, and I recall them being much slower, and more hesitant to fly.

For those of you that know about this (and even those that don't), I have a few questions:

When is the best time to release them before hunting (the night before the hunt, the morning of the hunt)?

How many birds need to be released per hunter?

Are bob white quail the best way to go?

How much should they cost and where is a good place (around Houston if possible) to get them?

Is there a big difference between the pen raised quail that are supposed to be "wild" and regular pen raised quail?

Any suggestions, advice, or snide comments are appreciated, thanks.

I recall them being much slower, and more hesitant to fly.>>>>>Depends on the conditions in which they were raised. Good producers limit the birds exposure to humans to help the fear factor.

For those of you that know about this (and even those that don't), I have a few questions:

When is the best time to release them before hunting (the night before the hunt, the morning of the hunt)? >>>>>>If you want guys to get birds on a particular day, you need to plant them that morning.

How many birds need to be released per hunter?>>>>Short answer is 10. It really depends on a lot of things.

Are bob white quail the best way to go? For quail, yes. I would suggest chukar - they behave a lot like quail and theres twice as much meat per bird for about a dollar or two price difference.

How much should they cost and where is a good place (around Houston if possible) to get them?
>>>>This time of year, I would expect about $6.50. In February close to a dollar more (in feed cost) You may pay a premium for a small batch too.

Is there a big difference between the pen raised quail that are supposed to be "wild" and regular pen raised quail? See first answer.

Get a book and watch some videos on how to plant them. And you're going to want some good dogs out there with you.

We always planted them the night before, then hunted them the next AM.

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That's what the coyotes/fox/bobcats hope you do. Generalization: pen raised birds are stupid and don't flush as easy as wild birds. As a result they're more of a sitting duck for you and any other predator they come in contact with.


We do a fair amount of this type of stuff for youth hunts and to tune up our dogs for the season.

Quail will work just fine, but like RR88 said, for just a little more a chukar will yield a lot more meat. My suggestion would be to dizzy/plant the birds early in the morning, then head back and shoot some clay pigeons for awhile. This will give the birds a chance to recover and disperse a little before you hunt them.

Thanks for all the advice. I've also heard you're supposed to spin the cage around a few times before you let them loose, I guess this is what you mean by dizzying them.

Is there any point in doing this if you don't have any dogs that can point? A few of my buddies that will be there have hunting dogs, but I think they only retrieve. Thanks.

On my first (and last) pen raised quail "hunt", the birds were hiding under single mesquite bushes (hence, not hidden), and virtually refused to fly.
When one that did fly crashed into the tailgate of a nearby truck, my shotgun was put away, and I started drinkin' beer.

Got some good flyers from a grower in Clifton. His name is Jim Walseben (or something like that). Great guy. charged me $4.25/bird last year in Jan.

Getting good flying pen raised quail is all about finding a quality supplier. Check out the size of the flight pens where you get the birds. The larger, the better. If they have short narrow pens - guess what, the birds will be conditioned to fly straight for only a short distance. In other words - they will suck. Pen-raised birds will never equal wild birds and only a moron would expect them to, but good ones can provide a fun hunt just the same.

When you release them, place the crate in the back of a truck/atv and open the door slightly. Then drive around and let them fly out on their own. If you dizzy them, they generally don't fly well because most people overdo the dizzying.

If you go with chukars, don't release them until the morning of the hunt. They seem to have an aversion to cover and they like to sit out in the open where predators make short work of them.

Lastly, if you want to have an enjoyable pen-raised bird hunt, use a combination of pointing and flushing dogs. The birds will get up better when pushed up by a flushing dog and they fly harder.