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<\/a>As soon as I get back to the states next week, I’ll be packing up for another trip down to Texas… almost feels like I’ve moved back! Have a couple new rifles I’ll be telling you about!<\/p><\/div>\n
I\u2019ll be meeting up with Chacho to hunt a new lease for rabbits, do some predator calling, and scout for hunts later in the year. Word has come down that Texas will be adding new regulations this year that will permit the use of Airguns for game animals, which will include quail! I\u2019ve been a serious upland bird hunter all my life, but I have to say that since some states (CA, AZ) allowed Airguns for quail hunting, this has shifted my bird hunting focus a bit!<\/p>\n
Hunting quail with an airgun is a challenge, and though you obviously don\u2019t take them on the wing, locating them before the run off or take flight is not easy. Neither is getting a head or neck shot as they don\u2019t hold still long when on the move. This year I\u2019ll try for a new grand slam: quail with an airgun. Blue quail in Texas, Mountain and\u00a0Mearns quail in California, and\u00a0Gambel’s quail in Arizona! Trying to get these all in one season should be fun, and may give me a reason to pull out the .177 rifles I haven\u2019t used for a while.<\/p>\n
<\/a>My grand slam of quail the Mountain, Mearns, Gambel’s, blue scaled<\/p><\/div>\n
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But back to Tejas! If all goes as expected with the hunting regulations we\u2019ll (airgun hunters) have a new venue to hunt mule and whitetail deer, antelope, javalina, and game birds along with all the exotic, varmint, and predator hunting opportunities we\u2019ve had there in the past! I\u2019m in the Lone Star State a half dozen times per year to hunt, but that will sky rocket this year. I\u2019m lucky that from my local airport flights to Dallas are frequent and cheap enough that long weekend trips are practical.<\/p>\n
I get excited when I have a quest in front of me, and the grand slam of quail will be one of those. Several years ago I proposed (and completed) the grand slam of predators with an airgun (coyote, fox, bobcat, and raccoon), then the grand slam of squirrels (fox, gray, Aberts, and black color phase) which I did, and next will be quail!! I also like quests that require that I travel and hunt in different types of terrain under varied conditions. We\u2019ll see how it goes!<\/p>\n
I\u2019m already planning a squirrel hunt in Arizona right after Airgun of Arizonas\u00a0<\/a>EBR 2018, I need to check on seasons but perhaps I can add quail to the ticket if the timing is right. I\u2019ve talked about this in the past, but there is no reason to limit your traveling hunts to big game, as a matter of fact if you do this you\u2019re missing out on a great opportunity.<\/p>\n Part of the excitement of this type of hunt is, that by it\u2019s very nature, small game hunting generally provides multiple opportunities to stalk and bag your game. And if you blow a stalk or miss your shot, not the end of the world, you move on to the next. But add to that the excitement of the journey, being in the field in a new or infrequently visited area. It also lets you revisit places from your hunting past: I lived in Indiana for several years so going back for a weekend squirrel hunt is a chance to visit my old haunts and sometimes hunt with old friends as well.<\/p>\n It will be change: this week I\u2019m dressed in suit and tie moving through Copenhagen, which is a city I know well and like a lot. Next week I\u2019ll be in jeans and camo moving though the mesquite in West Texas\u2026. You\u2019ll never guess which one I prefer\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This has been a busy week, sorry I\u2019m late posting! I am in Copenhagen again this week for my day job, and before\u00a0leaving on tis trip\u00a0was busy getting my guns and gear ready for a trip to Texas just a few days after getting back in country. I\u2019ll be meeting up with Chacho to hunt … Continue reading