Transportation for bird hunting from the I-20 corridor perspective

Here in bobwhite quail country I get to see a lot of vehicles for quail hunting.  Interstate 20 runs smack dab  in the middle of prime quail hunting west of Cisco, Texas.  I-20 is only 13 miles from my home so I travel the I-20 quail corridor quite often.

On a typical quail season weekend you will mostly see pick-ups with dog boxes in the rear.  This isn’t so different than anywhere else.  Now days though, …  

 … you will see a large number of small flatbed trailers with Polaris Rangers and other utility ATV’s strapped aboard.

Some of the trailers are flat beds with dog boxes on the front with room for the atv’s to the rear.  Another combo is a dog box in the pick-up, trailer with ATV and smaller dog box on the back of the ATV with an additional bench seat mounted on top of the dog box.  Then there is the camper that holds dogs, atv’s, horses, etc. 

Whatever they are holding, each means of conveyance speaks of how they will hunt.  The truck with the dog boxes are walking most likely but many times they will put out the dogs and follow in the truck on wide open lands here in west Texas. 

The ATV crowd will ride some for sure but many follow the dogs on the ATV until birds are encountered.  At that moment, they disembark and pursue their quarry afoot.  They may or may not return to the ATV for some time depending on the action.  When they do return, they have all the essentials for shot birds, empty shells, places to put their shotguns, refreshments, dog water, fresh dogs, etc.

The ATV crowd that has a small dog box on the back are at an advantage for sure.  When dogs tire, they swap them out for the ones in the box.  They can easily transport firearms, extra ammo, water, first aid kits, etc.  A sort of truck away from the truck that can navigate tough terrain, thorns, rocks, etc.

Most all hunters will tell you they hunt from foot but many will let you know that foot hunting starts with an ATV or Truck.  This differs from deep south Texas where they may just ride the senderos all day long in big fancy rigs then jump shoot quail off of the sendero (trail or path cut through the vegetation).

On a large ranch with many private ranch roads cut through it, it would take weeks to foot hunt the place.   Some large ranches, years.  The horse, ATV or truck speeds up the process.  Wide and far ranging dogs will cover the open country in a hurry.  Out here, one dog is almost painful to watch as they will tire quickly for sure and you will undoubtedly want to move on as there is much more to hunt. 

A brace of dogs (2 dogs) helps immensely but they tire quickly as well so you end up using them one at a time.  4 dogs suits a lesser minority of hunters who have room at home for them.  Two braces of two and now you can alternate dogs more efficiently and hunt a bit longer.

Back to transportation.  Horses are fine but every brace has to be a circle to get fresh dogs.  The ATV is definitely the great equalizer.  The problem with the ATV is respecting the land.  Some ranchers don’t want the ATV off of their ranch roads while others are ok with it.  My gut reaction is that if it is a huge ranch and you are less likely to be back in that area for many weeks, then it might be ok.  Otherwise, if you will hunt the same areas over and over, ride on the trails for sure.  But that’s another story.

Take care and get your equipment ready for next season!

Dave