In the thicker brush of the eastern half of the state, bunching up and staying hidden is a better escape tactic for quail evading a predator. That's why bobwhites are so cooperative to pointing dogs. They just hold tight in front of the dogs. However, in more open terrain where cover is sparse, like in the western half of Texas, running is a better escape tactic for quail. That's why blue quail seem so reluctant to stand around and wait for sniffing dogs or men with guns.
Blues can be tough to bag, but the hardships are worth the reward.
A blue quail's overlapping breast feathers, muted gray and blue coloring, and cotton top plume on its head make it a distinguished-looking game bird. Hot and dry are words common to the blue quail who thrives in harsher, more desert-like terrain than the bobwhite. The Trans-Pecos region is especially dry this year and even the counties west of the town of San Angelo, a favorite quail stop of mine, are also parched. Portions of the central and western Panhandle experienced good spring rains, but dried up in the summer and early fall. Even in drought years you can usually find enough coveys of blues on good ranches to keep things interesting.