The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-11-02


&, favorable for men and dogs, being very
| different in contrast with the unusually
unseasonably hot days in November of
last year. Cold, frosty mornings, fol-
| lowed by bright days, are ideal for dogs,
| for good nose-scenting birds-and snap
and speed in casts. Then, too. dogs do
not suffer as much for water as in the
warmer, dry weather days, a most i'm
portant matter in many good quail shoot
ing sections.
| Birds are reported as plentiful The
season for rearing broods was excep-
| tionally good First, there has been q
good nesting season, the early summer
!, days being free from very heavy rain
| falls. Next, the rearing season was COM
paratively dry, the latter part, when the
birds take on growth and feed on ripen-
| ing grain. peas and grass seeds. being a
virtual drouth. The birds are full grown,
| strong on wing, and the coveys are un-
usually large and plentiful under normal
conditions; that is where prowling dogs
and pot hunters have not gotten in their
! work of destroying clutches of eggs, or
/ killing out the birds after the season
closed. One of the most inhuman of acts.
| is the trapping of male or female quail
by initiating their calls in the mating or
E
dastardly than Stimulating the call of the
| gallant Bob White" who, running In
| courage to the mock cali, is killed by
dastardly pot shot from behind blind?
| The most pleasing thing to my ears the
/ past summer, when on a ramble over the
Chickamauga battlefield preserves, was
the cheerful. peaceful call of many Bob
Whites The male bird assists in the
Matching by taking the place at times of
| the mother bird. He Is following the
line of domestic duty that the Dutchmen
are said to sometimes be called to- 1t
is said a Dutchman will go to bed and
| by the warmth of his body hatch out the
stork's eggs while the good wife at
| tends on him.
| Quail are semi-domestic birds and are
found more plentiful near the habita-
lions of men. One reason is they are
not then the constant prey of varmits,
| foxes and hawks. They at first have a
limited range, but as the season adj
| vet h
| they will range a mile or more.
| The mother bird likes seclusion and
quiet. hence she more frequently places
her nest in the grain fields where there
is less risk of being robbed of her eggs.
| by foxes and dogs; where neither men.
/ horses or cattle disturb, as they will not
under such conditions. The exception.
| however, is the grain faiyesters, who,
alas, look for and despoil the nests.
! Sometimes, howeva1, the mother bird
has already brought off her first brood
before these vanSals get in their work.
| Quail do not raise broods, as a rule, in
| pastures, because the everiastingly
! tramping cattle disturb the mother bird.
| There are probably not less than 80
coveys Of quail inside The limits of Biz
minglanl. Out i'll the Norwood section
| there are three coveys; in the almshouse
cemetery there are several protected
! coveys. Elmwood cemetery and that Sec
ton has probably eight or ten coveys,
and out beyond Graymont, and in the
neighborhood of East Thomas there are
several more. These birds are a great
| source of pleasure to the owners OF
young bird dogs. TO school them on. This
work sometimes goes on after the shoot
ing season closes, March /, and begins
| In September.
Alabama is one of the leading quail
shooting states; the climate and general
conditions are favorable. There are large
areas of cut-over timber lands, and
broom sedge, next to growing grain,
the best cover for quail to rear their
broods, or To hide from foxes and
prowling dogs. These last are the very
worst enemy of the birds and the quail
hunters. Wherever there are many
hounds ours and other rabbit chasing
dogs there will be a corresponding de-
crease of bevies of quail. These dogs
| hunt the birds nests continually know
| O locality on the Alabama Great South
ern railroad where it seemed last season
| that there were from one to five part
| hounds. or cur dogs at every house or
negro cabin. You may know by this
sign that the shooting was very poor;
in fact the sorriest sport ] had during
the season was in this locality.
Where to Go Hunting
| Many of the owners of bird dogs are
interested in hunting preserves or own
| farms in Alabama Many others have
friends who give them an open house
Invitation for the season. The most pop
ular shooting grounds for many Of them