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“Some people step into their backyards to shoot quail; others spend thousands of dollars annually for the same privilege. But they all share one defect of character: All quail shooters are abject liars. I know, for | have been lying steadily about quail and bird dogs since I was 8, and got physically sick from excitement when I killed my first one. The quail shooter’s mind works roughly like this: They aren't making the same kind of cartridges anymore, because when you point them at the bird the bird won’ drop. Obviously something is wrong with the powder... The sun was in my eyes... The damn bird flew around a branch just as I shot. The dogs have lost their sense of smell... . The rabbit hounds ran up all the quail... One of the other hunters was in the way, or I would have killed two... It was getting too dark to shoot with safety. All the birds got up wild, ahead of the dogs . . . I slipped and fell... I had a headache and my timing was off... When I was going good after the first two coveys, we couldn't find any more for an hour and I cooled off. The safety on my gun jammed ... The little single dog won't backstand a point any more... The woods were too thick... The birds wouldn't hold to a point. These are the things you tell yourself. You tell other people that you only used half as many shells as you really used, and then you say that you had to run down a couple of wounded birds and shoot some more.’ - The Brave Quail By Robert Ruark” — Jim Casada