Anniversaries

By Ryan Sparks, Quail Forever Journal Editor

Each year hunters observe a series of personal anniversaries — the anniversary of our first bird, the day we got our first bird dog, the day we lost our first bird dog, the last time we hunted with someone we loved, and when those moments merged and lit a fire for conservation in our soul.

In 2025, Quail Forever marks a major milestone — its 20th anniversary. It’s a big deal.

Over the past two decades, Quail Forever has emerged as a big voice for a small bird. While our name implies a special love for quail, we seek to create a landscape where quality habitat supports wild, sustainable populations of upland game birds and other wildlife.

But what does that really mean?

It means having places for kids to learn to hunt — to fall in love with nature and learn their place in the world. It means coveys for a bird dog’s first and last point. It means creating memories we will carry with us all our lives.

That’s a noble mission, and we’ve been at it for 20 years.

In two decades, Quail Forever has created and restored over 7 million acres of habitat, formed over 250 local chapters, and exposed thousands of youths to conservation and hunting. These aren’t just numbers — they’re stories of landscapes reborn, of hunters finding quail where once there were none, and of children discovering their connection to the land.

This anniversary represents not only a celebration of the organization’s achievements but also an opportunity to reflect on the significance of those achievements. It is also a time to look ahead to the immense challenges and opportunities that remain.

I think the real reason people are so excited for this anniversary is not to look back, but because we can sense what is coming.

Picture a land where wild brushy draws run through vast fields, longleaf pines stand sentinel over scattered grasses and wildflowers, and where arid grasslands bustle with quail. These are the places we are working to protect — places where future hunters can roam free and find the same joy and connection that we feel today.

That’s what we are working towards. It’s the reason you and I are Quail Forever members.

Anniversaries also represent the idea of continuity. They are markers that something has lasted. In a world where so much is transient, the endurance of something meaningful offers a sense of real purpose.

A covey is simply a collection of quail. Individual quail come and go, but the covey remains. In this way the coveys we are working to protect link the past with the present, allowing us to feel part of a larger story of quail that spans generations.

In the next 20 years we will set new goals, refresh commitments, and rise to new challenges.

We are just getting started. Hell, next year we will just be old enough to drink.

This story originally appeared in the Winter 2024-25 issue of Quail Forever Journal