A while back, I was going through my old hunting photos and noticed they were mostly the same – a rotating cast of smiling characters posing next to a line of dead birds on a tailgate. It occurred to me that these photos only captured one small part of why I love quail hunting so much. Where were the photos of raw landscapes, solid points, explosive covey rises, plates of fried quail, and campfire conversation with close friends?

No doubt, tailgate photos have their place, but the more I hunt the more my days are measured by the number of memories I collect rather than the number of birds in my game bag.

The following pages contain – images from a group of photographers with the unique ability to capture images of quail hunting that go well beyond dead birds on a tailgate. They tell a complete story, not just a piece of one. There is not a single tailgate photo among them.

– Ryan Sparks, Quail Forever Journal Editor



 



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Photo credits, starting top-left: Ryan Sparks, Erik Petersen, Kristen Murray, Brian Grossenbacher, Shane Rickert, Brian Grossenbacher, Keith Crowley, Brian Grossenbacher, Brian Grossenbacher, Jack Watring, Emily Tucker, Terry Allen Photos, Terry Allen Photos, Derk Baune, Brian Grossenbacher, Bob St. Pierre, Terry Allen, Erik Petersen, Aaron Black-Schmidt, Aaron Black-Schmidt, Aaron Black-Schmidt.

This article originally appeared in the Fall Issue of Quail Forever Journal. If you like this content and would like to see more of it, consider supporting Quail Forever as an annual member: among many other benefits, you'll receive the Quail Forever Journal 5x/year in your mailbox.