Hunting & Heritage
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08/26/2026
Quail in the Flatwoods
Finding Wild Coveys and Making Memories in the Florida Uplands.
by Jamie Durham
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The alarm goes off at 5 a.m. Unlike the weekdays, when getting out of bed for work feels like a chore, we spring up without hesitation. My husband starts the coffee while I jump in the shower. The dogs are still sleeping, unaware this is not a workday. It doesn't take long, though. The moment they see the guns come out, they're wide awake and sitting at the door.
Like most states, Florida has seen a decline in quail. Growing up here, we used to hear them all the time. Then there was a stretch when we didn't hear a single bob-white call for a long time. Then, a few years ago, we were standing in our backyard when we heard it again. We looked at each other, smiled, and immediately began the search for the perfect German shorthaired pointer.
Fast-forward a few years and our GSP is a quail pointing machine while our chocolate Lab has mastered the perfect flush. He has put us on more coveys than we ever thought existed in Florida – though I'll admit he still pushes one or two coveys a season if we're too far away when he finds the birds.
Hunt days begin with a morning drive, egg burritos, and coffee. The dogs always get the last bite of the burrito. Once we arrive, we pull on our boots and snake gaiters, snap the GPS collars on the dogs, throw on our vests, and head out.
It usually starts as a pleasant walk. Mornings are cold (by Florida standards, anyway) but we both know we only have until about 11 a.m. before it's too hot for the dogs. We follow two rules: Never take more than two birds from a covey, and no bird goes into a vest until one of our dogs finds it and makes the retrieve.
No two days are ever the same, but some trips stands out above the rest. On one that comes to mind, we were hunting a new spot, and it was a long hike in. A few miles later, the dogs were out of water, and we were sharing our water with them, Our Lab was visibly exhausted, and we were both questioning why we thought this was a good idea. To make matters worse, I was getting hungry.
We decided to go just a little farther, then call it. Thankfully, we kept going. Not 50 yards ahead, our GSP slammed on point. We ran up, and 10 birds flushed. I dropped one. The GSP moved another 10 yards and locked up again – six more birds exploded into the air. Then he ran another 20 yards and pointed a third time. Another eight birds rose. It was beautiful.
We chased a single from the last group of birds, and our Lab soon flushed a bird just three steps from where I was standing and my husband was able to connect with a quick shot. On the hike back, everyone was happy. I found a granola bar in my vest, the dogs' tails wagged nonstop, and my husband was already planning smoked quail jalapeño poppers for appetizers.
Some days in the woods, we don't see a single bird. One time, our pointer got so discouraged he pointed a turtle. That was a hard day. But then there are days when we find a covey of 15 birds. On those days, it's almost impossible to shoot. Instead, we stand back and watch the magic. Of course, we still follow the singles to see where they land, and then the chase begins.
My husband and I have traveled the United States hunting wild birds. Early in our relationship, we set a goal to hunt all six species of quail – a goal we completed during the 2024 season. Those adventures will stay with us forever, but nothing compares to chasing wild quail in our home state of Florida.
We went from never seeing birds to finding coveys across multiple wildlife management areas. For that, we can thank Quail Forever and the many people who advocate for conservation and this way of life. When we have kids, we hope they love it just as much as we do.
Listen to the Podcast:
PODCAST EP. 379: Quail Across America: A Florida Couple's Six-Species Adventure
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