Quail Hunts for 2007
I am sorry, but our Quail hunts are sold out for 2007
Quail hunts are very different type hunts than Deer and Turkey hunting here at the ranch. This is our first season to ever offer any quail hunts. We have always had plenty of quail, but, we have never offered quail hunting as an option. We now have enough quail to make the hunts realistic. In fact, the Knaus Ranch was selected at the Taylor County official Quail counting location.
The way the counting is accomplished is that there are a number of stations selected separated by about one mile each. The locations are marked numbered on a post in the pasture, and at about daybreak there are people that travel to each of these sites and count the number and direction of the quail calls for 5 minutes at each location. Our top count was 110 calls at one location at the top of the mountain.
I have been seeing a number of quail for some time and have placed special feeders in the general area. I use 55 gallon plastic barrels with holes drilled near a quail's eye level. Then, the quail can see the milo grain in the hole, pluck it out and hopefully continue this procedure as long as they wish. One of our problems being that the feeder must be covered with tree branches or some kind of cover that an over flying hawk cannot see the small quail at dinner. Or, the hawk will swoop in and take out the feeding quail. We have about 15 or 20 coveys.
Our quail hunts work as follows:
You may bring your dogs for your quail hunt, if you wish to use dogs. We do not furnish any dogs, but, we do have a place to house several dogs. This is a fenced in area with water and an indoor covered house with wood shavings on the floor and bundles of hay over the sides and top for insulation. The dogs can stay warm even when it is very cold we can supplement the heat with electric heat lamps.
We do have prickly pear thorns and various other natural items that can harm a dog. When the weather is warm, snakes are a problem. For this reason, we only plan to have the Quail hunts in the months that the weather is quite cool or down right cold.
We need a minimum of two quail hunters and no more than six hunters to set up a quail hunt. The price of the quail hunts are $500 per day per hunter for two hunters ,with a two day minimum, The price includes the birds. There are no other cost involved.
Three hunters bring the price down to $450 per hunter per day and four or more hunters the cost goes to $400 per hunter per day. We have two day hunts and three day hunts. This year we plan to have no more than a total of six quail hunters. Call for additional details. Since this is our first year for quail hunts, I am certain that there are many points that I have missed.
The price include an area for your dogs to sleep in a common area. The dogs are not separated unless you bring your own portable kennels.
Our hunters are housed in our first class 'bunk house'. Please check out the details in the deer hunting section of this site. I supply food for all meals and provide and cook dinner once each day usually for supper. Like the deer hunters, the meals are usually steak, ribs, roast, chili, chicken or what ever you want as long as the same meal is served to every one. We also do low-carb type meals if requested.