In December John and I were super fortunate to be invited on a weekend of quail hunting at a place called Oakland Club here in South Carolina. Thanks to the Evans (close family friends), we were in for two days of over-under toting, blaze-orange clad, horseback riding quail adventure.

Holy smokes it was fun.

We arrived at Oakland on a Thursday evening just in time for cocktail hour and a delicious dinner, and on the coattails of the first below-freezing front in the Lowcountry. Early to bed (early to rise), we hit the sack full of excitement for the next day.

Morning brought chilly temperatures in the low 30s, but that didn’t stop us from layering up and getting pumped to hunt. John ended up having to work a bit and wasn’t able to go on the morning hunt, so Otis and I climbed in the saddle to chase the first few coveys on our own.

We were one of 3 rigs that went out, with each rig having 2 hunters, a guide, a “horse boy,” everyone’s horses, and 2-3 bird dogs. Talk about a well-oiled machine!

We hadn’t been on the horses 10 minutes before the bird dogs found the first covey. Dad & I dismounted, grabbed our shotguns, and loaded up. As soon as the birds flushed, they came to my side of the drive – the shot was mine, and I took it.

Two birds down in the first covey rise? I’ll take that any day! Then, it was back on the horses to continue the hunt.

I wish I had taken more photos on that morning hunt, but Oakland was so pretty – so quail-y – that I found myself just staring around the entire time we were riding. I mean, look at this place!

We found 3 more coveys and knocked down a handful of quail, and everything kept happening so fast that I never even got the camera back out. Kicking myself, still! We even jumped a small buck along the way.

Then it was time to have lunch in the field. The guides built a fire and set up tables right in the woods, and all the rigs and hunters met to eat and recap the morning.

Once we ate, we had about an hour to kill, just hanging around the fire and lounging in the grass. A few hunters even laid down for a quick cat nap. John was finally able to join us around 12:30, just in time to snag a bite to eat and get to know the horse he’d be riding for the afternoon. In case you don’t know, John doesn’t exactly like horses.  The last time we rode, it was on a beach in Costa Rica in our bathing suits, after a pitcher of margaritas and incessant begging by yours truly. Knowing that we’d be quail hunting this time (and properly dressed for the activity), he was a little more open to the idea… Much to my entertainment. 🙂

Not to worry – the two bonded quickly, and we were back in the saddle for the afternoon hunt.

We found 3 more coveys that afternoon, taking turns dismounting to shoot, and managed to knock down 5 or 6 more birds. It was such a fun afternoon, cracking up at the fast and furious rise of wings and feathers that will make a monkey out of even a seasoned quail hunter at times. Sometimes the quail would get up 15 feet ahead us, giving us enough time to calmly raise our guns and shoot. Other times, they’d get up 2 feet from our faces, and it was all I could do to compose myself in time to shoot. Those quail are squirrely flyers when they want to be! At one point, we were chasing birds through brambles and briars so thick that my chaps not only came unbuttoned from my belt, but were pulled off my leg completely as I ran.

The last covey got up and set down a few times before we could get a shot on them in the setting sun, so we walked for the last little bit of the hunt.

[Quick and not so shameless brag] I posted this photo on Instagram that afternoon, quoting on of my favorite songs by the Turnpike Troubadours:

And you know what happened the next morning?

Ahhh! Haha it might seem silly, but we were super excited – it’s not often that one of your favorite bands actually likes a photo you tag them in / post.

Ok ok, back to the quail.

We had cocktails and another amazing dinner that night, again sharing our afternoon recaps with the rest of the group. By bedtime, our guns were lined up and ready for the final hunt .

We woke up Saturday morning to temperatures in the mid-twenties – about 24* and lots of ice in the ground. It was going to be chilly on those horses, so we bundled up and headed out on the rig.

Hunting a different part of the property, we were able to see a few different types of terrain that morning, and rode for about 45 minutes before the dogs found the first covey. John and I dismounted and made our way towards the point. I think 4-5 birds got up when we approached, and we knocked down two in the process. Not bad!

The only real hangup we had that morning was trying to find the quail once they hit the ground after the shot. Some areas had tall grasses that helped them blend in perfectly – you could be standing right on top of one and never see it.

By 11:30 or so, we’d jumped 2 more coveys, and had a few birds in the bag. Finally, the dogs pointed one more time at the edge of an open field lined with small trees and a big ditch. As we clambered over and down and back up, I noticed the dogs were on point just a few feet past a fallen tree. Walking with my gun ready and eyes forward, I approached the tree and made a movement to step up and over it. The second my foot touched it, probably 30 quail erupted from the tree’s branches and remaining leaves and OH MY GAHHH. Y’all, it sounded like a helicopter was going to land on my head and just about hit the deck. It was all I could do to get my gun up – forget about actually getting a bead on a bird and pulling the trigger!

Thankfully, a handful went down about 40 yards away, so we took off after them again. On the next rise, we were able to bring down 2 or 3. After 2 more chase/rise volleys, we managed to hit 5 birds in all.

I’ve got to admit, it was a pretty comical sight. I am sure the guide was cracking up the entire time.

Heading back towards the rig, we passed through swamp and fields, and laughed at ourselves along the way. In one area, we jumped 3 groups of deer – first 2 does, then a group of 4, and finally one big buck whose rack I never was able to get a good look at. But, I could tell by the size of his body that was a super nice deer.

We arrived back at the house for one last incredible meal before packing up to leave. Going back through my photos, I somehow never managed to take another shot of our quail. Not a single one… I’ll blame the cold and being flustered by that giant covey rise, I guess.

But gosh do I love quail hunting.

Merry Christmas (a little late) from the family!

To the Evans – thank you so much for an amazing weekend! We had the best time, and certainly won’t soon forget it.