About 15 feathered rockets exploded into our faces as the English pointer jumped into entangling cover. Dodging birds that almost hit us, my son and I bagged two while missing others before the covey sailed into a thick bramble patch where neither dog nor human cared to follow. Where once common wild birds largely disappeared, the Baker Quail Plantation near Macclenny, Fla., about 35 miles west of Jacksonville, tries to recreate the glory days of quail hunting in northern Florida.

Baker Plantation returns to glory days of quail hunting

By John N. Felsher

About 15 feathered rockets exploded into our faces as the English pointer jumped into entangling cover. Dodging birds that almost hit us, my son and I bagged two while missing others before the covey sailed into a thick bramble patch where neither dog nor human cared to follow. Where once common wild birds largely disappeared, the Baker Quail Plantation near Macclenny, Fla., about 35 miles west of Jacksonville, tries to recreate the glory days of quail hunting in northern Florida.

“When I was growing up in the 1950s, we didn’t need a dog to hunt quail,” remembered Allen Whitson, part owner of the Baker Quail Plantation. “The fields were full of birds. We just walked them up along the fencerows. Now, not many wild birds are left. My brother and I decided to build a quail plantation so in June 2003, we bought some cutover timberland with a few wild coveys on it.”

The Whitsons enhanced drainage and built roads on 634 acres of pine forests, scrub and creek bottoms. They burned fields to increase native plant growth, planted milo (grain sorghum) as bird food and mowed trails through the fields so they could hunt the property. They planted cover vegetation so birds could hide from foxes, hawks and other predators. To augment the native quail population, the plantation releases birds every October. They usually hunt from November through March. Periodically throughout the season, they release more birds, averaging about 6,000 to 8,000 per year. They raise about 20,000 birds on the property each year, selling what they do not release and stagger the ages of the birds so they release quail when the birds turn about 14 to 16 weeks old.

Some commercial hunting operations release birds only minutes before the guests arrive. The disoriented birds don’t fly very well. Sometimes, the guide must prod them into flying or even toss them into the air. As much as possible, the Baker Quail Plantation tries to duplicate the challenging atmosphere of wild bird hunting. Released birds quickly mingle with wild quail or those released previously and learn to survive.
“As much as we could, we want to create a hunting experience that was like the way wild bird hunting used to be,” said Wayne Helton, plantation manager. “After we release birds, we don’t disturb them for two weeks. We want them to find homes and join up with wild birds. Then, we bump them around with the dogs before the season starts to give the dogs some work and make birds wilder. Quail quickly learn to fly for cover. Predators get some quail, but we weigh out the losses from predators with the birds superior flight qualities. By the time we start hunting them, the ones that survived the predators are pretty wary and strong fliers. We’d rather have fewer birds that fly like wild birds so people enjoy the hunt more than just a bunch of birds on a put-and-take operation.”

The Baker Quail Plantation also tries to recreate Old South hunting traditions, albeit with a modern twist. While plantation sportsmen used mule-drawn wagons to reach their hunting fields in the old days, Helton drives a gasoline-powered “mule,” a jeep-like all-terrain vehicle, pulling a wagon carrying hunters, dogs, supplies and refreshments. The wagon can accommodate up to six hunters, but Helton prefer to limit groups to four at a time. For safety reasons, shooters take turns with only two leaving the wagon per point.

“The hunting buggies provide a good social setting,” Whitson said. “It’s a good way to entertain a business client. Riding around on the wagon and watching the dogs work in such a beautiful setting is almost as much fun as shooting.”

During one morning hunt in January 2009, five of us flushed about 200 quail. In an extremely challenging hunt, we bagged nearly 30 birds. The birds flew like wild quail, jumping into our faces and zooming off to vanish in thickets as we approached. Others preferred to run through cover rather than fly, as wild quail under predation from hawks and other raptors would do.

The lodge can accommodate up to 16 people in four suites equipped with bunk beds, living rooms and bathrooms. A common area provides a full kitchen, big screen satellite TV and other amenities. Most groups arrive on the evening before a hunt where they exchange lies around a roaring campfire while the staff prepares steak, pork chops, barbecue or other old favorites. Before hunting the next morning, guests eat a traditional breakfast. They return for lunch, often featuring fried quail harvested that morning coupled with delicious fried cornbread, pork, grits and other Deep South staples. Throughout the day, camp staff picks up bagged birds to clean them so that guests don’t need to worry about anything except enjoying themselves.
After lunch, guests might shoot a round of skeet or hunt in a different area or habitat type. Hunting parties rotate through various areas to avoid overstressing birds. Quail seldom fly far from their home territories. If the bird population drops too low in one area, Helton releases more birds in that area and leaves it alone for a while until birds acclimate to their new homes.

Such hunting preserves actually increase bird populations in an entire area. Some quail inevitably survive hunting pressure and predators to breed. Every spring, they make their namesake breeding calls. A highly prolific species, a single female quail lays an egg each day until she produces about 12 to 15 eggs. She might lay three or four clutches during a breeding season, which may last until early fall. As the population increases, birds occupy adjacent lands with suitable habitat, high, dry land with abundant food and cover.
“Our neighbors say they are seeing quail in their yards and they haven’t seen quail in years,” Whitson said. “Shooting preserves keep a nucleus of birds, but the rest breed and spread out into adjacent territories. It doesn’t take them long to get wild.”

For booking trips, call 904-334-4323 or 904-259-2410 or visit www.bakerquailplantation.com.