Rough terrain can be paradise for birds in Texas

SAN MANUEL, Texas — When Mother Nature smiles on quail hunters, South Texas is the Garden of Eden for bobwhite quail. Bird populations tend to ride a roller coaster in this brushy, rolling terrain not far from the Laguna Madre.

It's too early in the season to know for sure, but it looks as if this year's quail population is between a peak and a valley.

Most of the coastal zone from Corpus Christi to Brownsville has recorded 35 to 40 inches of rain. It came late, however, usually in deluges associated with hurricanes or tropical storms. The vegetation is dense and the quail are not easy to find. Moreover, South Texas presents unique challenges to sportsmen thrilled by a covey rise.

The sandy soil that characterizes the best quail habitat is hard on people and machines. Walking through the sand is difficult, and the same loose soil that mires a hunter's boots will quickly trap a vehicle's tires. Shovels and industrial-strength jacks are standard equipment on a South Texas hunting rig.

In this unforgiving region, nearly every plant is covered with thorns that rip flesh and puncture tires. Then there's the weather, which ranges from mild to balmy. The weather and ambient moisture off the Gulf Coast create a subtropical breeding ground for quail. Nesting birds have been documented here in every month except December.

Mild winter weather means rattlesnakes are always a potential hazard. Snake leggings are standard attire for quail hunters and serve double duty as protection from thorns.

A 70-degree morning may feel fine to a hunter, but the heat takes its toll on bird dogs. A North Texas bird dog might run for two hours on a frosty morning. Not so down south, where a 30-minute brace is more the norm.

Luther Young has fought the quail wars for more than 20 years, and the Riviera-based outfitter believes he has hit upon the perfect vehicle for South Texas quail hunting. It's a surplus, Austrian-made military troop carrier called a Pinzgauer. It's like a Kawasaki Mule or a Polaris Ranger on steroids.

"I've got three of these vehicles, and I've been using them for four years with no problems," Young said. "They've got 80-horsepower, air-cooled engines that are so simple I can work on them myself. They cost a little more than the standard ATV and less than 25 percent of the cost of a crew cab hunting truck.

"I put my Pinzgauer on a trailer and use a Suburban to tow it to wherever I'm hunting. "