# Quail



## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

No, didn’t cook it but we’re out in a rural area. I don’t think it’s hunting season. I’ve cook Cornish game hens and liked them. Seemed like last time, ages ago, I had quail the menu said, ‘watch for buckshot.’ I didn’t order it but wish I had.

this place used to have gator tail on the menu. Little fried chunks, but not today.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jun 15, 2018)

if the restaurant is commercial, it is probably 99.9% that the quail came from a quail farm - not shot in the wild.
the "watch for buckshot" line is probably just a teaser for the guests.

*Edit:* and the word "buckshot" is incorrect. that is large lead balls for large game.
"birdshot" or "lead pellets" would be more accurate.
but with fried quail, it don't matter what you have to eat around to get it down.
I would look for frozen quail in your grocery store. (Asian & Latino stores usually have it)
or - make you a big pen and raise your own !!!
(oh, my local Asian store has 5 pound bags of frozen gator meat. turns out, I'm not a big fan of gator meat).


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## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

I buy from Manchester Farms in Columbia SC, Quail breast or legs wrapped in bacon on the grill.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Oh, they are just tiny little scared birds. . . . I've never understood why people would shoot them.










Cornish game hens are 5 weeks old!

Just my opinion.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

This restaurant today was local, opened in 1948. I’m glad it survived all these years but now theres housing developments and chain restaurants all over.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Well the few time I have been hunting and had an opportunity to shoot quail they were in *no danger at all*. They burst out right in front of you at the last moment and you have dozens of birds all going different directions, that makes finding a target difficult. And then in a blink they are all gone.

Made for some good laughing.
Bud


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## XSleeper (Sep 23, 2007)

Quail are VERY fast and so they are hard to shoot so its quite the challenge to actually hit one.


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

XSleeper said:


> Quail are VERY fast and so they are hard to shoot so its quite the challenge to actually hit one.


I used to shoot skeet and trap and was good but every time I shot at quail I missed.
I've been to live quail shoots, they pull feathers from under the wings so they can't fly as well. The quail were pen raised not wild. I don't know what happened with the after the shoot was over.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

wooleybooger said:


> I used to shoot skeet and trap and was good but every time I shot at quail I missed.
> I've been to live quail shoots, they pull feathers from under the wings so they can't fly as well. The quail were pen raised not wild. I don't know what happened with the after the shoot was over.


someone ate them!


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

wb, I feel better knowing it wasn't just me. My experience was in NJ but up here in Maine I have see a few. I just smiled and didn't ever try to take a shot. Wonder if a gun club might have used them for a shoot.

Bud


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

What? Nobody ever heard of trained Dogs that flush the bird, while you the hunter, waits at the edge of the field shotgun at the ready?

Irish Setters are good at the chore, that is until you shoot your dog, they will never trust you again. 

Many other breeds of Bird dog also.


ED


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Only chance I ever had to hunt with a dog was a stray dog that joined us. Rabbits or birds he would freeze and wait for us to approach. Almost like cheating.

Never found out who he belonged to and he never came back.
Hunting dogs ABSOLUTELY love to hunt.

Bud


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Bud9051 said:


> Only chance I ever had to hunt with a dog was a stray dog that joined us. Rabbits or birds he would freeze and wait for us to approach. Almost like cheating.
> 
> Never found out who he belonged to and he never came back.
> Hunting dogs ABSOLUTELY love to hunt.
> ...


 He froze waiting for the command to " flush" the prey.

Then would probably retrieve the game for you.


ED


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

de-nagorg said:


> What? Nobody ever heard of trained Dogs that flush the bird, while you the hunter, waits at the edge of the field shotgun at the ready?
> 
> Irish Setters are good at the chore, that is until you shoot your dog, they will never trust you again.
> 
> ...


An uncle had a German Shorthair Pointer


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## chandler48 (Jun 5, 2017)

Compared to a quail, a cornish game hen will seem like a Turkey. There just ain't much to a quail.


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

Agreed—the juice ain't worth the squeeze.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

When I said I liked Cornish game hands mostly I just liked that they sounded elegant


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

I never had quail, just too small to fool with.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

When they have whole chickens on sale I always look for the smallest. $0.79 a pound for 3 pound chicken makes a sweet meal, with no left overs .

Smallest game bird I remember is dove. We used to get a bunch in KS. We have them here but not in the flocks we saw there.
Bud


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Friends up north who ‘lived off the land’, (cough cough) Invited us to dinner I was in another room and heard one say not to tell me what it was or I wouldn’t eat it. It was doves. I ate as much as I could!!!


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## J. V. (Jun 1, 2007)

Startingover said:


> No, didn’t cook it but we’re out in a rural area. I don’t think it’s hunting season. I’ve cook Cornish game hens and liked them. Seemed like last time, ages ago, I had quail the menu said, ‘watch for buckshot.’ I didn’t order it but wish I had.
> this place used to have gator tail on the menu. Little fried chunks, but not today.


Like said before. Its bird shot. And if the restaurant was good, you missed a great dinner. Quickly sauteed, then a nice pan sauce is very very good.


rjniles said:


> I buy from Manchester Farms in Columbia SC, Quail breast or legs wrapped in bacon on the grill.


Sounds good. Never had legs or the breast seperated. But have had dove breast wrapped with bacon, then grilled and they were the Bomb! I loved them.


Nik333 said:


> Oh, they are just tiny little scared birds. . . . I've never understood why people would shoot them.
> 
> View attachment 652835
> 
> ...


They are very good to eat and a challenge to hunt. All around an excellent little bird.



chandler48 said:


> Compared to a quail, a cornish game hen will seem like a Turkey. There just ain't much to a quail.


Yes, I am now seeing cornish hens sold individually at at least 2 lbs. I mean its really just a small chicken at that weight. Walmart sells (I never go to Walmart) individual cornish hens. They are under 1 lb and very small. Might even be only a 1/2 lb? I like to get those. Something about small birds?


Bud9051 said:


> When they have whole chickens on sale I always look for the smallest. $0.79 a pound for 3 pound chicken makes a sweet meal, with no left overs .
> Smallest game bird I remember is dove. We used to get a bunch in KS. We have them here but not in the flocks we saw there.
> Bud


Bud, I cannot find any whole chicken under 3 lbs. The fryers or "young chicken" are all in the 5-6 lb range. They are even to big for fried chicken. There is a special brand (organic) that are small. $3 a pound! And they rarely have them.



Startingover said:


> Friends up north who ‘lived off the land’, (cough cough) Invited us to dinner I was in another room and heard one say not to tell me what it was or I wouldn’t eat it. It was doves. I ate as much as I could!!!


Dove breast wrapped in bacon grilled over a charcoal grill is the only way I have had them. They were excellent. They went fast to.


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## b.rooster4321 (Apr 22, 2020)

Yes chicken in the store has gone up in price and so have the cheap chicken fryers All due to Covid not enough people in the factories to process them


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

John Smith_inFL said:


> if the restaurant is commercial, it is probably 99.9% that the quail came from a quail farm - not shot in the wild.
> the "watch for buckshot" line is probably just a teaser for the guests.
> 
> *Edit:* and the word "buckshot" is incorrect. that is large lead balls for large game.
> ...


Since I am horrible to go off topic, and the reason is, if I don't say it right then, it is gone forever. lol Buckshot reminded me of making a distressed antiqued table years back. I would shoot it with rat shot, then bird shot to make the worm holes that some of the farmhouse tables have. I accidently grabbed a round of buckshot, blew a dern hole in the table. Now back to our regular program. lol


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

Different topic,
Hey, the entire rack, 3 shelves of rotisserie chickens at Publix was EMPTY, with an apology sign saying there was a shortage !


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Current flyer: Weekly Flyer
Boneless chicken breasts $1.69 lb.
Leg quarters $99
Split fryers $1.49 these were smallish
Didn't see any whole chickens this week.
I expect we will eventually see all prices going up

Bud


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

J. V. said:


> They are very good to eat and a challenge to hunt. All around an excellent little bird.


I do not understand how maiming an animal to hunt it is a fair hunt.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jun 15, 2018)

when I used to live out in the woods, our Bob White quail population all but vanished completely due to the stupid growth and explosive construction projects.
I raised a hundred (100) Bob Whites from eggs and when they were old enough, I left the door open to their cage and over a couple of days, they were all gone. and months later, I never saw any of them again and never heard one whistle. not one. it was pretty disheartening for my valiant effort to restock the area to fail like that.
so - in my previous homestead area, there is no quail hunting going on.


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

Nothing fair about using a gun to shoot game. In many parts of the country it is a tradition that teaches responsibility. The need to harvest wild game for food is going away rapidly but the lessons learned still need to be taught.

One example is a "turkey shoot used to involve shooting at a turkey in a cage when he poped his head up. Today it involves paper targets and frozen turkeys as the prize.

Bud


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

John Smith_inFL said:


> when I used to live out in the woods, our Bob White quail population all but vanished completely due to the stupid growth and explosive construction projects.
> I raised a hundred (100) Bob Whites from eggs and when they were old enough, I left the door open to their cage and over a couple of days, they were all gone. and months later, I never saw any of them again and never heard one whistle. not one. it was pretty disheartening for my valiant effort to restock the area to fail like that.
> so - in my previous homestead area, there is no quail hunting going on.


good for you for trying to make a difference.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jun 15, 2018)

I gave my grandkids a video of the 100 little quail eggs hatching in the incubator. when a chicken or large fowl hatches from an egg, it just cracks open at any given spot. quail eggs are totally different - the baby pokes his "egg tooth" on his beak in a very precise line around the top third of the egg and it opens like a zipper. the most remarkable thing I have ever seen. each and every empty shell looks identical to the others.
if you ever want to raise just a few quail, it is a very rewarding hobby. (and fairly low maintenance).
we have only one quail left and she very faithfully lays one egg a day - every day.


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## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

Off topic but a real treat. A medium shrimp wrapped with venison tenderloin or backstrap wrapped with bacon. Hold together with a tooth pick and grill till bacon is crisp. Venison will be rare.

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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

rjniles said:


> Off topic but a real treat. A medium shrimp wrapped with venison tenderloin or backstrap wrapped with bacon. Hold together with a tooth pick and grill till bacon is crisp. Venison will be rare.
> 
> Sent from my Lenovo TB-X606F using Tapatalk


I could have used this recipe when I lived up north around hunters.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

John Smith_inFL said:


> I gave my grandkids a video of the 100 little quail eggs hatching in the incubator. when a chicken or large fowl hatches from an egg, it just cracks open at any given spot. quail eggs are totally different - the baby pokes his "egg tooth" on his beak in a very precise line around the top third of the egg and it opens like a zipper. the most remarkable thing I have ever seen. each and every empty shell looks identical to the others.
> if you ever want to raise just a few quail, it is a very rewarding hobby. (and fairly low maintenance).
> we have only one quail left and she very faithfully lays one egg a day - every day.











Random article I found for you on quail predators


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## J. V. (Jun 1, 2007)

b.rooster4321 said:


> Yes chicken in the store has gone up in price and so have the cheap chicken fryers All due to Covid not enough people in the factories to process them
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I have not seen cheap chicken for years now. Whole fryers minimum $1.29 lb.



Nik333 said:


> I do not understand how maiming an animal to hunt it is a fair hunt.


Maiming? I don't hunt so what do you mean by this? I can assure you if anything needed an advantage it would be the bird, not the hunter.


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