52 years of quail hunting

When they go quail hunting these days, they have to take their own birds.
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
EL DORADO SPRINGS, Mo. -- Joe Hendricks and Robert "Doc" Magee can't let go of the past.
Now in their 80s, they both have seen better days in the Missouri quail fields. They remember how it was in the mid-1950s, when they first hunted together. Quail were everywhere, limits were common and bird hunting put Missouri on the map.
It's not that way anymore.
Habitat has disappeared, quail have dwindled to a precious few in southwestern Missouri, and bird hunters are even harder to find than the birds themselves.
But Hendricks and Magee can't let go.
No matter how bad it gets, they'll be out there on frosty winter mornings, following their bird dogs through fields in pursuit of quail.
"We've hunted together for 52 years, and we've never missed a season," said Hendricks, 81. "We've really seen a lot of changes.
"When we first started, this was a great area for quail hunting. There used to be bird dogs all around town. Everyone hunted quail.
"Now Doc and I are about the only ones left. Just about everyone else around here has given up. There just aren't enough wild birds to make it worth your time hunting them.
"But Doc and I love it too much to quit. I guess we're just diehards."
How this began
Their long journey through Missouri's quail fields started when they were next-door neighbors and both had bird dogs. They started talking about their shared love of quail hunting, and it wasn't long before they were in the field together.
At the time, southwest Missouri was dominated by small farms with brushy borders and fence rows. And quail thrived.
So did hunters. It was nothing to go down one draw and find three healthy coveys of birds.
Bird dogs would be so busy retrieving, they would be panting after an hour or so of nonstop action. And hunters were accustomed to pulling the trigger often.
Hendricks, the former mayor of El Dorado Springs, and Magee, the town's family doctor, were especially fortunate. They made plenty of contacts and had numerous places to hunt.
"This farmer we met took care of 3,500 acres of land, and he knew where every covey of birds in this county was," Hendricks recalled with a laugh. "We would go out on his land and just have phenomenal quail hunting."
Over time, that changed. Farms were sold, cover was removed, fescue was planted and agricultural practices became more efficient. All of that spelled trouble for the quail--and hunters like Hendricks and Magee.
"I'll tell you how bad it has gotten," Hendricks said as he returned to his truck. "When we go quail hunting now, we have to bring our own birds."
How they do it
Hendricks reached into the bed of the pickup and lifted a cage filled with pen-raised quail, birds they purchased with a special permit from the Missouri Department of Conservation. Moments later, he and Magee were planting some of those birds in cover on the farm they own.
Once the birds were in place, they released their two young Brittanies, Pete and Sage, and began following the dogs through the cover.
When Pete went on point, Hendricks stepped in and kicked at the cover. The quail burst into flight and started to streak away. But that flight was cut short by a single shot from Hendricks' shotgun.
As Pete bounded out to make the retrieve, Hendricks smiled and said: "It isn't as much fun as hunting wild birds. But we only have one covey of wild birds on our land, as far as we know. And we want to protect them. So we plant pen-raised birds. At least we get to watch the dogs work."
Improving the habitat
Hendricks and Magee foresee better times ahead.
They are managing the land they bought in 1999 for quail, following the Missouri Department of Conservation's recommendations for making their acreage more wildlife-friendly.
They have removed large areas of fescue, a grass that isn't conducive to quail, and have replaced it with warm-season grasses. And they have provided more brush by toppling some trees along the edge of fields and in fence rows.
They hope all their efforts will result in more quail, as it has on many farms in Missouri where habitat work is being done. But even if it doesn't, you can bet that Hendricks and Magee will still be out there hunting.
"My dad would turn over in his grave if he knew I bought a farm like this," Hendricks said. "This is poor land.
"But we didn't buy it to farm it. We bought it for the wildlife.
"We have a lot of deer and turkeys here. And hopefully, we'll have quail again, too.
"That's all that matters to us."