Quail Vs Dove

R

roy reali

New member
So, what do you think is harder to bring down, quail or dove? I don't mean which bird is harder to kill, I mean which bird is harder to hit. Many folks think that dove are one of the harder targets to hit. However, I believe that quail are more challenging to hit. They don't have the speed or maneuvers of a dove, but they usually present only a small window of opportunity to make a hit.

So what is your opinion? Do you think that doves or quail present more of a challenge to hunters?
 
Quail, because you have to find them. Dove fly to you. As to the hardest birds of all to hit, I'd say wood duck because they're the fastest in flight and in flooded timber you often have an extremely narrow field of view. They're exceedingly tasty as well. Teal are the second most challenging, and second by only the tiniest of margins. Very fast and they tend to fly very low and get very sneaky.
 
Doves fly faster; proper lead is very important. And, the distances can be deceptive, with hunters taking shots that are longer than thought--which means shooting behind and below the bird.

Mostly, quail are "going-away" birds, and are rising. The shots tend to be a bit easier, IMO. I think missed shots tend to be below the bird. Folks are more prone to shoot AT the bird instead of where he will be when the shot arrives.

Art
 
My vote goes to the dove. With the variable speed that they have can be a real challange. I say the hardest bird to shoot is the woodcock- darn near impossible.
 
Both present a different challenge. Trying to hit a dove doing 40 MPH with a tailwind is tough. Trying to hit a quail after walking through brush and up and down hills isn't for the feeble. You're breathing hard, your legs are tired and that little bugger only gives you a split second to shoot before going behind another tree or rock. Magnify this 10 times if you are hunting chukars...
 
My vote is for doves, as well. I've only hunted Quail a couple of times in South Texas. It was over 15 years ago, but I do remember that they seemed easier to hit, since most of the Quail I shot, waited until I was almost right on them.
 
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