BY THE NUMBERS
16,226 Estimated Georgia quail hunters in 2012
430,691 Estimated harvest of quail by hunters in 2012
135,000 Estimated quail hunters in Georgia in 1966
Source: Georgia DNR estimates
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources forecast for bobwhite quail hunting this season offers wingshooters a ray of hope after a number of gloomy years. Quail numbers are up as much as 15 percent over the previous season in portions of Georgia.
The quail season opened statewide in mid-November and runs through the end of February.
The caveat in the report is that bobwhites are doing well in areas with large blocks of early-succession plant growth. Such habitat is rare in much of the state and particularly in North Georgia.
The DNR also reported that up to 80 percent of the quail harvested last season were pen-raised and released birds. Hunts on private shooting preserves account for the bulk of that harvest.
Only a few such hunting operations are found near Atlanta, in northwest Georgia. Springbank Plantation at Barnsley Gardens in Adairsville and Noontootla Creek Farms in Blue Ridge are two.
Country Sports Plantation near Rome is a new option for wingshooters in the region. The plantation now offers memberships for quail hunting on 6,000 acres of well-groomed habitat along the Etowah River.
Members and guests can book guided hunts with the plantation’s dogs, or they may bring their own dogs for unguided outings.
The Country Sports property also contains Kingston Downs, which has been the host site for the Atlanta Steeplechase since 1993.
Prince Faisal Mohammed Saud Al Kabir of the Saudi Arabian royal family originally purchased several smaller farms to assemble the tract in the 1980s. The prince used the property for recreation for his family and friends, but lost the farm to foreclosure in 1991.
The manager of hunting operations for Country Sports is Junior Dobson. Dobson formerly held the same position for Springbank at Barnsley Gardens. Contact him at countrysports@mhgroup.us for more details on Country Sports Plantation.
The 2013-14 quail-hunting forecast for Georgia can be viewed at georgiawildlife.com/node/2726.
