32 NEBRASKAland • NOVEMBER 2018
should also have lead 7½'s or 8's in
their orange vest if a covey of quail
are found.
Hunters should also bring a separate
vest with steel only. Some areas –
notably the Valentine and Crescent
Lake NWRs where grouse are often
found – require nontoxic shot. Steel
No. 3's are a good multispecies
load, and No. 6's are excellent for
bobwhites.
Planning Your Trip
There are probably a handful of areas
within the state where all four upland
bird species could be encountered on
a single hunt. Below I've provided a
list of those premier honey holes – just
kidding …. Realistically, there are quite
a few places where 3 of the 4 coexist
but you're likely going to have to
travel to get that last bird.
North-Central Sandhills – State and
federally-owned lands near Valentine
provide some excellent mixed bag
opportunities. The choppy uplands
at Valentine NWR support a good
mix of chickens and sharpies and the
dense cattail marshes offer a decent
chance at a bonus ring-neck. Sharp-
tails tend to dominate the bag farther
west at Samuel B. McKelvie National
Forest and Merritt Reservoir Wildlife
Management Area (WMA). Bobwhites
are the challenge up here – you might
find a handful of bobwhites around
Merritt Reservoir but a better bet
is to travel south and east to find
some woody cover at the National
Forest near Halsey or around Calamus
Reservoir.
Western Sandhills/Panhandle – Out
west, you're inevitably going to have
to travel south or east for a chance
at a bobwhite but don't overlook
these upland hunting opportunities.
Crescent Lake NWR is home to good
Ryan Sparks of Ontario – who grew up in Louisville, Nebraska – shows a bobwhite quail to his English pointer Tippet during
a hunt in Cass County. Photo by Jeff Kurrus.
