Giving quail a shot

Durham businessman starts shooting preserve to replicate wild quail hunts

BLANCH -- Rocco, a 4-year-old German shorthaired pointer, was locked up on point, quivering from exertion and anticipation. Somewhere in front of him, hidden in a stand of sorghum, was a covey of bobwhite quail. When the birds flushed, two hunters shot four times. The shorthair made quick work of the retrieves, and the group continued on in search of more quail on the rolling Piedmont countryside.

That scene used to be common in rural North Carolina. Thirty years ago, the small patchwork farms covering the countryside provided plenty of cover and food for quail. But with the advent of corporate farming and general development, quail cover and quail coveys have become scarce in many parts of the state.

That's where guys like Pete Klein come in.

Klein, 43, recently opened Quail Ridge Hunting Preserve on 178 acres in Caswell County. Klein, co-founder of Parata Systems in Durham, is doing things a little different than traditional shooting preserves.

Most shooting preserves are akin to stocked fishing ponds. Birds are released on the grounds and then are hunted, usually with pointing breeds. It's strictly a put-and-take operation, pay as you go. There are 243 public and private controlled shooting preserves in North Carolina, said Daron Barnes, permits supervisor for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

A new system

Klein's operation is a bit different. The birds are pen-raised in a brood unit called a Surrogator and are released into the wild to fend for themselves at five weeks of age. Klein is selling memberships for which $4,000 annually will get a member quail, dove, turkey and deer hunting opportunities.

"The whole idea was to recreate a hunting experience instead of using planted birds," Klein said as he followed Rocco and a hunting party around his spread. "We're not into agriculture except as it relates to quail habitat."

Klein moved to Durham in 2002 and hunted some local preserves, then decided to create his own.

"The ultimate goal is to create a community of 15 people who have the same goals and treat the land as their own," Klein said.

Klein and his preserve manager, Mike Hawley, started planting after Klein closed on the land in May. Seed-bearing plants such as milo and sorghum provide forage, and other plants provide cover.

On this day, the hunters were not members but two friends who had gone in together and purchased a hunt as a fundraiser at a Quail Unlimited banquet.

Charlie Adams, 59, and Ralph Capasso, 61, both of Durham, had arrived that morning. After a few rounds of practice at the clay-target range, the pair followed Hawley, 47, to his truck, where Rocco eagerly awaited. Hawley released Rocco from a metal dog box, and the hunt commenced.

Adams and Capasso were experienced hunters, but neither had done much quail hunting. They got a bunch that morning.

The trio weaved their way through various food plots, attentive to Rocco's beeper collar, which would change tone when the dog was on point. This helped locate the dog when he was hidden in heavy cover.

Rocco would lock up on point every so often, and coveys of quail from a few to perhaps eight birds would take flight when flushed, often flying out of sight. Some would tumble to the ground at the gun's report (both hunters carried CZ Redhead Deluxe over-and-under shotguns in 20 gauge), and Hawley would call to Rocco, "My bird, my bird," to emphasize the retrieve command.

Teamwork

For Hawley, the new preserve is a dream job. Hawley and Klein met through a mutual friend, former Duke lacrosse coach Mike Pressler. Hawley was the head athletic equipment manager at Duke and took an early retirement in 2006. Now, he's part guide, part dog handler and part farmer.