For Alabama locals and sportsmen throughout the Southeast, quail hunting is considered a favorite pastime; however, with experiences often characterized by luxury accommodations and outfitting, the sport can seem unattainable for many. Many preserves, pruned to aesthetic perfection, alter the landscape in ways that make it unrecognizable from its original form.

Quail Ridge Wingshooting Preserve in Montevallo aims to challenge this standard, opting instead to offer experiences that feel rugged and real—experiences that are virtually indistinguishable from the quail hunting of decades and centuries past.

“I’ll get older guys out here and they talk about going quail hunting with their granddads way back when,” shares Dale Duke of Quail Ridge. “They will say ‘This reminds me of quail hunting when I was a boy in the 40s and 50s.’ They tell me this is how quail hunting used to be.”

Duke, an avid upland bird hunter, had spent the last several years visiting South Dakota with a friend to hunt pheasant and train their dogs. With a longstanding love of the sport, Duke had enjoyed many hours hunting quail at different preserves and woodcock and pheasant on public land throughout the country.

While his time spent hunting across the country was invaluable, he felt prompted to start thinking through ways to hunt closer to home, “Other places were charging exorbitant prices, and I couldn’t go get the dogs in front of birds as much as I wanted to at those prices.”

Duke decided to get creative, and his mind quickly sorted through possibilities at his family property in Montevallo. “We did a whole lot of land management there, but I wasn’t going and hunting that land because everyone else was. Most of the time I enjoyed it from a trail camera.” Eager to make use of the land so close to home, Duke decided he would dive in head first and create a place for people to hunt quail in a natural setting.

He set out to get all of the necessary permits and permissions, and it was only a short time before the property was ready for guests. Sportsmen of any caliber are now invited to come and experience a day of shooting in rustic Southern fashion. Duke characterizes the environment as incredibly relaxed and his approach as tailored to accommodate to all skill levels.

“They will always be greeted with a campfire and a hot cup of coffee. When you come to hunt at Quail Ridge, we have a way we typically do things, but the day is yours. We want to tailor the day around you. A lot of people bring out their own dogs and we love that.  We can always provide space for someone to come out and work with their dog.”

Duke points to an existing stigma around upland bird hunting and quail hunting in the South—that the sport is exclusive to a small, refined portion of the population—that he is prepared to challenge. Speaking of times past, he says, “Guys were once using old Remington shotguns and throwing the birds into an old five-gallon bucket from the hardware store.” He would like to see the sport as it once was—simple, satisfying, and open to anyone with an interest in hunting rather than reserved for a select few.

“We are welcoming to anybody and everybody,” he shares before recalling a favorite memory on the preserve. “Last season we had a guy come out who had never been hunting and had never shot a gun. After some firearms safety and instruction, he was able to successfully shoot the first quail of the day. The dog picked it up and brought it back. I’ve never seen someone smile that big.”

While preparing the property for guests, Duke also spent time thinking through what it would look like to get his own quail and start rebuilding a population on the property.

After conducting some research, he found that the birds thrive in a specific habitat that is provided by the natural growth in the area. Looking at pen-raised quail the survival rates were surprisingly low with a very small percentage making it past the first week on their own. Of those that did survive, they needed an ideal habitat to be safe and healthy. It was at that time he decided his property would be different by catering to what the quail truly needed instead of prioritizing pruned perfection.

“That’s something that we try to do a lot of—give the quail a habitat as natural and as perfect for them as we can so that they will have their best chance of survival.” Duke accomplishes this by restoring the native grasses and plants. By doing so, he is also creating an ideal environment for the quail by making a suitable home for honeybees, insects, and other elements that the quail need. “If your ecosystem is strong, even down to soil microbial health, you are helping the quail.”

Through all of his efforts, Duke maintains one primary hope for those who come and enjoy Quail Ridge. “We are striving to be the best representation of what quail hunting used to be in days gone by. What we are doing our best to be is a true quail habitat.”

 

To get more details or book a hunt, call or text Dale at (205) 617-8711 or send a message to quailridge.wingshooting@gmail.com.