Upland Bird Hunts
| This discussion on quail hunting, dog points and a phrase called "wind wash" found in some dog training and quail hunting books is another one of those offbeat topics raised by some of our traveling quail hunters evaluating our quail hunting success potential. The focus of the discussion is along the lines of what is the type of scent that dogs' point. Most would agree that pointing dogs point lung scent of quail as we have learned through observation that our dogs point live birds and retrieve without pointing dead birds. A contrast would be hounds that trail after body and presumable foot scent of rabbits. Wind wash was described to us as when a quail fly's through the air it washes off any scent it may have, implying body scent, and that quail once flushed need to let settle before continuing the hunt. It has been our experience that getting back on the birds directly after the initial covey point and flush more critical than letting scent cone development. This ties into our other discussion of singles quail hunting where our environment largely composed of cool temperatures, humid air and low dust allows for more effective dog points on singles (compared to the southwest USA quail hunting conditions). It is further our experience that by the time the hunter and dog recover from the initial covey flush and assumed shot and retrieve, moving to the suspected landing area of the flushed covey and then hunting, the scent cones have had sufficient time to allow for a good lung scent cone to develop to allow for good dog-to-quail point standoff ensuring a bird that holds for the hunter's flush.
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