East Texas lodge celebrates decade of upland bird hunting

Published 12:02 am Friday, December 7, 2018

YANTIS — It was a day the weather was more appropriate for a dove hunt, but we were wearing blaze orange as we walked into the field at Hidden Lakes Hunting Resort.

We had gone maybe 30 yards when Star locked down in point.

“There has been a wild covey hanging out around here, so be ready,” said guide Daniel Cerretani.

The wind was howling from the southwest so when the pointer first picked up on the quails’ scent, she was not that close to the birds. Her tail, low and curling forward instead of upright, and roving eyes were the clue they were still ahead of us somewhere. My sons, Tristan and Thomas, and I walked forward to the dog. As we got even, the dog eased forward. Each step was like she was walking across a field of eggs, trying not to break any of them.

It is amazing to think at this moment the dog could have been blind and it would not have mattered. It was her nose and brain working in concert. We had no clue where the quail might be, but each time their scent wafted her direction she would take a few more steps, cautious not to push too far with each move.

Suddenly the birds, maybe 10 or so, exploded out of the grain. Most caught the wind and like lightning were there and gone in what seemed a nanosecond. As is often the case with the first flush of the day, the hunters were left embarrassed. Only one of the quail fell dead to the ground.

This year Hidden Lakes is celebrating a decade of providing hunters an option to travel to west or south Texas to hunt upland birds. It has become an excellent gateway for those who have never hunted quail or pheasant, and in years like this one may be the only option for avid quail hunters. Wild bird numbers around the state have bottomed out after last summer’s hot, dry weather. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, this year’s quail count is only about 10 percent of what it was just three years ago in the Rolling Plains and about a third in South Texas where numbers did not climb as high in 2016.

Just over a half-century ago, East Texas was a quail-hunting haven, much like timberlands throughout the southeastern United States. However, land use practices that among other things saw timberlands and small farms changed to pastures, the introduction of Bermuda grasses and the disappearance of fire as a management tool changed that years ago.

That opened the door for long-time quail hunter Billy Burnett and his family to take a chance on a put-and-take operation in Wood County. Now run by Cord Burnett, Hidden Lakes offers hunts for quail, pheasant and chukar, ducks and geese, and on occasion tower hunts for pheasant.

I have hunted Hidden Lakes since the beginning and seen a steady improvement since they began raising quail onsite. The Burnetts have never advertised the birds as wild birds or tried to claim they flew as fast as wild birds. Their goal has always been upward of 50 percent of the speed of a wild quail and hopefully as much as 70 percent or so. They started buying the birds released before each hunt, but in recent years have built a facility in which they produce 30,000 quail and 10,000 pheasant annually.

Flight quality seems to have been achieved. If there is anything missing, it is the large covey rise. But depending on how the birds act after being released, coveys of 10 or more can be found. Then the work begins on singles. That is where the dog work really comes in and as anyone who has ever followed a brace of dogs through a field can attest, quail hunting is about the dog work. A fried quail dinner is the reward for that.

As we made our round around the field, one of three in action that afternoon, Cerretani kept Star on the ground with his Lab, Deke, on hand to flush and retrieve. Later in the hunt, friend Stephen Holcombe dropped his young German short-haired pup Timber into the mix for some work. Watching the young dog make its first point and retrieve added a lot to the day.

The wind kept the birds low and fast when they flew with us. Those that turned into it generally made a fatal mistake.

Using 28- and 20-gauge shotguns, the three of us actually shot pretty good all afternoon. Along with some leftover birds from previous hunts in the field that Star flushed, we all ended up with full bags of birds to take home.

For more information on Hidden Lakes Hunting Resort or to book a hunting trip, go online to www.hiddenlakeshr.com or call 903-335-2200 or 903-383-7100.