The Hunt for Quail: finding connections

The Hunt for Quail: finding connections

Article and photos by LeeAnna Tatum

Where Sporting and Sustainability Intersect. This series explores the ways that outdoor lifestyleand activities connect with sustainable food systems and how conservation and the local foodmovement can grow together.

The hunt for quail begins by finding their habitat: the right connection of land and water, the balance of food source and natural protection from predators, a meeting place of tree canopy and open air.

It begins long before the season opens with connections between handlers and their dogs. Mentorships, traditions, generations of knowledge handed down - connecting the individual to the community.

For me, the hunt began one day in my living room, scrolling through my Facebook feed - quail hunting and this series of articles had been on my mind earlier that day - an image caught my eye and drew my attention.

I scrolled back up to find what it was that had made my brain… go, “wait a second… that merits a second look.”

An image of a Black man with a rifle, wearing hunting apparel and standing in a wooded area - clearly a hunter. Nothing unusual there, so why did that image seem discordant - not wrong but ever so slightly not right? Maybe just unexpected.

I thought about that for a moment, thinking about my brain’s response to this image which intellectually I knew was not unusual. I could immediately name several people I know who fit that demographic - Black men who hunt. Nothing weird about that.

But my brain did not want to immediately associate those things. Black men and guns associated with the military? Sure. Gang violence? Yes. Hunting? Not so much. Don’t believe me? Try a simple Google search and get back with me.

And then I read the quote that went with the image.

I support Georgia River Network because of the need to bring conversations about water conservation to the forefront of minority outdoor participation. As a Georgia wild quail hunter, I recognize that access to clean water sources is just as necessary for the birds themselves as it is for me and my bird dogs to find them.

Without clean water and sustainable resources, much of my career in wing shooting and bird dogs would be unsuccessful, or worse,

nonexistent. The work from Georgia River Network reaches far beyond just paddlers and anglers, but to minority communities and hunters alike. - Durrell Smith

So, I started my own little online hunt to find this Durrell Smith. Turns out Durrell is quite familiar with my brain’s response to the imagery of a Black man with a gun and he’s on a bit of a mission to do something about that.

Not only to change perceptions about race and firearms; but also to encourage greater participation and engagement with the outdoors among minority groups and bring awareness to the rich outdoor culture that already exists within Black culture but whose stories often go untold and are underrepresented in media and the imagery of the great outdoors.

Understanding the value of representation in media and the need to include more voices in the conservation movement, Durrel founded the Minority Outdoor Alliance.

The MOA’s mission is “expanding the narrative of the outdoors through education, engagement and media to form a multicultural community of lifelong outdoor enthusiasts and professionals.” They do this by giving voice through storytelling and authentic representation, creating pipelines for minority advancement in the outdoors, and by building and introducing new minority leadership in conservation policy.

By sharing the stories and imagery of African Americans and other minorities not only engaging in the outdoors but doing so with firearms in a way that does not evoke violence, Durrell wants to help not only change the narrative around guns but also to ensure that minorities have an active role in conservation and enjoying these rich traditions that are part of their history as well.

I had found my quail hunter. I knew I had found the right person to take me on my first hunt and fortunately, he agreed.

We met up in one of Georgia’s many Wildlife Management Areas on a coldy, breezy February morning. I had been warned that I’d be in for a lot of walking. And a lot of briars.

A first generation hunter, Durrell is a high school teacher and artist whose interest in hunting, specifically with bird dogs, was sparked when he saw an article featuring Neal Carter and Curtis

Brooks. The two men, who would become Durrell’s mentors in the sport, are well known and respected in the quail-hunting community. They come from a rich, generational background and tradition of dog handlers/trainers and hunting guides from the Red Hills region around Thomasville.

“That was my story coming into bird dogs,” Durrellexplained. “My mentors Neal Carter, Curtis Brooks down in Thomasville … I saw them in a magazineand it was representation that made me be like,‘huh, I actually want to do that’!”

While my first hunting experience yielded no actual contact with our quarry (but plenty of walking and briars as promised!), I gained some valuable insights and enjoyed spending time outdoors having a shared experience and watching Durrell and his dogs work together for a common purpose.

Durrell and I then spent some time talking about hunting, racial stereotypes, sustainability, the importance of representation in outdoor recreation and more. You can listen to that conversation on the podcast, and I recommend that you do! But the following are some key connections between hunting, sustainability, our food systems and maybe life in general that our conversation centered around.

Connecting with Community

Community is the means through which we pass on traditions, learn new skills, gain understanding and come together to move toward a common goal.

The bird dog community is connected to the larger hunting community which is connected to a community of people who care about conserving land and water and natural resources. And ties that bind can often be the key to overcoming barriers.

Durrell shared an example of a hunter he met from the Middle East (which caused Durrell to have to examine some of his own biases). This hunter shared a story of Muslim hunters who were killing wild hogs that were causing destruction. Because of their religious views, they had no interest in the meat but shared it with fellow hunters who were Christian.

“We can hear about the wars … but then we don’t hear about the stories that connect people,” Durrell stated.

Durrell also expressed concern over the idea that certain groups, due to racial stereotypes, have been disassociated from the idea of responsible gun ownership. When an entire race or demographic is disassociated from that community of gun owners - whether by perception or practice (or both) - the community and the individual suffer because of it.

“What are the things that are getting in our way of our perceptions of firearms, ownership and hunting,” Durrell questions. “Well, when we attribute a certain class or race or demographic of people as violent or dangerous, there are restrictions put in place to keep people from doing that… when you cut that group of people off… think about how many people we’re missing (in this community) because as a country we’ve completely distorted the narrative of Black people with firearms.”

Connecting with the Earth

Responsible hunting is intimately connected with conservation. Season, bag limits, Wildlife Management Areas, hunting permits - all these things work together to help protect the habitat, population and life cycles of wildlife. Sustainable hunting practices help ensure that natural and wild spaces are protected - this benefits the Earth and those of us who believe that protecting our natural resources is one of our innate responsibilities.

“Interconnectivity,” Durrel mused “ … without the land, we don’t have the animals, without the animals we just don’t eat, without people there is no land management.”

Connecting with the Cycles of Life

Perhaps more so than the average citizen, those who harvest animals for meat - whether as hunters or farmers - are connected to the process of death. As most of us rely more and more on others to provide our food and we ourselves become further separated from that original source, we also distance ourselves from the full circle of life.

“Interconnectivity,” Durrel mused “ … without the land, we don’t have the animals, without the animals we just don’t eat, without people there is no land management.”

Death as a natural part of life has become almost a foreign concept as we go about our days largely ignoring how fragile our own existence is.

“Why is it that we as human beings are so connected to the birth of a creature - the birth of our own? We’re super fascinated by that but completely disconnected from the death process.”

Durrell went on to discuss the life cycle of quail and the many ways they can meet their demise - only one of which is at the hand of a hunter.

“If i can consume it … I feel like… I would be honored to be a part of that whole process, the dying process, it’s nothing to play with and it’s nothing to disrespect. In nature, things are going to die… there’s predation and all of that, but to not respect the dying process, that’s where the disconnect is.”

“That comes when you see it for what it is,” Durrell continued, “… death is going to happen and the more we’re connected to nature and the food we eat … the more we can have a more open and deliberate conversation about death, both human and animal.”

In response to my own expressed concern that as a society, we seem to be toying with the idea that through certain lifestyle choices we can eliminate the death of animals, Durrell had the following to say:

“It’s no shade on anyone who wants to be vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, whatever the case may be… but the greater conversation is let’s just accept life and death for what it is. And when we can do that, connect with it, engage with it - those are teachable moments. I just think we have a lot more worth celebrating than trying to prevent stuff from happening.”

I went on a quail hunt that day. I didn’t see one quail, but what I found was a deeper connection to the world around me, a new connection with another human soul and his broader community, and a greater sense of connection to the wondrous circle of life.