Z, I gave up quail hunting over 20 years ago, when my last bird dog died. The last couple of seasons with him, in the mid-90's, were nothing but an exercise in nostalgia. Without a huntable population of wild quail to train a new dog on and with an aversion to preserve hunting, I gave it up after 25 years of bustin' briars. I made some major life decisions on the assumption that I would be able to hunt quail around here as long as my legs held out. It was one of the biggest disappointments of my life when that assumption proved to be wrong. The decline in wild quail populations is well documented across the entire south, the biologists saying it is all about changes in habitat; specifically, farming practices. Perhaps.
Having said that, the Roanoke River gamelands undoubtedly have some woodcock flights periodically. If your dog is familiar with working them, it could be productive. And there could be a wild covey or two of quail there.
