Rick Earwood has, in his own words, been traipsing through marsh and thorn chasing game ever since he could hold a shotgun. Now, some 50-plus years later, he owns and operates Rough Edge Upland Bird Hunts, an endeavor born out of his love of the hunt…and his dad.
“My dad passed away in 2021. It was the beginning of quail mating season and the quail around my farm were very vocal, from daylight to dark, for the next month,” Earwood explained. “My dad and I hunted quail together every year since I was a kid. We shared an office and local business In Baileyton for 28 years. For me, hearing the quail whistles that month was a way of dad letting me know that his spirit was in a great place. I found some comfort during that first month of my loss through the whistles of those birds.”
Reminiscing, he said quail were scarce in the area in the late 80s and early 90s. But many years later, he was training a young Pointer/Brittany mix pup named to Tobey to retrieve for him in the upcoming dove season.
“Every morning, I would wake up and hear those quail calling for one another. As I was having coffee in my living room one morning it became very clear that I wanted to find these birds and spend some time in the beautiful nature I grew up in,” said Earwood. “A friend of mine invited me on a quail hunt on a hunting preserve the next October and I knew what I wanted to do the rest of my life. Tobey and I pushed each other that season to become the best we could be in the field. Keeping in mind I had just turned 60, but I felt like I was 29!”
He opened Rough Edge Upland Bird Hunts Nov. 1, 2022, on a preserve between Holly Pond and Baileyton.
Explaining a typical guided hunt, he said, “Each hunt begins with a safety meeting and a prayer for the hunt. I release the dogs and the hunt begins. We start in large bean fields with strips of cover down the middle. The birds are in the cover. After we hunt the cover we go around the edges to pick up other birds. It’s not unusual to find a covey of wild birds now and then. On several occasions we finish the hunt at the local diner with a good meal.”
Morning hunts start at 8, with afternoon hunts beginning around 1.
“We also have a lot of self-guided hunts on a large piece of property of cover and pines where you can bring your own dogs and hunt the quail,” he said. “Last year we released thousands of birds so there are plenty of birds for everyone.”
The dogs play starring roles in the hunts. Earwood said he uses dogs he’s trained over the years, including Setters, English Pointers, German Shorthaired Pointers and Brittanys. Clients do sometimes bring their own dogs for self-guided hunts.
And Rough Edge is not just for experienced hunters.
“I have a lot of first-timers!” he said. “I had an engineer from Huntsville bring his six sons to a hunt one Saturday and one gun. None of them had ever hunted, so we spent the day taking turns shooting quail. It was a schooling for the boys and myself, but the joy for me was watching their faces light up when they shot the birds with dad and I coaching alongside them. Newcomers can expect the experience of a lifetime!”
Earwood said what keeps the passion for the hunt alive for him after all these years in the experience with his clients.
“Every hunt is different! I find my purpose in each moment during the hunting experience,” he smiled. “Every person that visits has an idea of what is about to happen when they enter our properties. It’s my job to make sure they leave with the memory of a lifetime! Thank you God for this wonderful life!”
What better gift this holiday season than the gift of an outdoor experience?
The Rough Edge Upland Bird Hunts office is located at 4380 County Road 1719 in Holly Pond. The field address is County Road 1744.
Interested in joining the Cullman on Point Chapter of Quail Forever? Contact Earwood at rickearwood69@gmail.com or 256-620-0306.
roughedgehunts.com
“It’s my job to make sure they leave with the memory of a lifetime!”