The nostalgia and enjoyment of upland hunting is enhanced by today’s improvements in clothing, boots, guns and ammo.
Millions of upland bird hunters plied the thickets and fields from coast to coast. Yes, California has upland hunting, as do the Rockies and Desert Southwest. Efforts in the eastern half of the U.S. are well known, from traditional southern quail hunts to chilly mornings in the Northeast hoping for a lightning-fast grouse or two. But deer, turkey, elk and waterfowl hunting — and the money train they drive — helped drive small-game hunting to supportive casts on the grand stage. Changes in society, housing and city development, the ebb and flow of small-game populations and access to hunting land also contributed greatly.
