Quail Hunting

As a guest of The Cottonwoods you will quail hunt through an abundance of natural and manipulated habitat that includes prairie land, row crops, piney woods, cedar groves and sprawling prairie oaks. Our birds rise hard and fly fast to create a caliber of wing shooting that you must experience for yourself.

Cottonwoods will provide you with a professional guide and experienced dogs for your day of hunting. They will lead you from covey rise to covey rise through 1,600 acres of prime quail habitat. Kennels are available to accommodate those who want to bring their own dogs.

We are open for Quail hunts from November 1 to February 28. Due to our management practices, all hunts are only mechanically assisted and will involve some walking. At Cottonwoods, we believe in preserving the storied heritage of the Southern quail hunt. Safety is our utmost concern, and safe sporting behavior is promoted and expected.

If you haven’t already experienced quail hunting Cottonwoods style, come join us and experience the hunt of a lifetime. You’ll never go anywhere else.

Deer Hunting

Cottonwoods Sportsman’s Lodge is now offering a limited number deer hunts for the upcoming 2011 – 2012 season. Over the last 15 years, there has been very little hunting pressure on our property. Although already in an area renowned for it’s large deer, we take additional means to ensure a successful and enjoyable hunt. Various management practices allow us to maximize quality habitat year round. Through the encouragement of native plants and planting of crops, deer on the property have no shortage of food or cover. A deer hunt at Cottonwoods will put you in a range of habitats. CRP fields, food plots, row crops, hardwood stands, pine plantations, and cedar glades are mixed throughout the property.

During the summer months, over 10% of the property is planted in soybeans. Burning, strip disking, and herbicides are also used to promote early succession plants that aid in antler and body development. Smaller plots of grain sorghum or corn are planted to increase diversity and reduce overgrazing on any one species.

Fall brings the planting of food plots. Clover, wheat, oats, chicory, and rape are some of the plants you might find in a Cottonwoods food plot. Lablab and cowpeas may be mixed into some fields, as they can produce browse until the first heavy frost and provide early season hunters with more opportunities.

Population surveys have given us the information we need to make decisions on harvesting. As trophy deer and quality hunting is our goal, we harvest only mature bucks and does. We require a minimum of 8 points and a spread outside the ears, or the equivalent to a 120 class B&C score. One buck and one doe are included in each deer hunting package.

See our Rates and Hunting section for more information. Please contact us at cottonwoodslodge@gmail.com for any additional questions.