Practice now if you hunted quail in November, because in the summer you know how to do it
That's just the way it seems to be with everything. You do something new, even if you've studied and practiced, you do something you knew nothing about until you do it. That's the way it is with quail hunting. All those mistakes you made, your clumsiness with your gear, your shotgun not responding to your quick movements, the dog flushing them out before you're even ready (hey, you're hunting, you should always be ready). Now it's summer and you're planning to go quail hunting next season.
While you're planning it, get over to the skeet range and practice. Quail, as you know, are ground dwellers. They leap. They're quiet. They only leave impressions in the grass where they sat. You might see their tracks, which means you're in the right area. You wont be tracking them. That's partly the job of a good hunting dog.
When you got yours on the quail hunting trip to Texas, the quail came down from the sky in a flock. It was easy pickings then. The dog didn't have to do much work. You took down a couple with just a single shot. It's best when they come in a flock, isn't it?
Not sure if you'll be able to make it to Texas for the next quail hunting season? The trip was much longer than you thought, but Texas is by far the state with the largest quail population in the United States. They've got the bobwhite and the blue quail there (check out they pheasants and prairie chicken at the same time). Every year the population just increases. You went there at the end of October, but you can quail hunt until February. You do have to pay for the permit and a game bird stamp, and the two are a bit high, what with the economy the way it is now-a-days. That's why you will want to practice your hunting skills now, so that permit costs turns out to be worth your while.
You don't have to go to Texas for quail if you live in the heartlands. In Oklahoma bobwhites are increasing. The licenses is a forth that of Texas, its legacy permit a couple of dollars less than Texas' game bird stamp. You're just in the right place if you're close to Black Kettle or Packsaddle. Kansas resident are in a quail state too, with bobwhites and blue quail. If the weather is good between November and January, expect to find them around Pratt Sandhills and Glen Elder. The license costs a quarter less than in Texas. You're in the right place if you're in Missouri, because they've got bobwhites at Whetstone Creek near Columbia and by the Lamine River near Otterville. The forecast have been good for the season, November through January, and the annual license is a quarter the amount for Texas. Nebraska also boast of bobwhites. For a license a third that of Texas' they got quail over at Osage near Tecumseh and Near Malcomb at Branched Oak Lake.
The south has its quail states too: Florida. Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Kentucky. All of them have bobwhites with seasons generally between November to February, with stable or increasing population.
Even in the southwest you can go quail hunting, there in Arizona, New Mexico, and California. They've got blues and bobwhites, good forecasts for populations, but licenses cost nearly as much as one for Texas.
No, you don't need to go to Texas for the thrill of quail hunting, but if you're going to get anything, no matter what state, practice, when you finally know how to do it.