The Webb Farm is having a record-breaking season, and much of that success is directly related to the long-term relationships many of you have with our guides! It is no secret that regardless of how hard we work to create excellent habitats and provide maximum numbers of coveys per acre for your enjoyment, the interaction with a personable, knowledgeable, experienced guide while hunting here is paramount to the overall Webb Farm experience.
When we complete the 2024-25 season, it will mark the end of the career of two of our most trusted, storied guides who came to us down entirely different paths.
Marshall Davis began his guiding career here in February 2017. Marshall did not grow up a quail hunter but was a teacher here in the local school system. A Renaissance type of man, Marshall was an academic who enjoyed the hobby of raising exotic birds and developed into an acclaimed taxidermist who is currently in heavy demand. He also developed a wonderful ability as a wildlife artist, and I have personally heard artist Bob Timberlake comment very favorably about his work!
Layer on top of that an acumen and love for falconry, and you quickly understand what I’m talking about.
So when Marshall came to me in 2016 and expressed an interest in guiding here, I was intrigued by his willingness to learn other things and felt his inquisitiveness was such that if anybody could learn the trade from scratch without having grown up in the sport, Marshall could.
I’ll never forget the first time Marshall showed up to ride along with the guides to learn courses. He brought with him a little black diary-type book. At guide meetings, he fervently took notes, and even while in the field, his black book was often seen as he worked toward learning how to handle dogs.
I remember at one particular time in his training, I knew it was time for him to either fish or cut bait. It was time to spread his wings and show us what he knew.
I specifically recall in a guide meeting around that time making a point to the group and Marshall pulling out his black book and frantically attempting to find notes on what I was referring to.
Frustrated, I looked at Marshall and told him something to the effect of “Marshall, it’s time for you to throw that damned book away and get out there and guide on instincts or go home!”
From that pivotal day, Marshall has always put his best foot forward here at the Farm. He developed into a world-class quail guide and has successfully and pleasantly led many of you on wonderful, expertly handled hunts over the years.
Simply put, Marshall is one of the finest people that Debbie and I have ever known, and his presence here on this farm in years to come will be sorely missed! We love you, Marshall!
The other retiree this season that we are going to sorely miss is Paul Kiker. An Anson County native, noted forester and the Founder of Buchanan Shoals Hunt Club, Paul grew up a bird hunter in the hills and fields of Anson County. His knowledge of wildlife overall is superior, and he has developed over his lifetime a line of wonderful, beautiful setters. For Paul and wife BJ, life revolves around those dogs. I don’t know how many litters of pups they have reared over the decades, but they are many. His easy style of working those dogs has produced many dogs that any person would be proud to have in their kennel. From a historical perspective, Paul hunts in much the same manner as I always did in decades past. He never hunts too fast but prefers to hunt slowly, giving his dogs time to thoroughly work the farther edges of cover and produce coveys others might pass by. Paul is one of the best dog handlers I have ever known.
Paul and I never crossed paths in business or socially as the decades went by until later in life when he became a guide here at the Farm. A real regret I have in my life is that I did not know Paul earlier in life. I could have seen him fitting in easily with the crew I hunted with as we traveled to the Panhandle of Texas, the grasslands of Oklahoma, or the plains of Central Kansas chasing bobwhite quail. He, too, is a class act that will be sorely missed.
“I don’t need to explain to you readers what a wonderful experience this Farm is,” says Paul.” The amenities, the staff and guides, the land resources, and Bill and Debbie all work together to ensure a memorable and lasting experience. I’ll soon be 78 years young, and a few health issues in ’24 caused me to decide it was time to bow out of guiding. However, I’ll still be coming by and sharing a cup of coffee with friends on return visits here.”
I think it is important that all who patronize this farm understand that your experience here is not the result of one man or one line of thought. It is the blending together of the life experiences of many who work here and their wing-shooting knowledge that has created the product you enjoy today. Marshall and Paul are permanently woven into the fiber of this place, each in their own way and rightfully so.
We commend them.
Now I need your help. We have a huge hole to fill here next season, and I am looking for the next Marshall and Paul to fill the void. If in your wing shooting travels you run across a great guide that might not be a good fit wherever he works, please have them reach out to me about potential work here. It will be confidential, and we’ll give them a fair look.
There are still a few dates available in February and March and I urge you to contact Carla very soon if you want to work in a hunt before the season ends.
Stay warm, and I hope to see you soon!
Bill and Debbie
We have limited openings for this season.
Midseason Covey Performance Gets An A+!
We get a lot of comments from wingshooters who hunt all over the United States about how strong and fast our coveys are.
When you ask Bill about the birds, it doesn’t seem to be one simple, particular answer:
“First, whenever we opened for business 19 years ago, the journey of developing the best wing shooting and hospitality that Debbie and I could offer began. My mantra is covey performance. How do you get coveys to perform like the golden age of bobwhite quail? The keystone is genetics. We have experimented with genetics for a long time and hit upon a gene pool that is exemplary for recall and exploding off the ground. After 3 seasons of this line of genetics, we are sure we have the best available genetics in the South.
Second, we have made a serious commitment to exemplary habitat. Our ground cover of native warm season grasses and brushy native shrubs is coming into its own and bode well for the future years.
Third, with input from the guides and guests, our farm staff micromanages the covey health on a daily basis. From extra feeding in areas of heaviest quail covey location to pre and post-feeding of the courses during inclement weather events, we take care of our birds! When we feel extra caloric content and protein is warranted,d we spare no expense to make it happen.
The result is the explosive coveys, as shown in the video above.
Most mid-season coveys range from a minimum of 7-15 birds, many 20-30 bird coveys, and some mega-coveys of 50 or more birds can be seen on each course.”
“I know we have done our job when the ground explodes, and picking out a single bird is impossible,” says Webb.
Some recent delicacies served at The Webb Farm.
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