Grease the Quail Wheel

[fishinwrench]

They are likely being planted. There's a guy around here that does that for a living, along with raising/selling bird dogs.

He's done quite well for himself too, or at least it seems that way.

[Quillback]

You can create the best quail habitat around, but if there are no birds to populate it well it does make good rabbit hunting.

Another way to look at it is, no habitat = no birds.

[jtram]

About a month ago, I was mowing hay and had a big fat momma quail pop out in front of me. Stopped to let her run out from in front of me and watched over 2 dozen babies follow her out. It was ridiculous, didnt know they could have that many babies. Super cool! I have heard more quail around me this year than I ever have.

[ness]

They are likely being planted. There's a guy around here that does that for a living, along with raising/selling bird dogs.

He's done quite well for himself too, or at least it seems that way.

No, the bigger numbers in quail are being reported all around Kansas. Last year was one of the best in many years. That means a better start on this year. It takes quail to make quail

[MOPanfisher]

Definitely no habitat = no quail. There is something else missing in a lot of CAs, most of the intensive quail management areas are not increasing numbers of birds, but they are decreasing slower that the rest of the areas. I like the sound of beagles better than watching bird dogs anyway. Rabbits are on an upswing around here.

[Quillback]

Spent some time talking to the one of the quail biologists, she works out of that CA that is about 50 miles west of Springfield, managed as a quail emphasis area - can't think of the CA name right now. But the birds are there, 12-16 coveys on average in that CA which is about 5,000 acres. She thinks the birds there are very hunter wise, they'll head into the woods to get away from the hunters and dogs, and they'll run rather than fly. Basically the birds that learn how to evade hunters survive and pass down their genes to the next batch. Most guys, including me, won't go back in those thick woods after those birds.

G3 Sportsman show did a rabbit hunt with beagles on that CA, seems I remember them bagging 3 or 4.

[ness]

Definitely no habitat = no quail. There is something else missing in a lot of CAs, most of the intensive quail management areas are not increasing numbers of birds, but they are decreasing slower that the rest of the areas. I like the sound of beagles better than watching bird dogs anyway. Rabbits are on an upswing around here.

Like I said, all I'm hearing is that quail numbers are up this year. That's up from really crummy 3-4 years ago, but up. I'll take it.

Beagles are cool, but a good bird dog is a thing of beauty. I probably wouldn't hunt if it wasn't for the dogs.

[waterpossum]

I understand the habitat argument, but am convinced there is much more underlying problems that have yet to be identified. My grandpas 100 acres in the 70's had more quail than the 5,000 acres at Bushwhacker. I see absolutely no quail when driving country roads. In my last ten years driving to Stockton to fish I have yet to see a quail. In the winter an average trip to the lake I will see 50 hawks and at least five or six dead raccoons and the same number of dead possums. I am definitely in favor of habitat restoration, but if there's not a quail within 20 miles it's a pretty longshot that any results will show up anytime soon

[Ketchup]

Spent some time talking to the one of the quail biologists, she works out of that CA that is about 50 miles west of Springfield, managed as a quail emphasis area - can't think of the CA name right now. But the birds are there, 12-16 coveys on average in that CA which is about 5,000 acres. She thinks the birds there are very hunter wise, they'll head into the woods to get away from the hunters and dogs, and they'll run rather than fly. Basically the birds that learn how to evade hunters survive and pass down their genes to the next batch. Most guys, including me, won't go back in those thick woods after those birds.

G3 Sportsman show did a rabbit hunt with beagles on that CA, seems I remember them bagging 3 or 4.

Andy Dalton CA. Did some dove and archery last year.

[tho1mas]

I think it is Talbot CA - North of Mt. Vernon.