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More information about declining bobwhite quail numbers
Posted on 1/10/15 at 7:36 pm
Posted on 1/10/15 at 7:36 pm
2011 article in the New York Times:
LINK
quote:
Biologists agree that overhunting is not the issue. Quail are prolific breeders but have a short lifespan. Hunting seasons could be eliminated and still approximately 90 percent of the quail would be dead within the year. Other predators, like raptors, coyotes or raccoons, are also not the reason for their decline, although many hunters point the finger at them.
quote:
The reason restoring bobwhite quail is so difficult is because it involves changing the nation’s manipulated rural landscape. According to McKenzie, exotic fescue, Bahia grass and Bermuda grass took hold across the United States in the 1940s. These carpetlike grasses were planted to promote better cattle grazing and edged out the native warm-season grasses that are conducive to good quail habitat. The native grasses grow in clumps, which allow the quail to hide, move and forage and are essential to their survival.
With pastures covered with invasive exotic grasses, the quail found cover along brushy fencerows and field edges, but by the 1970s modern agricultural practices that maximized every inch of soil devoured these small sanctuaries and left quail with few hideouts.
quote:
“Resident game bird conservation professionals have been telling landowners this for 50 years: all you need to do is some small-scale stuff on your place and you’ll have birds and everything will be fine,” McKenzie said. “Well, after 50 years of doing that, it certainly doesn’t work.”
The problem is that the islands of prime quail habitat — restored or naturally occurring — are not connected to one another to create larger plots of good habitat where quail have greater odds of survival.
LINK
Posted on 1/10/15 at 7:41 pm to weagle99
From a Texas report:
quote:
Although culprits such as roadrunners, raccoons, cattle egrets, skunks,
hawks, weather, and especially fire ants are often blamed for the demise of
quail, the fundamental reason for declining quail numbers is loss of
habitat. While predation can certainly influence quail populations, impacts of predation increase as areas of habitat get smaller and are separated by longer distances. Local populations of quail on these islands of habitat are too few in number and too far from other quail to withstand catastrophic events such as floods, snow and ice, drought, etc. Therefore, isolated populations of quail have a greater possibility of becoming locally extinct.
Posted on 1/10/15 at 7:41 pm to weagle99
I figured young clear cuts would be good. Ameye wrong again?
Posted on 1/10/15 at 7:50 pm to Ole Geauxt
Don't know enough to answer.
Related information about pen raised birds:
Related information about pen raised birds:
quote:
Pen-raised quail lack behavioral characteristics of wild birds. This should not be surprising as pen-raised birds are domesticated stock, which have been selected over time to be docile enough to survive in pens
and raised in a most unnatural way. Many of these domesticated birds will not nest, and some that do will not incubate their clutch. It has also been noted for a pen-raised female to incubate her clutch and, upon hatching, simply walk off and leave the brood. Without the hen, chicks die quickly, either from exposure, starvation, or predation. In short, pen-raised quail have never been found to be able to sustain a population
Posted on 1/10/15 at 7:57 pm to weagle99
Pen raised birds have made it in Louisiana, but it requires a lot of properly managed land with buffers around crops and mass release of birds before the raptors migrate in the fall...
Posted on 1/10/15 at 8:23 pm to weagle99
nevermind none of you will give educate answer anyway
This post was edited on 1/10/15 at 8:36 pm
Posted on 1/10/15 at 8:34 pm to Fat Neck
Birds will expand their areas when there are continuous buffers around fields. Buffers can be as little as 20-30' wide. The are many quail still around, small scattered coveys in pine plantations. Many deer hunters see them when hunting in thickets. Those birds are just not huntable but still enough for seed stock with proper land management...
Posted on 1/10/15 at 8:36 pm to Fat Neck
Why did you edit your post twice? The initial one was insightful. Now you just look like a dumbass with the edit.
This post was edited on 1/10/15 at 8:37 pm
Posted on 1/10/15 at 8:41 pm to KingRanch
cause i didnt feel like having all the quail experts around here feed me the same quail solutions you always see... going take my question to expert and weed through all the BS
Posted on 1/10/15 at 8:44 pm to wickowick
Busted a covey of about 20 in Concordia in November, I was shocked.
Posted on 1/10/15 at 8:45 pm to Ole Geauxt
quote:
young clear cuts
Only place I've ever seen quail in Kisatchie
Posted on 1/10/15 at 8:46 pm to Fat Neck
I got some BS for your fat arse neck.
Posted on 1/10/15 at 8:48 pm to wickowick
Oh goodie, and after you educate me I take you to super secret woodcock spot and teach you something about those birds
Posted on 1/10/15 at 8:52 pm to Fat Neck
The downward trend of bird number is tracking to the downward trend of bird hunters. Less hunters = less interest from the public in trying to fix the problems.
This post was edited on 1/10/15 at 8:54 pm
Posted on 1/10/15 at 8:57 pm to weagle99
quote:Ye. That was what I'd figured.
With pastures covered with invasive exotic grasses, the quail found cover along brushy fencerows and field edges, but by the 1970s modern agricultural practices that maximized every inch of soil devoured these small sanctuaries and left quail with few hideouts.
Posted on 1/10/15 at 9:30 pm to weagle99
quote:
Although culprits such as roadrunners, raccoons, cattle egrets, skunks,
hawks, weather, and especially fire ants are often blamed for the demise of
quail, the fundamental reason for declining quail numbers is loss of
habitat.
I just do not believe this. Before the mid 80s all predators were trapped very hard. Lots of guys made a living doing it. I was in my mid 20s before I saw a live bobcat. Now we are over ran with predators, it's nothing to see a family of coons come to your feeder or see several bobcat, fox and coyotes while hunting. Then throw in the feral cats, it's easy to see that all these predators have got to take a heavy toll on birds
like quail.
One other thing that may affect them too is none of the timber companies burn anymore they spray and kill every stitch of vegetation but a pine tree in these cut overs.
Posted on 1/10/15 at 9:35 pm to offshoretrash
I think they cause much more damage to nest than to mature birds, that is still significant impact to the bird numbers...
Posted on 1/10/15 at 9:40 pm to offshoretrash
quote:
I just do not believe this. Before the mid 80s all predators were trapped very hard. Lots of guys made a living doing it. I was in my mid 20s before I saw a live bobcat. Now we are over ran with predators, it's nothing to see a family of coons come to your feeder or see several bobcat, fox and coyotes while hunting. Then throw in the feral cats, it's easy to see that all these predators have got to take a heavy toll on birds
like quail.
One other thing that may affect them too is none of the timber companies burn anymore they spray and kill every stitch of vegetation but a pine tree in these cut overs
While I completly agree with you on predator expansion, I dont agree with you on the burning thing
You can look at most any WMA in western LA and see thousand upon thousand acre of pine land not sprayed like the industrial forest with large parcel that is burned:
1. Fort Polk
2. Clear Creek
3. Peason Ridge
4. Large parts of Kisatchie
And all of them recieve relative zero hunting pressure and have almost no quail for practical purpose.you can drive through any of them and see tons of burned acreage. If there was still seed population why wouldnt thehy be crawling like roaches around these places?
Posted on 1/10/15 at 9:57 pm to Fat Neck
quote:
You can look at most any WMA in western LA and see thousand upon thousand acre of pine land not sprayed like the industrial forest with large parcel that is burned:
Yeah your right.
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