Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management BW Quail

Just curious if anyone has had any luck reintroducing bobwhites to their property? I use to see them years ago, but hardly ever see them anymore, and would like to restock some.
I have evergreen cover for them, and food plots.
Chris

Several years ago Dan VanSchaik had a very good article in PBoss magazine about ideas, habitat, and techniques for reintroducing quail. I will see if I can find it in the back issues.
Jul-Aug 2008 GETTING READY FOR FALL QUAIL. VanSchaik gives lots of good advice about quail management and how to increase their numbers. Included are facts for supplemental stockings, improving habit, foods.

I raised some (about 150) one year and introduced them to my farm. They had plenty of cover and water, but they didn't seem to get established. If you want more info, I'll be glad to bore you with it.

Bore me! I want to know if stocking them is useless.

I don't really understand not seeing them anymore,they're rarely any bird hunters around, but the hawks are numerous.

Thanks Bill, I will check it out.

A good friend of mine just retired from the Kansas DPW as head of their upland game bird division and his feelings are, stocking quail to reintroduce them is useless... Hate to say it. The best thing you can do is things that help quail out. Winter cover, spring nesting sights, safe food sources and removal of predators(trapping/shooting fox, coyotes, coons, etc) and hope there are some wild quail nearby that may filter onto your property. If you are looking for specifics of what to do to help out quail, a quick Google/Bing search will reveal numerous good websites with excellent info.

T. Boone Pickens has donated millions here in TX trying to get quail populations back up. Habitat, fire ants, parasites, and drought, are all possible causes of decline, but it's a tough battle.

It's been years since I've heard a Bob White call in East TX.

Travis & Al are pretty much dead on from my experience. I don't want to sound too pessimistic, but I had a pretty good environment for them and a year later I didn't hear a peep. With that said, I'm going to try again this spring.
Here's what I did:
Bought the brooder and incubator on line (get the one with the built in egg-turner).
Bought the eggs on line, too. No problems - 90% hatched.
Once they hatched, the most important thing I learned was to put down a paper towel or something soft and course like that, for them to stand up on. Don't use newspaper or any kind of slick paper - there legs will splay (spread out) and they can't stand, and sadly, the others will peck 'em to death. Keep the incubator warm (I added a couple of rocks). Watering - they will fall in and drown if you use a bowl. I used a shallow container and filled with marbles so they couldn't fall under water. They are pretty messy but easy to raise, and it gives you a good feeling when you release them.

I raised about 30 quail in a pen with shelter in a windbreak next to my house to get the birds larger and hopefully acccustomed to the area. The pen had a net cover completely over the top and fence bottom was below ground to discourage varmit digging. One morning a coopers hawk was in the pen and killed about 10 of the birds. Released the rest. Hawks frequented the area for about 2 weeks and probably until all the quail were gone. Neighbors 2 mi away said they saw quail at bird feeders soon after release. I concluded that pen raised quail are too dumb to stay in good refuge habitat where food is available.

My dad tried a few years ago with no luck.Setup was similar to bill's with a large pen near the house that had plenty of cover inside it (ivy under pines).We had hoped to at least hear one or 2 the next year from the 150 or so we released but we never did.The dumb things just wouldn't go for cover,even with my vizsla on point and just about poking at them,they just stood there.I never saw the dog so confused,here he was expecting a chase and all they did was sit there.

Now we doubt many if any at all survived,but while walking my dog 2 years later he did flush a few quail in the area we released them,but since then nothing.I doubt they where from the released birds but none the less we are going to give it a go again as it is fun.

I haven't seen a Quail for many, many years. Use to be quite abundant, but then, nothing.

Pheasant's are the same way, but I do see a couple per year now.

Not at all like it was when I was a kid.

Here in Oklahoma. There are a few conveys of quail one sees once in awhile. The correct resources must be present though.

I still see small numbers of wild quail in some parts of VA. Particularly the Piedmont and coastal areas. There are few to none in PA. So much so that in the areas where any reasonable numbers of wild quail may be found, PA has closed the season on them there.

From what I have seen, the biggest issues facing quail are: too many predators(hardly anyone traps these days and hawks and owls can no longer be shot at will), fescue grasses taking over where native bunch grasses once grew(thick growth means quail cannot use fescue), clean farming techniques(farms are now very large instead of smaller broken up pieces)this leads to few fence/hedge rows and a lack of suitable cover and last but not least is urban sprawl. Many good places for quail to live are now covered in housing developments.

I had the local DNR biologist out too come up with a management plan for my property.. I figured since I'm next door to almost 7-800 acres of CRP manages for pheasant, quail and doves I had a good chance.. He basically told me it's a waste of time.. In the few years I've lived here in the neighboring CRP I can count on 2 hands how many BW's I've seen.. Pheasants I can prolly count on one hand.. There just a diminishing species very sad if you ask me..

It is sad. I wondered about the fact no one traps anymore. I still do to keep coons, and coyote on the run, but there are more that just move in. I have several hawks that hang around also. All that and feral cats to boot make it virtually impossible to expect any quail to make it.

Is it legal to trap BW quail and release them to another area? We're seeing more pheasants and turkeys around here but the quails are darn near extinct since the blizzard!

I think the only way quail could be wild trapped and transferred would be by a governmental agency doing it. PA has done a so far successful trap and transfer program on wild pheasants. They have been trapping and transferring pheasants from ND and MT and bringing them back to PA for release. In the program they spent several years before the trapping and transferring started by working with private land owners to make sure habitat was correct for the birds. I think the only real way for quail to be reintroduced into areas they are no longer found is through a trap and transfer program of wild birds. PA is currently looking into something similar to this based off the success they have had with their pheasant program.

I still have a few coveys of wild quail here. Ten years ago I would here them alot more than I do now. The only quail I ever seen make it in the wild came from a Local Quail Farm that is out of business now (owner died). He had large long flight pens on each quail house. He also would predator / survival train the quail for a week before he would deliver them. I remember watching his dog with a muzzel running the birds to scare / train the birds. This may also be the reason why I have quail now as his place was about 4 miles from me and I know many quail escapped over the years. My families Farm used to lease and farm his fields at the Quail Farm. Dear old dad and myself had many a good time with our setters (Jill and Hunter) bird hunting. This thread sure has brought back some memories for me. Thanks to all.

I own one of these:

http://wildlifemanagementtechnologies.com/Store/Product/15:Traditional_Surrogator




and I release 375 birds a year.

I have good quail land, and i have about 5 -10 coveys i see on a regular basis (Depends on year and weather), but I don't know if it is because of my hard work, or just good quail environment.

I have done extensive research, and have spent many hours trying to grow birds. I am almost as passionate about quail as fishing.

Almost everything that is being said above is true, and there is very little data on reintroduction of birds, but I believe that you can with hard work have micro environments with good sustainable quail populations, but I spend a lot of time planting grain, maintaining habitat, and harvesting predators.


DRP

I have a couple of coveys on my 120 acres. 77 are in 10 year old hardwood CRP tree plantings, a few acres, including two ponds are more civilized and the remainder in old timber.

There are a couple of sayings (old wives tales) around here: Quail and pheasant don't co-esist and there are no phesant south of Interstate 70 through Illinois. I live south of I-70 and have both pheasant and quail. I've also got too many coyotes which likely keep both in check.

Bing, I suspect as that CRP planting ages you will see less quail. Quail will utilize forested areas, but in limited amounts. They do use newly planted trees as cover until they reach that 10-15 year old age. It is another reason quail numbers are done. All the old farms there were prime quail habitat have no turned back into forests.

CJ: I am sure you are right. BTW, I don't allow hunting of quail or pheasants on my land. They are just too scarce. Also got turkey and lots of rabbits, and many squirrels.

Biggest factor I have seen for good quail success if providing diversity in a small area. A covey of quail calls about 40-50 acres of land home. If you can provide a good food source, cover, water and nesting area all in a small area. The quail will thrive.

They have done studies showing that even on quail populations that are just hanging on, hunting pressure really doesn't affect them. Hunters will rarely kill enough birds to bring them below the number that would be taken out by winter weather and other predators. If I owned land and had small numbers of quail on it, I think I'd be in your shoes too and not allow hunting or very light pressure at most. Quail can rebound quickly under the right conditions though.

Travis, at one time my land was almost totally oaks and cedar with very few open area. However, there were a lot of pastures on adjoining places. I was loaded with quail. I kept pipe feeders with corn and milo in my yard. We would sometime see 50 or so birds coming in. I didn't hunt them and they would feed 25 ft. from us. They, I expect, they spent most of their time feeding on adjoining places. And then, like most everywhere else, they declined and disappeared. I still hear a cock every couple of years but it is rare.

One of my neighbors tried raising them for years. Then, he bought some wild coveys. None of them made it.

A couple of years ago I talked to our local TPWD Biologist. He told me that there was a couple of places in the County that still had some "pretty good" populations.

I too had some pheasants and a good sized BWQ covey [16-18 strong] when I bought my place five years ago. Now, I never hear roosters and haven't scared up quail in two years. I have a strong population of coons, but will continue to work on them and have seen a noticable drop in their activity. I also have many hawks and "farm cats". I won't touch the hawks, but maybe I should be thinking about managing the feral cats? Several people have told me they are some of the worst predators of quail and pheasants...any opinions?