Quail in the snow?

A lot of variables there. Too Much for the hunter? That depends on the hunters motivation. Too much for the quail's well being? I wouldn't be worried about the amount of snow so much as the temperature and wind conditions.
 
I should have been more specific. I hunt primarily pheasants and 4-8” is welcomed, it’s our chance to finally get even against them! My dog and I don’t mind the snow, last year we shot pheasants on snow shoes. I was hoping to get one more hunting trip in this season but with much of the primary midwest quail territory (Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa) getting snow I don’t want to find a bunch of frozen quailsicles instead of the exciting covey flush.
 
Quail are much more susceptible to cold and snow, unlike pheasants, Thier survival depends on the covey itself for warmth. So, if you scatter a covey in severe weather and they cannot get back together by nightfall they might freeze to death. Sometimes but not always when you flush a covey in questionable whether they will immediately try to whistle back together. If this happens. LEAVE THEM ALONE!!
 
I knew not to hunt during those harsh conditions and not to scatter coveys late in the day. The area I hunted last year looks to be getting some significant snow and cold the next few days but by the time I plan to hunt late next week it looks like conditions will be improving. Maybe what I should have asked is how much snow and cold does it take to cause widespread quail mortality? When I plan to hunt it should be in the 20’s for temps with 4-8” of week old snow on the ground. Will they all be dead when I get there?
 
No, they are a tough little bird. We had back-to-back blizzards here in 78 and 79. 2 feet of snow -50 wind chills for weeks. I found numerous dead birds. including dozens of doves frozen stiff sitting on and in barns. I never saw dead coveys but heard others say they did. I had cabin fever, so spent many hours busting chest high drifts, just to check stuff out. Saw a covey in a dozer pile. They came back strong around 82. They can survive about anything except dozers and track hoes. Most of my life I believed what everyone said about greedy hunters and predators wiping them out. Turned out it was the people telling me that who were the culprits. I actually stopped and talked to a farmer and former quail hunter who was telling me that the damned coyotes killed all his quail.. WHILE HE AND HIS SON WERE SRAYING ROUNDUP IN THIER FENCEROWS!!
 
Would take a long term storm to find dead quail.. and would probably have a coat of ice that came first. I would hunt a six inch snow IF it was on the thaw within a few days and temps were not brutal. As others have said give them some time to covey up and eat in the morning.
 
birddude said:
No, they are a tough little bird. We had back-to-back blizzards here in 78 and 79. 2 feet of snow -50 wind chills for weeks. I found numerous dead birds. including dozens of doves frozen stiff sitting on and in barns. I never saw dead coveys but heard others say they did. I had cabin fever, so spent many hours busting chest high drifts, just to check stuff out. Saw a covey in a dozer pile. They came back strong around 82. They can survive about anything except dozers and track hoes. Most of my life I believed what everyone said about greedy hunters and predators wiping them out. Turned out it was the people telling me that who were the culprits. I actually stopped and talked to a farmer and former quail hunter who was telling me that the damned coyotes killed all his quail.. WHILE HE AND HIS SON WERE SRAYING ROUNDUP IN THIER FENCEROWS!!
Click to expand...
Aerial predators like hawks and eagles do have a buffet it seems with coveys
 
Don't mean to highjack the thread but also had few questions re: quail and along these lines. Pheasant hunt SE SD hard for the last 10 years, pretty much exclusively public. Have moved one covey total over that time period until this year. I've moved 3 separate coveys with between 10-15 birds in each. One of the coveys I've moved numerous times. The first time I was so surprised I didnt even let a shot go despite walking into the group over point. The 2nd and 3rd times i decided to take one each. Since then decided to leave em be when i do run into em with hopes the population grows. Question is, is it hard on em when you move them several different times throughout the year, and is taking a couple from the covey impact the potential growth in population? After tonight our area will have over 22 inches of snow this week and the weekend has projected feel temps of -50, never above 0 for 3 consecutive days, not great, at least the snow with provide some insulation.
 
SDroosty said:
Don't mean to highjack the thread but also had few questions re: quail and along these lines. Pheasant hunt SE SD hard for the last 10 years, pretty much exclusively public. Have moved one covey total over that time period until this year. I've moved 3 separate coveys with between 10-15 birds in each. One of the coveys I've moved numerous times. The first time I was so surprised I didnt even let a shot go despite walking into the group over point. The 2nd and 3rd times i decided to take one each. Since then decided to leave em be when i do run into em with hopes the population grows. Question is, is it hard on em when you move them several different times throughout the year, and is taking a couple from the covey impact the potential growth in population? After tonight our area will have over 22 inches of snow this week and the weekend has projected feel temps of -50, never above 0 for 3 consecutive days, not great, at least the snow with provide some insulation.
Click to expand...
Might make them more vulnerable to predators depending on the habit they were pushed in. Singles trying to regroup may whistle and alert predators around. Just depends on the situation.

That is impressive seeing not one but three coveys in South Dakota. That has to be pretty rare. Hopefully those coveys will survive the winter and spread
 
birddude said:
No, they are a tough little bird. We had back-to-back blizzards here in 78 and 79. 2 feet of snow -50 wind chills for weeks. I found numerous dead birds. including dozens of doves frozen stiff sitting on and in barns. I never saw dead coveys but heard others say they did. I had cabin fever, so spent many hours busting chest high drifts, just to check stuff out. Saw a covey in a dozer pile. They came back strong around 82. They can survive about anything except dozers and track hoes. Most of my life I believed what everyone said about greedy hunters and predators wiping them out. Turned out it was the people telling me that who were the culprits. I actually stopped and talked to a farmer and former quail hunter who was telling me that the damned coyotes killed all his quail.. WHILE HE AND HIS SON WERE SRAYING ROUNDUP IN THIER FENCEROWS!!
Click to expand...
I'm glad someone is talking about roundup!
 
My experience is, maybe some for the same as 515 said. But for me, if you harass them to much they will just leave for some time depending on if they have enough habitat. As for taking a few having an impact. No, as a matter of fact, IF there is habitat and IF there is adequate habitat and another covey within a mile or two. Coveys can be completely wiped out and another covey will take their place. But don't expect the population to increase. Probably not. If there was enough habitat to produce and hold two coveys, there would already be two there. This is why most people don't give destruction of habitat much thought. They think that whatever animals and birds live in that fencerow will merely move to another place. They don't. They die! If there was enough food and cover in the other place, it would already hold twice the animals! As far as quail in S.D. ever having a good hold, I wouldn't hold my breath, the weather is just too cold and snowy. But who knows.
 
SDroosty said:
Don't mean to highjack the thread but also had few questions re: quail and along these lines. Pheasant hunt SE SD hard for the last 10 years, pretty much exclusively public. Have moved one covey total over that time period until this year. I've moved 3 separate coveys with between 10-15 birds in each. One of the coveys I've moved numerous times. The first time I was so surprised I didnt even let a shot go despite walking into the group over point. The 2nd and 3rd times i decided to take one each. Since then decided to leave em be when i do run into em with hopes the population grows. Question is, is it hard on em when you move them several different times throughout the year, and is taking a couple from the covey impact the potential growth in population? After tonight our area will have over 22 inches of snow this week and the weekend has projected feel temps of -50, never above 0 for 3 consecutive days, not great, at least the snow with provide some insulation.
Click to expand...
I wouldn’t think moving them every couple weeks would be an issue, something in nature will move them every day…. It’s amazing how they pop up in places like you describe every once in a while then disappear for years
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys. Storm number 2 just hit and it looks like brutal temps and wind for them for a few days. I still haven’t decided if I’m going to make the trip. Hopefully some quail can survive for next year at least.
 
I had an interesting experience today related to this thread. Last weekend of quail/ pheasant in Washington was this weekend. We had a cold front come in Friday. Not sure the exact numbers where I hunted but lows would of been around 0 with 10-15 mph winds both Friday and Saturday. Today the high was about 10 deg F but with only a light wind. 1-2" of snow on the ground.

I targeted an area I expected to see primarily pheasant so I would not push the quail in bad weather. I still see quail there but not many. We fired zero rounds today due to the pheasants getting up 60 yards out. Towards the end of the hunt my dog retrieved a quail to hand that was frozen rock solid. I actually thought it was alive when the dog brought it back because its head was erect as if it was looking around. Based on the body position and condition the quail had frozen to the ground sometime between Friday today.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top