Fall shuffle questions
- Thread starter jaytee
- Start date
Both Quail and Pheasant move in the fall from their Spring and Summer areas.
As to how far, that will depend on what types of seeds and cover is around. During the Spring and Summer months the birds are focusing more on insects and legumes for food.
With the Fall weather and more sever Winter weather the insects are gone and the birds need a high energy diet. For example Corn or Milo.
In addition when talking about strictly Pheasant. They will be seeking out denser ground cover to ride out harsh weather. For example Cattails.
It has been my experience that pheasant "yard up" to use a deer term. In late season I can hunt several fields not seeing one bird only to find a perfect field that will hold numerous birds. That field will normally be heavy cover with good seeds close by and out of the North winds.
Fall shuffle is in my experience more a term used for bobwhite quail and ruffed grouse. Though I can see some relation to other species it is a common term for a specific behavior of bobwhites and ruffs,and describes a time in the fall of the year, when family brood coveys breakup and and members set off sometimes quite a distance and join other birds eventually forming other coveys of birds from unrelated broods. It is assumed that the reasons are expansion of territories, broadening of the gene pool. Nobody really knows. This is a poor explanation, but there is a lot of info out there, research. it generally occurs prior to hunting season, but sometimes for who knows what reason it happens late. Result is quail disappear from typical haunts, only to reappear later, in the expected places. Shuffling of pheasants as described here above has more to do with weather related short range migration, to prefered winter cover and feed, sharptails do this as well.
OKIEGunner
New member
Quail have a spring shuffle and a fall shuffle. If my memory serves me correct, Biologist have documented telemetry data on quail showing movements in excess of 30 miles in the Black Kettle, OK; Quail study. But normally it is 1-5 miles. Why, habitat and food sources.
During spring and summer single unmated males, pairs and family groups are the typical social units. With the arrival of fall frosts and reduced summer vegetation, quail enter their fall shuffle. At this time they intermingle in large groups, mixing and reorganizing into coveys of from eight to 20 birds that shift to areas of heavier winter cover. The coveys remain fairly intact during the winter.
In the warming days of March and April covey bonds weaken and birds pair in preparation for nesting. The nesting season is from April through September, normally becoming widespread in May.