Quail and Pheasants

SetterNut

SetterNut

New member
It was great morning to run the dogs, 50F and wet. They were having a blast running in the cool temps. They both put down about 10 miles, at 11-12 mph. A lot better than when it is 70F.

But there was some reason to feel positive about the upcoming season. i would say that I heard around a dozen quail whistling and I heard 4 different roosters crowing.

The dogs did get on one of the pheasants, but he ran out the end of a draw 75 yards ahead of the dogs. I did walk up a pair of quail that were out in the grass, while the dogs were up wind working the edge of a big plum thicket.

Won't be long before before I will have to keep the dogs away from those spots where we are bumping into birds.

Last year I thought that we were going to have a great season, due to the number of birds I saw, but it was a pretty big bust of a season bird numbers wise. Hope we have a good hatch and they make it through to the hunting season.
 
ditto................things are looking better down here as well
 
I got out with the dog this weekend, it was later in the morning that is generally good for hearing quail. But I heard several of them about 11am.

Don't know what the hatch is going to be like, but at least I am hearing some. Hope this is a bounce back season after the dismal season last year around here.
 
I kind of look at this year as a "make or break year" for us. There is very little seed stock out there right now. If we have a good year, we stand a chance. If we have another bad year, well lets just say it will crush the hopes of potentially turning the quail population back around.
 
I agree OKIE. My main concern right now is the rain situation. We had a heck of a good start weather wise up to about three weeks ago. Now, we're right back in the same situation. No rain means no bugs and no tall wheat (for pheasants). We're marginally better off than last year, but we need rain right now.

The hatch is early this year and brooding will be very tough with little food and little cover. I guess the good thing is that we haven't had much hail. Regarding the quail, we may be very close to the end of quail as we know it in many places if we don't have a good reproductive year.
 
I fear for our bird numbers as I drive throughout the country and see many wheat fields only days away from harvest. It will be a tragedy to loose them while on the nest because of an early harvest.
 
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