Quail flushing

OKIEGunner

New member
Interesting thing that I have witnessed on several occasions this year. Pointed a nice covey beside a stand of Bois d'arcs yesterday. When the covey flush about 10 birds flushed into the stand of trees and roosted there. I literally walked up and shook the trees to get them to flush again. I'm thinking coyote pressure may have taught them to land up in the tree's. I've seen this along creek beds before in early Elk season but never in December.
 
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I think any quail found sitting, roosting, or otherwise hanging out in trees,
NEED TO BE REMOVED FROM THE GENE POOL..... :D
 
Crazy habits. But they eat just as good:) it's been a good Quail year so far. Two ice storms may have stressed a few birds
 
I've seen it before, mostly in cedars or black jack trees though. No bois d'arcs around this part of OK. I'm like Setternut, they need to be removed from the gene pool.

cr
 
CR,
Where exactly are you located in OK?
 
Maybe it's the osage-orange tree's in shelterbelts make it possible for us to have quail. I am sure you were involved with young birds, I have seen it before. If it keeps them alive, I am all for it! We have later and later hatches seems like every year. They may be feathered, but inexperience is the reason, also, if you had ice storms, as you say, with limited cover, it may be there only recourse.
 
Osage Orange tree's are plentiful around here. Planted many years ago for shelter as you indicated. Plenty of grassy cover, plum thickets as well as established riparian areas. As long as the Quail made it to good cover before the ice came in; most I believe made it. The issue on the first storm was the quickness that it moved in and the duration before the melting started. The second ice storm mainly stayed above ground so I do not see mortality being a problem. What I have noticed is that some of the covey's have moved significant distances since before the storm. Still finding 4-5 covey's each outing so I cannot complain.
 
Killed a few birds after the ice storm. Birds looked fat and healthy. Healthy sized coveys. Good cover (almost too thick this year), so I think they made it through alright. We had about 1/2 inch in NE Oklahoma. A lot of post oak trees with leaves still on where I hunt, so a lot of the ground stayed ice free under those trees and thickets. Also had a couple of birds land in trees the other day. Heading out for an all day hunt on Wednesday. I had my little boy with me the other day and we got into some birds. Haven't been able to go much yet, so looking forward to wearing out some boot leather.

I have a new pup that's pretty green, but she's figuring it out. Fun to watch. She spends the first 30 minutes trying to keep up with my older dog and barking at him the entire time. Funny, that's what he did when he was a pup.... Good luck out there!
 
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Had a good day yesterday in Osage Co. Moved 3 coveys and two were very healthy sized coveys. Dogs struggled with the warm and windy conditions. Birds ran..... killed seven and dropped two from covey rise in one shot. A good day.
 
I had a bob do that over a dog's point once. Even snowballs wouldn't induce him to fly. Had to leave him there and follow the rest of the covey.
 
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