Quail hunting and affect on population

O

oldandnew

Active member
Article in CoveyRise this month revisits the topic of bobwhite quail hunting and it's affect on quail populations year to year. Seems the 1998 Auburn University study, concluding that hunting had little or no affect on bobwhite carryover was a little flawed, it assumed a high quail population, ( 1 bird per acre), and high quality habitat, limited predators, and a hunting harvest of 10% per year. This left approximately 20% of the adults around to breed in the spring. Subsequent studies in Missouri, Texas, and others record a residual population of 5-8% of birds, for spring breeding, with hunting contributing to a larger part of the harvest. Conditions were not equal as well, with no study site equal in quality to the Auburn study. Long and short of the story is that with studys going back to the 1920's assuming that hunting pressure has limited or no affect on Bobwhite quail survival, we now find, with lower numbers and fragmented habitat, we hunters are likely a cause of desending quail populatons nationwide. Not the only cause, surely, and probably not the major cause, but a significant cause. A word to all pheasant hunters, I realize that a lot of quail are harvested incidental to pheasant hunting, and that many do not share the long history with quail, or understand the different needs of quail as apposed to pheasants. I would urge us all in areas where we encounter bobwhites in our pursuit of pheasants, or those of us quail hunting only, we subscribe to the old rule of harvesting a bird or two on the rise, and leaving the singles alone, with time to regroup. Of course we don't shoot at all at covies of 8 or less. I believe the biggest contribution we can make this season, is to hold our fire. I'm not sure it's enough, we may be witness to the loss of quail hunting as we have known it in our lifetime. Drastic and rapid reversal is necessary but alas unlikely. Texas considering a shorter season and lower limits, Oklahoma on the ropes,along with half of Kansas. All other states have remanant or highly localized populations only.
 
What my step-dad and I decided was not to pursue singles. Take 1-2 out of a covey and absolutely no quail taken after 2 p.m. We believe that re-covey time is crucial to thier survival
 
Most of the guys who do the damage - I don't think they even know or get what they are doing (or have done), I really don't think they're brazenly doing it on purpose. Whole lotta greenhorns out there, not all old salts in the field ya know! :) :(

It would be nice if game depts spent a little more time educating the general public specifically on this particular problem & put more glaring (maybe red letter) info/warning about shooting a covey down too low in the annuals - and if some of you seasoned vets would come alongside & help educate/tudor your younger & beginner hunting-clan brethren both in the field & with excellent public posts like this, all the better. Dropping the limits appropriately during bad yrs is a good idea, but it alone won't cure the problem...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top