Brody's dad
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Has anyone used or hunted where a Surrogator from Quail & Pheasant Restoration has been placed?
Surrogator
- Thread starter Brody's dad
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bassmaster
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So Far We are Happy Customers
Brody's Dad,
My cousin purchased one last year and we were able to run three batches through it this year. So far we know that the quail were a success. The property we put the quail on was about 1500 acres and included crp, weeds, and pasture land. For the last several years there has been one covey of quail on the property that was by an old house. We hunted pheasants hard over the last few years and only ran into that one covey of quail. We purchased 120 day old chicks from a local supplier here in the TX Panhandle and set them out towards the end of May. That very night a late season cold front blew in with very high winds and blowing rain. Needless to say we lost 40% of our birds that night. Over the remaining 5-6 weeks we lost another 10-15% and released around 50-55 birds. We continued to see these birds in the release area for a couple of months and then we saw nothing until this hunting season. There were at least 4-5 large covey of quail this December and we know they were our birds we released.
The other two batches we did this summer were pheasant and we released birds but we did not band any. We were just trying to supplement the population, add some new genetics, etc... There was already an established population but we wanted to try pheasants to see how they would do. This spring we will definately band some roosters as a test.
I believe our experiment with the quail was proof positive that the it does work and the birds are still around several months later. As we continue to work on habitat, we will keep introducing quail and pheasant as a supplement and boost to the natural bird populations. My cousin runs a hunting operation and he does quite a bit of pheasant hunting. We are considering purchasing another surrogator and possibly building a large stationary unit (shed) for a particular property. Our largest drawback this past year was our bird supplier. They had problems with their birds laying good eggs and we were delayed in getting started by a couple of weeks and were not able to do a fourth batch that probably would have been quail on another property from the one mentioned above. Overall we were satisfied with the outcome as it was kind of an experiment.
Have a great 2009!
Brody's Dad,
My cousin purchased one last year and we were able to run three batches through it this year. So far we know that the quail were a success. The property we put the quail on was about 1500 acres and included crp, weeds, and pasture land. For the last several years there has been one covey of quail on the property that was by an old house. We hunted pheasants hard over the last few years and only ran into that one covey of quail. We purchased 120 day old chicks from a local supplier here in the TX Panhandle and set them out towards the end of May. That very night a late season cold front blew in with very high winds and blowing rain. Needless to say we lost 40% of our birds that night. Over the remaining 5-6 weeks we lost another 10-15% and released around 50-55 birds. We continued to see these birds in the release area for a couple of months and then we saw nothing until this hunting season. There were at least 4-5 large covey of quail this December and we know they were our birds we released.
The other two batches we did this summer were pheasant and we released birds but we did not band any. We were just trying to supplement the population, add some new genetics, etc... There was already an established population but we wanted to try pheasants to see how they would do. This spring we will definately band some roosters as a test.
I believe our experiment with the quail was proof positive that the it does work and the birds are still around several months later. As we continue to work on habitat, we will keep introducing quail and pheasant as a supplement and boost to the natural bird populations. My cousin runs a hunting operation and he does quite a bit of pheasant hunting. We are considering purchasing another surrogator and possibly building a large stationary unit (shed) for a particular property. Our largest drawback this past year was our bird supplier. They had problems with their birds laying good eggs and we were delayed in getting started by a couple of weeks and were not able to do a fourth batch that probably would have been quail on another property from the one mentioned above. Overall we were satisfied with the outcome as it was kind of an experiment.
Have a great 2009!
Prairie Drifter
Well-known member
Quail Populations
Let me float 12 months of no stocking by you. If you are in an area and are unsatisfied with the population check if the area has supported better populations in the past. If that is the case, there is a habitat problem or weather problem that is supressing the population. Generally speaking, the introduction of additional birds without habitat manipulation will result in no change in the population. As a solid example, the wildlife area I manage is 4,622 acres. During the 2007-2008 season we were at an all time low for the past two decades. Hunters took 74 quail throughout the entire season. We are currently in the 2008-2009 season. A good reproductive season combined with 1,500 acres of prescribed burning, light grazing, and disturbance disking and with over 3 weeks of the current season still to hunt, hunters have already taken 208 quail. Quail populations can make a significant increase is 1 to 2 years if the conditions are right. You are better off if you do the habitat manipulations so, when the weather conditions for excellent reproduction occur, your birds can make the rerpoductive effort needed to fill the habitat. Filling it artificially leads to a population in excess of the carrying capacity.........a population that will revert to the level that the existing habitat will support.
Let me float 12 months of no stocking by you. If you are in an area and are unsatisfied with the population check if the area has supported better populations in the past. If that is the case, there is a habitat problem or weather problem that is supressing the population. Generally speaking, the introduction of additional birds without habitat manipulation will result in no change in the population. As a solid example, the wildlife area I manage is 4,622 acres. During the 2007-2008 season we were at an all time low for the past two decades. Hunters took 74 quail throughout the entire season. We are currently in the 2008-2009 season. A good reproductive season combined with 1,500 acres of prescribed burning, light grazing, and disturbance disking and with over 3 weeks of the current season still to hunt, hunters have already taken 208 quail. Quail populations can make a significant increase is 1 to 2 years if the conditions are right. You are better off if you do the habitat manipulations so, when the weather conditions for excellent reproduction occur, your birds can make the rerpoductive effort needed to fill the habitat. Filling it artificially leads to a population in excess of the carrying capacity.........a population that will revert to the level that the existing habitat will support.
UGUIDE
Active member
PD, I agree with you 150%. Let me run a scenario by you where both surrogator and habitat may be solution.
I have 300 acre next to a national wildlife refuge and also about 1200 acres of grassland easement(I don't own the 1200 acres).
My 300 is basically made up of about 4 separate 80 fields planted to monoculture crop (cron-beans). My plan is to implement 4 tree belts in each 80 consisting of cedars and plums (5 rows total) and also add 100' grass buffer all the way around the edge of the 80. IN between the trees would be a a 4-5 crop rotation consisting of milo, sunflower, corn, wheat, beans with additional cover crops planted in between rotation. I would duplicate this model across all the 80's.
Question: would this habitat sustain quail? Would the Surrogator be best to introduce the Quail or is there a better way? There are no Quail on property now. I would very much like to establish a sustainable Quail population.
BM, you talked about releasing birds but not really how you used the Surragator to make it happen. How does it work?
I have 300 acre next to a national wildlife refuge and also about 1200 acres of grassland easement(I don't own the 1200 acres).
My 300 is basically made up of about 4 separate 80 fields planted to monoculture crop (cron-beans). My plan is to implement 4 tree belts in each 80 consisting of cedars and plums (5 rows total) and also add 100' grass buffer all the way around the edge of the 80. IN between the trees would be a a 4-5 crop rotation consisting of milo, sunflower, corn, wheat, beans with additional cover crops planted in between rotation. I would duplicate this model across all the 80's.
Question: would this habitat sustain quail? Would the Surrogator be best to introduce the Quail or is there a better way? There are no Quail on property now. I would very much like to establish a sustainable Quail population.
BM, you talked about releasing birds but not really how you used the Surragator to make it happen. How does it work?
Last edited:
M. R. Byrd
Well-known member
U-Guide-
I would be interested to see what Prairie Drifter has to say about soy beans and quail. There was an article in the Wichita Eagle some time back stating some research on beans not being good for quail. I wish I had an electronic version of the article to post, but don't think I do.
I would be interested to see what Prairie Drifter has to say about soy beans and quail. There was an article in the Wichita Eagle some time back stating some research on beans not being good for quail. I wish I had an electronic version of the article to post, but don't think I do.
UGUIDE
Active member
Mr. Byrd,
I heard that beans weren't good for pheasants either but I have a real hard time trying to keep them out of the soybean stubble and eating those beans!
Acutally 75% of the birds we kill now are full of sorghum, some corn/wheat but very little beans this year.
I'd like to know more though...
no weeds
Beans simply have not been good because with the advance of Roundup Ready beans there simply isn't a weed to be found in a bean field. It's not that beans poison pheasant or quail its just that they make for absolutely terrible habitat and have very little in the way of food resources during the nesting period. So in a given situation I would think that you would rather have the crop field be wheat first, milo second, and then possibly corn. When beans become the predominant crop it is my understanding that gamebird populations suffer, especially during the nesting season because of the lack of insects.
We need more bugs and more weeds, period!! I have seen both pheasant and quail mow down on beans and have killed more than a few with beans in their crop.
Beans simply have not been good because with the advance of Roundup Ready beans there simply isn't a weed to be found in a bean field. It's not that beans poison pheasant or quail its just that they make for absolutely terrible habitat and have very little in the way of food resources during the nesting period. So in a given situation I would think that you would rather have the crop field be wheat first, milo second, and then possibly corn. When beans become the predominant crop it is my understanding that gamebird populations suffer, especially during the nesting season because of the lack of insects.
We need more bugs and more weeds, period!! I have seen both pheasant and quail mow down on beans and have killed more than a few with beans in their crop.
interesting article
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/auxiliary/nsdl/sctcsa/Proceedings/2004/Eggert.pdf
Soybeans and quail study.
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/auxiliary/nsdl/sctcsa/Proceedings/2004/Eggert.pdf
Soybeans and quail study.
Prairie Drifter
Well-known member
Dem Beans
Myron,there are several documented problems with soybeans. First, there is a protein in soybeans that prevents quail from digesting their food. Dr. Robel fed pen raised quail a diet of soybeans with no other stress or needs and they all died. Also, soybeans exposed to the weather often develop a fungus that produces the T2 toxin that actually will kill quail. If you add in the lack of cover found in bean fields and the insecticides both applied and systemic that decimate the insect populations and I think anyone can do the math to see that soybeans add up to real problems for quail. Some staticians have graphed the increase in soybean acres against the decline in quail numbers and they are a good match in an inversely proportional relationship. Oooooo, big words for an old bird dogger.
Myron,there are several documented problems with soybeans. First, there is a protein in soybeans that prevents quail from digesting their food. Dr. Robel fed pen raised quail a diet of soybeans with no other stress or needs and they all died. Also, soybeans exposed to the weather often develop a fungus that produces the T2 toxin that actually will kill quail. If you add in the lack of cover found in bean fields and the insecticides both applied and systemic that decimate the insect populations and I think anyone can do the math to see that soybeans add up to real problems for quail. Some staticians have graphed the increase in soybean acres against the decline in quail numbers and they are a good match in an inversely proportional relationship. Oooooo, big words for an old bird dogger.
M. R. Byrd
Well-known member
Prairie Drifter-
My buddy in Elk County called me when he saw the article in the Wichita Eagle. He couldn't figure why the quail numbers had went to near zero in his area. After he saw that article, he said then he could look back and see that the decline in quail came as their typical milo acres converted to beans. Beans had been a favorite crop of mine, but that information has made me rethink my cropping.
My buddy in Elk County called me when he saw the article in the Wichita Eagle. He couldn't figure why the quail numbers had went to near zero in his area. After he saw that article, he said then he could look back and see that the decline in quail came as their typical milo acres converted to beans. Beans had been a favorite crop of mine, but that information has made me rethink my cropping.
Prairie Drifter
Well-known member
Change
As we have heard in all of the politicians in one party, "Change is good". Unfortunately, if you're a quail, the wrong change is really really bad. It isn't all that hard if you understand quail ecology to understand why their numbers have plummeted. Add together the loss of grassland acres in the '80's during the "feed the world" mentality. Mix in our lazy attitude to cedar, hedge, elm, and other invasive species of trees invading our grasslands, waterways, and even out woodlands. Pour in our psychotic aversion to "weeds" and the chemical responses to them. Dump in a plethora of INSECTICIDES, and make the fur hating activists a stage to throw red paint from.......and the poor, narrowly adapted quail finds himself living in "pockets" instead of owning the SE 40% of these United States. Sometimes it is the little things like stocking 1200 pound cows at the same rate you stocked 1000 pound cows 30 years ago. Sometimes it's big things like center pivots changing the western Kansas landscape from fields of dryland milo to circles of corn and soybeans. It all adds up, it's all our collective fault. Yes, some of it was necessary for our own survival. Some is due to our poor understanding of how our actions affect our own environment. As hunters, we need to know, understand, and communicate these problems when we have an audience so that we don't drift into the abyss of what once was. Yeah, it's theatrical, but it is more serious than even that. It will take significant $ to change the direction. It will take other reasons to make it happen. Reasons like reducing fire danger caused by cedar invasion into prairie where numerous homes now reside. Reasons like declining groundwater levels and quality. We won't do it just for quail. There will have to be bigger reasons to get it done on a landscape scale, but it all starts with each of us.
As we have heard in all of the politicians in one party, "Change is good". Unfortunately, if you're a quail, the wrong change is really really bad. It isn't all that hard if you understand quail ecology to understand why their numbers have plummeted. Add together the loss of grassland acres in the '80's during the "feed the world" mentality. Mix in our lazy attitude to cedar, hedge, elm, and other invasive species of trees invading our grasslands, waterways, and even out woodlands. Pour in our psychotic aversion to "weeds" and the chemical responses to them. Dump in a plethora of INSECTICIDES, and make the fur hating activists a stage to throw red paint from.......and the poor, narrowly adapted quail finds himself living in "pockets" instead of owning the SE 40% of these United States. Sometimes it is the little things like stocking 1200 pound cows at the same rate you stocked 1000 pound cows 30 years ago. Sometimes it's big things like center pivots changing the western Kansas landscape from fields of dryland milo to circles of corn and soybeans. It all adds up, it's all our collective fault. Yes, some of it was necessary for our own survival. Some is due to our poor understanding of how our actions affect our own environment. As hunters, we need to know, understand, and communicate these problems when we have an audience so that we don't drift into the abyss of what once was. Yeah, it's theatrical, but it is more serious than even that. It will take significant $ to change the direction. It will take other reasons to make it happen. Reasons like reducing fire danger caused by cedar invasion into prairie where numerous homes now reside. Reasons like declining groundwater levels and quality. We won't do it just for quail. There will have to be bigger reasons to get it done on a landscape scale, but it all starts with each of us.
UGUIDE
Active member
Prairiedrifter, I think that's the problem. We don't understand Quail Ecology. I think there are still some good questions in this thread that are unanswered and there are also some folks interested in doing more for Quail in the way of habitat.
Considering the modern issues of today's farmer, one that is truly concerned about wildlife. One that might have to farm crops and livestock to make ends meet. What would the ideal section look like for sustainability of a quail population?
Considering the modern issues of today's farmer, one that is truly concerned about wildlife. One that might have to farm crops and livestock to make ends meet. What would the ideal section look like for sustainability of a quail population?
Prairie Drifter
Well-known member
Quail Ecology
Uguide, there is no carte blanche answer to your question. For every ecological habitat type there are several preferred successional stages and plant mixes that would be most productive. In the eastern range of quail, that is a much lower successional stage than in the west. As I indicated earlier, in your area you could have the best habitat you could make, and since you are at or beyond the northern boundaries of quail range, your habitat could be void of quail for years at a time or permanently. In my area, it would be a native grassland community with 30-40% brush shorter than 5-6 feet, with a significant amount of forbs and bare ground in the mix. The grass would be moderately grazed and burned on a rotation of 3-5 years. Taller decideous trees and cedars would be limited and invasive/noxious species wouldn't be present. The presence of crop fields would not be necessary, but could make up 30-40% if compatible crops were involved and residues were available during the fall/winter. It would be best if riparian zones and/or standing impoundments of water were not present in a significant size or number. This habitat should be available over a large area with varying levels of succession avialable. Did I miss anything?
Uguide, there is no carte blanche answer to your question. For every ecological habitat type there are several preferred successional stages and plant mixes that would be most productive. In the eastern range of quail, that is a much lower successional stage than in the west. As I indicated earlier, in your area you could have the best habitat you could make, and since you are at or beyond the northern boundaries of quail range, your habitat could be void of quail for years at a time or permanently. In my area, it would be a native grassland community with 30-40% brush shorter than 5-6 feet, with a significant amount of forbs and bare ground in the mix. The grass would be moderately grazed and burned on a rotation of 3-5 years. Taller decideous trees and cedars would be limited and invasive/noxious species wouldn't be present. The presence of crop fields would not be necessary, but could make up 30-40% if compatible crops were involved and residues were available during the fall/winter. It would be best if riparian zones and/or standing impoundments of water were not present in a significant size or number. This habitat should be available over a large area with varying levels of succession avialable. Did I miss anything?
Prairie Drifter
Well-known member
My stump!
The surgeon general warns that you have found my stump and you may have to boycott me to shut me up! I apologize for drifting toward quail, we can get back to pheasants soon. Let me ramble a bit. As humans, we do a lot of things for the wrong reason and/or just because it's been done that way for a long time. Maybe we do so because it is easier or because we really don't understand the problem. For instance, many times I have seen cattlemen spraying their pastures to kill the "brush" or "weeds" because the grass isn't supporting the cattle like it used to. They haven't changed their stocking rate and haven't changed the duration so the nasty little weeds or brush must be the competitors. Many times there is another cause like larger stock. If you stock today with 1200 pound cows where before you stocked 1000 pound cows, 1 cow/10 acres isn't the same. You now have 1200 pounds/10 acres which is 20% more than before. Overgrazing is a function of time and regrazing the same plant over and over. When your cow bites the same plant after it has regrown a couple of inches, the plant has to use food reserves in it's roots to regrow the new leaves to harvest sunlight. When it does this, it kills part of the root and needs time in order to replace the lost root. If you graze for 7 months, every few days to a week that plant gets grazed again and, by the end of the grazing period, those overgrazed plants are a fraction of their former self. What fills the void? Generally something less palatable to the cow, weeds or brush. The symptom is the weeds and brush, but the problem is overgrazing. The rancher sprays the weeds and brush and keeps on overgrazing. The end result is more of the same and wasted chemical use/spending and loss of profit. The real cure is fix the grazing!!!!! I'll shut up and let you digest this a bit.
The surgeon general warns that you have found my stump and you may have to boycott me to shut me up! I apologize for drifting toward quail, we can get back to pheasants soon. Let me ramble a bit. As humans, we do a lot of things for the wrong reason and/or just because it's been done that way for a long time. Maybe we do so because it is easier or because we really don't understand the problem. For instance, many times I have seen cattlemen spraying their pastures to kill the "brush" or "weeds" because the grass isn't supporting the cattle like it used to. They haven't changed their stocking rate and haven't changed the duration so the nasty little weeds or brush must be the competitors. Many times there is another cause like larger stock. If you stock today with 1200 pound cows where before you stocked 1000 pound cows, 1 cow/10 acres isn't the same. You now have 1200 pounds/10 acres which is 20% more than before. Overgrazing is a function of time and regrazing the same plant over and over. When your cow bites the same plant after it has regrown a couple of inches, the plant has to use food reserves in it's roots to regrow the new leaves to harvest sunlight. When it does this, it kills part of the root and needs time in order to replace the lost root. If you graze for 7 months, every few days to a week that plant gets grazed again and, by the end of the grazing period, those overgrazed plants are a fraction of their former self. What fills the void? Generally something less palatable to the cow, weeds or brush. The symptom is the weeds and brush, but the problem is overgrazing. The rancher sprays the weeds and brush and keeps on overgrazing. The end result is more of the same and wasted chemical use/spending and loss of profit. The real cure is fix the grazing!!!!! I'll shut up and let you digest this a bit.
Prairie Drifter
Well-known member
Scope
Let's talk scope. A bobwhite isn't much of a traveler daily. In fact, some birds complete their entire lives on as little as 40 acres. Step back and break this down. That means all of their needs must be met on that 40 acres 365 days a year. Consider a milo field of 40 acres. From March when the stubble is first tilled until july when it is getting some height it is of little use for quail. There is no nesting habitat available, no escape cover, no place to escape the heat or hail. It's not quail habitat that part of the year. In the winter it provides food, but it could trap the birds in snow or ice. It isn't the best predator cover when covered with white. So it is marginal habitat for quail and fills only part of what they need for the winter. That being said, it is clear we need some other habitat (plant) components adjacent to the milo to make it function in those parts of the year. This is called juxtaposition - where the necessary parts of the puzzle are near enough to each other to function as habitat. The quail will be more plentiful if they don't have to expose themselves to weather and predators as long or over as long a distance moving from habitat type to habitat type. So the better juxtaposition made available, the more quail may be able to live in an area and the smaller the area is that the covey needs to survive for the entire 365 days. If you have a high juxtaposition over a large area, you have excellent quail habitat. You can find this in Texas where large tracts are under cattle in the proper stage to provide for quail. As you get into crop ground, you get larger and larger voids in the puzzle that become barriers to quail and make voids in the population.
Let's talk scope. A bobwhite isn't much of a traveler daily. In fact, some birds complete their entire lives on as little as 40 acres. Step back and break this down. That means all of their needs must be met on that 40 acres 365 days a year. Consider a milo field of 40 acres. From March when the stubble is first tilled until july when it is getting some height it is of little use for quail. There is no nesting habitat available, no escape cover, no place to escape the heat or hail. It's not quail habitat that part of the year. In the winter it provides food, but it could trap the birds in snow or ice. It isn't the best predator cover when covered with white. So it is marginal habitat for quail and fills only part of what they need for the winter. That being said, it is clear we need some other habitat (plant) components adjacent to the milo to make it function in those parts of the year. This is called juxtaposition - where the necessary parts of the puzzle are near enough to each other to function as habitat. The quail will be more plentiful if they don't have to expose themselves to weather and predators as long or over as long a distance moving from habitat type to habitat type. So the better juxtaposition made available, the more quail may be able to live in an area and the smaller the area is that the covey needs to survive for the entire 365 days. If you have a high juxtaposition over a large area, you have excellent quail habitat. You can find this in Texas where large tracts are under cattle in the proper stage to provide for quail. As you get into crop ground, you get larger and larger voids in the puzzle that become barriers to quail and make voids in the population.
UGUIDE
Active member
PrairieDrifter, this is excellent info and they key is education. Thanks for taking the time to educate us.
In my case I think the new field design I have might work for wildlife and crops but your comment about northern range of quail is making me think.
I know there are quail near Wagner which is about 30 miles south and in Missouri River breaks about the same distance.
I thought 4 80's might not be enough acreage but your comments about the 40's gives me hope.
If you create the habitat to support quail to you have any advice about what is best way to introduce quail and how to measure success on establishment over years?
In my case I think the new field design I have might work for wildlife and crops but your comment about northern range of quail is making me think.
I know there are quail near Wagner which is about 30 miles south and in Missouri River breaks about the same distance.
I thought 4 80's might not be enough acreage but your comments about the 40's gives me hope.
If you create the habitat to support quail to you have any advice about what is best way to introduce quail and how to measure success on establishment over years?
Prairie Drifter
Well-known member
Quail
Uguide, If you read Guthrie, you will find him citing that in order to have a functional quail population you'll need to be able to support 3000 quail in a single block of habitat. This starts being a "landscape scale" project if there is not already that type of cover available. As for 40's and 80's, yes they can give you reasonable hold of huntable numbers if within a block of habitat as noted above. I can't sugar coat that requirement, but you know your area and can judge whether that type of expanse is available. The best way to move quail is by live trapping wild quail and moving them. They will far out perform any type of pen raised stock. What else do you have questions about? This is fun!
Uguide, If you read Guthrie, you will find him citing that in order to have a functional quail population you'll need to be able to support 3000 quail in a single block of habitat. This starts being a "landscape scale" project if there is not already that type of cover available. As for 40's and 80's, yes they can give you reasonable hold of huntable numbers if within a block of habitat as noted above. I can't sugar coat that requirement, but you know your area and can judge whether that type of expanse is available. The best way to move quail is by live trapping wild quail and moving them. They will far out perform any type of pen raised stock. What else do you have questions about? This is fun!
M. R. Byrd
Well-known member
3000 Quail
Prairie Drifter-
I am interested in the 3,000 quail number. Can you provide me with some links to that, or is it a book or research paper? This number got me to thinking about how many acres of habitat it would take to have 3,000 quail. Today on our quail hunt I brought up some numbers, I believe the Kleberg Institute gave on the maximum number of quail per acre habitat would support. Years ago when I read those studies, it seem to me that those numbers were unbelievably high. Do you have a maximum number of quail per acre that good habitat could support in Kansas?
BTW, on our quail hunt today on a large Ford County ranch, we had good news and bad news. The good news was that we pushed nine different coveys of quail. The bad news was there were wild flushes, bumped flushes, flushes when we couldn't get there in time and wild running birds, so the bag was small, but still it was a nice day to be chasing the dogs. Tomorrow it is back to chasing longtails.
Prairie Drifter-
I am interested in the 3,000 quail number. Can you provide me with some links to that, or is it a book or research paper? This number got me to thinking about how many acres of habitat it would take to have 3,000 quail. Today on our quail hunt I brought up some numbers, I believe the Kleberg Institute gave on the maximum number of quail per acre habitat would support. Years ago when I read those studies, it seem to me that those numbers were unbelievably high. Do you have a maximum number of quail per acre that good habitat could support in Kansas?
BTW, on our quail hunt today on a large Ford County ranch, we had good news and bad news. The good news was that we pushed nine different coveys of quail. The bad news was there were wild flushes, bumped flushes, flushes when we couldn't get there in time and wild running birds, so the bag was small, but still it was a nice day to be chasing the dogs. Tomorrow it is back to chasing longtails.
Prairie Drifter
Well-known member
Myron, it is in On Bobwhites by Fred Guthery on page 14. The quote is: "if a quail manager in an erratic climate wants to ensure that his grea, great grandchildren have bobwhites, space for 3000-4000 birds must be provided right now." They project that on the next page at 30,000-40,000 acres.