quail

[Feather Buster]

i know its not season,but when i was a kid we had several covey of quail on dad and grandpas land.probably about 600 acres.there were at least 5 coveys of about 20+ birds.on that same land now there are maybe 20 total.and i know we didnt hunt them out.something happened to the population.this itsnt just on this property but everywhere else too.any ideas or thoughts on what went wrong?i have heard a few reasons but wondering if anybody has heard what really went wrong.i know somebody on here has inside knowledge.

[CROWSLAYER]

Over time habitat has changed with farming practices all over the US. Also with weather changes and increased predators taking their toll.Population are down almost everywhere.

[truckcop]

Quail are extremely habitat sensitive. Best practices management can be expensive. Land that had lots of quail years ago but not maintained "properly" for quail will see a reduction in numbers over time.
http://www.talltimbers.org/gamebird.html

[marc63]

We had similar experiences. Much of the land where we had great hunting, was tended to by FFA and BLM, both have abandoned tending the habitat decades ago, letting tanks run dry, predators flourish, and feed cut off.

[jsportsman]

In the South East a lot of people credit the infestation of fire ants as a big cause of the disappearance of wild quail. The hated ants don't let the mothers nest and protect their eggs. Theres also been a big rise in the coyote population in recent decades. Along with the other reasons mentioned it seems the wild birds can't catch a break.

Sportsman

[tucker301]