Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New Trophy's
New trophy room comments
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Classifieds
Trophy Room
New items
New comments
Latest content
Latest updates
Latest reviews
Author list
Series list
Search showcase
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Tennessee Hunting Forums
Long Beards & Spurs
3 bird limit???
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="TheLBLman" data-source="post: 5874988" data-attributes="member: 1409"><p>Just to add a bit to this, for those who might be interested . . . . . . .</p><p></p><p>In different areas, such as much of West TN compared to much of Middle TN, the more primary factors have been different, one area to the next.</p><p></p><p>In vast areas of West TN, I believe "clean" (and bigger field) farming could be the #1 factor. But this is a broad statement. Along with it, we assume "clean" also means no insects for baby quail to eat, and no cover for them to hide from predators. Pesticides & herbicides kill the insects & the weeds.</p><p></p><p>In many instances in West TN, quail nesting success has been good, but then only for the baby quail to die of starvation and/or be quickly picked off by hawks, owls, foxes, coyotes, and housecats.</p><p></p><p>Move over to much of Middle TN, different dynamics. Here, the #1 factor for declining quail populations may have been the introduction of fescue hay replacing native grasses. I can show you thousands of contiguous acres lacking "clean" farming, but having seen the native grasses replaced with fescue. The quail are mostly gone here, too.</p><p></p><p>Then we saw native grasses restored to some of those same thousands of contiguous acres, no herbicides, no insecticides, great quail habitat, and the remnant population of quail began increasing, for a few years. </p><p></p><p>Then the hawk & owl population exploded. I've gone 2 years now on much of this acreage without hearing or seeing a bobwhite. Five years ago, I could verify one to two coveys per square mile. That's relatively few compared to this same area up until the 1960's, but now, inside less than 5 years, gone from a fair existence to near extinction, despite habitat being perhaps better than over 50 years ago. In this particular locale, I believe the #1 factor has become raptor predation.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TheLBLman, post: 5874988, member: 1409"] Just to add a bit to this, for those who might be interested . . . . . . . In different areas, such as much of West TN compared to much of Middle TN, the more primary factors have been different, one area to the next. In vast areas of West TN, I believe "clean" (and bigger field) farming could be the #1 factor. But this is a broad statement. Along with it, we assume "clean" also means no insects for baby quail to eat, and no cover for them to hide from predators. Pesticides & herbicides kill the insects & the weeds. In many instances in West TN, quail nesting success has been good, but then only for the baby quail to die of starvation and/or be quickly picked off by hawks, owls, foxes, coyotes, and housecats. Move over to much of Middle TN, different dynamics. Here, the #1 factor for declining quail populations may have been the introduction of fescue hay replacing native grasses. I can show you thousands of contiguous acres lacking "clean" farming, but having seen the native grasses replaced with fescue. The quail are mostly gone here, too. Then we saw native grasses restored to some of those same thousands of contiguous acres, no herbicides, no insecticides, great quail habitat, and the remnant population of quail began increasing, for a few years. Then the hawk & owl population exploded. I've gone 2 years now on much of this acreage without hearing or seeing a bobwhite. Five years ago, I could verify one to two coveys per square mile. That's relatively few compared to this same area up until the 1960's, but now, inside less than 5 years, gone from a fair existence to near extinction, despite habitat being perhaps better than over 50 years ago. In this particular locale, I believe the #1 factor has become raptor predation. [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Tennessee Hunting Forums
Long Beards & Spurs
3 bird limit???
Top