Olevern
Well-Known Member
While down to my property last week end spotted a large (30-40 birds) covey of quail, about evenly divided by adults and young. Thinking I may have to plant some sort of food plot to keep them around and support them.
covey of quail
- Thread starter Olevern
- Start date
Congratulations!!! I truly hope you are successful retaining them through the winter.
Don't know if contacting TWRA might be helpful. If I recall right, for Chris Richardson (yes, the one people complain about in the duck forum) quail restoration is his bread and butter. Would be worth shooting an e-mail to your local regional biologist and copying Richardson.
I would think the challenge would be expanding habitat so that you raise the ceiling on the number of birds that can survive year-to-year.
Don't know if contacting TWRA might be helpful. If I recall right, for Chris Richardson (yes, the one people complain about in the duck forum) quail restoration is his bread and butter. Would be worth shooting an e-mail to your local regional biologist and copying Richardson.
I would think the challenge would be expanding habitat so that you raise the ceiling on the number of birds that can survive year-to-year.
Olevern
Well-Known Member
Good idea, younggun, on top of planting a food plot I might have to do some coyote control, as the last few times I spent the night on the property there were plenty of sounds of hunting coyotes...Not sure they would be able to prey on birds with flight capability but guessing chicks would be in danger (as well as some of the animals I plan to put on pasture)
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
I suspect you may have had two coveys which just happened to intersect their daily travels a bit.
They don't typically travel far in a year, so both coveys may co-exist in same general area of less than a hundred acres or so.
The biggest ongoing challenge may be an issue of contiguous good quail habitat stretching over at least a thousand acres (relatively rare now in TN). But almost everything else is going against these birds' sustainability over a period of years. Good habitat has become but one piece of a large quail puzzle.
Nesting success is important, but becomes mute if the baby chicks have nothing to eat (mainly insects). Can also become mute if there isn't enough protective cover (native weeds & grasses) where the chicks hunt for insects.
P.S. Fescue (most TN hay fields) is NOT a native grass, and eradicating it over a large area may be one of the biggest specific challenges in enhancing the possibilities for quail to thrive in your area.
Then, there are those pesky Cooper's hawks.
One of these little hawks can wipe out all the young chicks in a matter of days.
Those particular hawks will simply stay with the young covey, 24/7 until all they catch all or most the chicks, then move on to another covey or just hunting other things.
Not that coyotes don't get some, but suspect they are more egg-eaters, along with raccoons, etc.
Mattt
Well-Known Member
What he said. Provide the habitat and you'll be ok. Rotational burning so that you can keep prime habitat all the time.
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
You provide the perfect habitat for quail, and you will have also provided the perfect habitat for deer, turkeys and many other species. Not talking food plots, but as others mentioned, early successional growth through burning every 2-3 years.
Olevern
Well-Known Member
Can anybody recommend a book?
MickThompson
Well-Known Member
Go to www.tnwildlife-habitat.com and call a biologist in your area
Olevern
Well-Known Member
Thanks, Mick
Mattt
Well-Known Member
Only a couple guys in TWRA I'd talk to about this. Gotta remember god made it, man messed it up. Let it go native, burn it every 3-5 years. Goats and cows grow just fine in it too.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/4495260 here is just a little info but for Tx, some similarity's may be generalized for here also, wont be tit for tat but interesting read . have loved them and shot very few and none in the last 45 years, grouse none in the last 15 that I can recall. time fly's and I would shoot a yote before either these days. Last covey I seen came under my stand in Crossville , I was on the edge of a pine flat when they pedaled by, made my day
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
I have friends now in areas once known as some of the last areas in TN with good quail populations (only a few years ago).
Today, even where they have augmented significant acreage with great quail habitat,
they have no quail. IMO, in their areas, the #1 factor preventing quail may be certain farming pesticides and a reduction of habitat in the greater surrounding area.
Apparently, for quail to thrive, there needs to be thousands (not just hundreds) of contiguous acreage having good quail habitat, AND a good food supply of insects to keep baby quail from starving. Doesn't matter how good the habitat & nesting success if all the baby quail starve to death.
In another area further east (Stewart Co.) we have some really good quail habitat spread over thousands of acres WITHOUT the farming pesticides knocking down the insect food supply for baby quail. Appear to have decent nesting success, but can't seem to get much above a remnant surviving population of quail. In this area, I believe the main factor preventing the quail population from growing may be the Cooper's hawk.
Just saying, the quail issue may involve much more than habitat,
albeit without that good habitat, the other issues may not matter.
Today, even where they have augmented significant acreage with great quail habitat,
they have no quail. IMO, in their areas, the #1 factor preventing quail may be certain farming pesticides and a reduction of habitat in the greater surrounding area.
Apparently, for quail to thrive, there needs to be thousands (not just hundreds) of contiguous acreage having good quail habitat, AND a good food supply of insects to keep baby quail from starving. Doesn't matter how good the habitat & nesting success if all the baby quail starve to death.
In another area further east (Stewart Co.) we have some really good quail habitat spread over thousands of acres WITHOUT the farming pesticides knocking down the insect food supply for baby quail. Appear to have decent nesting success, but can't seem to get much above a remnant surviving population of quail. In this area, I believe the main factor preventing the quail population from growing may be the Cooper's hawk.
Just saying, the quail issue may involve much more than habitat,
albeit without that good habitat, the other issues may not matter.
Mattt
Well-Known Member
I consider good habitat to contain the food source. I. This case insect populations at appropriate times which is directly related to condition/age of plant life.
So, To my knowledge, TWRA is implementing some kind of statewide quail restoration project from 2021-2026 they have a youtube channel and posted a video on it not too long ago. i really hope that it works (if thats the case) i miss hearing bobwhites. i dont hear them or see them at all anymore here.
Also, there are videos on youtube about Kyker Bottoms and how they manage it for quail
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
It has been a long time, but I heard the first quail in years a couple months ago in East TN while fishing. I was very happy to hear it.
Benelli 4 Life
Well-Known Member
Last winter we trapped near 40 coons, possums and skunks combined. 3 days ago Dad seen a covey of about 20 birds. First birds we've seen on this farm in the 5 years we've owned it. Dad was tickled to death. All the game have flourished since we started trapping. 140 nest predators in 4 winters
Saw a new covey last week in our pines that were thinned & fifth rowed a couple years ago. Saw a pair there a couple times last year.
GUNNERX2
Well-Known Member
I would think the number of feral cats would have a great impact on quail numbers. When I moved here, there was a nice size covey that would venture onto my back yard on occasion but after a couple of years the feral cats had wiped them out.
Olevern
Well-Known Member
feral cats might venture onto my property but I will do my best to make sure they don't leave.
