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Quail
Aug 2, 2007 9:33:38 GMT -5
Post by birddog on Aug 2, 2007 9:33:38 GMT -5
As I scrolled back thru here I saw one place where someone talked of quail hunting..I was wondering how many on here "own" their bird dogs and what's your opinion on the quail population now here in Indiana? I have owned bird dogs for the biggest part of my life and have quail hunted here in Indiana as well as out west in several states but like here in Indiana the quail population out west is suffering alot for various reason,so I'd like to get your opinions on quail both here at home and where ver it is you hunt. Here in S.E.Indiana I think one of the biggest problems is "non-resident land owners" that don't allow hunting on their property any longer but this is not the only problem at all,farming has a lot to do with the population and that is also down here in this part of the state..so lets hear what you have to say>>
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Quail
Aug 2, 2007 10:07:54 GMT -5
Post by drs on Aug 2, 2007 10:07:54 GMT -5
The LAST good Quail season I had was back in 1976, before the three years of harsh winters. This, along with Urban Spraw and farming pratices, has placed great pressures on the Quail population, here in SW Indiana. Free running Dogs & Cats plus Coyotes don't help matter either. I stopped hunting Quail back in the late '70's.
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Quail
Aug 2, 2007 10:13:15 GMT -5
Post by birddog on Aug 2, 2007 10:13:15 GMT -5
David, I agree with everything you said............
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Quail
Aug 2, 2007 15:15:32 GMT -5
Post by Sleazy E on Aug 2, 2007 15:15:32 GMT -5
For me growing up quail was just an opprotunity game animal.... While out busting the brush for rabbits (never really had a rabbit dog worth anything) we would kick up a cuvvy every once in awhile, but getting 1 or 2 birds each did not amount to much of a meal.... so after awhile we just started letting them fly and not even bothering.
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Quail
Aug 2, 2007 17:25:22 GMT -5
Post by huxbux on Aug 2, 2007 17:25:22 GMT -5
I used to hunt birds a lot in the back in the 70's. The outskirts of Carmel, Westfield and Zionsville back when they were just burgs before development took over. My favorite spot though, was Waveland, where my wife's family farmed several hundred acres. Every season those farms held anywhere from eight to twelve coveys of 20 to 30 birds. The blizzard years pretty much wiped them out and they never recovered to huntable numbers. I haven't hunted them in 15 years.
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Quail
Aug 3, 2007 6:55:15 GMT -5
Post by drs on Aug 3, 2007 6:55:15 GMT -5
David, I agree with everything you said............ Also, We don't have anymore Woodcocks to hunt where I live. Back in the '70's through the early '80's, they seem to be everywhere. Whip-Poor-Wills are gone too.
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Quail
Aug 3, 2007 8:14:54 GMT -5
Post by Woody Williams on Aug 3, 2007 8:14:54 GMT -5
The winters of 1977 and 1978 (blizzards both years) were devastating on quail.
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Quail
Aug 3, 2007 8:18:16 GMT -5
Post by hornharvester on Aug 3, 2007 8:18:16 GMT -5
I haven't seen a covey of wild quail here in the northeast since the blizzard of 1978. Up here there are very few areas with any wild birds at all. No pheasant in my immediate area but there are pockets with birds. Now, i do get into some Woodcock in the fall during the migration and have a few nest along the ditch where i mow a couple of paths.
i bought a Brittney 5 years ago and trained her but have to go to preserves to hunt any birds. Urbanization has pretty much eat up all the game habitat here. h.h.
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Quail
Aug 3, 2007 8:20:11 GMT -5
Post by birddog on Aug 3, 2007 8:20:11 GMT -5
Woody, Yes I know just how bad those winters were but that was 30 years ago and you'd think that the Dept. Of Fish & Wildlife would or could do something about bringing back those birds,or is it that quail hunting does not produce the big bucks with in the state to justify them spending that kind of money ??
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Quail
Aug 3, 2007 8:24:31 GMT -5
Post by Woody Williams on Aug 3, 2007 8:24:31 GMT -5
Woody, Yes I know just how bad those winters were but that was 30 years ago and you'd think that the Dept. Of Fish & Wildlife would or could do something about bringing back those birds,or is it that quail hunting does not produce the big bucks with in the state to justify them spending that kind of money ?? Good question, and I don't really have an answer.
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Quail
Aug 3, 2007 9:02:06 GMT -5
Post by RoadKill on Aug 3, 2007 9:02:06 GMT -5
... quail hunting does not produce the big buck$ with in the state to justify them spending that kind of money ?? Exactly, why put your efforts towards selling a single $6.75 bird habitat stamp when you can sell multiple $24-25 deer/turkey tags. Besides there aren't all the specialized equipment makers pushing for more quail. Maybe we can get Boone/Crocket and Pope/Young to include quail in their record books. Then we would have lots of interest!
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Quail
Aug 3, 2007 9:24:58 GMT -5
Post by Woody Williams on Aug 3, 2007 9:24:58 GMT -5
... quail hunting does not produce the big buck$ with in the state to justify them spending that kind of money ?? Exactly, why put your efforts towards selling a single $6.75 bird habitat stamp when you can sell multiple $24-25 deer/turkey tags. Besides there aren't all the specialized equipment makers pushing for more quail. Maybe we can get Boone/Crocket and Pope/Young to include quail in their record books. Then we would have lots of interest! Actually if we could get the birds to grow antlers we would have lots of interest.
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Quail
Aug 3, 2007 9:27:05 GMT -5
Post by drs on Aug 3, 2007 9:27:05 GMT -5
I believe ALL our Indiana Upland Game Species are in real trouble.
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Quail
Aug 3, 2007 9:38:42 GMT -5
Post by birddog on Aug 3, 2007 9:38:42 GMT -5
You know the funny thing is ANYBODY can shoot a deer and I mean anybody but not everyone can hit a bird the size of a quail when in flight...maybe that's one of the reasons for not doing something to bring them back!!!!!!!!!!!!..Just wasn't the THING for the so called sportsmen that we have now days,look around during deer season and you can see what I'm talking about!!Most deer hunters are not HUNTERS per say in my opinion....if you don't believe me..LOOK AROUND !!!!!!
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Quail
Aug 3, 2007 10:21:42 GMT -5
Post by hornharvester on Aug 3, 2007 10:21:42 GMT -5
I think the real reason is no where to hunt them, so not much interest. When you have to walk miles to maybe get a shot at a bird it does take long to lose interest. Everyone I know who owns bird dogs go out of state to hunt where there are decent populations of birds. h.h.
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Quail
Aug 3, 2007 11:36:16 GMT -5
Post by freedomhunter on Aug 3, 2007 11:36:16 GMT -5
Does anyone go out and do counts anymore? Quail seem to be doing better over the last few years in Owen County. I may kill a couple every other good year for one meal while out rabbit hunting. I think they fluctuate a lot year to year, killing coyotes, coons, skunks, possums, and cats seems to help a little. Hawks are the number one enemy, though.
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Quail
Aug 3, 2007 12:35:25 GMT -5
Post by birddog on Aug 3, 2007 12:35:25 GMT -5
I just talked to the DNR rep from North Vernon Indiana that takes care of the areas around here..Dearborn,Ripley,Switzerland,Ohio,Jennings counties to name just a few and I'll post his comments on what he said about quail and the decline in the population: Loyd - - I'll try to explain as briefly as possible what has transpired with quail numbers since our teenage years - I, too, am in my late 50's so I can relate to your own observations as well. Since the mid-1960's, quail have declined about 80%. This is almost completely due to loss of habitat (as with any specie in decline). Severe weather can produce a short-term population drop but, in terms of quail, the population should replenish itself within just a couple of years. Long term drops are, as I say, due to loss of habitat. Quail are an edge-specie; they will spend some 90%of their time within the outside 100 feet of an open area to about 100 feet inside of a wood's edge. Or, within a fencerow (30ft. min. width) and 100 feet out into the open area. If you have a 100 acre open area, say, and quail mostly use the outside 100 feet, so you don't have much edge, ro quail, habitat. Now, take that 100 acres and divide it into fourths with fencerows 30-50 feet wide and you've added much more edge. Divide the same 100 acres into 10 smaller parcels (of about 8 acres each in size) with fencerows and you've really got some quail habitat. Reflect back to those 1960's when most fields were smaller, there were fencerows separating them and roadsides all have brushy fencerows. Today, fields have expanded to accomodate larger more efficient farm machinery to where they may be 100-400 acres in area. Add to that, fields are cultivated (plowed) right up to the edge of the wood's edge and there is no brushy cover that is vital for quail. All you see these days, usually, is a wide open area that stops right at a curtain of large trees. Open areas that are not cropped are mainly composed of introduced sod-forming cool season grasses; these are not conducive for quail - whether for nesting, brood rearing or cover. Quail require some bare soil to find seeds, weedy fields offer this requirement. Ragweeds, foxtail, beggarweeds, smartweeds, etc. are tops in a quail's diet. Grass seeds are neither nutritious nor can a quail find them in the thick mat of sod grasses. And these weeds were very abundant in row-cropped fields of yesteryear. Today, clean-framing using herbicides eliminates these weeds. The absolute worst grasses are orchard and tall fescue; and, look around, these are everywhere. Fescue harbors a toxic endophyte fungus that affects all mammals. Pesticides to control insects in crops has also eliminated their food source. Birds, especially chicks in the first few weeks, must have a high protien intake - only insects provide the needed protien, seeds are much lower. You can starve birds that do not get bugs in thier diet in this period (spring, early summer). Back to the loss of cover. No cover to escape predators is another demise of small mammals, quial especially. The worst of these predators? Not so much the hawks, coyotes and the others often mentioned but merely feral cats. Along with fragmentation of our landscapes due to development, unknowing owners have loose cats or the strays roaming everywhere. The money you spend for the gamebird stamp is directed towards restoring quail habitat in suitable ranges of the state, priority for funds is directed, but not limited, to Quail Habitat Priority Areas. Each Wildlife Mgt. District in the South Region of the state has an area. I established mine in Scott county a few years ago when I had a different district. I took over repsonsiblities in SE Indiana last summer (after Ed Guljas retired). The priority area is northern Ripley county. I, and many landowners in Scott county, can attest to the rebound of quail within project those areas. It is an old addage, "build it and they will come." I have seen this time and again; if an area is void of quail (lack of habitat) but there are some within a few miles, if you provide for the year-round needs for a quail to make its living (habitat), they will take up new residence there as well. Another grave concern is mowing. Quail will nest/renest up into September. Mowing should never be conducted before August 15th to avoid mortalities of any ground nesting individuals. Loss or destruction of nesting and broodrearing areas will hammer quail numbers. The average life expectancy for a quail is only 14-16 months so reproduction is vital to sustaining their numbers. I could expand on other issues, like releasing pen raised birds but that is another entire dissertation. Still, if you find time sometime to call, or would want me to call you down-the-road sometime, I welcome the conversation with you. And, if you own land in my district or hunt with a landowner in it, call me some time and we could schedule a site visit to evaluate its potential for quail habitat. Even if not in my district, contact the biologist in the area(s) you hunt for the same service. If you would want to some additional information on quail manangement and habitat management practices, you can go to this web link for that info: www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/hunt/facts.htmThis is very long but a VERY GOOD READ!!!!!!!!!
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Quail
Aug 3, 2007 19:45:21 GMT -5
Post by huxbux on Aug 3, 2007 19:45:21 GMT -5
I believe ALL our Indiana Upland Game Species are in real trouble. Sadly, I have to agree. I no longer hunt grouse either, which I used to do several times each year. I haven't so much as heard a grouse drumming in Brown county for the last two years. Now if they'd only allow some clear cutting in the HNF.....
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Quail
Aug 6, 2007 11:50:27 GMT -5
Post by chicobrownbear on Aug 6, 2007 11:50:27 GMT -5
Quail numbers are up where I live. I don't know what the fish and wildlife service are doing for quail but NRCS is really pushing CP-33 quail habitat buffers right now. They have put a lot of habitat on the ground in my county, but it isn't on public land.
I also see plenty of woodcock when the flights come through.
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Quail
Aug 6, 2007 14:07:36 GMT -5
Post by freedomhunter on Aug 6, 2007 14:07:36 GMT -5
I did the funded crp for quail a few years back on 10 acres for quail (mostly millet) and killed every cat I could get a shot at. It did wonders for the few local quail that were left in the area. If every one that owned farm ground would set aside just a few acres... I have seen the grouse starting a comeback in the one area in Owen County I hunt that has always held a few. There is not much you can do about the hawks killing quail, legally.
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