Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry Harlow
Don't know why they would trap wild ones in Virginia. I think they trapped the last ones. Send them back!
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I too am surprised. Quail, in my mind, are an endagered species in Kentucky.
When I ws young, they were everywhere and could be hunted without a dog. They fell prey to modern farming practices and are very hard to even see now. If you have a covey of any kind it is a miracle.
Kentucky has been a part of several reintroduction programs which have been amazingly successful. The two recent(?) ones were wild turkey and elk.
The turkeys were largely due to a trade with Missouri; turkeys for river otter. We went from no turkey to flocks so large they feed and roost in our back yard. This was aided by the fact that we have vast areas of agriculture bordered by heavily masted woodlands.
Elk have been reintroduced over the last several years to former areas of reclaimed strip mines surrounded by native woodlands and low human populations. It has been so successful that very successful hunting seasons allow even out of state tags (too many due to state quest for revenue) and a significant tourist flow. Many don't realize that elk are actually a plains animal that took to the mountains due to human pressure. The "deer" that were a big draw to native americans and the pioneers were actually elk to a large extent. The reintroduction was truly that. In the same way, it was successful due to habitat shifts which mirrored their former condition. Deer were formerly plentiful but by the early 60's had all but disappeared over most of the state. While not introduced, they gradually repopulated themselves from southern Ohio, Indiana and Illinois to the point that they are almost a nuisance.
Don't hold out much hope on a system of release to have much affect. Habitat management is the only thing that will work. Quail require food, water and shelter within a home radius which is, I believe, the smallest of any of the game birds. Unless the habitat exists, there is little chance of success. Nature is resilient. If the habitat is provided, then a small reintroduction can have a big effect.