A good friend of mine here in Virginia says he and his buds have seen more bobwhite this year than in the past 20. It seems eastern Virginia is seeing an increase in the population, and that's after a very bad winter last year. He hunts in Orange County thereabouts (Charlottesville area) and he said he put up four covies in half a day couple weeks ago.

My ruffed grouse regular just left the feed pile but he was plowing through fresh snow at -5deg on his way to cover. Headed for -30 for the week. Don't know how they do it.

We have more bob's than ever and there is a lot of spraying around here. not that i think spraying is the greatest thing. the idiots worry more about cow poop than spary i know witch i would rather have on me. yup i need spell check Dean:whistle: ch

Fire ants have been moving slowly north and did not reach S. Carolina until the 1960's.
David

We have alot of quail here in Idaho.I live on the edge of a small town with 4 ponds behind my house.as the new subdivisions build there new homes and the people move in they bring the biggest killer of quail the dreaded feline. I would have upwards of 100 quail coming in to feed every evening but now you may see 8 or 10. They haven't all been killed but have just moved a little further down the river valley. I could drive out just a couple miles and take pictures of coveys of 30 to 50 birds right now. I have to be careful about shooting the dreaded felines for two reasons. If the homeowner reports you they come and want to take all your guns and I live right next. to the Governor so the sound of gun fire probably would be reported. Have a great day Thomas L. Benson Sr.

The domestic cat kills for the joy of it,not for food as wild species do.
These killers can be "relocated" with the help of a varmit trap and a big sack.
Drop them off at the Governor's back door...
Bill

But that would be Thomas' back door as well.

felines are probably a quails nitemare...when man goes into birds or animals turf they usally get the worst end of it....charlie

Charlie: I was almost a meal for a really big kitty-cat about 10 yrs ago here in Idaho but thanks to my hunting partner he missed out on his meal. I had not been around this type of prey before and they are very good hunters. Thomas L. Benson Sr.

I think Jent is on the money with his theory. When I was a teenage quail hunteer, (early 60's) we had lots of quail in Georgia and no fireants. Now we have plenty of fire ants and no quail. I watched a report on a nature tv show recently that involved a situation in Oklahoma. Seems that a certain species of song bird had almost disappeared from an area near Ft. Sill. Surveillance cameras were set up to cover several nests containing unhatched eggs. As soon as the eggs hatched, the newborn chicks were covered in fire ants and of course immediately killed. If that can happen in a nest in a tree, a quail doesn't have a chance. In Georgia and elsewhere in the south (and probably in other areas) fire ants are completely out of control. Drive by a field that has been recently burned over and the fire ant mounds are so numerous they look like an indian village. Too bad our government and the various quail organizations can't seem to muster the effort necessary to have an effect on the populations.