No Birds in North West Georgia?

[Gerald McPherson]

Greetings Everyone; I turned 65 last month. I hunted quail until age 50 with older friends that passed on one by one.We enjoyed many many days afield. We always had a fair number of birds, one or two to five or six coveys a day. We could kill enough to keep it interesting for us and the dogs. About two years ago a acquired a Brittany pup and thought I would try it again alone although some folks were telling me that birds were scarce. I'm in the second season now with Scooter and I'm finding nothing but a woodcock or two now and then and only one today that I missed. I have a place to hunt that looks as good as it gets in these parts but no quail. found one covey last year but flew across the Eustanaulle river (if spelled correctly). I am seeing coyote poop every where. Do you think this is whats happening to our quail? This 200 acres plus about 100 more that joins it that I am hunting should have eight or ten coveys. I am trying to attach some pics. Looks like I may be dreaming. I just don't get turned on by releasing birds. That seems like hideing your own Easter Eggs and I'm not ready for that yet. Anyone else finding this in the South East? Please don't tell me my dog ain't no good.
I once told an old friend that I didn't know which I enjoyed the most braging on mine or throwing off on his. Happy New Year. Gerald
P.S. I made about 40 pics today. The first is where I began and the last is where I stopped. No Birds:

[Bruce Day]

Coyotes and bobcats are the likely culprits.

[Dean Romig]

Opossums, raccoons, hawks (acipiters probably), owls, feral housecats . . . the list is long and devastating to ground-nesting birds. This is a very common phenomenon in the Northeast too around population centers where there is no such thing as predator control, the discharge of firearms being illegal within the city limits of many, many towns and it seems every other household has at least one cat. In our lifetimes it will never be like it once was not so very long ago.

[Ben Yarian]

It is a shame. I am sure the Pa pheasant was affected simillarly, as well a by habitat lose. I have also noticed the grouse were I hunt them are spending more time in trees, during the day. I assume that is because of the large numbers of fox and cyote in the area. Thank goodness they are addaptable(grouse that is).

Ben

[Bindlestiff]

I hunt PA, NH and VT and I have noticed a change in the last 15 years or so. The coyote population for some reason has exploded. For obvious reasons the bird of prey population is way up, soon they will need to start controlling them too; that will be something to watch! I see more red fox killed on the road and even see some moving during the day so I assume their numbers are up.

I am seeing fewer raccoon, skunk and opossum sign? Are the coyote keeping their numbers down too? They are hard on nests but I suppose the coyote's are too.

There is a lot of competition out their for our game birds. Just my observations.

[Double Play]

Robin,
I think for those of us in the northeast the reintroduction of the turkeys is the main reason for the number of coyotes in our area. The other mammal that is doing a job on the birds is the Fisher. I see one almost every time I’m deer hunting and with their ability to climb trees they are especially tough on the turkey population. In CT. we can and do shoot coyotes year round but the Fishers are somewhat protected. I believe there is a short trapping season but no shooting.

[Labowner]

That brings up a good question, why are we protecting a non indigenous species like the Fisher cat, that some numbnut thought was going to reduce the porcupine population.
My Grandfather believed anything competing for game had to go including birds of pray, which I think was shared by most in those days.

[Gerald McPherson]

Last night I heard coyotes shortly after dark close by. Sometimes it sounds like there are hundreds. They get a calf of goat now and then.I have heard of one killed that weighed 85 lbs. This morning I saw a flock of about 20 turkeys. Some people think fire ants are realy hurting the quail. I have known a hawk to get one on the covey rise and also a rabbit the dogs were running. My Dad of late once told me about 2 coveys that were around all of life on his Dad's place. A friend my age tells me he has never even seen a Bob White. I read on different forums that some areas of the country still have good numbers. I wonder if they can tell any difference now compared to 25 years ago. Gerald

[Dean Romig]

Don't worry about all the predatory species who's numbers are on the rise everywhere - as soon as prey species numbers are reduced to barely enough to propogate the species the predators will die off of disease and starvation allowing gamebirds and the like to repopulate to huntable numbers once again. I figure this will take thirty or forty years and our children and grandchildren will enjoy hunting like we once knew . . . as long as we still have a 2nd Ammendment

[Dale Meyer]

Gerald, you surely aren't unique in Georgia with scarce game birds. Here in Pa. we once had lots of wild pheasants. Today, there are almost none reproducing in the wild. The only pheasants in many areas are those pen-raised and released by the Game Commission just before the season opens.

Among the reasons for this demise in wild birds is the outlawing of ddt in about 1972 which led to an explosion in the predator population, modern clean farming practices which elimated much of the fence-row cover, and the expansion of suburban housing developments.

In my opinion, perhaps the most devastating loss to pheasant populations here in Pa. was the result of a disease commonly called the "chicken flu". This was a virus infecting vast numbers of flocks of chickens during the mid-70's. Huge numbers of chickens were destroyed in an effort to control the spread of this disease. This disease apparently spread to wild game bird populations as well. I worked at a state mental hospital in Harrisburg where we had huge numbers of pheasants present on our property which covered near to a thousand acres of prime phesant habitat. During the winter in about 1975, we discovered literally piles of dead pheasants in every patch of cover we investigated. Wild pheasant populations dwindled and became almost non existent withiln ten years. It is possible that this disease was spread throughout the eastern wild game bird populations. I haven't noticed such a profound effect in the grouse population as among pheasants and quail. The habitat preferences are distinctly different among grouse and pheasants and quail.

Whatever the cause, noone can deny that the populations of most game bird populations in the east have plumetted. In many areas sightings of turkeys are more common that pheasants today.