On The Third Day of Christmas....

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Stan Hillis

I have a close friend who has early released (late August) pen raised bobwhite on his land for the last 12-15 years. I hear them whistling every spring and we've always seen broods of bitties. They (the released birds) definitely do mate and raise young down here in GA.

It seems that after doing so, and the young grow up, they're nearly as wild as true wild bobs. They certainly won't always hold while the dogs point, but will often flush wild before the guns can get there.

You’re right, Stan, and if they can pull off several generations, they will be wild.

I have observed that if there is contiguous cover, and there is good brooding weather, quail will move into good cover. Likewise, they disappear under the reverse conditions…and they can be “shot out.”

[Reggie B]

Originally Posted by Garry L Gordon

You’re right, Stan, and if they can pull off several generations, they will be wild.

I have observed that if there is contiguous cover, and there is good brooding weather, quail will move into good cover. Likewise, they disappear under the reverse conditions…and they can be “shot out.”

I recall in my youth, hunting with beagles in river bottoms, we would hear a volley of shots and someone in our group would say "bird hunters". They would come into a field, three or four of them, with A5s and 1100s and kill no telling how many birds out of a covey with no concern whatsoever about conservation or future hunting. Back then I didn't think much about it, but looking back it is surprising that the quail populations didn't go away sooner than they did.