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Quail
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<blockquote data-quote="Anonymous" data-source="post: 2598"><p>In MO the decline in quail numbers coincided with the introduction of fescue (sod forming grass) replacing the native or at least naturalized grasses. Clean fencerows also decreased travel corridors. Feed that wasn't suitable for quail started getting more popular. In northern MO and many of the other "crop" areas the land got to be too valuable to leave those little out of the way places that the wildlife could use. I also happen to think that the folks moving to the country and letting there hoards of cats run wild, and for that matter go feral, also contributed to the decline. In CA we had a small population of foxes but a horrible population of feral cats. Within two years of a feral cat vendeta the pheasant population expanded to the point that flocks of them would scatter in front of you like chickens when you walked down the lane to get mail. A cockbird on every tussock. As we traveled away from our place you saw fewer birds and more feral cats. On this farm the problem is possums and coons. Armidillos are starting to make inroads also. We've started thinning the coons and possums and have been improving the real key, habitat. Within a few years we're hoping to have a few decent coveys. We did the same thing at another farm and within 4 years we had quail coming out our ears, were as when we moved there you would only occasionally hear a quail and rarely ever see one</p><p></p><p>dun</p><p></p><p>> When the wild plum thread (below)</p><p>> digressed to discussing quail, it</p><p>> got me thinking about a theory</p><p>> I've developed. I find it</p><p>> interesting that others in</p><p>> different parts of the country</p><p>> have also experienced a decline in</p><p>> quail populations. We're on the</p><p>> rebound, based on my</p><p>> non-scientific observations around</p><p>> here, with more coveys than I've</p><p>> seen in at least 20 years.</p><p></p><p>> The assumption here in central</p><p>> Texas has always been that fire</p><p>> ants were the culprit. Around here</p><p>> the fire ants came in about the</p><p>> time quail started to suffer.</p><p>> These days it seems like we've got</p><p>> as many fire as ever but the quail</p><p>> seem to be getting stronger over</p><p>> the past couple of years, so that</p><p>> explanation doesn't seem to make</p><p>> sense.</p><p></p><p>> Here's my theory - y'all can tear</p><p>> it up and tell me what's wrong</p><p>> with it. About the time the ants</p><p>> started coming in and the quail</p><p>> started getting scarce there was</p><p>> also a big increase in the hawk</p><p>> population. When I was young there</p><p>> weren't that many hawks in this</p><p>> area. They weren't uncommon, but</p><p>> they weren't plentiful either.</p><p></p><p>> I've wondered if the hawk</p><p>> population increased because the</p><p>> old-timers were dying off. A</p><p>> generation ago everybody that</p><p>> lived in the country kept</p><p>> chickens. Everybody that kept</p><p>> chickens shot every hawk they saw.</p><p>> When that generation started dying</p><p>> off, so did the quail because the</p><p>> hawks #1 natural enemy was fading</p><p>> away and the hawks were allowed to</p><p>> flourish. There was nothing to</p><p>> prevent the flourishing hawks from</p><p>> decimating the quail.</p><p></p><p>> As a side note, jackrabbits also</p><p>> had a significant drop in</p><p>> population and seem to be on a</p><p>> slight rebound. They're not making</p><p>> as strong of a comeback as the</p><p>> quail (which is good), but you see</p><p>> more than you did a few years ago.</p><p>> An increase in hawks could have</p><p>> hurt the rabbits also.</p><p></p><p>> The weakness of this theory is</p><p>> that there are still plenty of</p><p>> hawks around. Anyway, I'd be</p><p>> interested to get other folks'</p><p>> take on it, and also learn whether</p><p>> quail are making a comeback across</p><p>> the country.</p><p></p><p>> Craig-TX</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Anonymous, post: 2598"] In MO the decline in quail numbers coincided with the introduction of fescue (sod forming grass) replacing the native or at least naturalized grasses. Clean fencerows also decreased travel corridors. Feed that wasn't suitable for quail started getting more popular. In northern MO and many of the other "crop" areas the land got to be too valuable to leave those little out of the way places that the wildlife could use. I also happen to think that the folks moving to the country and letting there hoards of cats run wild, and for that matter go feral, also contributed to the decline. In CA we had a small population of foxes but a horrible population of feral cats. Within two years of a feral cat vendeta the pheasant population expanded to the point that flocks of them would scatter in front of you like chickens when you walked down the lane to get mail. A cockbird on every tussock. As we traveled away from our place you saw fewer birds and more feral cats. On this farm the problem is possums and coons. Armidillos are starting to make inroads also. We've started thinning the coons and possums and have been improving the real key, habitat. Within a few years we're hoping to have a few decent coveys. We did the same thing at another farm and within 4 years we had quail coming out our ears, were as when we moved there you would only occasionally hear a quail and rarely ever see one dun > When the wild plum thread (below) > digressed to discussing quail, it > got me thinking about a theory > I’ve developed. I find it > interesting that others in > different parts of the country > have also experienced a decline in > quail populations. We’re on the > rebound, based on my > non-scientific observations around > here, with more coveys than I’ve > seen in at least 20 years. > The assumption here in central > Texas has always been that fire > ants were the culprit. Around here > the fire ants came in about the > time quail started to suffer. > These days it seems like we’ve got > as many fire as ever but the quail > seem to be getting stronger over > the past couple of years, so that > explanation doesn’t seem to make > sense. > Here’s my theory - y’all can tear > it up and tell me what’s wrong > with it. About the time the ants > started coming in and the quail > started getting scarce there was > also a big increase in the hawk > population. When I was young there > weren’t that many hawks in this > area. They weren’t uncommon, but > they weren’t plentiful either. > I’ve wondered if the hawk > population increased because the > old-timers were dying off. A > generation ago everybody that > lived in the country kept > chickens. Everybody that kept > chickens shot every hawk they saw. > When that generation started dying > off, so did the quail because the > hawks #1 natural enemy was fading > away and the hawks were allowed to > flourish. There was nothing to > prevent the flourishing hawks from > decimating the quail. > As a side note, jackrabbits also > had a significant drop in > population and seem to be on a > slight rebound. They’re not making > as strong of a comeback as the > quail (which is good), but you see > more than you did a few years ago. > An increase in hawks could have > hurt the rabbits also. > The weakness of this theory is > that there are still plenty of > hawks around. Anyway, I’d be > interested to get other folks’ > take on it, and also learn whether > quail are making a comeback across > the country. > Craig-TX [/QUOTE]
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