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Help with Quail-Jack County #6249557 04/06/16 10:24 AM
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billybob Offline OP
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I recently picked up a wildlife exemption and part of my plan is to restore some sort of quail population on my 40 acre property. Can I buy ready to fly birds and expect them to hang. I have plenty of good habitat for them and minimal predation. Any suggestions from ya'll?

Last edited by billybob; 04/06/16 10:36 AM.
Re: Help with Quail-Jack County [Re: billybob] #6249703 04/06/16 01:30 PM
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poisonivie Offline
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The best I can tell you is, "they'll hang till something kills them". That was my findings. But honestly, penraised birds just don't seem to have the strong will to live of wild ones.


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Re: Help with Quail-Jack County [Re: billybob] #6249748 04/06/16 02:13 PM
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mattyg06 Offline
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Depends on what you are looking for? If you just want to let birds go to hear them occasionally you could do that on a repeating basis and maybe get a few to hang around longer. If you plan on hunting then you would just have to put birds out before you go to 'hunt' them every time. A single covey takes about 20 acres of perfectly mixed habitat so at most you could only expect 2-3 coveys on your property. We let birds go in November for some put and take hunting and our neighbor says he is still seeing 2 coveys 5 months later, but that would amount to less than 5% of the total birds we let loose.

Re: Help with Quail-Jack County [Re: billybob] #6250342 04/06/16 11:58 PM
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bill oxner Offline
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I've had them go feral from my Johnny house and reproduce.


Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: Help with Quail-Jack County [Re: mattyg06] #6250836 04/07/16 01:14 PM
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First_Chance Offline
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Originally Posted By: mattyg06
A single covey takes about 20 acres of perfectly mixed habitat so at most you could only expect 2-3 coveys on your property.


scratch


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Re: Help with Quail-Jack County [Re: First_Chance] #6251044 04/07/16 03:55 PM
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Originally Posted By: First_Chance
Originally Posted By: mattyg06
A single covey takes about 20 acres of perfectly mixed habitat so at most you could only expect 2-3 coveys on your property.


scratch


Whats got you confused there First_Chance?

Re: Help with Quail-Jack County [Re: mattyg06] #6251116 04/07/16 05:32 PM
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bill oxner Offline
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Originally Posted By: mattyg06
Originally Posted By: First_Chance
Originally Posted By: mattyg06
A single covey takes about 20 acres of perfectly mixed habitat so at most you could only expect 2-3 coveys on your property.


scratch


Whats got you confused there First_Chance?


Thirty coveys per section is about max.


Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: Help with Quail-Jack County [Re: billybob] #6251643 04/08/16 01:28 AM
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dune2218 Offline
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Billy Bob -------- you are getting the usual responses from non-hunters---------- #1--- released quail will not live/breed in the wild. period. #2 If your neighbors have good habitat for quail, you may have quail on your property occasionally. 40 acres is not enough property to worry about quail. I assume this has nothing to do with hunting,,, you'd just like to have some quail there. . You can feed them for fun, and attract them with food, but you will not have a dependable covey live on 40 acres,, its just not enough land.
first chance had it right,,,,,, 2-3 coveys-------- scratch

Re: Help with Quail-Jack County [Re: dune2218] #6251998 04/08/16 01:36 PM
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First_Chance Offline
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Granted this was an exceptional year, but we had a 60ac pasture in our hunting rotation (of over 10,000 acres in S. TX) this year and we hit it twice this season. It produced 18 coveys the first time and 22 coveys the second (all wild birds). This pasture was not one that was surrounded by endless habitat either... it was more or less isolated. I'm not going to get into an argument about it because I'm positive that the "average" number is much different, but it has been my experience that it does not take 20ac of perfect habitat to support one covey of quail.


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Re: Help with Quail-Jack County [Re: First_Chance] #6252054 04/08/16 02:20 PM
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Originally Posted By: First_Chance
Granted this was an exceptional year, but we had a 60ac pasture in our hunting rotation (of over 10,000 acres in S. TX) this year and we hit it twice this season. It produced 18 coveys the first time and 22 coveys the second (all wild birds). This pasture was not one that was surrounded by endless habitat either... it was more or less isolated. I'm not going to get into an argument about it because I'm positive that the "average" number is much different, but it has been my experience that it does not take 20ac of perfect habitat to support one covey of quail.


That's 5 quail per acre. I don't think 60 acres would hold 300 birds over the long run.


Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: Help with Quail-Jack County [Re: billybob] #6252066 04/08/16 02:31 PM
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Lots try to reintroduce quail and many fail. Johnny house will help in theory, hard effort to kill all predators (good luck) is required and specific crops to provide feed needs all seasons. I agree 40 acres is too small to control and create proper envirionments. Do the Wildlife Habitat program to keep taxes low kill ants and pigs and planr feed plots


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Re: Help with Quail-Jack County [Re: bill oxner] #6252080 04/08/16 02:41 PM
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Originally Posted By: bill oxner
Originally Posted By: First_Chance
Granted this was an exceptional year, but we had a 60ac pasture in our hunting rotation (of over 10,000 acres in S. TX) this year and we hit it twice this season. It produced 18 coveys the first time and 22 coveys the second (all wild birds). This pasture was not one that was surrounded by endless habitat either... it was more or less isolated. I'm not going to get into an argument about it because I'm positive that the "average" number is much different, but it has been my experience that it does not take 20ac of perfect habitat to support one covey of quail.


That's 5 quail per acre. I don't think 60 acres would hold 300 birds over the long run.


Completely agree.


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Re: Help with Quail-Jack County [Re: billybob] #6252963 04/09/16 11:36 AM
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billybob Offline OP
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After reading your responses, which I thank you for, I've decided not to bring quail in. My plan will have to focus on WT, ducks and turkey...which I have plenty. Guess I'll have to bum a few from Oxner to get rid of my annual need for quail meat.

Re: Help with Quail-Jack County [Re: billybob] #6254533 04/10/16 08:34 PM
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Originally Posted By: billybob
Guess I'll have to bum a few from Oxner to get rid of my annual need for quail meat.


That would be Beaversnipe.



Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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