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East Texas Quail Hunters #7182810 05/29/18 06:44 PM
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pharmvet Offline OP
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I’m assuming that some of you here are from East Texas. If you are old enough, you probably enjoyed the good old days when East Texas had a huntable population of wild quail. Lots of work is being done now with regards to quail restoration (on both sides of us -Arkansas and west Texas) If you are in the eastern portion of our state and if you have an interest in seeing wild birds return, I would like to invite you to join a new FB group called East Texas Wild Quail Restoration. We created this group in hopes that it would be a place to share good sound science based habitat information. We also hope we can involve people who can remember the days when we had wild quail so that they can provide us with information on how things “used to be” vs how they are currently. We are looking for optimistic folks who still believe we can make a change and who would like a place to share information and ideas, as well as learn from likeminded individuals. Anyway, consider this a formal invitation. Thanks!

Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7183117 05/30/18 12:14 AM
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I lived in east Tx for 5 years and saw one pair of Quail. They were in my yard on lake Palestine. Never saw or heard them again. I took up duck hunting just so I’d have a dog to train.

I traveled every day calling on compressor stations in the sticks, and never heard one. Hope y’all can get something going out there. I’ve heard stories about how it used to be. I think we’re one of the last generations to have wild birds to hunt anywhere. But a few years ago I thought it was over for good In west Tx. Good luck.

Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7183326 05/30/18 04:25 AM
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Scalebuster, I agree completely. It will be a stretch, but I think the time has come as awareness of the problem is at an all time high. It’s sad that it took them basically becoming “extinct” in east Texas before serious restoration efforts began.

Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7183361 05/30/18 10:05 AM
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So, can i purchase them somewhere to set em loose on our lease? There's atleast 400 acres around my lease that is good habitat for em


Go get in the woods
Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7183370 05/30/18 10:39 AM
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Releasing pen raised birds has been attempted time and time again. They don’t survive.

Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: Mike Mathena] #7183474 05/30/18 12:59 PM
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bill oxner Offline
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Originally Posted By: Mike Mathena
So, can i purchase them somewhere to set em loose on our lease? There's atleast 400 acres around my lease that is good habitat for em


Where in Brazoria county is your lease?


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


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Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7183633 05/30/18 03:07 PM
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You should maybe align your group with the Tall Timbers Quail Research out of Florida. They have brought huntable numbers of quail back to the panhandle region of that state using a quail re-location method that has had promising results.

Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: bill oxner] #7183723 05/30/18 04:36 PM
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Originally Posted By: bill oxner
Originally Posted By: Mike Mathena
So, can i purchase them somewhere to set em loose on our lease? There's atleast 400 acres around my lease that is good habitat for em


Where in Brazoria county is your lease?


Houston county, Crocket


Go get in the woods
Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7183763 05/30/18 05:05 PM
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They disappeared in my part of east texas in the early 1980's. Loss of habitat was the biggest factor. That timing coincided with a steep decrease in the use of fire to control understory and the conversion of many natural stands and small Ag parcels to pine plantation. Little was known about the eye mite back then. More than likely it also played a role. There are still scattered remnant coveys but they are few and far between. In recent years I have been involved in a habitat enhancement program in a cooperative effort with TPWD and the NWTF doing a lot of control burns attempting to bring wild turkeys back to east texas. One of the side benefits seems to be a marginal uptick in bobwhite sightings in areas where the dense understory has been controlled and native bluestem is returning. I think progress can be made but it is a patient mans game and will be costly. Relocating trapped wild birds has shown to be effective but the habitat has to be in place prior to releasing wild birds. On a positive note, spring and summer rains, although not a sure thing, are not nearly the issue they are out west.
God bless those of you who are working on it!


Smokey Bear---Lone Star State.
Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7183920 05/30/18 07:10 PM
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Smokey Bear,that’s good information right there. Are you on Facebook? If so I would love for you to join our FB group and share this and other information.

Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7183921 05/30/18 07:11 PM
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North TX Birdhubter. I agree that Tall Timbers has lots to offer!

Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7183949 05/30/18 07:55 PM
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It would be great to see them back in E TX.


Originally Posted by bill oxner
Haven't had it in years but never spit any out.


Originally Posted by bill oxner
I am a sucker for happy endings and strapped cowboys.
Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7183997 05/30/18 09:09 PM
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Sorry Pharmvet, I don't do Facebook.


Smokey Bear---Lone Star State.
Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7184550 05/31/18 12:46 PM
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I am north of Terrell on land I have known for 60 years. The land when my dad got it was over grown and wild as previous owner had gotten old and unable to keep up. I remember lots of quail and many times I would go with grown ups to walk up some quail to hunt. My Auntie had a perfect quail call and we would listen to them in the evenings. Then my dad wanted more grass for cows and calves and started cleaning and clearing the land and soon no more quail.

Best of luck and from what I have read #1 is to get rid of predators as much as possible, # 2 plant feed sources, # 3 get rid of Bermuda grass, # 4 be sure water and cover (brush piles) available.


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Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7185188 05/31/18 11:24 PM
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You might try the quail segregator , it is helping in N.C. on privet land with the correct habitat. Forrest

Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7185190 05/31/18 11:30 PM
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Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7185195 05/31/18 11:39 PM
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I had a Johnny houst for over 20 years.

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


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Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7185350 06/01/18 02:44 AM
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I hunted quail in east Texas, around Omaha, in the 60's when I was a kid. We has some really good hunts then. So much of what was in native pasture is now Bermuda. Quail and improved grasses have never worked well. I watched it happen on a ranch a family member owned. Lots of quail until much of the pasture land was converted to Bermuda. You couldn't find a quail after that.

Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7185684 06/01/18 03:59 PM
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Jetdad, thanks for the comments. I’m about 30 miles from Omaha. I have a couple of questions. When you say that it was “native pasture”, do you know what grasses were there? Also, was the Betmuda grass put in with “sprigs”? Are you on Facebook? I would love to have these types of discussions on our new FB group.

Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7185713 06/01/18 04:30 PM
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I got to hunt the Broseco ranch back then. I was much too young to know/care what grasses were there. The coastal was sprigged at my brother's place in Parker county. Tons of quail and then they just gradually disappeared. I'm sure the proliferation of fire ants and pigs didn't help. It was no problem to get on 12-14 coveys but within ten years you couldn't find a bird.

Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7186334 06/02/18 12:22 PM
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Quail hunting is like walking into, and out of a beautiful painting all day long. Gene Hill


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Re: East Texas Quail Hunters [Re: pharmvet] #7186377 06/02/18 01:46 PM
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I am a seasoned human and have hunted all my life. I don't ever recall seeing a quail in a coastal bermuda field.

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