A good read on what others are doing on the problem. For the life of me I just see anything working. Wish I could see light at the end of the tunnel. A 2 year period of timely rains will tell the tale on a come back. Pray we get the timely rains.

It is confusing, isn't it. None of the answers seem to make a lot of sense by themselves.

Anecdotally it seems they are making at least some sort of a comeback. Hear stories of some multi-covey days that I haven't heard in the past few years. As you said, hopefully the wet weather will continue.

I blame it on fireants. When I was a kid we could sit on the ground or pick something up without worrying about fireants. We just didn't have them. Now, forget doing that. You have to be very careful where you sit, stand, or touch when afield. I dont' see how any ground covey animals have NOT been affected by them.

But, if this is a leading cause, I don't know what the cure is. Fireants are not going away any time soon.

Remember the Horny Toad.

Went to a seminiar a few yrs back and they had built a pen with fireant mounds in it and some hen birds actually raised some chicks in the pen, they seem to thinks loss of prime habitat contributed more than anything else. Rain is a must at the right times now.

Yeah, 4 or 5 summers of drought in a row cannot be a good thing. I don't even see rail snipes much any more (or whatever those little yellow wing tipped field birds that you can jump shoot are called).

2 summers ago I went dove hunting and there was NO grass for the 1st time in the pastures. Last year was much better though so maybe La Nina or whatever is causing the droughts is finally over.

I think it's sad---but I think it's over.

I do not think it is over. I had a better season this year than I have for the past two years. I hunted various counties all across the rolling plains and averaged 3 - 6 coveys a day. Last year these same ranches were producing 1 - 3 coveys a day. With good weather and aggressive management we can have birds. We may never see 20+ covey days again but 10 is not out of the question.

Don't give up on the birds, if the bird hunters quit on them they surely are finished.

It ain't over. Mother nature fixes a lot of things.

You gotta believe! Texas is famous for droughts. We'll see the timely rains one of these days, and just as the thirsty lands bloom in such times, so will the quail populations.

They will unless we displace them with "progress".

In that case, there will be no use at all for old quail hunters, and bird dogs...we'll all disappear.

I love it too much. even if it's just pen raised birds, I will have a kennel full of dogs as long as my wife & I can still take care of them. I'm just fixing to turn 40, good lord willing, I still have a good 25 years left in me & with the use of a utv, hopefully longer.

I used to run 5 dogs on the ground at once.
Rain is just one of the things--what are the
total things causing the extinction cannot be
pinpointed.

"The Dodo used to walk around,
And take the sun and air.
The sun yet warms his native ground –
The Dodo is not there!

The voice which used to squawk and squeak
Is now for ever dumb –
Yet may you see his bones and beak
All in the Mu-se-um. "

Hilaire Belloc 1896

Also, remember, species go extinct all of the time WITHOUT man's interference. That said, more species are gone or on the brink that ever in history because of mankind.

I know what the long term answer is, but not a short term one!

Yes She does..........

I think they will rebound out west and south. East tx can forget it

There were two different people at our field trial this past weekend, who had what amounted to 16 to 20 covey days this past season, on 3 different ranches.