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Quail death oddity
#7366438
12/04/18 02:26 PM
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Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,114
Flashprism
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Just got home from my ¼ section in Dickens county after 2 months of deer hunting and thought I'd share a strange observation. My quail population is down around 70% as my last year coveys of 15 to 20 are now 5 to 8. I have 4 feeders equally dispersed in which I have corn and Milo for the deer and quail. While cruising my perimeter Saturday I came across 2 dead hens lying on my dirt trail within 15 ft of each about 600' from any feeder.. They were recent deaths as rigamortus had not set in. Was puzzled how this could happen. I looked for evidence of trauma. One had a hole in the crop with a piece of corn sticking out. It seems statistically impossible for 2 to die at the same place at the same time. If it were a predator they should have been consumed. Unfortunately I don't have the bodies and left them at the site. With the numbers being down every where this was something I didn't appreciate Any thoughts.
Last edited by Flashprism; 12/04/18 02:26 PM.
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Re: Quail death oddity
[Re: Flashprism]
#7366503
12/04/18 03:13 PM
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Joined: Oct 2008
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68rustbucket
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You should have taken the dead quail to Dr. Rollins at the Rolling Plains Quail Research Center.
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Re: Quail death oddity
[Re: Flashprism]
#7367512
12/05/18 01:45 PM
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Joined: Nov 2011
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Flashprism
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68rustbucket In hind sight I wish I had taken some where for assessment!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Re: Quail death oddity
[Re: Flashprism]
#7367785
12/05/18 06:15 PM
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Joined: Nov 2016
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nate33
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Something in your corn might be killing them -------- its' the only thing that makes sense.
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Re: Quail death oddity
[Re: Flashprism]
#7367980
12/05/18 10:15 PM
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Texan Til I Die
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Any chance they were shot on your neighbor's place and flew onto your side of the fence before dying?
Silver spurs and gold tequila keep me hanging on. Pretty girls and old cantinas give me shelter from the storm.
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Re: Quail death oddity
[Re: Flashprism]
#7367985
12/05/18 10:19 PM
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Joined: Feb 2011
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Birdboy
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Sounds like they were shot and not found.
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Re: Quail death oddity
[Re: Flashprism]
#7368448
12/06/18 01:40 PM
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Flashprism
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Really no one north of me. I have never seen anyone small game hunting in 7 years.Worried about corn but was not close to feeders at about 600 ft away. They were laying in the middle my dirt ATV trail 3 ft from my barb wire fence on my north boundry. Area is completely open to north with 600 acres of crp. I almost wonder if they could have flown into the barb wire but that's a stretch for 2. Wish I was thinking better and had taken them for assessment. My numbers are low enough and to see this is distressing. Especially it being hens. I hope it's not the corn or milo !!!!!!!! .
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Re: Quail death oddity
[Re: Flashprism]
#7368750
12/06/18 05:30 PM
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,177
sallysue
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I hunted Plainview this weekend for pheasants and didn't see any quail
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Re: Quail death oddity
[Re: Flashprism]
#7368912
12/06/18 08:02 PM
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sallysue
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If think about they are slowly loosing their habitat
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Re: Quail death oddity
[Re: sallysue]
#7369001
12/06/18 09:43 PM
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HWY_MAN
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If think about they are slowly loosing their habitat We've got a total of 42 square miles of ranch and some years I'll see coveys every 100 to 200 yards with 30 to 50 per covey, haven't seen a single bird in the last two months. Turkeys are damn near gone also! We don't hunt the big ranch. No habitat loss here. It's the same all over the county.
Last edited by HWY_MAN; 12/06/18 09:45 PM.
Yes! A Weatherby does kill them deader.
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Re: Quail death oddity
[Re: Flashprism]
#7369204
12/07/18 12:54 AM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 15,489
reeltexan
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Quail are fragile.
As a species they seem to have so few chances to survive for any length of time in huntable numbers. In the Rolling Plains, everything that lives in their habitat wants to eat them and we do too. Hawks, owls. coyotes, snakes, feral hogs, bobcats... And, of course they - as we know - are subject to all sorts of disease and parasitic attacks.
In good years, we have them. In dry years.....not so much.
Let's enjoy what we get.
"Give me an Army of West Point graduates and I'll win a battle... Give me a handful of Texas Aggies and I'll win a war." - General Patton
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Re: Quail death oddity
[Re: Flashprism]
#7370006
12/07/18 10:09 PM
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 117
orpco
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Really no one north of me. I have never seen anyone small game hunting in 7 years.Worried about corn but was not close to feeders at about 600 ft away. They were laying in the middle my dirt ATV trail 3 ft from my barb wire fence on my north boundry. Area is completely open to north with 600 acres of crp. I almost wonder if they could have flown into the barb wire but that's a stretch for 2. Wish I was thinking better and had taken them for assessment. My numbers are low enough and to see this is distressing. Especially it being hens. I hope it's not the corn or milo !!!!!!!! . If eyeworms, then flying into fence may not be a much of a stretch. Especially since 2 were found.
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Re: Quail death oddity
[Re: Flashprism]
#7370677
12/08/18 04:24 PM
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Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 108
Ringman
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2 and 3 years ago, when bird numbers were high, we started checking the birds we shot for eye worms. More than 1/2 had eye worms. I would think either shot or casualties from poor sighting conditions.
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Re: Quail death oddity
[Re: Flashprism]
#7371187
12/09/18 02:25 AM
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Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,450
Aggieduck
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check aflotoxin levels in feed
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