Quail !

[steiny]

Had an encouraging sight last evening.

Busted up a covey of around 25 quail while bush hog mowing around one of my food plots. Biggest covey I've seen around home in a few years.

Hope the dang hawks don't put the hurt on them too bad. They ought to unprotect those varmits and let us shoot a few of them. They are a vicious, effective predator and really wipe out quail and pheasants.

[jbwhttail]

The snow down south really put a hurt on our quail population, they couldn't handle the 34 inches of snow.

The great thing is we have 30 acres that we have set aside as a small game area. We contacted our district biologist(Ed Goulgas) and asked him to develop a no costs barred perfect small game area. He submitted it and it is being put in place. Lespedisia, clovers and warm season grasses, surrounded by brush piles for cover and a 1 acre wetland.

As it progresses I hope to take photos and will post them.

Best thing is neither I nor the State will have a dime in the project. Life is good.

[mbogo]

jbwhttail said:

The snow down south really put a hurt on our quail population, they couldn't handle the 34 inches of snow.

The great thing is we have 30 acres that we have set aside as a small game area. We contacted our district biologist(Ed Goulgas) and asked him to develop a no costs barred perfect small game area. He submitted it and it is being put in place. Lespedisia, clovers and warm season grasses, surrounded by brush piles for cover and a 1 acre wetland.

As it progresses I hope to take photos and will post them.

Best thing is neither I nor the State will have a dime in the project. Life is good.

I'm not so sure that snow lasted long enough to have much of an impact on the quail population. I've traveled throughout much of the southern part of the state this summer and have heard quail calling at almost every place I have stopped. I've been hearing and seeing more birds than I have in a long time.

[jackc99]

I can clearly see the downtown Indianapolis skyline from my house and I have some quail whistling across the street. Of course I released about 100 over the years but they are still reproducing and existing nearby. A little bit of heaven in a mad, mad world. Need to get down to Brown County and see how the birds did this spring.

Jack

[jbwhttail]

The snow and the ice storm that followed at christmas time wiped them out. We had 5 confirmed coveys and spring and summer we have seen a total of 3 birds. I have an "eye" on my place daily, the county conservation officer runs 5 miles on my place daily. In asking him about quail sitings or whistling he said the same thing, "the winter storms got them".

I hunted 3 days after the first of the year with good bird dogs, not a flush nor a roost was found.

[kevin1]

I can't remember the last time I busted a covey while tramping a field , but to see 25 in one spot !

Hey JB , good on ya man ! Keep us informed on how it goes . A small plot guy like me could learn and maybe benefit from the research you guys are doing . Most of the habitat research is geared toward plots like your place or larger , but increasingly the plots of available cover are going to get smaller and we all need to know what will best benefit the small game if we want to keep having the opportunity to hunt them .

[jbwhttail]

you need to contact your distict biologist. that is what they get paid for......... unless the new administration gets to them first.

Also there are State and Federal Programs available to assist on costs for wildlife. In our case we had a "windfall" and do not need to tke monies from folks that could benifit from them.

Kevin if you can set aside an acre for small game it would benifit the small critters........

[kevin1]

jbwhttail said:

Kevin if you can set aside an acre for small game it would benifit the small critters........

I think that I can spare that , the acre up front isn't doing much , and the local power company has already hacked up my trees along the roadside .

[Woody Williams]

The snow did get pretty deep in Newburgh…

It was pretty well gone in a week though..

[ccavacini]

Found this site on another site...Kentucky of all places.

I hunt quail down in southern Indiana every January...Montgomery (between Logootee and Washington).

Any news about how they made it through the winter?

[Indyhunter]

A lot of golf courses are starting to plant heather and similar grasses in between fairways and "dead" areas. Less for them to mow I assume. Some i've seen "wildlife area" or similar signs next to those grassy areas, some are no bigger than a 50' by 50' square. Every course I have been too that has these areas i've seen and heard Quail on the course while playing. Just goes to show, it's all about habitat (minus the nasty winters obviously).

[kevin1]

indyhunter said:

Every course I have been too that has these areas I've seen and heard Quail on the course while playing.

Golf courses , eh ? I sometimes feel an urge to point a gun at a golf course and just let fly , maybe now I can justify it when the cops show up ... ;D

[Indyhunter]

I know a couple courses i'd be happy to see you take your gun to. But the others, please let them go. They provide me with a little relief until hunting season gets here.

[kevin1]

If they'll allow quail hunting I'm in there like underwear !

[Indyhunter]

oh, I wanted you to shoot some of the golfers, not the quail.

[kevin1]

The quail were gonna be a cover story for when the cops showed up , you didn't think they'd show up because I popped a few quail , did ya ?

[mbogo]

ccavacini said:

Found this site on another site...Kentucky of all places.

I hunt quail down in southern Indiana every January...Montgomery (between Logootee and Washington).

Any news about how they made it through the winter?

I do almost all of my hunting between Shoals and French Lick and I have been hearing and seeing quite a few quail throughout the spring and summer. The snow fall from last Christmas measured over 30" but was gone in less than a week. There is a good chance you will still have quail in your area.