Originally Posted by
grinder67
Wild quail (Bobwhite) are almost none existent here in northern IN. How are they doing in other parts of the country?
Im in SC and in the last 4 years my wild quail have exploded. I started shooting every single ***** cat i saw on my farm and that seemed to do the trick. Also planted pines with broom grass along with the left over scrap from some clearings done 5 years ago provides more than enough cover. Also we seem to have literally tens of thousands of grasshoppers and my dad said quail love to eat them. In the spring I have called them out of the soybeans and have been laying on my bed and seen them running around my yard.
The thing is other than shooting ***** cats I havent invested a single dime into Quail management. My dad wants to eventually get some of those special predator proof houses but I think they are doing just fine. Last year I heard a thud and my dog started barking. Went outside to investigate and was shocked to see a stunned, very plump juicy bobwhite looking around. I went to try and pick him up but he flew off like nothing hapened.
Last year I sas going to work one morning and saw a male freaking out in the road running back and forth. I got out and when i walked towards him he ran into the edge of the pines but i saw 4 little chicks. They looked like a cartoon and i couldnt help but start laughing. They had huge heads compared to the rest of their body and they were so top heavy they would fall over and they couldnt make it through the grass. A hawk screeched a took up watch in a nearby pecan tree so I picked up the fuzzy little quail chicks and put them in the pines in some broom grass. Just didnt want a hawk getting an easy meal.