Glad yall are enjoying it. In my opinion, habitat is the single biggest factor in declining quail numbers but it is certainly not all of the problem. Every aspect of the environment that affect quail have changed in a negative way. The farming is much cleaner now days with well-trimmed fences lines (and fewer of them altogether), more predators (less trapping and hunting for predators). There is less native bunch grass like wiregrass and broomsedge and more thick pasure grasses. The woods are rarely burned anymore. Plus there are fireants, hawks, house cats, parasites, droughts, etc. And to top it all off, with fewer hunters out there, there are less people interested in bringing them back.
The property next door to our lease manages for wild birds exclusively. They manage just like we do... burning 1/2 of the pineywoods each spring along with light supplemental feeding in the fall, winter, and early spring. Not exactly extensive management. They were finding 12-16 coveys a day this year... all wild birds. We would probably have similar numbers but we hunt our land way to hard (about 4-5 times a week) so we have to supplement with early release coveys.
