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#603416 09/25/21 10:17 AM
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Sidelock
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Yesterday I was on a corn combine right behind my house, as we approach the end of corn harvest next week. The field borders my yard on the south and west. I was parking the combine on the west side when I noticed movement on the ground near a brushy edge. It was a brood of adolescent bobs, with at least one adult leading them. They were roughly three-quarters grown. What a thrill to see 12-14 in a bunch so near my house. Last evening I was waiting on take-out plates for my wife and I, at a local restaurant, when the owner sat down with me briefly. He hunts deer on a portion of my farm. I mentioned seeing the quail to him and he related that just in the past few days he saw two different coveys, at opposite ends of one of my fields, while preparing food plots for deer.

That's three coveys within a few hundred yards of my house, on a 198 acre tract, and I am almost certain there are at least two more coveys within that tract. Am I hopeful for a "comeback"? No, chances are nil. But, it just thrills me to see these survivors that have adapted to the less than favorable habitat changes that modern farming practices with large equipment has brought about, the hordes of cattle egrets that prey on quail chicks, the turkeys who destroy nests, the fire ants, and the explosion in the number of small raptors like Cooper's hawks, etc. I can still hear them calling in the mornings, especially so in the spring. It's amazing how well the little "gentlemen" have resisted total decimation. They're now creatures of the woods, much more so than when I was still hunting them in the late eighties.

I leave crop residue all winter in the fields wherever feasible, which helps them somewhat. I occasionally burn hedgerows, but they have pretty much stuck it out due to their grit and toughness. My hat's off to you little brown bombers. It would be a wonderful thing to hear you calling early in the morning of my last day on this earth. May you outlast me by many, many years.


May God bless America and those who defend her.
4 members like this: GLS, Imperdix, spring, Geo. Newbern
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Stan,
What a wonderful post and tribute to the birds. Further proof that most bird hunters care more about the bird itself than the bag.
Karl

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As Stanton points out, modern farming efficiency has hurt quail numbers.
I’ve twice witnessed a red tailed Hawk take a quail.
One pretty much gutted and skinned the bird before takeoff.

I used to have a resident covey on my property; it was nice to hear them calling to regroup for the night. My German Shepherd tried to put the sneak on them more than once.


“When faith is lost, when honor dies, the man is dead” - John Greenleaf Whittier
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stan, great thread...let us hope your wish comes true...


keep it simple and keep it safe...
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Nice! Maybe he will mix in some seed in the deer plots for them

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Great account Stan, sounds like a good sized covey has learned to give themselves a fighting chance.

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Good news indeed! I have contributed to Tall Timbers for many years even though I've never hunted bobs. The outfit is the leader in bob management and use of prescribed burns to decrease predation and increase nest success and huntable populations in southern forest types, especially loblolly pine.

Had a pleasant surprise here also. A big brood of gray partridge next to my 43-ac prairie restoration plot that I burn regularly.

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Great post, Stan. Managing for wild birds is a year-round and very rewarding effort. Little victories are measured in things that most overlook, though clearly finding a new covey in a spot where you haven’t seen them before is the ultimate goal.
Several years ago working to improve habitat and implementing the recommendations of the experts became my passion. I’m anything but an expert, but if you follow the guidance that is out there, you can get the results that many think is out of reach.
On November 5th I’ll be hosting, along with the State’s top quail biologists, a Field Day on how to manage for Gentleman Bob, with details on much of the process. The State will be bringing in a tram from Ichauway Plantation as we carry people around to learn about things.
Again, I’m no expert, but am excited to be an example of someone that follows the ideas of those that are.
If you want quail, it can be done!

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I spoke with a friend this week in the SW part of Georgia/N. Florida who manages a property near Tall Timbers. Bobs are still nesting according to telemetry. Probably re-nesting as the three hens radio harnessed on his property had suffered nest destruction by snakes, most likely corn or rat snakes. Cottonmouths take not only the chicks, but the hen, too. Gil

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We had from what I can tell a very good late hatch, Gil. Saw many new broods in recent weeks. Most quit nesting by now if only because birds that hatch late can’t make it in the cooler October weather. The fall shuffle will start in about 3 weeks, which of course is when the broods disperse as Mother Nature sorts out the gene pool. Those early morning calls from Mid October until early November as the winter coveys are created are among my favorite sounds in wildlife.


Here’s one I recorded last year:

https://vimeo.com/481047715

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