Reversing the landscape to bring back weedy edges, hedgerows, etc. won't bring the quail back, sadly. Clean farming was certainly coincidental to the demise of the BQ, but was by no means the only cause. Much effort was made on a plantation of 28,000 acres, that joins me, to bring them back by restoring the habitat and managing for them, and going to the extreme not to allow any practices to take place that would be detrimental to the birds. Walter Rosene and people from Tall Timbers worked closely for years with the plantation to do everything "right", at the expense of many millions of dollars. Result? Numbers climbed to an astounding level, then plummeted again, with no explanation. All the BQ experts were consulted, studies were done, to no avail. Today, there are still birds there, but where they were finding 20 covies in a half day's hunt, they might find one or two. Same beautiful cover, same intensive efforts to provide all the birds needed. The reversal has lasted for several years now, with no signs of improvement.
The GA Bobwith Quail Initiative has, for years, worked with private landowners to help restore proper habitat for quail, and the efforts have largely been fruitless. In Texas the health of the quail population seems to be mainly due to amounts of rainfall. I wish it were as easily identifiable here, but it's not.
SRH
Last edited by Stan; 10/05/16 09:49 AM.
