Where are the birds?

[zzweims]

Hi:

I'm new here and have a concern.  I don't raise birds.  The past two years, we had poor wild hatches due to draught.  This year, we had an awesome hatch.  In July, you could not walk out of the house without flushing a family unit or two or ten.  The majority of the chicks were already flying very well.  In August, they started to disappear.  By September, they were all but gone.  Clearly, they survived the nest predators.  Food and cover are abundant (wheat, millet, milo and many bugs).  There is nothing I can do about the hawks, but I suspect they are not the (only)problem.  Is there some reason why wild quail would successfully raise a family and then disappear in August/September?

Thanks in advance for any insights.  This is a great forum. 

Aline
http://sitekreator.com/zzfarms

[glenn-bob]

  Probably all those fire ants you have.  Or the hail storm Aug 17.

[slider]

zzweims nice website beautiful farm and I enjoyed the puppy page....   and by the way 

[zzweims]

Thank you both.  No hail storm here.  And wouldn't the fire ants be more of a danger to chicks than to adults?  These birds simply flew the coop.  Yet my neighbors are saying the same thing:  where in the heck did they go?  And why?

We still have some birds, but mostly I am seeing only singles and pairs.  I would expect them to still be in family units or starting to covey up.  My hope is that they are hiding in the deep woods until the weather cools, but my fear is disease or predators.

Aline
http://sitekreator.com/zzfarms

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

zzweims,

I concur with slider, very nice farm and puppy page, and    to the boards..

zzweims nice website beautiful farm and I enjoyed the puppy page....   and by the way 

What about the birds that you state that are stocked?

QUAIL*         (min. 10/party)                              $ 5.00/EA

* There is no charge for wild birds.  But we do ask that you inform us of sex, date, time, and location taken.

Are you releasing these only during dog training, and what is the recovery rate with these birds. I would assume these birds are banded for ID. purposes, an have the leftover stocked birds vanished as well?

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[zzweims]

Are you releasing these only during dog training, and what is the recovery rate with these birds. I would assume these birds are banded for ID. purposes, an have the leftover stocked birds vanished as well?

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

We only release adult flight conditioned birds for dog training, hunt tests, and hunting parties (about 1000 a year) and have a fairly high recovery rate.  The birds are banded, but it isn't necessary for ID.  The pen birds are nearly twice the size of the wild ones!  Relatively few survive the season and fewer still reproduce.  So I guess you could say that they are disappearing too.

I did flush a covey this morning of about 20, so they aren't all gone.  But given the high hatch rate, I and my neighbors would expect more.  They are going somewhere, or something is killing them.  I just don't know where/what--or why.   

And thank you for the welcome and compliments.

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

zzweims,

Maybe the birds are just better at avoiding you then you think. Are you using the dogs while finding the coveys? Are there any hedgerows or woods bordering the fields where the birds can also take cover when pushed?

What are the weather conditions while trying to locate the birds?

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[zzweims]

zzweims,

Maybe the birds are just better at avoiding you then you think. Are you using the dogs while finding the coveys? Are there any hedgerows or woods bordering the fields where the birds can also take cover when pushed?

What are the weather conditions while trying to locate the birds?

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

Thanks Steve.  I hope you're right.  We are surrounded by woods.  I have not taken the dogs since bow season opened a couple of weeks ago, but I did take them occasionally in early am in Aug and early Sept.  I live in Georgia.  We basically have only one type of weather:  hot and sticky.

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

zzweims,

I have seen this happen with my released pheasants. They tend to stay more to the hedgerows and scrub oak and the pitch pines. It is when you least expect it is when they either flush or run..

Keep the faith they haven't     yet. They are young birds..

Best of luck to you

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[CharlieHorse]

I'll never see a BW around here without a dog. Or hear one without a call bird.