Catching Quail in the Flight Pen

[AA Plantation]

There has got to be a better way to catch birds in the flight pen. Currently I have to herd the birds into a cage. It works good when there are allot of birds. When there is less than 100 it becomes time consumming and often the fishing net comes out. I don't like the net it, i can damage the birds.
What do gamefarms use to catch birds and place a specified amount in boxes?

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

I use a net on the pheasants, or I have the dogs move then into a holding area.

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[quailfarm7]

Inside all of our buildings we have a catchin pen area with a flip down door that we can close up. I usually go inside it is a 4'x8x area, we have a flip handout door on the side of the catch pen. I catch hands of 5 hand them out to my dad and he boxes them. Very time efficient. Even with less than 100 birds in the pen it works fine. We dont use any nets at all everything is done by hand. Catch with the right hand and hold the birds with the left.

[CharlieHorse]

I've always wanted a better way of catching these Bobs too. Usually I run them into the smaller side of my pen, close the door and let them wear themselves out, then they are much easier to catch by hand as quailfarm mentioned. They will drop bombs on you from time to time!!  :

[wildergamebirds]

  You can make "funnels" from sheets of plywood, old mobile home paneling, or the like to help herd them.  Having a smallish section of the pen to herd them, first, helps.  My transportation cages have a fold down end.  This makes it fairly easy to get them in.

  Working in the dark makes a world of difference.  You can lay the cage next to a group of birds, and simply push them in along the ground.  A head mounted light helps, and doesn't have to be very bright.  It is also easy to net them, without swatting in the dark.  I have used a minnow sein to lay over groups of Quail, and it also works well to help herd them, although in a weedy pen, nothing is easy, with a net.

  My next (maybe) project is a box outside the pens, so I can herd the birds into it, and load customers crates without having to take them into my pens (which I never have) or load into my cages, then transfer them (which I hate).

[GameBirdSource]

What we have found is catching is MUCH MUCH easier after dark and with 2 people. The birds are roosting and less apt to go for the rafters. We take a flashlight into the pen to watch where we are stepping but do not shine right on the birds or they can see to fly away from you. 1 person uses a bird net (a fish net tends to damage feathers and skin if a wing gets snagged). The catcher takes the bird out of the net and hands to the box person who then counts the bird and places in appropriate box for shipping/sale. It's just an idea but is working here.

[quailfarm7]

The nets will work when you are catching a few birds, but when you have over 500 its not time efficient at all. I dont like the net idea because there are just to many chances for wings and legs to get broken in the holes in the netting. I prefer handling everything by hand.

[AA Plantation]

Still Herding Birds

[Reeves]

Still Herding Birds

Too many cattle in my area....first picture that came to mind was a 1/4 horse in a pen herding Quail into a corner