This is strictly non-scientific but I just got back from the deer lease in Pearsall and we are LOADED with quail. They are absolutely everywhere. Looks like its shaping up to be a good breeding season in South Texas..saw lots of young ones running the roads. I think I saw a few blue quail also but can't be sure.
Quail Population Update
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Didn't see any young uns. But, I saw a pair about every 100-150 yards on a 2.5 mile stretch of road going to and from our camp last weekend.
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Quail
Good news Dunc- I have noticed an increase in quail numbers at my place the last 3 years in a row. Maybe it will get back like it was 20 years ago soon. There aint nothin better eatin than a quail grilled with a piece of bacon wrapped around it and a jalepino pepper stuffed in it, except for fried crappie.
Good news Dunc- I have noticed an increase in quail numbers at my place the last 3 years in a row. Maybe it will get back like it was 20 years ago soon. There aint nothin better eatin than a quail grilled with a piece of bacon wrapped around it and a jalepino pepper stuffed in it, except for fried crappie.
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Yessum,
Quail numbers should be good...
Ron Henry Strait: 'Boom year' for quail possible
Web Posted: 06/17/2004 12:00 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
South Texas quail hunters, hold your breath.
Robert Perez says he has the “willies.â€
Perez is the quail program leader for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, and as part of his duties he travels the state talking with ranchers, meeting with staff and surveying range conditions.
This week, in commenting on the regional range conditions for pastures south of U.S. 90, he said:
“I get the willies thinking about the potential quail crop, how good it might be this year. I'm hesitant to call it another 1987, but I don't see much that can go wrong. It could be a boom year.â€
If you're not a quail hunter or if you weren't around in 1987, what Perez said is significant. The quail season 17 years ago was one where there seemed to be a bird behind every bush â€" and there are a lot of bushes south of U.S. Highway 90.
Perez, a LaVernia resident, first noted the potential for next season four months ago.
“I heard birds calling in February and they really got to calling in March,†he said.
Bobwhite quail call before mating, and the first major calling period came extremely early, by at least a month, Perez said.
The birds (and the bees) being what they are, the first little quail were out running with their parents in May. A second hatch this summer is a certainty. The quail have insects, cover and humidity, everything they need to survive and thrive, Perez said.
The continuing and timely rains get the credit for Perez's optimistic outlook.
“Even if it stops raining tomorrow, it won't impact the production of quail,†he said of the region.
Perez said blue quail numbers are very strong, too, but that the lush brush on the western edge of South Texas, in the Laredo area, could prove a challenge for blues.
As habitat improves in areas where bobwhite and blue quail ranges overlap, as they do around Webb County, the blue quail move out and bobwhites move in. Blues prefer more open spaces.
One other thing Perez mentioned that gives him the willies: late summer tropical weather patterns. Flooding from a hurricane can seriously impact a region's quail population.
Meanwhile, Perez said Trans-Pecos blue quail prospects are as good as they have been in a decade, and the outlook for the Rolling Plains (Panhandle) was bright in May, again thanks to spring rains, but that the region then went dry for seven weeks.
“They got off to a good start and have the potential for a good year,†he said. “Watch the heat and precipitation.â€
South Texas: The 15,200-acre Chaparral Wildlife Management Area near Artesia Wells is in extraordinary condition, said assistant manager Jim Gallagher.
The area's second year of good rains included a wet autumn and mild winter temperatures followed by above-normal spring precipitation, which, in turn, meant cooler conditions across a region known for hot weather.
“The vegetation is thicker out here than I have ever seen it,†Gallagher said.
He started seeing baby quail in April, but he said the density of the grass cover will make it difficult for the birds to move about and make a living. He suggested that ranchers with the same “problem†might rotate cattle in pastures to knock down some of the low vegetation.
Turkeys are in good shape, too, he said, and the body condition of the region's white-tailed deer is excellent as bucks put on antler growth. Fawns are hitting the ground this week, he said.
Trans-Pecos: Mike Pittman, manager of the 23,000-acre Elephant Mountain WMA south of Alpine, said his area, known for mule deer, pronghorn antelope and desert bighorn sheep, picked up 20 inches of rain in the year ending May 31. That's about 7 inches, or nearly 50 percent, above normal.
Generally, the region is still dry, with the greener pastures toward the east, nearer the Pecos River.
“The timing of the rain was good,†Pittman said. “We didn't get it all in one day.â€
He saw his first brood of baby blue quail about two weeks ago.
Quail numbers should be good...
Ron Henry Strait: 'Boom year' for quail possible
Web Posted: 06/17/2004 12:00 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
South Texas quail hunters, hold your breath.
Robert Perez says he has the “willies.â€
Perez is the quail program leader for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, and as part of his duties he travels the state talking with ranchers, meeting with staff and surveying range conditions.
This week, in commenting on the regional range conditions for pastures south of U.S. 90, he said:
“I get the willies thinking about the potential quail crop, how good it might be this year. I'm hesitant to call it another 1987, but I don't see much that can go wrong. It could be a boom year.â€
If you're not a quail hunter or if you weren't around in 1987, what Perez said is significant. The quail season 17 years ago was one where there seemed to be a bird behind every bush â€" and there are a lot of bushes south of U.S. Highway 90.
Perez, a LaVernia resident, first noted the potential for next season four months ago.
“I heard birds calling in February and they really got to calling in March,†he said.
Bobwhite quail call before mating, and the first major calling period came extremely early, by at least a month, Perez said.
The birds (and the bees) being what they are, the first little quail were out running with their parents in May. A second hatch this summer is a certainty. The quail have insects, cover and humidity, everything they need to survive and thrive, Perez said.
The continuing and timely rains get the credit for Perez's optimistic outlook.
“Even if it stops raining tomorrow, it won't impact the production of quail,†he said of the region.
Perez said blue quail numbers are very strong, too, but that the lush brush on the western edge of South Texas, in the Laredo area, could prove a challenge for blues.
As habitat improves in areas where bobwhite and blue quail ranges overlap, as they do around Webb County, the blue quail move out and bobwhites move in. Blues prefer more open spaces.
One other thing Perez mentioned that gives him the willies: late summer tropical weather patterns. Flooding from a hurricane can seriously impact a region's quail population.
Meanwhile, Perez said Trans-Pecos blue quail prospects are as good as they have been in a decade, and the outlook for the Rolling Plains (Panhandle) was bright in May, again thanks to spring rains, but that the region then went dry for seven weeks.
“They got off to a good start and have the potential for a good year,†he said. “Watch the heat and precipitation.â€
South Texas: The 15,200-acre Chaparral Wildlife Management Area near Artesia Wells is in extraordinary condition, said assistant manager Jim Gallagher.
The area's second year of good rains included a wet autumn and mild winter temperatures followed by above-normal spring precipitation, which, in turn, meant cooler conditions across a region known for hot weather.
“The vegetation is thicker out here than I have ever seen it,†Gallagher said.
He started seeing baby quail in April, but he said the density of the grass cover will make it difficult for the birds to move about and make a living. He suggested that ranchers with the same “problem†might rotate cattle in pastures to knock down some of the low vegetation.
Turkeys are in good shape, too, he said, and the body condition of the region's white-tailed deer is excellent as bucks put on antler growth. Fawns are hitting the ground this week, he said.
Trans-Pecos: Mike Pittman, manager of the 23,000-acre Elephant Mountain WMA south of Alpine, said his area, known for mule deer, pronghorn antelope and desert bighorn sheep, picked up 20 inches of rain in the year ending May 31. That's about 7 inches, or nearly 50 percent, above normal.
Generally, the region is still dry, with the greener pastures toward the east, nearer the Pecos River.
“The timing of the rain was good,†Pittman said. “We didn't get it all in one day.â€
He saw his first brood of baby blue quail about two weeks ago.
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Just so happens, that I have free weekends to help ya'll control these birds. Heck, I'll even bring the steaks and refreshments!
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Here's the deal, We all get up, you ge ready to hunt them deer. I cook breakfast. You come in , eat and then we shhot them quail that are eating the corn you put out that morning. You hunt deer again, I cook steaks, them we eat AGAIN.
Repeat as necessary.
Repeat as necessary.
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That is a great time to be had!Spots and Dots said:
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I'm tellin' ya!
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Man,,,S&D your offer is making me hungry....and plus your on the way out and I could just pick you and those steaks and beverages up and keep heading west......its a shame we aren't allowed guest on our place during deer season with offers like that...plus i know the other guys on the place would string me up and use me for buzzard food if i fired off shotguns
hwell: .
hwell: .
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Quail
I'll take you up on that after Deer season closes. Quail season is open another month after deer season. I have about 6 coveys or maybe 7 with about 12-20 birds in each covey on my 270 acres this year. I would love to hunt with some quality dogs. Lots of burrs and oil grass though-tough on long haired dogs.
I'll take you up on that after Deer season closes. Quail season is open another month after deer season. I have about 6 coveys or maybe 7 with about 12-20 birds in each covey on my 270 acres this year. I would love to hunt with some quality dogs. Lots of burrs and oil grass though-tough on long haired dogs.
Sea Slug, after deer season ,I would be happy to bring the dogs and we will have a big time.I love to hunt new country.
You need to be careful about chasing those Quail. It will get in your blood. Then you will have a yard full of dogs and a house full of shotguns. Don
You need to be careful about chasing those Quail. It will get in your blood. Then you will have a yard full of dogs and a house full of shotguns. Don
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East Texas quail comeback?
Before this year, I haven't seen a quail in East Texas for over 20 years. Now, I am seeing them "all over the place" in pairs, small and large coveys. (The counties shall remain nameless in order to protect the population - If you find them on your own, fine.)
I thought that I would never see (wild) quail in East Texas again. I hope that the buhds are back to stay...but that's kinda up to us, isn't it? I guess my QU membership is finally starting to pay off.
Before this year, I haven't seen a quail in East Texas for over 20 years. Now, I am seeing them "all over the place" in pairs, small and large coveys. (The counties shall remain nameless in order to protect the population - If you find them on your own, fine.)
I thought that I would never see (wild) quail in East Texas again. I hope that the buhds are back to stay...but that's kinda up to us, isn't it? I guess my QU membership is finally starting to pay off.
In honor of our bumper quail crop and the fact that my two dogs are being put down for medical reasons, I just placed a deposit on my new hunting buddy..a French Brittany Pup! Woohooo. French Britts are supposed to be closer hunters and calmer dogs than the American Britts. She's only two weeks old so i get her in September and by January I should be able to take her out and slowly introduce her to live birds and the gun ( assuming my yard work on obedience is done by then) and by next year i should have a full blown quail hunter! I'm a proud poppa.
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Sorry to hear about your other two, but good for you and getting a new pup. There is nothng prettier than hunting over some good dogs. I am hoping my lab turns out good. We are going through force fetch right now..........man it is hot!
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