Category: Quail
Quail, the most beleaguered of our beloved gamebirds, is getting a helping hand in Kansas. Or rather, a bigger helping hand. The state just announced that it’s “launching a new quail restoration initiative aimed at making a difference in declining bobwhite quail populations at a landscape level.” Here’s more: > Includes the designation of two […]
Believe we’ve talked about this at least once, but a recent Wall Street Journal article on the plight of Texas quail got us thinking about it again. Here’s the applicable stuff: …Rolling Hills Quail Research Ranch, a 4,700-acre spread an hour west of Abilene. Last month, researchers there found that the levels of parasitic worms […]
Pheasants/Quail Forever’s Pheasant Fest/Quail Classic is coming up soon at KC, MO (see info in right column), and just in case you’re thinking it’s too far or whatever, here are the Top 10 – really just 10 of many – reasons to go. We’re doing it Letterman-style, 10 to 1. 10. What else are you […]
Lone Star Outdoor news recently carried an article on a speech given by Dr. Dale Rollins of the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch near Rotan, Texas. Seems that a major threat to quail, at least in the Lone Star state, may be an eyeball worm. News to us! Highlights: > Especially mysterious were the continued […]
We want to hunt Gambel’s quail. You know, those quail with the topknot that run around the desert and hop on cacti. Jay in particular wants to do it because he still carries images of his head of when he was out in the country around Phoenix one time, and saw “hundreds” of quail running […]
Regardless of whose theory you buy or what label you want to put on it, weather patterns are changing. Don’t think anyone can say how long that’ll last, but in the short term one effect of it – which also happens to be a symptom of a generally warmer climate – is more precipitation. For […]
You’d expect that with continued habitat declines plus a severe drought, Texas’ quail wouldn’t be doing so well. No surprise, but that combination of factors is bringing on the double whammy: less hunter opportunity. That’s the double whammy because less opportunity means less hunting, and if that continues it means fewer hunters, thus fewer hunters […]
Kansas has endured a Texas-like drought in some parts of the state this year, prompting it to go from being “the other South Dakota” to “where did all the birds go?” in just a year. But judging by early reports, seems like pheasants (and quail) are still there…as long as you can find some habitat. […]
That’s the title of a recent blog post by Don McKenzie, who has the tough position of being director of the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI). Tough because bobwhite quail are arguably facing the toughest road of any game animal, and it turns out that bird hunters aren’t helping enough. To see what we mean, […]
USDA Not Helping Enough No surprise to anyone that bobwhites aren’t doing so hot overall. But an official declaration that “conservation efforts on behalf of bobwhite quail and other native grasslands birds are far inadequate to stop their decline in the U.S.” hasn’t happened (we don’t think) until recently. A coalition of 25 state wildlife […]
We’re not diehard quail hunters (yet), so we found the following tidbit very interesting (from this Arizona paper): The best time to hunt is in the morning when the quail are calling and moving in the search for food. Some hunters prefer to use a call, and then wait for the coveys to answer. The […]
As East-Coasters, we think about hunting out West – particularly for leg-shakingly tough chukar hunts – but are like, Why go all the way out there when we can beat ourselves up out here? Well, this may be the year to make the trip. As previously reported here, Califor-NI-A is supposed to have an off-the-charts […]
Kansas has been suffering through a drought and record high temps this year, and even though the state was hoping that the effects on their darn good bird population wouldn’t too bad, appears that’s not the case…which shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Today Kansas issued its 2011-12 bird forecast, and the summary of the […]
Weather has been hammering our gamebirds. Actually hammering everything, but gamebirds seem a bit more sensitive to these changes. Every time we talk about that, global warming comes up, and…no definitive conclusions reached, even with the help of a good (or at least decent) bourbon. But on that topic, did you happen to see the […]
Anecdotal reports make it sound like California is shaping up for an off-the-charts-good bird season – awesome if true. Sometimes anecdotal reports indicate reality, sometimes not, either way Serious bird hunters will be out there. Reports also are anecdotal because apparently Cali Fish and Game doesn’t do bird counts. So here goes, from this article: […]
Long known as a big annual event for big-game hunters, the Dallas Safari Club (DSC) convention and expo is expanding in 2012 to include attractions focused on quail and other upland birds. This is the result of a new partnership between DSC and Quail Coalition, a Texas-based organization focused on upland bird conservation in Texas. […]
At its June meeting, the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the OK Wildlife Department’s fiscal 2012 budget, which includes “approximately” $1 million for quail research. Wow! That $1 mil will be spent on “two important research initiatives intended to halt the long-term downward trends in quail populations across the state and the bird’s native range. […]
Ernest Hemingway lived when there was such a thing as a “playboy outdoorsman.” Sounds fun, but part of living that life is having a good-sized ego. That means rivals, like Zane Grey, but also a competitiveness that goes beyond buying the first beer or maybe having to fix the grub that night at camp. And […]
We’re still amazed – literally – that the New England cottontail rabbit is a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act. The cottontail freakin’ rabbit! Okay, not the similar eastern cottontail, but still. And what’s the issue? Apparently people – including people we all know – think it’s “cruel” or “ugly” to cut trees. […]
Saw this piece on shotgunlife.com a while back about hunting what sounds like a Hawaiian game farm/preserve for birds. None are native, but at least some are wild. Read it and wondered: Would we do it? Meaning, would you go there for that? Check out a few highlights, then you decide:
Just read this article on hunting ruffies in MN this year. So much of it, while well-intentioned, is wrong. Here goes: > The good news is, counts were up 34 percent this spring in parts of northern Minnesota. Counts remained stable in southern Minnesota. This COULD mean that there’s more easy birds (young ones) early […]
Lessons from 2012 Maine-NH Hunt
Don’t know if we’ve fully recovered yet from our not-quite-a-week of hunting Maine and New Hampshire for ruffies and woodies. We all actually bailed 2 days early, having put in 5 consecutive days instead of our usual 7. Felt like wimps about it, but hey, we were BEAT…from 5 days of the most brutal hunting […]
No Grouse Comeback in SW Penn?
Sounds like ruffed grouse will never be as much a part of the landscape of southern Pennsylvania as they once will. “Never” sounds ominous. Permanent. But that’s the conclusion of an article by Bob Frye in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Why should you care if you don’t live or hunt in PA? Reasons: > Pennsylvania is […]
Hey: All Ruffies Drum Differently!
Did you know that? Not until now…. This info won’t help us hunting, but it’s interesting – and makes sense. Here’s more, from newscientist.com: Male ruffed grouse are the first animals known to make unique non-vocal sounds. Humans and many other animals, particularly birds, can be identified by their voices. But no one had looked […]
Ran across this quote from an article about Iowa’s pheasant count: > “I haven’t even gone pheasant hunting the last couple of years because the birds just weren’t there,†said Tim Wolf, a 61-year-old bank president who lives in Waukee. YES THEY WERE! They most definitely were there. Maybe not like this… > “But I’ve […]
Top 10 Reasons To Go to Phez Fest
Pheasants/Quail Forever’s Pheasant Fest/Quail Classic is coming up soon at KC, MO (see info in right column), and just in case you’re thinking it’s too far or whatever, here are the Top 10 – really just 10 of many – reasons to go. We’re doing it Letterman-style, 10 to 1. 10. What else are you […]
Across the Pond Bird Follies, Vids
Ah the UK, the land that gave the world 17 pieces of silverware on the table, animal rights and other questionable stuff. Okay, it wasn’t all bad – that’s where our bird hunting came from too. But it’s different here…or there, depending on your perspective. Here’s some recent bird news plus some interesting vids. Katie […]
Do Congress, Tea Party Hate Pheasants?
We make it a point to try not to get suckered by political hoo-ha, so that’s not what this is about. We ran across a blog post on the Discovery-owned treehugger.com titled “Why Does Congress Hate Pheasants?” and a related one, “Do Tea Party, Heritage Foundation Oppose Hunting?” Interesting stuff, written by the same gent, […]
Quail, the most beleaguered of our beloved gamebirds, is getting a helping hand in Kansas. Or rather, a bigger helping hand. The state just announced that it’s “launching a new quail restoration initiative aimed at making a difference in declining bobwhite quail populations at a landscape level.” Here’s more: > Includes the designation of two […]
Worms and Birds: What Else Don’t We Know?
Believe we’ve talked about this at least once, but a recent Wall Street Journal article on the plight of Texas quail got us thinking about it again. Here’s the applicable stuff: …Rolling Hills Quail Research Ranch, a 4,700-acre spread an hour west of Abilene. Last month, researchers there found that the levels of parasitic worms […]
Top 10 Reasons To Go to Phez Fest
Pheasants/Quail Forever’s Pheasant Fest/Quail Classic is coming up soon at KC, MO (see info in right column), and just in case you’re thinking it’s too far or whatever, here are the Top 10 – really just 10 of many – reasons to go. We’re doing it Letterman-style, 10 to 1. 10. What else are you […]
Lone Star Outdoor news recently carried an article on a speech given by Dr. Dale Rollins of the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch near Rotan, Texas. Seems that a major threat to quail, at least in the Lone Star state, may be an eyeball worm. News to us! Highlights: > Especially mysterious were the continued […]
