An observation.........

[rico]

This is something I posted on my site a few months back...........


I am fortunate to live in a place that is abundant with wildlife. The other evening I was sitting on the front porch sucking on a barley pop and just taking everything in. To my left I watched three big does graze on something in the fence row. As I was watching them, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. My attention went to the fence row across the road. And there he was...........very pretty %&*@ pheasant strutting his way to the west...........watched him go down the road and smiled! Headed to the backyard to check on the status of my "big garden" and then headed on up North to the corner of my old barnyard to sneak a peak at McPherson Lake. Once arriving there I started watching the geese in the field, then noticed some turkeys scratching around(the old man wont like that!). I once again smiled and headed back to the front porch when I heard it............a sound that I dont hear very often.

I knew what it was from the get go. I grabbed another beer and returned to my chair on the porch and listened. Then I started "whistling" back..........helluva conversation me and that bird had for about 30 minutes!

Darkness soon fell upon my home, I came inside and started reflecting on the past few hours events. I had seen deer, a pheasant, geese, and turkeys............but that unseen bird making that whistling sound was the highlight of the day for me........because it was what I call a "bobwhite".

It got me to thinking(never a good thing)...........I had seen things in the past few hours that were very uncommon to see 30 years ago around here. But the one thing that was......quail...........aint very common anymore.

Why is that?

[8upwithit]

Rico,

I have my opinion. I believe that it is thanks to the outdoorsmen like us. We are the ones that form the clubs, raise the money, and pay the fees to support our sports. The die hard animal activists think we are the problem. The truth is, we are the solution. Thanks to our conservation efforts, we are able to increase the habitat and the populations, and keep them healthy at the same time. I am proud that I have contributed to the effort. You are right though, we need more effort to support the quail populations (Like most game, decrease in habitat has hurt the population the most). I heard that there are now more turkeys in the U.S. than there has ever been in the history of our country. Thanks fellow outdoorsmen, hunters, and fishermen.

[raporter]

Rico they just have never recovered from the blizzard of 77/78. I was living in Madison county at the time and had them come to my sunflower seed feeder. It is still a song I love to hear. Weekend before last at my daughters near Columbus there was one calling and making a big circle. Finally saw it fly across their pond. We may never see them like we did due to all the coyotes.

[cevans]

I used to be a avid bird hunter,,and had great bird dogs,,loss of habitat,,ie. fence rows,,weed edges around fields,,brushy bottoms,,all gone,,cleared to make way for more farm fields..secondly,,take a drive in the country,,down any country road,,every 1/4 mile,,you see a red tail hawk,,everywhere,,they have made a great comeback from the days of when we thinned them out by shooting them..wet springs,,,and lots of domestic cats running loose..talk to any trapper,,that has a trap line,,half the things he is catching,,if he is setting fox sets, coon sets,,are domestic cats in them..add it all up..and no quail,,this spring, mushroom hunting,,I did jump a couple of grouse..as I hadn't jumped any of them for a while. I have a few quail around my house,,but they have extremely small broods,,2-3 chicks each, very small to years ago when I hunted them. I did have a Timber Doodle or Wood Cock near the house hatch one chick this year as well,,I have about 5 of my 40 acres still in abandonded fields,,and quit brush hoging it about 6 yrs ago,,now I prune it by hand, stacking the brush here and there,,for the rabbits and quail cover,,and believe me it works,,I have seen this week,,at nite,,as many as 15 bunnies in the yard,,but you have to control the predators,,which means,,getting rid of stray dogs, cats, etc.

[raporter]

Good points Cevans. Anyone who dumps an animal rather than euthanize it is doing neither the animal or the wildlife a favor. I should have added hawks, owls, skunks, cats, dogs, foxes, etc. as well as coyotes. Also shopping malls, housing developements.....

[gabowman]

Rico, we're pretty fortunate here too. To add to the wildlife...I'm no more than 30 minutes drive to any of 3 very good lakes for fishing. I know lots of folks have to drive for an hour or more just to see a lake.

[cevans]

Just after Vietnam,,in 73 or so,,for a couple of years,,had and ran a trap liine,,275 miles long,,friend and I had set over 60 dozen snares and traps out,,when the fur prices where tops..if we trapped withing a mile of a house,,we caught a cat or 2,,some we could release,,but the wild ones,,were wild,,and had to be put down even trying to blanket cover them. The types of snares and traps we used then are mostly outlawed now by state..but we did more than 50 K per year till the market dropped out. By the time you paid for wearing out clothes, my jeep,,gas, food ,,running the line 24hrs round the clock,,I can't say we got rich..but the cats, and dogs, were numerous even then..now its worse,,especially in Martin, and Lawrence Co..people dumping animals cause they can't afford to take care of them..Heck,,even in Brown Co..they register all horses in and out of the park now,,as people were leaving them there last year for the State to take care of. Cats are Cats..best hunters going. They account for anything and everything they can catch or put down.

[rico]

Great responses fellas. My Father also points to the blizzard of '78 for their demise. One theory I have to go along with that is farm chemicals. Keeping in mind that I am a "farm boy"! LOL

[danwalleye]

it seems ever since the bounty on coyotes was dropped the quail have gotten scarce i think they covey up in a circle at night and are prime food for coyeets as well as wild dogs i do like hearing their calls also the lack of habitat hurts