Hunting reg changes

[dennishoddy]

Other states have had major declines. I think in Georgia, there are basically no more wild quail. Virginia had the third largest population, Ok the second and Tx was first.
That was several years ago, but I'm pretty sure that Tx is still first followed by Ok.
The new study is focusing on health issues of the birds from what I've been reading.

 

[fishfurlife]

Seems that they've been doing the quail research for a long time now. Have they found anything, ideas, theories, other than the thriving populations of everything that eats quail and their eggs. Maybe they should just buy $300,000 worth of quail and turn them loose for us to hunt..........................just kidding of course.

Okay, the original Packsaddle Quail study ended over a decade ago. This is funding for new research. There are two different sets of researching going on currently that are "big" projects in Oklahoma. One is a cooperative effort with Texas. The other is a very in depth cooperative effort with OSU.

The Texas study is a three year study that only collects birds twice a year during a 3 day trapping session. This research is looking at disease, parasites, sickness. More or less, looking at the quail itself. There are ten areas that are trapped in Oklahoma. The same ten locations are trapped both sessions and all three seasons.

The Oklahoma study is a year round study that started this past February and will run for several years. This study is very very in depth when it comes to the ecology of a quail. Radio collaring and tracking. This stidy is focusing more on the habitat, usage, predation aspect. Packsaddle and Beaver WMA's are the two areas of focus.

 

[dennishoddy]

This is a link to BOBWHITES AND UPLAND WILDLIFE
Fred S. Guthery, Bollenbach Chair in Wildlife Ecology,
Oklahoma State University
http://bollenbachchair.okstate.edu/research.htm

Another link to the current study:
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/quail/upland_urgengcy.pdf

 

[Sniper John]

I just caught this part.


"Additionally, the Commission approved a resolution to change the daily limit of pheasants from three roosters to two."


Anybody know if this would be an immediate change or a change starting January 1st? Or when?

 

[dennishoddy]

Effective with the start of pheasant season in 2013.

Personally, I think it should have been reduced to one pheasant. Talking to several pheasant hunters, it was very spotty last year. Some hunted days without seeing a bird, and others saw very few. One or two had lots of birds.

Since the limit was raised to three, the numbers of birds have fallen. The two year drought has been the major contributor. We need to give them a chance to get back up in numbers.

 

[Sampson]

An old timer told me recently that turkeys are to blame. He stated as the turkey population increased over the last 20 yrs the quail has steadily declined. I know they will hammer just about anything smaller then them. He stated they kill the chicks. Any thoughts?

 

[dennishoddy]

An old timer told me recently that turkeys are to blame. He stated as the turkey population increased over the last 20 yrs the quail has steadily declined. I know they will hammer just about anything smaller then them. He stated they kill the chicks. Any thoughts?

That has pretty much been an urban legend. Numerous craw autopsies haven't shown any significant ingestion of quail young.
The quail and turkey were abundant in the habitat many years ago, and co-existed. Something is different now. I sure hope they figure it out for my grandkids.