Just heard a quail call in the wild.

[starkvegasdawg]

First time in many many years. Really brought back memories of listening to them growing up in the evenings on my granddad's farm.

[shoeless joe]

There are some spots where their numbers are bumping back up. We've got a large covey on my family place and several groups on my wife's family's place. Doubt they ever get back like they were or even a huntable population but it is nice to hear them around again.

[DanDority]

There are some spots where their numbers are bumping back up. We've got a large covey on my family place and several groups on my wife's family's place. Doubt they ever get back like they were or even a huntable population but it is nice to hear them around again.

Invaders from the south are the problem! FIRE ANTS!

[99jc]

Invaders from the south are the problem! FIRE ANTS!

As someone who works in wildlife management I fear the quail population like we had in the 70's-80's is a distant memory.

[DanDority]

YEP!

[starkvegasdawg]

As someone who works in wildlife management I fear the quail population like we had in the 70's-80's is a distant memory.

And I hate that. I majored in Wildlife bio but work in another field, but loved learning the mgt aspect. I'm really shocked we still have a hunting season for quail in MS.

[99jc]

And I hate that. I majored in Wildlife bio but work in another field, but loved learning the mgt aspect. I'm really shocked we still have a hunting season for quail in MS.

I was raised in Oktibbeha county went to MState but work over in southeastern Arkansas at the white river refuge no quail here. There is a large quail population near Mound Bayou Ms and a few spotty other places. I remember as a teenager our land bordered the Noxubee Refuge and there were large quail populations there...but as I stated that was 70's and 80's.

[BuckyIsAB****]

I've heard and seen them pretty often on bienville national forest during turkey season. It is pretty cool. My dad always talks about how him and my grandpaw used to go quail hunt all the time.

How you couldnt go hunt for anything without hearing or seeing them. I hope they come back

[CrosscityDawg]

Still have a few covey on our family land just north of noxubee, but definitely not the numbers we had in the 80's.

[TUSK]

I used to see them regularly in the 80s... I see more chupacabras, now...

[Natedogg33]

Back in the spring I heard a few off and on. Then it got to be everytime you stepped out of the camp, you hear them all the way around you. This is on a piece of land we’ve had about 15 years. Prior to this year we’d never heard or seen a quail. We burnt about 120 acres two years ago, and apparently quail are spawned by fire. Saw the first few about a month ago, two adults and a few poults. Last weekend I jumped about 20 on the edge of a corn plot we’d planted.
As stupid as it sounds, that is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my time trying to manage land. Mind you, just family places, and not large tracts. But to have something that you’d never think you’d see, seem to flourish, that’s just cool to me.

[IMissJack]

I used to sit on my grandparent's front porch back in the '80's and call at dusk and always got a reply from several. Their place is about 12 miles from Starkville. These days do not hear any. I have thought about buying some chicks to try to repopulate, but not sure if it would be successful. Any thoughts on this?

[starkvegasdawg]

I used to sit on my grandparent's front porch back in the '80's and call at dusk and always got a reply from several. Their place is about 12 miles from Starkville. These days do not hear any. I have thought about buying some chicks to try to repopulate, but not sure if it would be successful. Any thoughts on this?

MDWFP advises against it. Main argument is decline is due to habitat loss and predators and that if you had suitable habitat they'd already be there. The fact you don't have any probably means your land is no longer supportive of quail.

[99jc]

Yep you need a lot of ground cover for them to run under. Clearing fence lines hurt their population also.

[3dawgnight15]

My dad would tell me about chasing quail east of Brooksville. They were abundant and hunt all day with a mule drawn wagon meeting them for a lunch break. They were gone by the time I came around but I did hear a couple at Charlton Place fishing this summer. I’d give anything to chase some wild birds like they did.

[Percho]

Cannot remember when I last saw a covey cross a road.

I am 76 hunted them a lot up to my 30's and they disappeared.