First off i did a little fishing in edisto got skunked. Second my son has been wanting to hunt something that fly’s for a while now. I’m hoping to do some quail hunting Ive been a few times my self as a kid but really was never into it. so i looked at some public land and asked my buddies about it they said public land was hunted out and WMA where worse. if this isn’t true or there is a place me and my son {12} could go i would love to be informed.
Yep, no wild quail left except maybe on private land that is heavily managed.
Best bet is a hunting preserve, but that can get pricey. Worth it if u can afford it.
Another option would be a sporting clays course. Usually cheaper than a quail hunt.
It would be good practice prior to a quail hunt.
i will have to look into that. it realy is sad there are no more quail
Fire ants are the main reason, if land owners would or could do something to effectively control them, the population would make a comeback.
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I remember when we bought some property in York County, there were quail everywhere. Neighbors moved in with cats they let run loose. We’d find piles of quail feathers here and there for months, and within a year, quail completely gone. I despise outdoor cats for this (and similar) reasons.
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I am gonna have to disagree about no quail on public land. At least in the upstate. We are in union sc and have 2 English setters that are trained for quail hunting. Last year we found 5 different coveys of birds (all between 12-15 birds) on different pieces of public land. We also hunt some of our hunt club land and it has a few coveys also but there are still birds on public land if you know where to look. Woodcock are also fun if you have a dog or 2 and easier to find than quail.
96 sundance 1900, 135 Johnson
Loss of small farm habitat …
This is by far the greatest hurdle to the quail.
So much so that the federal government will give you money to maintain or create such areas.
I used to come home from school, grab a shotgun and walk out across the street and hunt for quail, dove and rabbit. Can’t do that much anymore.
“Apathy is the Glove in Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
When I bought my property 20 years ago it had several large coveys of quail and hundreds of rabbits. Now there is no quail and very few rabbits. The habitat hasn’t changed, except for the better, and the fire ants aren’t any worse. I attribute the loss of quail and rabbits to coyotes. That’s the only thing we have a lot more of now than then. I killed one in my yard a few weeks ago trying to sneak up on my dog while it was sleeping.
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Predators are an issue …
Animals that eat quail or quail eggs cats, dogs, possum, raccoon, deer, snakes, fox, hawks, crow, coyote.
Some research has said to believe that the overall health of the quail population is positive by coyote population being left to control other predators. But removal of all predators is best. Longleaf pine plantation remove popular nesting for hawks.
Small farm plots with edges left for food growth and burned undergrowth wood plots with proper grass growth nearby as an escape option are ideal. Historically the quail population was the strongest in the first half of the 1900’s when small family farming was at its highest.
thanks for all of the advice and knowledge. i might try for woodcock Ive seen a few before
Why haven’t the tree huggers and game management peeps gotten involved in trying to bring back the species. Hell…Big O’s fighting the Keystone Pipeline in order to save some bugs. Then they turn around and order the slaughter of Bald Eagles cause they are disturbing the wind farms by flying into the blades…go figure…
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There’s lots of money and lots of people trying to bring back the quail … nothing has worked well.
Seems like the coywolfs(red wolves) have been eating well.
try Backwoods up by Georgetown. They have pheasants also. good time.
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I don’t think they are in season right now, but another option (although not nearly as sporting IMHO) are marsh hens. Just a thought!
Quail season runs from thanksgiving until march 1st
96 sundance 1900, 135 Johnson
Growing up my father and grandfather dubbed our farm “PDQ Farms.” Pines, Deer, and Quail. As a child I remember 4 coveys between 15-20 birds. The predators were virtually non existent. We only own about 100 acres. At harvest time my father would cut down a few trees and drag them to the edge of the fields in various locations so the farmer wouldn’t cut the beans, wheat, or corn allowing cover while feeding on the grains. About 10 years ago the coveys vanished. That was about the same time that the fox, bobcat, and coyotes started showing up in mass. Gave us something to shoot after deer season was closed. about 3 years ago and countless hours of burning, food plot planting, predator eradication and not shooting the few remaining birds we started hearing and seeing more birds. Last count we had 3 coveys with the smallest around 11 birds and the largest at 23. Also the turkeys have graced us with their presence. Those were the tactics that really allowed us to have our birds make a healthy recovery.
As far as shooting birds. I second backwoods. They are a bit pricey but run by a top notch crew. Also if you have a dog or a friend with a dog (any type of retriever will work also) you can usually find birds for sale to place out in fields on your own. scatter five or six birds in a field in make shift cover and work a dog down wind on a leash unless the dog is accustomed to hunting very close. it more grocery shopping but ya get to pull the trigger and the boy will have a blast.
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