Hey boss quail

[jazyd]

Blue boss
We have watched a small covey finally begin to increase and this year it was up to 13 birds. Fun seeing a real natural covey rise

[blueboss]

That's great news and must be a hoot to be able to watch them prosper. The quail population has really taken a hit with the population explosion of coyotes and loss of habitat due to open farming. I truly miss quail hunting, nothing like it working a dog and knock'n em down. My bro-in-law in Shelby Co. is letting some habitat come back with some brush piles and fence rows growing up. Starting see some more rabbits again too.

Keep shooting coyotes and cats and who knows they might come back strong. (sorry cat lovers, keep them in the house)

[badrose]

blueboss, I just read an article a day or two ago talking about feral cats and the damage they're doing. I had no idea.

[jazyd]

Bobcats are a big problem also and down here it is fire ants that get the young and raccoons that get the eggs with fewer coon hunters now

[jazyd]

[bossthebirdsarebig and fat


QUOTE=blueboss;53517]That's great news and must be a hoot to be able to watch them prosper. The quail population has really taken a hit with the population explosion of coyotes and loss of habitat due to open farming. I truly miss quail hunting, nothing like it working a dog and knock'n em down. My bro-in-law in Shelby Co. is letting some habitat come back with some brush piles and fence rows growing up. Starting see some more rabbits again too.

Keep shooting coyotes and cats and who knows they might come back strong. (sorry cat lovers, keep them in the house)[/QUOTE]

[truecatsfan]

Bobcats are a big problem also and down here it is fire ants that get the young and raccoons that get the eggs with fewer coon hunters now

My dad traps Bobcats, there are plenty of them here. When there stuffed they are beautiful, my dog hates them in the house.

[blueboss]

I hope they can continue to grow and expand their numbers. I've read that the fish & game people have tried a bunch of different things to help them but IIRC farm raised birds typically don't do well in the natural wild. I hope there comes a day when their numbers will support us to get out and work with a dog and bag a couple here and there.

Badrose house/feral cats are the number one single negative precursor for destroying the ecosystem, other than rodents they are single hand idly wiping out the bird population, in addition they are thinning rabbits and squirrels as well. I'm not a fan of cats and don't understand why they don't have the same leash and confinement laws that dogs have, people let them out at night to prowl and do whatever. If people want to continue with letting tier cats roam free at least put a bell on their collars, it won't keep them from nest raiding but at least it gives the mature animals a chance.

[jazyd]

Boss I do hope they come back, I miss watching dogs work. We are not going to hunt these birds at all, just going to watch them closely and try to protect them.

[blueboss]

Set up a perimeter and make sure to keep the "zips out of the wire" maybe those birds will be the start of a resurgence in their numbers. IIRC correctly quail don't have a very large range and typically stay in a pretty confined area as long as there is food and cover.

[CitizenBBN]

I'm a cat person, but I don't like what they do hunting the natural wildlife. The biggest problem is people not neutering and spaying animals. It leads to the cats spreading well past the residential neighborhood. Those are the ones that become feral. Unfortunately those cats become a pest in many environments. They're very useful around barns but obviously very damaging to small game.

Feral cats, coyotes, feral pigs, pythons in the swamps. We've done a heck of a job on native animals without burning a single barrel of oil or mining a bucket of coal or building one new house.

If it were me running the state I'd put a bounty on every coyote and feral pig brought in.

[suncat05]

I don't see or find much evidence of feral cats around here, but then again you won't ordinarily see them either.
I was walking my dog one day this past week and saw some coyote scat, but have not seen any coyotes. I guess it's time to break out the rifle and keep it handy just in case I spy one and can get a good shot off.
Feral pig hunting has become a pretty big sport. I have a buddy that does guide work for the activity, and they're always getting some nice sized pigs in their hunts.
I have not seen any pythons or boa constrictors here. At all. But that doesn't mean they're not around, as I know they have to be due to the climate and environment down here in SW Florida and our close proximity to the 'Glades. Now, I see, and kill regularly, water moccasins & rattlesnakes down here. All the time. That's why when I walk my dog I always take a snub-nose .38 loaded with snake shot with me when we go out. The climate and environment here is very conducive to their survival. If either type of snake were to bite my little dog she'd be dead within minutes, as my vet is about 40 minutes away from my house, hence I carry the .38 special to keep both of us safe. The last moccasin I killed was about 5 feet long and easily about had the girth of a small possum, it was pretty big and impressive as far as pit vipers go.
And I agree with Citizen about the bounty on pigs & coyotes. Beautiful animals but very destructive and major league pests.