Any Bird Dog People Finding Birds?

Anyone have bird dogs and have you found birds this year?

Yep - and nope. Birds are down again this year in Oklahoma.

I haven't seen or heard a wild quail on our farm in at least 10 years.

Nothing in Kentucky either to speak of. Went to Wisconsin in October for grouse but they were few and far between this year. Had hoped to get to Kansas but work, is in the way. Now, the cold has set in. I never thought the cold would bother me but now that I am in my 60's I feel it more and more each year.

Here in southern Indiana, we used to have a lot of grouse with a 2 bird limit per day. Past 8-10 years totally gone. Have no idea why. We still have a few quail but nobody around me bird hunts any more. Wife was pulling out of the drive way back in Oct. and a covey of 12 birds had been hanging around the house we had been seeing all young. Half of them flew into her car as she had here drivers window down. She had to stop and,get out of the car and open all the doors and back hatch back to get them out. LOL. Last bird dog I owned was 20 yrs ago. I think our problem with our birds around here is too many hawks, coyotes, and now we also have a heck of a population of bobcats and the predators are too many compounded with the loss of habitat due to the plow. But the grouse have me stumped as to why we don’t have them as our forests are being timbered properly to creat good habitat for them.

Texas used to be flat full of bobwhite quail , every wood lot over a couple of acres had a covey in it and sometimes they would be in huge numbers . You would hear them every morning anywhere there was small bit of cover . Now I NEVER hear them or see them and am not sure why , they seem to have left us about 10 years ago and I imagine its a multiple issue dilemma . Hawks are for sure to blame in some cases as well as nest robbing raccoons and possums and for sure foxes and bobcats eat them up as well . Fire ants may yet be another culprit in spots . I know there are some still around in far west Texas along with tons of blues but I know not why they left this region of Texas .
One thing for certain I miss those beautiful little yummy things busting out of the tall bluestem grass in a covey and it makes me quite sad to see them gone .

I was in the Smokies a couple of years ago and heard a grouse “thumping “. It had been years since I had heard or saw one. Quail? Ain’t heard or seen one in years. I’ve heard fire ants are a part of the problem as well, as they seem to be spreading at a too fast pace. Coyotes have to be a problem as well. Those things adapt too well to control the population, IMO. They move to town where you can’t shoot em!

I live in a rugged part of south Indiana in woods. We haven’t put any bird feeders up as it draws the quail in, then the predators and we have two small house dogs. We quit cause of the pets as it was drawing the coyotes and bobcats and hawks right up to the feeders also. Just don’t want to loose the pets or the quail so we quit the bird feeders. Not many to begin with, but we still hear them all the time as well constantly see them.

Boring! Attachment 284546

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Ikeni Bea is looking bored!


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Good looking German Shorthair.

We used to have birds galore . no more . Back in the mid 60's I could walk up 10 covies and not lose sight of the house .Fire ant were a real problem so myrex was sprayed to reduce the huge mounds everywhere in north ms. There was a drift problem while spraying from the plane so the idea to mix with crushed corn cobs was cheap and settled faster to the ground . Things went south for the birds as the cobs were not totally without corn bits after grinding . Within 5 years the birds were in great decline . Small farms were less in numbers (lost habitat) and release of coyotes all played a part in the demise of bob white quail . I was 16 before I ever deer hunted (actually were very few in my area then )as quail, rabbit, and squirrel was the rule of that day . I do not know anybody that owns a bird dog . :dono

The only quail hunting opportunity now is on a plantation with pen-raised birds for a high price. Those of us in our 60's and 70's can only cherish our memories of hunting that awesome bird! SAD!

Pheasant and quail made a big come back up here when the government offered the farmers money not to plant crops (crp) and let the wild grasses to grow. Most of the areas has been put back into crops now and the farmers cleaned out almost every fence row just to get a few more bushels per acre and the farmers don't hunt anymore. The town I grew up in has a Sportsmans Club and the give each member 6 quail per year to turn loose. I would get mine and my dads and turn them loose on my friend's land who hunts birds and he let me hunt his deer. I am starting to see more birds the last few years but it will never be the same.