Who here is a member? I am thinking about joining. Will be interviewing Joe Crafton on my show this Saturday. Sounds like the split from Quail Unlimited was unavoidable. They are waiving dues if you join and already paid your QU dues this year.

Never heard of the coalition, but I bet I look them up now that I have.

I am a member if you have any questions.

What good do any quail groups do for me?? Quail dont migrate so where do my $ go?? Some fat cats ranch in South or West TX where I cant hunt?? I dont buy into them. Start releasing quail on any ones ranch like they did turkeys and I might bite. Until then I will spend my money on my ranch for my quail, not someone elses hunts.

I think I've written the same thing on other forums over a dozen times.

Some where down the line, a lot of individuals thinking me, me, me, are going to have to start thinking, we, we, we, or we're going to start shooting pen, pen, pen raised quail, quail, quail.

Then I think its high time the state gets involved. So the working man can enjoy quail shooting again. Work on restoring quail on public land. Not just private. The more people that hunt quail, the more will join groups that are for raising money for quail. Then there just might be enough quail to shoot. If it stays a rich mans sport, then yes just like England it will be pen, pen, pen raised quail, quail,quail.

O.K. What does the Quail Coalition do that's different from Quail Unlimited? Quail Unlimited, Duck's Unlimited, Pheasants Forever all are working toward improving habitat for wild bird populations. They are fairly cheap to join and have made a positive impact in maintaining and improving habitat that benifits more than just quail, ducks, and pheasants. From what I read on this forum I don't think there is a ground swell of support to increase government spending on anything.

No. But to bring the bucks as in $$$$$ bills you need more than a handfull of people that hunt that certain pray. So you need more people to hunt it. If they cant hunt em, they wont help suport em. Where would turkey be?? State brought em back before there was any turkey groups. Now every one hunts them and I see their progress just going forward.

All you have to do is look at the QU magazine to see where their emphasis is. Page after page of pay to shoot adds. QU has always seemed to spend more on celebrity hunts then improving habitat. I think Pheasants & Quail forever have a better record of spending on things that help the average hunter. Don't know anything about the coalition but they get points in my book for breaking away from QU..............

On QU, I agree with you Chet. Seems like maybe 5% of your dollars go to supporting Texas hunters. This is the first year in at least 15 I didnt send a check. I do like that this new Quail Coalition is heavily supportive and intertwined with the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch in Roby. If we are going to solve the mystery in time, its going to be there or at similar cooperative ventures that are directly in areas we hunt (although similar ones better get going quick or it will be too late since most of those research efforts take 10+ years to capture historical data and do comparatives).

Let's don't forget that we, as outdoorsmen, also need to place an emphasis on our conservation organizations to become active in lobbying for our rights at the state and local levels.

As the south Texas representative of Responsible Owners Alliance, I can attest that the far left wing liberal organizatioins of PeTA, Humane Society of the United States, and Texas Human Legislative Network are out to shut us down...from owning a string of hunting dogs to field trials to banning our beloved sport of quail hunting.

I disagree with QU and have for some time. I have not thoroughly investigated QC but will. Ask them the tough questions that you are posting on this site...they need to be heard by QC so they will know they are being held to a high standard of accountability.

Land management is paramount for quail survival. Just transplanting quail does not guarantee that there will be quail.

Rather than whine and moan, become proactive and let them know they are in the crosshairs.

I'm personally excited about the quail coalition. I quit giving my money to QU several years ago. I was tired of spending my Texas money on Georgia quail habitat that never seemed to get better than canned celeb hunts.
I'm back in the giving mode now. ALL monies raised by Cross Timbers and Park Cities Quail go to Roby TX and Dr Dale for research on TEXAS QUAIL!!!!
Buy a ticket to the Park Cities Quail banquet,coming on March 11. Get involved and see whats happening.
If your on the Tarrant county side of DFW. Call Robert Cantrell at Texas Outdoors in Ft Worth and he can give you more info. I think as Texas quail hunters we are finally going to see what we wanted years ago when we started sending money to QU.

I personaly dont see how one small group can do much good on a bird like quail in a state the size of Texas. Its all good if rancher X does every thing right, but what about neighbors W, Y, and Z who might not care about quail?? They dont migrate so the country they can live in is only as good as the landowner that has it. There has to be some incentive to get ALL landowners on board if quail are to have a chance.

Because there is power in numbers. If the studies done in Roby by Dr. Dale are successful, and they can be duplicated in other locations, much can be learned. No battle is ever won when everyone is sitting on the sidelines.

Doing nothing will only lead to the further demise of wild quail hunting in this state.

The future of quail hunting is going to depend on quail hunters. Hunters are going to have to band together in groups of ten, twenty, and thirty, to lease or buy large sections of huntable land, and manage accordingly.

You boys just dont get the point. If in the 50's and 60's if only a handfull of ranchers wanted the screw worm eradicated it would have never happend!! The task you all seek to undertake can never be done with just a small handfull. You need state and fed support to ever make this thing happen to have huntable numbers. Is my ranch in North Central TX to be left out because are huntable numbers left here in the late 80's ? Is only land you buy or lease in west TX where are # will be ? This strategy gets quail no where.

Tell that to Mr. T Boone Pickins. It has to start somewhere, and if fed and state $ is needed, I don't think they will fund anything that doesn't have a proven track record.

Are? Our

I think hunters would prefer to keep fed and state government out of it anyway.

Last night I spoke with a friend of mine that was one of the muscles in the south Texas (Kingsville) chapter of QU. They have legally severed ties with QU and all of their monies except what they need to keep their chapter open has been donated to several projects associated with public lands and the Cesar Kleberg Wildlife Institute at Texas A&M-Kingsville.

He said what most people don't understand is that Rocky Evans was the founding father of QU and he was using his self-delegated power to get rich off the organization. Some serious crimes have been committed by QU; misappropriation of funds and missing firearms. These carry federal accountability.

Additionally, Rocky would not answer questions posed to him by the board of directors; questions that were relevant to the continuing existence of QU. He also was demanding a $500K per year retirement plan.

Question asked...is Texas capable of continuing with the conservation programs and promotion of the Bobwhite quail? You bet we are. Texas provided between 30 & 40% of all monies that went in to QU National. Nearly every year the Kingsville chapter alone was the single largest source of QU national's revenue.

Check out the Quail Coalition's website. There are a couple of PDF articles that are very informative.

My buddy said they are planning their next banquet, and it will probably be under the QC banner. If there's anyway you can get to south Texas for that banquet, you will be more than satisfied. They generally delegate the food prep at the banquet to some of our large south Texas ranches' cook teams...talk about impressive. Banquets are generally held the last part of August.

I am going to join once they get everything in place.

Im glad duck hunters didnt think like that, or we would be in the same boat you are in.

Then why not use my family ranch?? It's closer and was full of quail in the 80's and back.

why would we want to keep the state out of it?

we pay the state every year to hunt, the state claims quail and other wildlife as property of the state, the state requires us to purchase a license to hunt any animal including feral and exotics.

Texas Parks and Wildlife needs an overhaul. They have become more of a law enforcement agency than a Conservation agency.

Start a chapter in your area. Find out how you can legally transplant birds back to your ranch. Find out how to get the ball rolling. Talk to other ranchers. Group together.

How many times have you heard, "If you're not part of the solution..."

Funding and incentive is what will get the ball rolling. The Quail group or groups need to get with the NRCS and have a program started that would give ranchers a incentive to protect quail habitat, untill then your cause is a lost one.