or did the fire ants and predators get them all? I haven't really spent too much time at home (Livingston area) in about 11 years, but I do remember that there were a decent amount of birds in the area back then. My family has a little 25ish acre place and we had a few there that we would hear early in the morning and late in the evening, but I haven't noticed them in a few years. Just wondering if I'm going to have to buy birds to train my GSP pup or if there are still some wild ones she can learn on.

You will be hard pressed to find any these days, and not just in East Texas, they are gone from most of the state.

Not much left at all...ill see a few lost ones in the river bottom sometimes but not many....fire ants didnt do the damage...it was the transition to coastal fields for hay....not enough native fields left now for them to survive...and everything...i mean everything from rats, yotes, coons, armidillos to otters, skunks, and a hogs eats quail or the eggs...they dnt have a chance here anymore

Never heard of the coastal issue before, we had 12 acres of coastal when I was a kid and you could not take a dozen steps without a different covey flushing. Our cow pastures were mostly native grasses and I never noticed anywhere near the amount of quail in them. There used to be a bunch in the peanut fields I used to cross coming home from school though, sure spook the hell out of you if your head is somewhere else.

Whatever the cause, I would sure love to have them around again. I occasionally see some on my current place, but not in any numbers that I would consider hunting them.

-ww

yeah our hay field was always full of them, makes it fun riding a green horse when you flush a few of them. I been thinking about buying some and turning them loose but I kinda think that might be like throwing money out in the pasture, but we don't have any hogs and rarely ever have yotes or bobcats just the random dog that crosses the fence. I'm about to put net wire around the whole place here soon, so they wont be much of an issue. We got 3 ponds so they would have water lots of brush around 2 of them so they would have cover just a matter of if the stuff they like to eat is there to keep them in the area I guess. I just still don't know if it would be worth trying it though with the way the numbers have been dropping across the state.

Birds will roost in the evening, and loaf during the day in the Coastal, but it is very hard for them to move in and there is no feed in it.

^^^ exactly...i dnt dout yall saw a bunch in the coastal fields because along with the grass comes alot of bugs they like to eat...but they cant nest in this...and the chicks need the runs of the native bunch grass to get around and be able to jump in a bunch to hide whenever they need.....the nesting is what makes more....and without the right habbitat they cant do it... this is also one of the main reasons there are no turkey in east texas as well.

They are none that I know of, When I was a kid birds where everywhere year after year. The same size covey in the same pastures. I would be surprized if you found any wild birds at all in east TX anywhere. I have been in Mexico the last 5 years where it was like it used to be in west tx a 15-20 covey every 100 yds on a good year with a lot of rain. I would love to walk behind a good pointer where the birds were plentiful as they once was.

I've seen one bird in the last 10 years around Tyler.

MO

Here is a simple but factual equation to the main decline of the bobwhite.

No water+no food-no habitat=no quail
The habitat on our place was lost about six years ago due to the lack of moisture. When we did get some good rains it was about the time chicks were vulnerable and most of them drowned along with a lot of the turkey hatchlings. Our habitat has never recovered and if it had the drought would have wiped it out again. Along with predation and fire ants the wild quail as we know it could be a thing of the past in the few short years to come. I guess we better get used to buying birds and settling for a bird that doesn't really fly and act like a true wild bird. What a loss this is going to be.

I wanted to share some statistics with you avid quail hunters. If you haven't already found out just how much the bob white and the blue or scaled quail are, here is what my outfitter related to me last year about the quail season.

He said where he had been seeing 15 to 20 covies in the far reaches of his travels, last year it was 7 to 10 covies. Just a rough count I'd say thats down 50%. This next figure spanned dove and quail season, his gasoline expenditure was in the excess of $18,000.00 while scouting and searching for for both doves and quail.

The jury is still out on quail for this season but instead of going to BFE for doves this season we decided early on to do some ag work and produce our own feed for the birds. We are at this time trying to replenish the natural grasses and at the same time keep the grain fields going. I can tell you it is not cheap. Praise the Lord there is ample acreage to do this but the money is scarce! The wheat and sunflowers fields are working out nicely.

That is one more than I have seen around Smith County in more than 25 years!

I think bobwhite quail are so fragile some don't even survive the time change...

I'm originally from East Texas, Cherokee County, and as I recall birds started to decline with no home gardens, and lots
of feral and tame house cats loose as well as varmits. In So.
Texas the Roadrunners give the chicks a fit. I live near Bandera and we have Diamond H Quail Farm, flight conditioned
chicks $5 ea. I suspect I'll be training my two young dogs for
at least the next two yrs. on canned birds...DD

have not shot or heard one in delta co. for 7+ years. used to hear the males every spring but not anymore

I agree and disagree with the habitat deal more so in west tx. In east tx the habitat is about the same as it was 30 years ago. east of Terrell to the piney woods not to much has changed. The pastures that I grew up in are still the same, same old tanks, same old barns. I hunted birds in every arp, Earp, and sturp. East of Dallas to the la border. South of Dallas to the gulf, west of Dallas to big springs If a bob whistled over 50 yrs I figured have been there. it seems any way. Sometimes I lay back and dream of 3 dogs working a field no more than 40 yards away, one points and the other 2 honors. However I must say I agree with cool hand, it all may be a thing of the past. I maybe getting old but I sure would like to have mess scared out of me one more time by a flushing covey. Thanks for the time !

The studies in west Texas show that on properties with the correct habitat it takes a acre per quail. There for to sustain 15 or 20 covey's with 20 birds 400 of more acres. Most of them show 1000 acres to start producing quail, otherwise it is flight birds.

....and now......where's all the honey bees gone?

go.

No

I saw 6 different coveys in Mason county last week.

Also have 6-8 good coveys on a small place in Coleman

You must live in El Paso if that is considered East Texas