Do you guys think the corn we use in deer feeders is bad for quail, why or why not? Any personal examples of how it hurt quail populations or did not have any impact?

Most importantly...
If you think corn in feeders is bad for quail, what is a non harmful alternative, where can I buy it, and how much is a 40 lb bag?

The only harm I see is that bobcats will hang out around a feeder that they are used to seeing quail at, easy pickings. I have seen this and have heard of some say the see coyotes do the same thing.
We use the ground type quail feeders that they can hide in. But that doesn't keep them away from the feeders.

If you can do it fairly often, get one of those atv/tailgate type feeders. This way you can vary the places that you feed and also spread it out in areas with good cover. This will keep them from developing a pattern and concentrating in one area. Like Simple Searcher says the predators will "stake out" feeders.

No harm if your grain is fresh and comes from a good source. Quail only need supplement feed in the winter. No need to feed them in the summer and early fall. I also like to mix my feeders with some milo for the quail

I've heard black eye peas are a great alternative. Not sure where to buy them.

The issue with the corn was supposedly the aflatoxin that gets in it. Not sure if it was ever settled. A lot of people would claim to see a lot of quail until deer corn feeders started running in the fall then the quail would disappear. There has recently been a report from the quail research group about eye worms from crickets that show up in the fall. Maybe a combination of both is the reason.

We used to mix milo in our feeders for feeding Quail/Turkey, the Quail responded real good to that mixture, PROBLEM was that the Hawks figured it out too and would come by the same time every evening and we started to see the quail disappear one at time!! I would actually see them fly down and bust up the covey. We hunted w/ a Quail Guide out around Coleman and he had one of those bumper type feeders on his Gator and he would feed Milo from it on different spots on the ranch that we were hunting.


So, to answer your question, FEED Milo but DON'T do it from the deer feeder.

They seem to like our corn just fine.

Ive herd about the bobcats and that hawks have an even bigger effect, but have yet to notice a change.

milo or 'chicken scratch grains'(easy to find at feedstore) $13/50lb
use quail ground feeder placed in heavy brush, or scatter it randomly like already mentioned.

[quote=PavurOutdoors]No harm if your grain is fresh and comes from a good source. Quail only need supplement feed in the winter. No need to feed them in the summer and early fall. I also like to mix my feeders with some milo for the quail[/quote

I have worked with and followed the Quail Tech Research team out of Lubbock and they have done studies showing when quail are fed year round, the covey counts on those ranches have been quadrupled as those that did not feed. You might want to reconsider.

Nth
Could you post a link to those studies? I'd like to share with my lease partners.