Releasing Quail

Ok I love to quail hunt, but we just dont have a very good population at the time due to drought and predators. I am putting in water stations and doing predator control. Is it legal to release quail to repopulate a ranch? And if it is how much would I be looking at to do so? It's a 75% CRP ranch in west texas that's about 1000 acres. We see about 2-3 15 bird covies on a good day now.

It's legal to release quail in Texas. I think it might be better to release them in the fall. The people who sell the surrigator sp tout their success. I've had them go feral from my Johnny house and last a good while, but I know of only two clutches from the feral quail.

Liberated or released birds have an extremely low survivability rate, probably less than 10% after a month. They will a lot of times bring a disease to the few covies of wild birds you already have. The released birds will survive somewhat longer if you are feeding them and working them through a johnny house system but what really hurts is the released bird rarely (as in never) reproduces. I would start a feeding program with your wild birds and heavy predator control plus some habitat enhancements and try to coddle your wild covies back to decent numbers.

Never stated better NTXbh!

Not to dispute, but I have seen one case where they did reproduce on our place.

I do agree it seems very rare.

If I was a betting person, I would put the odds at less than half of 1% of the released birds reproducing. I know it happens on occasions but as a general rule, don't bank on it if you are trying to re-populate a ranch. You are going to be sadly disappointed and frustrated.

I'm raising some birds now. I've got 250 breeders that started layin about two weeks ago. Oddly enough they all lay an egg a day it seems in the same area. I've got a couple hens that are broody and have been sitting the "nests". I have to run them off to collect eggs. I think they might attempt to sit a nest after they're released but I'm learning that conditions have to be ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for a hatch. It's insane how finicky the things are. My adult birds are indestructible. I've seen them out in the weather soaking wet, seen them rolling in the snow, seen them scuffed up skinned up and beat down. They're tuff. Predators will wipe them out over time but these things will survive as long as they've got access to a food source and water.