We take a few each year, but don't do a all out quail hunt.
Mother nature plays more of a role than me on the wild quail I have access to.
On the years when there is less cover, I can just watch the hawks circling and easily find a covey.
The combination of legislation to protect hawks coupled with the advent of feeding deer increasing logarithmicly over the past 30 years is directly proportional to the decline in quail numbers.
The quail come to the deer feeders where there is no cover... And the hawks are more numerous and fatter/happier than ever.
It really is as simple as that.
No offense rancher but I don't think it's that simple at all. Not saying hawks don't catch a quail now and then but I don't think every hawk catches a quail every other day. I have sat on a deer stand many days and watched quail come into feed. They don't lounge around the feeder all day. It's more of a move thru and feed quickly and they are gone. I have never witnessed a hawk get after a quail at one of my feeders personally although no doubt it happens. Never have I even caught this event on a game camera with thousands of pics taken.
If I had to name a single predatory enemy, I'd go with raccoons as being more of a problem along w hogs at nesting time.
No simple answer to this issue we have with quail decline but I'm more inclined to go with climatic issues, ie drought. Give me timely rain and more times than not u have quail. I'm more and more interested in the research on a viral or parasitic problem as well.
As far as taking or not taking quail.... I think it does the hunter as much good as anything. I have not shot a quail off my place in 10 yrs. there are no more quail there now than there were 10 yrs ago. 2 cents
I never take offense at disagreement and make matter of fact statements often to draw fence sitters into a discussion. We're all entitled to our opinions.
I have pics of hawks after quail and have posted them here. Harris hawks hunt in groups (google them) and gang up at my feeders. I'm covered up in bobs in Uvalde almost every sept. By the time November rolls around there are less than half the quail. And they're almost nonexistent in feb.
I'll submit this as my strongest validation for my opinion: We've had drought, parasite, disease cycles forever. The most widespread and drastic difference everywhere is the permanent change of feeding deer/quail, and protected hawk populations.
And yes "I know" to the guy who said he knows folks who still shoot hawks owls. But the vast majority of people won't risk a felony to shoot one. Me included. And that's a huge change, from my experience.
Heck, I remember the days when folks would put steel traps on top of posts. A pretty effective raptor control tool.