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WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK THEY ARE KILLERS? UM THAT WOULD BE BECAUSE THEY ARE. THERE ARE SEVERAL OF US HERE WHO DEAL WITH BOBS, EXPERIENCE AND OBSERVATION IS WHERE THIS IDEA COMES FROM. IN MY EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE THERE IS ONLY 1 SPECES WORSE AND THATS CHUKAR (THIS SEEMS TO BE A GEOGRAPHICAL THING, BUT DOWN SOUTH IN HOT HUMID CLIMATES THEY ARE FEATHERED ASSASSINS) BOBS ARE ONLY SLIGHTLY BEHIND CHUKARS ON THE AGRESSIVE SCALE AND A TAD AHEAD OF RINGNECKS. SORRY KID, BUT THE TRUTH AINT ALWAYS PRETTY.... BUT IT IS STILL THE TRUTH
My question to you Randall is WHY BOBWHITES?
Very long answer as short as possible.............I've been wanting to raise Bobwhites most of my 51 years of life. I was raised in the country, and from the age 10 or so (back before the coyote and fire ant infestation), whenever I heard one whistlin' after a spring or summer shower, I had to take out after it to see how close I could get to them. I've always been infatuated with Bobwhites.....their whistle, the covey rise, and especially their delicious taste. I was raised to hunt them, and they were no stranger to the supper table. I've eaten Coturnix and Texas A&M's.......and they were OK, but the Bobwhite, with it's white breast meat, can't be beaten for a wild game meat bird......(That's my opinion, though). I live in the country still on a 290 acre farm, and we still have a few here, but probably 10 coyotes and 80 trillion fire ants to ever 1 Bobwhite. When I plunged into this, I knew Bobs was the only quail I wanted to fool with, and I will never deviate from that. They're native to this part of the country. Now, why do I raise them?........To eat, and to sell. Unlike many on this forum (and I
fully respect their decision to raise them as pets rather than for food).......it does not bother me whatsoever to go to my pens, catch a dozen or so (mature birds), process them on the spot, and have them for supper 2 hours later. I'm down to about 220 or so right now, and plan on processing down to about 80 or so by the end of the year, and they will be next year's reproducers. I've sold a few, and if I had 500 for sale right now, I could sell them tomorrow (as meat birds). Not many people around here raise them, and the ones that used to have given it up. There's still one here and there that raise them, but they're becoming scarce. My plan, Good Lord Willin', is have 500 - 700 by the end of the summer next year. Some folks are wanting me to build flying pens so they can buy them as hunt birds. I'm not gettin' into that........just meat birds only. Other than that, I love foolin' with them. I love to hear them at daylight and dusk. I don't love the brutality amongst them that comes with this hobby though. But, I've learned that that's part of raising Bobwhites.
This thread was posted to "find out everything there is to know about Bobwhites"...... JJMR and others have been in this hobby / business a lot longer than I have. They've seen and experienced more than I have as far as what to do, and not do. But, like I said in an earlier post on this thread, if you don't want to take on a hobby raising a gamebird that is temperamental, spastic, moody, unpredictable, irratable, violent,.......at times, don't try raising Bobwhites. If you do choose to raise them, just remember, those cute little fuzz-balls that just popped out of those eggs yesterday are destined to jump (and yes, kill) their hatch-mates at any given time.....JUST BECAUSE!!!!
