Raising quail to release?

[Campine]

I researched this a lot in the past year and the information varies wildly. Some people will have you believe that they die almost instantly, but if that's the case how are they successfully released for hunting?
Habitat is very important, they need a good range with several types of environment in it, such as woods, fence rows, tall grass prairie. Planting food crops for them is a good idea. Panicum grass is easy to grow. Fescues and other old world grasses have a negative effect on quail, they form a thick mat that the quail have a hard time running thru. New world grasses tend to be bunch grasses with space in betweenfor the quail to hide. Be sure your quail are raised in a good flight cage so they can fly well.
I don't pay much attention to what the government tells you, they are responsible for introducing many invasive species including asian pheasants into quail habitat.
Years ago, I raised some bobwhites and a dog tore open their pen. Numerous birds survived and I saw one a year later so it is possible that they can make it. I currently have about 50 that I want to introduce for the same reason as you. There is no longer any native population. I've decided releasing them in the spring might increase their chances of survival, although some people will argue the extra time will make them tamer.
You'll never know until you try, don't believe everything you hear on the forums. Some people just mimic what they've heard without any personal experience and other people are just nay-sayers no matter what the topic is.

 

[bingrancher]

Most birds released for hunting are turned loose shortly before hunters are allowed to hunt them. I live by a hunting lodge and can tell when its their birds versus a wild one in the fact their birds wont get off the road and even when they do the fly a few feet and do nothing. No one said it 100% wont work to introduce them, just that their chances arent as good for survival as quail born in the wild. Wild birds are taught about predators and their habitat by their parents. Most people have simply said to try creating a better habitat and reduce predators in the op's situation. Releasing 50 or 500 quail in a place with not enough feed and too many predators will result in the same thing.

 

[Campine]

I once read that recorded bobwhite quail numbers were at their height in the 1860's. Small family farms turned out to be a huge benefit for quail. The combination of crop patches, pastures and woods connected by fence rows made good habitat for bobwhites in the early days. When big monoculture farming took over they lost that scattered habitat.
I've been working on several acres for the past 6-8 years. I started by burning and then killing all european grasses (fescues) and seeding a lot of native grass seed like indian grass, switch grass and things like native sunflowers and trefoils. Where it was just a fallow field I now see noticably upgraded habitat, evidence are the goldfinches and native finches that weren't as prevelent before, but now are very much at home.

 

[aprophet]

I once read that recorded bobwhite quail numbers were at their height in the 1860's. Small family farms turned out to be a huge benefit for quail. The combination of crop patches, pastures and woods connected by fence rows made good habitat for bobwhites in the early days. When big monoculture farming took over they lost that scattered habitat.
I've been working on several acres for the past 6-8 years. I started by burning and then killing all european grasses (fescues) and seeding a lot of native grass seed like indian grass, switch grass and things like native sunflowers and trefoils. Where it was just a fallow field I now see noticably upgraded habitat, evidence are the goldfinches and native finches that weren't as prevelent before, but now are very much at home.

most farming done these days is too clean no hedge rows or weedy ditch lines I live in the marshes of the Elizebeth river and beside the dismal swamp I am covered in fox yotes and bobcats coons and possums are also here I am allowed to release birds on my own land I have released just a coupla pairs and trios over the last 3 years I try to time it right I absolutely hammer the predator population during trapping season and it takes them a few months to filter back in in this time I have found BW nests and watched a brood of chicks raised here of late I have a coupla smallish coveys ( 3-4) around me mostly 8-12 birds per covey with out some form predator control I would not release them I have done the same with a coupla small wild turkey flocks about 3-4 miles from here I watched 2 small flock grow to 6 flocksover the last 5-6 years

 

[bingrancher]

I agree aprophet. I see more fields coming right up to the edge of the roads especially when the cattle are grazing the harvested crops. But I also think Campines ideas and what they have done for the quail.

 

[PAguy]

I released 20 quail in the late summer 2012, in twos and threes, as I was training my bird dog pup. This spring two of the males showed up in the front yard, so they found a way to survive the winter on our central PA farm, which is a hobby farm (not an agri-business) and has plenty of weeds, cover, edges, fencerow along with crop fields. I reviewed a top 135 list of plants quail need, and nearly all are present where I live. I'm hoping that with some predator trapping this winter and a renewed habitat improvement effort some quail will stick around. Currently (July 2013) I'm incubating some birds and plan to raise them in a flight pen with nearly no human contact. The pen has tall grasses, a tree, limbs and other cover. We'll see how it goes. What I can't understand is how the PA Game Commission has been so slow to take action on behalf of a native bird, while all along putting money into pheasant programs.

 

[jl34]

I'm new at this and I've got some young quail and I was wondering at what age I should release them.

 

[ApplesPi]

Try reading the thread- it has your answer and explanation. In short, you can release them at maturity- but you'll probably just be feeding the local predators.

 

[Campine]

As usual, it's the people who haven't tried that tell you it's impossible. I haven't been here for awhile, but just came back to say I just saw a mother quail with some chicks in my field. I haven't released any quail since May 2014 so this mother is either offspring of what I released or has survived for two years and has successfully raised offspring. A friend also told me he saw some a couple of miles up the road. This area was totally devoid of quail before I started.

I raised and released approximately 100 quail a year for five years. After trial and error I've learned that it's best to raise them to maturity, keep them through the winter and then release them the following spring. Of course some have better instincts than others, some get very tame and others remain very skittish. Maintaining the proper environment is essential for them to make it. I converted numerous acres from fescue to native grasses ad plants before I started this.

You can do it, it just takes enough quail, a good flight cage and the proper environment after you release them.

 

[davedavey]

 I once read that recorded bobwhite quail numbers were at their height in the 1860's. Small family farms turned out to be a huge benefit for quail. The combination of crop patches, pastures and woods connected by fence rows made good habitat for bobwhites in the early days. When big monoculture farming took over they lost that scattered habitat.
 I've been working on several acres for the past 6-8 years. I started by burning and then killing all european grasses (fescues) and seeding a lot of native grass seed like indian grass, switch grass and things like native sunflowers and trefoils. Where it was just a fallow field I now see noticably upgraded habitat, evidence are the goldfinches and native finches that weren't as prevelent before, but now are very much at home.

Also we had great quail numbers till the late 80' s . But they also used to shoot hawks and owls. Then i think in the 70' s they decided to protect them. As there numbers grew, tge quail numbers declined. Where i live the trees behind my house hold around 8 to 10 hawks in the winter. See them constantly killing quail and pheasant.