# Pen raised Quail turning wild?



## cbig1981

Anyone believe this is possible with quality pen raised birds that grew up in a flying pen?  We have land in Oglethorpe County that didn't have Quail until a couple of years ago when we started putting out pen raised birds to hunt the same day.  Inevitably, 20 or so out of 50 would not get shot and now we have two solid cubbies on the property.  I was skeptical that these surviving birds could survive the hawks, coyotes, foxes, elements, etc.  But now I am a believer in these pen raised birds being able to adapt and ultimately thrive in the right environment


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## rex upshaw

i had always heard that only about 4% make it.


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## rex upshaw

cbig1981 said:


> now we have two solid cubbies on the property.



chicago cubbies?  just kidding.


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## Branchminnow

with these bitter cold temps they wont make it according to most opinions I get.


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## dawg2

Didn't 25.06 have a thread with this very topic and release a bunch of birds?


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## Ryanbig

I dont know bout you but I am ready to shoot some bobwhites. Joe said he is ready to go!


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## coveyrise90

As far as reproducing and repopulating an area?... I doubt it (at least in most cases). But they can provide for great sport. Early-released coveys are near-indistinguishable from wild ones.

Adam
QH90


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## 01Foreman400

We are hearing birds in the spring and summer.  I'm pretty positive it's the same birds we put out and didn't shoot.  We put out about 900 birds a year and only around 700 get shot.  I see them walking and flying around all the time.  I don't know if they reproduce or not though.  They sure sound nice when your out fishing on a warm spring day.


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## Bill Brown

A long time guide on a shooting preserve told me if they survived 2 weeks then they would survive, pheasants adapt quicker to the predators & food.


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## Branchminnow

Bill Brown said:


> A long time guide on a shooting preserve told me if they survived 2 weeks then they would survive, pheasants adapt quicker to the predators & food.



Glad to see you still kickin!  Where youo been?



One mor ething to add on this thread, I have always been told that they wont reproduce if they make it through predators and the wet weather.


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## BirdNut

Yes it can, with the right habitat...my vet did it.  All the quail biologists and particulary the state says they dont, but its hogwash.

I aslo know that on a certain public property it was done where different color bands were used on different year birds released for field trials.  These birds showed up in following years harvest so they do survive-breed who knows, but they sirvived.

On my vets property they survived and bred and formed 3 coveys.


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## hoyt84

I dont think they will make it for a really long time in the wild but Im sure they can last a few months. Everything I have read says about 95% will die. Maybe it is working for you. Its great you are seeing some!


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## Bill Brown

*Reproduce ?*



Branchminnow said:


> Glad to see you still kickin!  Where youo been?
> 
> 
> 
> One mor ething to add on this thread, I have always been told that they wont reproduce if they make it through predators and the wet weather.



I have seen pheasant with chicks a number of times on preserves that released them for hunting.


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## Woody17

They'll make it without a doubt! Don't know about reproducing though? If they have something to feed on, they'll live. You can tell the difference in the ones that have been out there for a while & those that haven't.


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## coveyrise90

Tall Timbers has an on-going research project studying the release of pen-reared quail raised by wild parents. They trapped wild quail and place them with newly hatched chicks. Both the wild adults and "genetically wild" chicks were put into pens with good weedy cover so that the chicks could naturally feed on the insects. They the all the birds when the chicks were fairly young age and their survival rate was higher than your average pen-raised bird.


The reason for the project.... to see if they could effectively restock an area to establish a self-sustaining wild population. Generally speaking released birds won't survive long and reproduce because they haven't the habitat. Tall Timbers used this stocking method only in two situations. First, if they created habitat where it hadn't previously existed. With no wild birds to start with, the land needs stocking. In this case, a high quality bird could est. a wild population. The 2nd situation was when they took land that had a small wild population and fair habitat. After much habitat improvement, they would stock with the "wild quail". 

2 things you must remember. They used very high quality, healthy birds, and they released them in good habitat. 

Adam


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## mecicon

coveyrise90 said:


> The reason for the project.... to see if they could effectively restock an area to establish a self-sustaining wild population. Generally speaking released birds won't survive long and reproduce because they haven't the habitat. Tall Timbers used this stocking method only in two situations. First, if they created habitat where it hadn't previously existed. With no wild birds to start with, the land needs stocking. In this case, a high quality bird could est. a wild population. The 2nd situation was when they took land that had a small wild population and fair habitat. After much habitat improvement, they would stock with the "wild quail".
> 
> 2 things you must remember. They used very high quality, healthy birds, and they released them in good habitat.
> 
> Adam



Quail are known to be a precocial species (precocious) they leave the nest within days to survive on their own albeit within a covey, but they still have to find their own food and water. 

To expand on what Adam wrote; It is all about genetics.

I have a johnny house in my back yard and on occasion some don't want to go back in the house. Some will last for days others for months, through all weather conditions.

They can and will reproduce, if the genetics are correct.

Like feral hogs and feral cats they become wild.


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## thomas gose

rex upshaw said:


> chicago cubbies?  just kidding.


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## Branchminnow

Bill Brown said:


> I have seen pheasant with chicks a number of times on preserves that released them for hunting.



As I said Im going on what Ive been told nothing more. 

Interesting though.


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## Lane Morrell

I hunt a fair amount of pen raised birds every year.  My secretary raises most of what I hunt.  She brings in lots of eggs every year for my boss, and some people to pickle.  So, I don't see where some get that they won't reproduce.  If they will breed in the bird houses, why won't they breed in the wild?


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## Michael

Lane Morrell said:


> I hunt a fair amount of pen raised birds every year.  My secretary raises most of what I hunt.  She brings in lots of eggs every year for my boss, and some people to pickle.  So, I don't see where some get that they won't reproduce.  If they will breed in the bird houses, why won't they breed in the wild?



Yes, pen raised quail will breed and lay eggs, but since they came from an incubator themselve, they don't know how to build a nest, sit on the eggs and raise the young... kind of like society today. It takes good parents to produce good offspring.


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## coveyrise90

Michael said:


> Yes, pen raised quail will breed and lay eggs, but since they came from an incubator themselve, they don't know how to build a nest, sit on the eggs and raise the young... kind of like society today. It takes good parents to produce good offspring.



What he said.

I've heard that most pen-reared hen pheasant will try to reproduce (if they survive the hunting season of course) the only problem is that they drop the eggs wherever they stand without building a nest. I am sure pen-reared quail would do the same thing. UNLESS, you get a "genetically wild" quail. Genetics are much more important than most realize.


Adam


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## knobcreek11

coveyrise90 said:


> What he said.
> 
> I've heard that most pen-reared hen pheasant will try to reproduce (if they survive the hunting season of course) the only problem is that they drop the eggs wherever they stand without building a nest. I am sure pen-reared quail would do the same thing. UNLESS, you get a "genetically wild" quail. Genetics are much more important than most realize.
> 
> 
> Adam



This is exactlly what happens.... thats why most states are giving up on their pheasant stocking programs (see NY & PA)

these birds have zero instinct and will either be dead from predation, weather or lack of foraging skills

PA's new pheasant program will be diverted away from releasing pen reared birds and instead trapping wild birds from the midwest and transplanting them onto PA habitat.
I think there plan is to slowly reduce the number of pen reared birds that are released while increasing the wild trapped birds onto good habitat.

Of course the number one ingrediant is going to be habitat, if they dont release these wild birds onto proper habitat then they wont survive just like the pen raised.

I think if this new program is successful you will begin to see it being implemented for bobwhites also.


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## RRDUCKHNT

*Pen Raised*

Everything I have read states that the first Pheasants in the U.S. were pen raised ..So that seems to BUNK the idea that a pen raised Pheasant's just stands there and let's the egg hit the ground and doesn't try to build a nest..I think with the right habitat pen raised Quail would re-habitat a area if they are the same quail and not some geneatic mutated bird with it's brain's all screwed up.....


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## knobcreek11

RRDUCKHNT said:


> Everything I have read states that the first Pheasants in the U.S. were pen raised ..So that seems to BUNK the idea that a pen raised Pheasant's just stands there and let's the egg hit the ground and doesn't try to build a nest..I think with the right habitat pen raised Quail would re-habitat a area if they are the same quail and not some geneatic mutated bird with it's brain's all screwed up.....



well if thats not the case then why are they abandoning the pen reared release project. 

The state of PA releases over 200,000 pheasants a year  

The chance of a bird surviving until spring, building a nest, hatching an egg and then having the instict to incubate it is very, very low. Then add into the equation predation on the nests that do survive

Lets say that out of 200,000 birds (which are a 50/50 run) that 10% of the hens survive and hatch a nest. that would be 10,000 nests. then say that 35% of the nests are successful and at least two chicks live to adulthood. Thats only 7000 pheasants in PA that make it to be mature. 

those percentage numbers are pretty generous considering poor habitat and high predator numbers.
 in the end that doesnt sound like it would be successfull and obviously it hasnt because they have been doing it for over 60 years.


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## coveyrise90

RRDUCKHNT said:


> Everything I have read states that the first Pheasants in the U.S. were pen raised ..So that seems to BUNK the idea that a pen raised Pheasant's just stands there and let's the egg hit the ground and doesn't try to build a nest..I think with the right habitat pen raised Quail would re-habitat a area if they are the same quail and not some geneatic mutated bird with it's brain's all screwed up.....



Well I have never heard that the pheasants introduced in Oregon were pen-raised. They were shipped directly from Shanghai. At that time wild pheasant thrived in China. There would have been no reason to raise the pheasant in pens when all they had to do was go into a field and catch a few. 

Also, the "idea" that hens drop eggs where ever isn't an idea at all. It happens. It just depends on the birds, their genetics, and how they are raised.

Adam


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## zzweims

If you have the right habitat, pen raised quail will mate and rear young in the wild.  Their mortality is a bit higher, but we have done it with great success.


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## Michael

zzweims said:


> If you have the right habitat, pen raised quail will mate and rear young in the wild.  Their mortality is a bit higher, but we have done it with great success.



Adolf Leapold proved 80% of wild quail die every year whether they are hunted or not. So, I'm guessing 99.9% of pen raised quail die


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## knobcreek11

if you have proper habitat, feeding and watering stations and solid predator control then you can get a small amount of pen reared birds to reproduce. 

but the mortality rate on released birds is so high you would have to be releasing such a enormous quanity just to get a even noticeable nesting rate. would it really be cost effective in the end??  

Even guys with surragators are getting mixed results. Also, just look at the research, there are so many biologists out there that disagree on the issue.

I think the best thing anyone could do that wants to hunt large quanity of quail on there property is dont waste the money on a surragator. take the 1600 dollars and buy a comercial size incubator, build yourself a brooding and flight pen and raise birds yourself. Spend the money you will save (from buying quail chicks at a 1.25 a pop) on improving the habitat on your property and removing predators. 

you can get a 1,000 quail eggs for a couple hundred bucks. If you learn how to raise birds properly you should be able to yield a 75-85% success rate on the eggs. in the end you can release tons of birds on your property and maybe even sell a few on the side.

they may not reproduce... but with proper habitat they will live long enough for you to enjoy them during the hunting season and for the price of 200 day old chicks you could release 4 times the amount of birds you raised yourself onto your property


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## BirdNut

I'll share a little more detail on an experience I had but keeping names and places vague to protect the guilty.

I was hunting with a partner on a public area groomed for quail, where field trials are also held.  We ran across the area biologist hunting the same day we were drawn.  He told us in the course of converstation to wipe out banded bird coveys becuase they were pen-raised and good to only educate the raptors.  His words.

Were we a little shocked and asked if he thought wild + pen raised moved in mixed coveys so if we shot down a covey we would negatively impact wild birds.  (We had already run into a mixed covey).  He didn't think they mixed and expressed again that all the pen raised birds released to supplement for field trials should be eliminated.  In fact he shared he was hunting without being drawn just to do that-knock down the pen raised birds.  Short of telling us to disregard the limit, he told us to wipe them out.

So, later when I met the area manager, we talked a little about our mutual biologist friend.  In no uicertain terms, he rebuked the idea that pen raised birds all die and do not persist year over year.  He had even done an experiment putting different bands on the released birds and collected bands across multiple years in harvest data (they required you to turn in bands at one time).  He even said that our biologist friend was aware of this multi-year data gathering and still didn't believe the birds were lasting from one year to the next.


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## Beagle Stace

*Pen Raised Birds Surviving Released?*

Birdnut,

  I find those comments from a biologist quite amazing. I hunted the same WMA on the first hunt back in Dec. and we put up several coveys. Had we shot have decent, we should have had our party limit by noon. We did finish with 8 birds. Not bad for hunting with a half trained young brittany, one lab and a beagle . Shot no banded birds but not to say some could have been released at a trial unbanded.  If so, they were for all practical purposes as close to wild as you will get. How could the biologist expect to be able to differentiate on the covey rise- pure wild vs release  I would love to hear that theory. In a mixed covey, I would think nearly impossible. 

As for release birds surviving, I do believe they can make it for a long time given the right habitat. Nesting, I do not know. Have the money nor ideal location to conduct a study. As for my experiences, I have released some birds over the past yr. on roughly 30 cares for training and just to see how they do. The area is not perfect consisting of some open pasture, some hard woods but does have some grown up fence rows. Also, I have a small lespedeza patch on it and plant two small dove fields. I live 40 miles away so I am not there al the time. But my father and brother in law that live on the property tell me that they see a covey fairly often and hear a few calling. The last released were probably early Fall. So they can survive but for how long, who knows. Also, I hunted the quota WMA you are talking about two yrs. ago and shot two banded birds back then. Sure fooled me when they got up. I guess I have got to work harder to identify those release birds when they get up. I have found a few covies this yr. but none have let me take a quick enough look before I had to get with the shooting. Man this wild quail hunting gets more educational by the day.


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## BirdNut

I was totally dumbfounded by the biologist comments.  He seemed like a nice enough guy, but as a bird hunter I was a little shocked that this was the guy in charge of the programs...at least in that region.  He has since moved on and doesn't deal with quail or BQI anymore.  I think he is even in a totally different state.

I don't think anyone can differentiate between "pre-release" coveys that have survived a number of months and true wild birds.  In fact, sometimes the wild bird coveys I've shot into behave more like pen raised in that they go maybe 30 or 40 yards and put down in cover again...I think they dont want to leave the place they are at.  Of course if the coveys have been shot a lot they sail off a 1/4 mile or more, but sometimes wild birds will fool you by only going a short distance.

The only difference I have noticed when getting a mixed bag of released (banded) versus wild birds is that sometimes the released birds are slightly larger in body size and when dressed, the banded birds have more fat along the breast and legs-probably from their feed prior to release.


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## JSpinks

That can definately happen


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## Beagle Stace

Agree with you Birdnut on the size issue of the banded birds. They did have more body size. As for the flight of the birds on the quota WMA, some flew at least 150yds plus esp. in the more open field areas. And probably hit the ground running at that point. Singles were tough.


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## BirdNut

I ran across some single on another WMA hunt about 2 weeks ago after the covey got up in front of the dog.  About 20-25 bids got up.  We only found 6 singles (with a pretty good dog too)  the majority of the covey had on their track shoes!


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## mecicon

BirdNut said:


> I was hunting with a partner on a public area groomed for quail, where field trials are also held.  We ran across the area biologist hunting the same day we were drawn.  He told us in the course of converstation to wipe out banded bird coveys becuase they were pen-raised and good to only educate the raptors.  His words.
> 
> Were we a little shocked and asked if he thought wild + pen raised moved in mixed coveys so if we shot down a covey we would negatively impact wild birds.  (We had already run into a mixed covey).  He didn't think they mixed and expressed again that all the pen raised birds released to supplement for field trials should be eliminated.  In fact he shared he was hunting without being drawn just to do that-knock down the pen raised birds.  Short of telling us to disregard the limit, he told us to wipe them out.
> 
> So, later when I met the area manager, we talked a little about our mutual biologist friend.  In no uicertain terms, he rebuked the idea that pen raised birds all die and do not persist year over year.  He had even done an experiment putting different bands on the released birds and collected bands across multiple years in harvest data (they required you to turn in bands at one time).  He even said that our biologist friend was aware of this multi-year data gathering and still didn't believe the birds were lasting from one year to the next.




I guess my eyesight is not as good as it use to be. I have a hard enough time distinguishing a rooster and a hen if I am watching a bird fly away from me in to the sun.

Now you tell me I have to eradicate those with a band on their leg. Just one more thing to do before pulling the trigger.

What a moron that 'biologist' (allegedly) is.


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## shortround1

does a wild quail and a pen raised bird taste the same to a yote or redtailed hawk?


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## Jim P

Just a idea, why can't the DNR trap some wild birds, let them breed with some pen raised hens etc., just like when the old folks used to get good hound dogs and even bird dogs, have they tryed this?


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## gobbler2

The tables didn't make it in format but the is an educational and actual research project paper.  Link is http://www.aces.edu/forestry/wildlife/quail.php for the article with tables.  This is the link for the following article http://www.coveyrise.net/articles/2003/12/17/news/news03.txt

Pen-raised quail
Supplementing the quail harvest is common in the South



Special to Covey Rise
By Ted DeVos

As every reader of this publication knows, bobwhite populations have declined substantially throughout the southeastern U.S.

Possible reasons which have been proposed include land use changes, weather, and predators.

More disconcerting, however, is that populations on private lands managed specifically for wild bobwhites have shown similar declines, indicative of more range-wide, rather than site specific, problems including weather, and predators.

Stocking pen-raised bobwhites to increase breeding populations of quail is generally considered unjustified by most biologists due to low survival rates, and has been implicated in the decline of native quail populations because of the potential for disease introduction, food and/or mate competition, displacement of wild quail, increasing wild quail mortality, and dilution of the native gene pool or reduction of brood rearing ability through cross-breeding.

Additionally, disease and parasite loads may vary widely from breeder to breeder and if infected quail are released, a problem may result, not only for native quail populations but also other species of native birds.

Using pen-raised birds to supplement harvest, however, has become common on many southern plantations and shooting preserves. In addition, many owners of small farms release quail on their land for family entertainent.

Biologists have long wondered what effect these releases may be having on native populations. Pen-raised quail are slightly larger, theoretically have little nesting/brood rearing or survival instincts, and are generally less suited for wild existence.

Pre-season releases (release of pen-raised birds 1-2 months prior to the hunting season) are common in the Southeast and probably the best technique for developing quality birds in the field with the least cost in released bird mortality. This time frame allows released birds to adjust to their new environment, develop flight capabilities, learn how to avoid predators, and allows for dog work on newly released coveys. Harvest rates for these types of releases commonly range from 10-35 percent and second year harvest rates are usually less than 1percent .

Banding studies on pen-raised quail have indicated that overwinter survival rates vary from seven percent to 58 percent, depending on which research project being considered.

We conducted a radio-telemetry study in Alabama (DeVos and Speake, 1995) to look at the effects of releasing pen-raised quail on wild populations of bobwhites.

This study also allowed us to study the activities, movements and survival of pen-raised bobwhites in a natural environment using standard release techniques.

Establishing a quality release operation is well documented and we used the following rules in our project. Pen-raised quail should be released in coveys of 20-25, and release sites established by raking an open area in a thicket of young hardwoods or pines which provided overhead cover. This protective cover is very important for birds which are used to wire protection and have never left a pen.

The security provided helps shield birds from the eyes of predators and helps newly released coveys to orient to a shady piece of cover. Boxes containing coveys should be brought to the release sites in early morning and left open to allow birds to walk out. Empty release boxes should be picked up before dark the same day to reduce the chance that some critter might pick up the scent of the release box and find the covey.

Allowing released birds a full day to orient to a site without disturbance, which so often comes after dark, also helps birds orient to the general release area. A standard poultry waterer can be filled and left on the site, and cracked corn and milo was scattered on the ground. Feed should be placed at the release sites at least once a week for the first two weeks, and feed should be checked regularly thereafter.

An alternative to this common release technique is to use the Smith/Oneil or Anchor Covey system. Recent research has suggested that this release system can increase survival rates up to 20 percent above those associated with standard releases.

In our study, survival of wild quail over the winter (October through April) was around 40 percent, both on areas where pen-raised birds were released and on strictly wild quail areas. Survival for pen-raised quail was around 20 percent through the winter. This is a very interesting figure. You hear over and over that pen-raised birds don't survive in the wild because most studies indicate that only around one percent of the banded birds released are harvested in the second year.

If harvest rates are in the 20 percent range and only 20 percent of all wild birds in the fall are adults, then even second year wild bird harvest rates are only at four percent. Considering that half of the released pen-raised quail are killed in the first month, a one percent return in the second year isn't too bad.

In our study, both pen-raised hens and cocks which survived into the summer paired normally and attempted to reproduce. Cross-pairing (wild x pen-raised) was also assumed to occur because of association noted in the field.

Types of nesting and brood rearing habitat used by pen-raised birds was identical to that used by wild quail. They nested in broomstraw like wild quail, hatched off chicks and raised broods like wild quail, had similar mortality figures as wild quail, and any quail raised in the environment like a wild bird, seems to be wild to me.

However, lower winter survival rates for pen-raised quail indicate the release of pen-raised quail for restocking depleted quail habitat is unjustified and relocation of wild quail is a better option.

However, the majority of release operations in the southeast are not conducted with restocking as the primary objective. The main function of these pre-season releases is to increase the number of birds in the harvest. Because of increased hunting pressure and the consistent decline in wild bird populations, frequently the most practical way managers can meet higher demand is to release pen-raised quail.

Mortality of pen-raised birds from release to the beginning of hunting season is around 40 percent. Birds which survived this initially heavy mortality hold better for dogs, fly farther and stronger, and flush as a covey.

By one or two months post-release, most pen-raised quail mimic wild bird behavior, and are difficult or impossible to distinguish from wild quail in the field. Survival of these pen-raised quail to the end of the hunting season (end of February) is about 25 percent, compared to around 50 percent for wild quail.

An antecdotal story indicates the tenacity of these pen-raised quail. On one day when radio-tagged quail were being released, a mild drizzle occurred all day long. By the time the last boxes were put out around noon, crowding in the misty boxes had soaked the majority of birds.

We didn't see many of the released birds when we picked up the boxes, but by late afternoon it was apparent that the years first frost would occur during the night. Around midnight I radio-tracked in on the last five coveys released, expecting these birds to suffer very high mortality from freezing.

Much to my surprise, all birds were dry and roosted normally. The following day, all birds were checked and no direct mortality was attributed to the freezing, raining weather. As indicated previously, the use of healthy quail in release operations is imperative.

Interactions among released and wild quail is also an important consideration. Shortly after release of pen-raised quail, wild quail are often located less than 50 yards from pen-raised coveys possibly due all the calling at new released coveys.

However, these introduced birds did not displace wild birds from their established covey ranges and often the two groups mixed. It seemed that if a wild covey integrated in the first few weeks with a few pen-raised quail, they were integrated throughout the winter. If they maintained their wild integrity, they also appeared to maintain it throughout the winter.

The utilization of pen-raised quail in depleted or heavily hunted preserves, plantations or small private farms is apt to continue at the present rate or increase.

Managers using released quail often espouse one type of release technique or another to increase survival and flight ability, however, providing good quality cover and feed, especially upon initial release, would seem the best techniques for increasing survivability.

Undoubtedly, feathering, flight ability, conditioning, age, and season of release all contribute to pen-raised quail survival.

I have seen areas where birds were released at only a few weeks and, while they had a nearly perfect mimic of a wild quail, there were not many left of the original release. Others release older birds later in the season and while survival is high, bird quality is low. It's all a trade off as to what you want and what you are willing to pay for.

The birds we released apparently nested, hatched and raised chicks normally in the wild, but it is unknown whether these offspring had similar annual survival rates.

The assumption might be made that chicks raised in the wild will exhibit "normal" survival curves. One additional question is whether we are "training" predators to hunt and capture quail or increasing populations of larger or more mobile predators, such as hawks or larger mammals, on these highly stocked areas. The jury is still out on this one and research continues.

(Editor's note: In our November issue in DeVos' article on grasses, our headline was misleading. Pasture grasses are not "native" unless they are broomstraw, etc and then they are not a problem. We are happy to set the record straight.

Ted DeVos is a consulting forester/wildlife biologist with Bach and DeVos Forestry and Wildlife Services in Montgomery AL. He can be reached at 334-269-2224.


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## mecicon

shortround1 said:


> does a wild quail and a pen raised bird taste the same to a yote or redtailed hawk?



The wild ones taste more like GAME... haha


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## gobbler2

Anyone tried these?  They actually have some research with the Albany project indicating they increase survival of pen-raised quail released in the fall.

http://www.qualitywildlife.com/


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## QuackAddict

I saw a covey with chicks this summer that acted like pen-raised birds in the sense that they did not seem alarmed by my presence and did not try to fly.  Pen-raised birds might be able to survive  and reproduce but I would think that genetically wild birds that were pen-raised until 5 weeks would have a much better chance of survival and reproduction.


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## coveyrise90

gobbler2 said:


> Anyone tried these?  They actually have some research with the Albany project indicating they increase survival of pen-raised quail released in the fall.
> 
> http://www.qualitywildlife.com/



My neighbor has used a homemade version for years and is happy with the results. We just hunted some of the coveys this weekend. They were released over a month ago and over 75% are still alive... and they were scootin'!

Adam


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## redneck_billcollector

Here is another link  using research by the folks who are with the Albany Quail Project, apparently they can, and they can reproduce.   http://bootsandbriars.com/?p=40


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## gobbler2

One is with, one was with and one never was with AQMP


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## gobbler2

QuackAddict said:


> I saw a covey with chicks this summer that acted like pen-raised birds in the sense that they did not seem alarmed by my presence and did not try to fly.  Pen-raised birds might be able to survive  and reproduce but I would think that genetically wild birds that were pen-raised until 5 weeks would have a much better chance of survival and reproduction.




It's not the genetics (who the daddy is!) but environment that makes the biggest difference.  Genetically, wild and pen-raised quail are undistinguishable.  Raise a wild quail in a pen and it IS a pen-raised quail.  I had a wild quail that would drink my coffee and eat tobacco out of my cigarette butts in the morning with me.  She was addicted to nicotine and caffine same as me!


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## redneck_billcollector

I know, it was an article based on some of the research..


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## partime1

i just stumbled upon this thread.  pen reared quail will reproduce in the wild....i worked on a research project in SC back in the late 90's.  we had one pen reared hen sucsessfully raise biddies to flight stage not one time but twice in the same year.   but few weeks later she was consumed


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## GAMHUNTER35

well i work on a plantation an we hav lots of coveys  around all year  long an they act more like wild birds


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## JessB90

It is possible, but there's a lot of work and money needed to maximize the survivor percentage (good habitat, feeding, cost of birds, predator control).  I would think if they were released during the summer, they could adapt to the area w/o the stress that an animal faces during winter, and, if they were released when birds were coveying up, the released birds could covey with wild birds, which may help with adaptation even more.

The only arguments against releasing birds, from what I've read, is that there could be a risk of spreading disease to wild birds, if any pen birds do happen to breed with wild birds, and that such breeding could degrade or somehow negatively effect the genetics of wild birds.  However, there is no research, yet, that tests the validity of the later argument, and the release of healthy birds should eliminate the first argument.

Basically, I don't see how releasing birds couldn't help as long as it is done wisely.


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## Supercracker

JessB90 said:


> if they were released when birds were coveying up, the released birds could covey with wild birds, which may help with adaptation even more.
> .



that's my theory too. I have one, small wild covey on my property. Only probably 3-5 birds. So I released a few youngish hens. I think they will assimilate into the wild covey and can....may, learn skills from them. 

I haven't been able to find them to flush and verify, but I hear them still and it doesn't appear to be separate groups. I'll know more in a few weeks I'm sure.


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## JohnBenoit09

My close friend's father is on board with the tall timbers research. I have been to Pineland Plantation several times and cannot say I have ever seen such nice habitat as them. Pineland is a great place to hunt. They are on top of their game and trap predators harder than ever. I can find the correct answers to questions if needed.


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## Setter Jax

SC,

Sounds like a good training opportunity for Jeager!! When do you pick up the new pup?

SJ


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