# Talk about a lot of wild birds!



## coveyrise90 (Feb 18, 2010)

Just talked to friend in Albany who knew one the judges at the "Yankee Trial" held by the Georgia-Florida Field Trial Club. It was hosted by Joe Davenport at his 6,000-acre Wildfair Plantation, just south of Albany. It's in the heart of the quail belt of the Albany plantation and is surrounded by places like Blue Springs, Pineland, Pinebloom, Nonami, The Oaks, etc. These plantations are home to some the highest wild bird populations in the world!

At the trial, they started running dogs at 9:00. They stopped at 12:00 and took an hour for lunch. They started back at 1:00 and finished the day early at 4:00. They moved 71 coveys!!!!!

I cannot imagine finding that many covey in a day. What an experience that would be! The few well heeled folks that are lucky enough to hunt these plantations are fortunate indeed!


Adam


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## coveyrise90 (Feb 18, 2010)

A little info on Wildfair Plantation.... 6,000 acres in size with an est. population of 14,000-15,000 quail. They harvest about 20% of the population each year. The habitat is mostly oldfield pineywoods. They are working to restore the native longleaf/wiregrass. They are planting longleaf sporadically throughout the woods and cutting out most of the hardwoods. They maintain over 800 weed field (for insect production) planted in ragweed and disked each fall. They trap about 350 predators each year. The typically burn half of the property annually. They feed extensively, going through thousands of bushels each year. 


Adam


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## southGAlefty (Feb 18, 2010)

Yes sir those folks are pretty fortunate. All the maintenance you described sounds expensive too!


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## coveyrise (Feb 18, 2010)

That was the probably the total of birds saw by the gallery and all. Many times the reporter will count the same covey twice. Remember there are a lot of people on a lot of horses covering a lot of ground in a day at those trials.They can bump a lot of birds over that much area. I live around the corner from Tall Timbers Research station and am able to run dogs on some of the nearby propertys from time to time and can tell you 10 coveys an hour foot hunting is possible this year. My best is 18 coveys in 2 hours and 15 minutes this year. That was hunting on the feed line on an optimal day. Its all about money and managment. It will blow your mind to know how much money these places spend for each bird in hand.


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## coveyrise90 (Feb 19, 2010)

Coveyrise 

You might be right but I am pretty sure he said that that those coveys were pointed. I may be wrong though. I read a report from a trial held on Blue Spring several years ago where there saw over 100 coveys in one day. That number probably included all the 'bumped' coveys as well.

I know they burned off over 1000 acres at Silver Lake a couple weeks ago. Glad to see they are burning more. Most of the woods need it badly. Did they say how much they are going to burn this year? Last couple times I went, I saw many mark areas that I think are going to thinned soon. Did he mention anything about that? 


Adam


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## coveyrise (Feb 19, 2010)

Adam,
   You are right Oct. and Nov. are better.
    I  think the coveys actually call more than you think this time of the year. We have been able to hear almost every coveys on nearby properties lately.Sometimes they will call more in the evening than morning and it depends on how well you stimulate them. Covey sizes maybe 12-15 birds because of 2 coveys coming together this time of the year. I have seen more 5-6 bird coveys on Silver Lake than big coveys lately. There are some local people that hunt that place pretty hard. I know of a few that have killed 10-12 birds many times early in the year. I don't see the bird count as being that high on the place. There are pockets that hold a few covies but other areas have none. 
      They are going to be cutting timber in some areas and hope to be doing a better job of burning. Not burning 1000 acres at a time. The only thing worst would probably be not burning at all.
        My setter just had 7 pups so I am burning the midnight oil.


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## redlevel (Feb 19, 2010)

coveyrise said:


> Its all about money and managment. It will blow your mind to know how much money these places spend for each bird in hand.



The irony is that fifty or so years ago, when I first started quail hunting,  the type of habitat that people spend huge amounts on existed just as a result of the way people farmed and managed their land.   

In one of these threads about hunting and habitat, someone asked what would be the best way to manage 5000 acres for quail if money were no object.   I said to find 50 retired farmers, give each of them an old 600 Ford tractor, then, each year give them a bag of seed corn, twenty bags of seed wheat, 100 lbs of assorted seed cowpeas, 10 bags of seed peanuts, ten tons of 5-10-15 fertilizer, one ton of ammonium nitrate, and a box of kitchen matches.  Assign each of them 100 acres, divided into tillable land, ditches and gullies, woodlots, native pine stands, a small farm pond here and there (not necessarily on each 100 acre plot).  Limit them to planting a maximum of 60 acres of crops each year.  Require them to plant the wheat, corn, and peanuts in a single crop rotation, leaving the stubble standing after harvest.   Allow no herbicides except for cases of extreme broadleaf weed (cockleburs, coffeeweeds) infestation.  Hogging off the corn rather than gathering with a combine would be allowed.  Peas, okra, maters, butterbeans, etc. would be planted in a one acre garden plot.  At least three acres of peas for the market would be planted, in at least two different patches.  No field on each 100 acres would be allowed to be larger than 25 acres.  There would be at least five fields of five acres or less.   Require burning of wood lots and pine fields on a three year rotation.   Let them use a disc harrow, a bottom plow, and a rotary mower,  but discourage use of the rotary mower

This is pretty much how people farmed in my part of Georgia up until the late 50s/middle 60s.   Cotton was a part of the mix then, because a "cash crop" was necessary, but the small fields with weed patches and scrubby pines between them still provided food and cover for quail.   We didn't have a "plantation,"  but we had about 170 acres surrounded by neighbors who let us bird hunt on their places that were farmed in pretty much the same fashion.  It was a quail hunter's dream.

Too bad it all had to end.


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## Jim P (Feb 19, 2010)

redlevel, it's good to hear that I'm not the only one that remembers how it was, the good ole day's.


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## coveyrise90 (Feb 19, 2010)

coveyrise said:


> Adam,
> You are right Oct. and Nov. are better.
> I  think the coveys actually call more than you think this time of the year. We have been able to hear almost every coveys on nearby properties lately.Sometimes they will call more in the evening than morning and it depends on how well you stimulate them. Covey sizes maybe 12-15 birds because of 2 coveys coming together this time of the year. I have seen more 5-6 bird coveys on Silver Lake than big coveys lately. There are some local people that hunt that place pretty hard. I know of a few that have killed 10-12 birds many times early in the year. I don't see the bird count as being that high on the place. There are pockets that hold a few covies but other areas have none.
> They are going to be cutting timber in some areas and hope to be doing a better job of burning. Not burning 1000 acres at a time. The only thing worst would probably be not burning at all.
> My setter just had 7 pups so I am burning the midnight oil.



Coveyrise you may certainly be right. I know what you talking about with folks killing a bunch of birds. The tract of timber around the check in station seems to have been hunted the hardest. Birds are hard to find there now. I don't even waste my time. Maybe I have been lucky on my hunting. 

I visited Mayhaw a few months ago. Didnt hunt though. They had some nice looking woods. I may go back there.

The info I posted about covey calling came from Tall Timbers. But, one thing I thought about... if you whistle to them, they'll be more likely to call back. The info from Tall Timbers may have been about coveys that are not being called to.... just coveys calling naturally.

Adam


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## coveyrise (Feb 19, 2010)

Adam,

    Old man Rosene was the first one I ever talked to about whistling counts and such in the spring. Also he showed me a few tricks. They are like a wise gobbler if they don't want to talk  to you then just sing to them.
  The guys at Tall Timbers know more about quail than I know about myself. That is why many places are reaching historic records of 5-7 birds an acre in this area. If you stay with their plan you will be successful. They have been doing a lot of work on public land and quail restoration in the National forest the last few years. I cannot say enough good about Tall Timbers Research station. They are not a social club but are truly a dedicated research facility. Recently when it was 18-20 degrees at night they were out in it all night  and every night 
 checking quail traps so they could band birds.


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## coveyrise (Feb 19, 2010)

Redlevel,
   I remember it well. It was a 67 chevy station wagon with my dad at the wheel on a saturday morning. Pimento cheese sandwiches and fried chicken in a basket. Mom made, not store bought.  If you were lucky, butter pound cake. And don't forget the Llewellin setters in the back with their head on your shoulders. They would start trembling with excitement when you pulled into the farms entrance.  Thank god I got to be a part of the glory years.
   By the way, good looking setter.


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## Ole Fuzzy (Feb 20, 2010)

I know some moneyed folks that have property in the wiregrass belt that they manage intensely.  This has been an excellent year for quail in SOWEGA.  I know from experience that one place was finding 30-31 wild coveys a day 5 years ago and is now pushing around 52.  That is on 3,000 acres.  It is also after a lot of money spent on thinning, burning, planting, trapping and feeding.

Predator control and feeding are the two main hot topics now, and are viewed as giving the best bang for the buck.  TT has published positive results on feeding.

Those places can easily spend $50-100 per acre per year on management.

Now would be a great time to hit the lottery and be in the market for manicured land or land suitable to be managed.  The weak economy and financing crunch have taken the wind out of the sails for recreational property.  After watching other guys do it, I'd spend mainly on raw property and put the money into management to take it where I wanted it on 5 and 10 year horizons.    

Nanomi will sell for a lot because Cousins purportedly told Ted The Squirrel that he would have first right of refusal if he ever sold, and The Squirrel has the money and doesn't flinch at spending on properties he wants.  If it went on the market without that existing buyer, it would be hard to get near what it would have brought 4 years ago (so I'm told).


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## JohnBenoit09 (Feb 20, 2010)

Yeah in that area the quail habitat is insane. I head that way with my friend and have had the luck to hunt his familys farm brookfair and been to pineland and wynfield. The amount of work and management they do it amazing especially being able to see how they do everything and their equipment.


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## muckalee (Feb 21, 2010)

Is Nanomi for sale? who is "cousins" and ted the squirrel?
Do tell please.


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## JohnBenoit09 (Feb 21, 2010)

Yeah nanomi has already been finalized as sold to ted turner. I think he bough it from Tom Cousins who was or is a big real-estate devolper in the Atl area. I know he went to uga as a swimmer and owns alot of other big things.


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## jimbo4116 (Feb 22, 2010)

redlevel said:


> The irony is that fifty or so years ago, when I first started quail hunting,  the type of habitat that people spend huge amounts on existed just as a result of the way people farmed and managed their land.
> 
> In one of these threads about hunting and habitat, someone asked what would be the best way to manage 5000 acres for quail if money were no object.   I said to find 50 retired farmers, give each of them an old 600 Ford tractor, then, each year give them a bag of seed corn, twenty bags of seed wheat, 100 lbs of assorted seed cowpeas, 10 bags of seed peanuts, ten tons of 5-10-15 fertilizer, one ton of ammonium nitrate, and a box of kitchen matches.  Assign each of them 100 acres, divided into tillable land, ditches and gullies, woodlots, native pine stands, a small farm pond here and there (not necessarily on each 100 acre plot).  Limit them to planting a maximum of 60 acres of crops each year.  Require them to plant the wheat, corn, and peanuts in a single crop rotation, leaving the stubble standing after harvest.   Allow no herbicides except for cases of extreme broadleaf weed (cockleburs, coffeeweeds) infestation.  Hogging off the corn rather than gathering with a combine would be allowed.  Peas, okra, maters, butterbeans, etc. would be planted in a one acre garden plot.  At least three acres of peas for the market would be planted, in at least two different patches.  No field on each 100 acres would be allowed to be larger than 25 acres.  There would be at least five fields of five acres or less.   Require burning of wood lots and pine fields on a three year rotation.   Let them use a disc harrow, a bottom plow, and a rotary mower,  but discourage use of the rotary mower
> 
> ...



You said a mouthful.

I grew up being able to hunt the absolute best quail set up you could have. 

It was a long level piece of ground that had been a practice landing strip during WWII.  It was over a mile long and 500 yards wide.  The owner fence it from end to end in the fifties and crossed fenced it twice.

Planted corn and ran hogs or cows in on each sections. The outside edges of the fence rows grew up in hedges of briars and such about 20 feet across there old growth pines on either side of that.

We could scare up 8 or 10 coveys of 12 or so birds from one end to the other and back up the other side.  Many times they just flew into the cross fencing.

We were young'uns and didn't even have a dog. We just walk that fence rows and shoot at what got up.  The Two of us, the owners son and me, we never got more 8 or 9 birds.  One double gun and one single.  But boy we had us a time there for several years.  Then his dad got out of cows and hogs, they cleaned up the fence rows, cut the pines down to the creek bottoms, plowed it all up.


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## muckalee (Feb 22, 2010)

I have said it many times before.  We have traded deer and turkey for quail and rabbits.


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## Ole Fuzzy (Feb 22, 2010)

muckalee said:


> Is Nanomi for sale? who is "cousins" and ted the squirrel?
> Do tell please.



Yes, as stated, Tom Cousins, the principal of Cousins Properties, etc., owns or owned it.  He had apparently promised to sell it to Ted Turner if it ever became available.  People around here believe that the real estate collapse put added pressure on Cousins and that contributed to the need and timing of the sale.


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## Ole Fuzzy (Feb 22, 2010)

From the Atlanta Business Chronicle:


*Cousins selling Georgia plantation to Turner*

Atlanta Business Chronicle - by Maria Saporta Contributing Writer

Friday, January 29, 2010  |  Modified: Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Longtime Atlanta developer Tom Cousins is selling his prized Nonami Plantation near Albany, Ga., to legendary media mogul and environmentalist Ted Turner.

The Nonami Plantation, which is about 8,800 acres, is considered one of the best quail hunting spots in Georgia.

“Tom and Ted have been very good friends for many years,” said Phillip Evans, a spokesman for Turner Enterprises Inc. “It’s my understanding there was a mutual agreement between the two that if Tom ever decided to sell the property, Ted would have the first option.”

Evans said the purchase of the plantation was still “in process.” But the deal is supposed to close in the near future.

“As with all of Turner’s land, Nonami will be managed in an environmentally and ecologically friendly manner,” Evans said of Turner’s plans for the property. Most of the land already is protected under a conservation easement.

This will be the largest purchase of property for Turner in the state where he grew up and built his media empire.

Turner is the largest individual owner of land in the United States, owning more than 2 million acres.

He purchased most of his property to preserve and conserve the land as well as to provide places where buffalo could roam. Those landholdings are located in Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico and North Carolina, as well as in South America. Turner owns some land in North Georgia, but nothing as large as the Nonami Plantation.

Cousins did not want to comment on the sale of the Nonami Plantation because it is a personal transaction between friends, according to Billy Wren, CEO of Nonami Enterprises Inc.

Turner’s purchase of the Nonami Plantation is not the first time that he has done business with Tom Cousins.

More than 35 years ago, Turner approached Cousins for a loan so he could build a television empire by leveraging a small local station into a national cable channel through satellite technology. That became the pioneering SuperStation.

In an effort to get relatively inexpensive programming for his SuperStation, Turner then purchased the Atlanta Hawks from Cousins in 1977. (Turner also had acquired the Atlanta Braves for the same reason.)

Their business dealings didn’t stop there.

Five years after starting CNN, the first 24-hour cable news channel, Turner purchased the Omni International office, hotel and retail complex from Cousins. Turner moved CNN to the Omni, which had been developed by Cousins a decade earlier, and rebranded it as CNN Center.

During their decades-long business associations, they developed a strong personal friendship. Turner has spent time each year with Cousins at the Nonami Plantation and Cousins has been a regular guest at Turner’s ranch in Bozeman, Mont.

In fact, when Turner was married to Jane Fonda, Cousins named two of his bird-hunting dogs Ted and Jane in their honor.

The property originally was part of the 14,000-acre Blue Springs Plantation.

According to people familiar with the purchase, Cousins had a hard time coming up with a name for his new quail plantation. Finally, his wife, Ann, said that if he didn’t come up with a name by a certain time, she would call it the great “No Name” plantation, and hence, Nonami was born.

When asked why Turner wanted to buy Nonami, Evans said: “It’s a beautiful piece of land, and it’s been long admired by Ted and others.”
Tom Cousins discusses business with Ted Turner

Excerpt from Turner’s autobiography “Call Me Ted”

A Ted Story: “Captain Teddy’s Kiddy Hour” — Tom Cousins

“I remember going over to his little office on West Peachtree Street. His shirt had this frazzled collar and he sat behind a crummy, low wooden desk. I mean it looked like absolute poverty in a business office. He was asking me for a loan. He told me the banks wouldn’t lend him another dime and he was worried that he might not be able to make the next payroll coming up in ten days or something. I wasn’t much better off than he was back then, but I said, “Yeah, absolutely Ted. I’ll loan you the money.” He brightened up then and he said, “Cuz, I’ll tell you what. I’m going to be the fourth network,” and I’m thinking, “Oh this poor guy, he’s out of his mind.”

And he says, “I’m doing an earth station out in Cobb County and I’m getting on a satellite.” I barely knew about satellites at that point and I certainly didn’t know what an “earth station” was. Then he said, “I’m going to beam my signal up on this satellite and I’m going to be able to put Channel 17 all across America and I’m going to get national ad rates. And you know what I’m going to do next after I have the fourth network?”

I said “No, Ted, what’s that?”

“I’m going to run for president and be elected.”

Now I thought to myself, “This guy is absolutely nuts — and I’ve just agreed to lend him all this money!” I said to Ted, “Oh, Ted, don’t tell anybody else about that, okay?”

And he said, “Cuz, your trouble is you don’t understand the power of television. Let me show you.” He pulled a little book of matches out of his desk drawer and he said, “Okay, it’s Saturday morning at 7:30 and it’s Captain Teddy’s Kiddy Hour, and I come on television and I say, ‘Hey kids, today we’re going to play a game and it’s going to be so much fun. Now, don’t tell Mommy and Daddy, this is our secret between Captain Teddy and you. Now, everybody go get some matches. See Captain Teddy’s matches? Go get some just like this.’” Then he goes over to his window he says, “All right kids, everybody, got your match? Go to the window and strike your match and light the curtain or drape,” at which point he struck his match right near the old cheese-cloth thing he had hanging in front of his window and then he flung the window open and he said to me, “At that point, I’d look out over Atlanta and watch it burn.” It was an incredible performance.

In the first place, he made his point. Television is so powerful that could happen. But number two it absolutely confirmed my conviction that he might be nuts.”


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## easbell (Feb 24, 2010)

coveyrise90 said:


> 6,000 acres in size with an est. population of 14,000-15,000 quail.
> 
> Adam



The math doesn't work. You are talking 2.5 bird per acre. Wild birds need at least 40 acres per covey. 6,000 acres = 150 coveys. Coveys would have to average almost 100 birds each.


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## coveyrise90 (Feb 26, 2010)

easbell said:


> The math doesn't work. You are talking 2.5 bird per acre. Wild birds need at least 40 acres per covey. 6,000 acres = 150 coveys. Coveys would have to average almost 100 birds each.



The math doesn't lie. New research has proven that coveys can live on as little at 10-20 acres if they have everthing they need. And these plantation provide EVERYTHING the birds need. 2.5 birds per acre is about right. Many of the plantations in and around Albany, Thomasville, and Tallahassee maintain populations like that. In fact, some have more birds. There have been multiple properties that have reached up to 6 and 7 birds per acre!

These populations are record setting and are direct results from the application of new management practices proven and developed by the Albany Quail Project and Tall Timbers.

Adam


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