ABG
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contributors
  • ABG CFB
  • Reference center
  • Contact Us

Cumberland Island

A Future For Quail

3/6/2018

0 Comments

 
PictureA Male Bobwhite Quail
By Sam Burnham, Curator
@C_SamBurnham

One thing that has really caught my attention since writing about the quail hunt is the number of messages and comments from people remembering going quail hunting with their fathers or grandfathers. Quail hunting has a cultural and social history in Georgia that goes back generations, especially in South Georgia. The connection is so strong that the legislature appointed the bobwhite quail as the official State Game Bird.  

But wild quail hunting in Georgia, right now anyway, is just a memory. There is no widespread population of wild quail that could support such hunting. There are no doubt patches of population where hunts could be carried out. But as a whole, those days are in Georgia's past. The bobwhite is listed as "near threatened" and most quail hunts in Georgia are ones using farmed birds

My father-in-law used to spend time hunting farms in West Georgia. He noted that they were always careful to never wipe out a covey. They always left birds behind to repopulate and provide for future hunts. Healthy populations are needed for good hunting. But over hunting is at least partially to blame for the current situation. Loss of habitat from development as well as predators such as coyotes and domestic pets have contributed as well. Poor land management practices are also to blame. 

But many property owners are beginning to make changes. If you've read the quail hunt article, You've heard of Matt and Franks Creek Farm. Matt is currently using land management practices to create habitat for quail. There are also several other people in South Georgia doing the same thing. Within a week of the hunt, I met up with a land manager in Floyd County who was doing the same thing. He had even jumped a few coveys while working on the land. Forestry workers beginning to plant new healthy stands of longleaf pine will also contribute to these habitats, whether that is their intention or not. There are some positive signs but there is still a long way to go.  

It is incumbent on hunters to recognize healthy practices - game management, land management, safe and courteous hunting practices, and maintaining healthy relationships with landowners and the state DNR to secure a future for this sport.

It is up to the general public to understand that without hunters, bobwhite quail will never again thrive outside of a farm pen. This is the paradox, without hunters protecting habitat and managing game, there will be little to any wildlife in our nation. But with the space, the resources, and the time, the love hunters have for the animals they pursue will help these animals thrive. And for a native Georgia animal like the quail, why should it be any other way? 

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Sam B.

    Historian, self-proclaimed gentleman, agrarian-at-heart, & curator extraordinaire
    ​READ MORE


    Picture
    ABG Sponsor, Click Here
    Picture
    ABG Sponsor, Click Here
    Picture
    ABG Sponsor - Click for Link
    Tweets by @BiscuitsGA

    Social Media

    RSS Feed

    Books Blog Directory

    Categories

    All
    Agriculture
    Art
    Books
    Business
    Christmas
    Civil War
    Community Revitalization
    Culture
    Education
    Family
    Fashion
    Fiction
    Film & Television
    Food
    Garden
    Hiking
    History
    Home
    Industry
    Local
    Music
    Native American
    Outdoors
    Politics
    Restaurants
    Revolutionary War
    Tradition
    Travel
    World War II

    Archives

    November 2022
    July 2022
    March 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2010

Copyright 2015
ABG. The celebration and preservation of Southern history, culture, and agrarian ideals.
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contributors
  • ABG CFB
  • Reference center
  • Contact Us