[Bristol-Birds] Re: re quail hunting discussion

Greetings from Buladean, NC,
At one time long ago, it was fun to hear the Bob Whites with their "Bob
White"  call.  It was fun to mimic them and hear them come closer.  My Dad
would often come in smiling telling about seeing the mother Bob White
watering her little ones for the first time.
I have returned after being away for a time, and after almost 16 years up
here have not heard them calling "Bob White" a single time.  There is a
theory for their demise which could be true here, tall fescue grass sown in
fields for hay because it is thick and difficult for them to move through.
But it is a lost for me and others.
I would hope no one would hunt quail over here, but suppose it is possible.
Thelma Hughes Cumbie (Tess)
Buladean, NC




----- Original Message ----- 
From: <dnldhlt@xxxxxxx>
To: <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <butternuts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 2:26 PM
Subject: [Bristol-Birds] re quail hunting discussion


> Hey folks,
> *(See postscript for previous contributions to discussion)
> This is an interesting situation.  I have no doubt that actual numbers
> of bobwhite shot are relatively insignificant.  What I wonder about is
> the effect on population dynamics of releasing genetically non-local
> birds into the local population, no matter whether the released birds
> are pen-raised or wild trapped.  There is a possibility of genetic
> alteration of the local population that could lead to reduced viability
> and impairment of adaptation to local conditions.  This is considered a
> no-no when talking about non-game animals, so why the double standard?
> Have any studies been done on the history and effects of this practice
> on bobwhite?   This is a current practice by private individuals I have
> met locally, and I have been told it is legal.  Those who release
> bobwhites I would imagine are among those who actively hunt.  The
> question is, do the artificially elevated populations persist after the
> hunters quit stocking?  And what happens to the local gene pool
> surrounding the stocked area?
> Don Holt
> Johnson City, TN
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------------------------------------------
> *
> Terry Witt wrote to tnbirds:
>
>       This may be a bit off topic and also probably should be addressed
> more to Scott
> Somershoe than the whole list, but, is there any reason that there
> should still
> be a hunting season in Tennessee for Northern Bobwhite???
> The population here is in freefall, and although that may not be true
> statewide,
> I suspect it probably is rapidly declining everywhere at best.  I know
> that duck
> hunting bag limits and season dates are adjusted based on population
> estimates,
> why should quail be any different; and in reality, why should the
> season not be
> closed, at least temporarily?  This may well become a moot point, as
> several of
> my quail hunting friends have stopped pursuing a target that has become
> so
> elusive.  Disclaimer - I am not particularly anti-hunting of birds or
> any other
> game.
> Food for thought, table open for discussion
> ------------------------------------
> Michaek Bierly wrote:
>       Northern Bobwhite on Tennessee Christmas Bird Counts 1960-2007,
> have
> steadily declined. The highest number of individuals per party-hour
> during
> this 47-year period occurred in 1974 with 0.8409 per party-hour (682
> birds
> on 16 counts). In 2007, the number of individuals per party-hour was
> 0.0438
> (48 birds on 9 counts). The number per party-hour has been below 0.2
> since
> 1995 and below 0.1 since 2000. A chart and a graph can be made on the
> Christmas Bird Count web site,
> http://www.audubon.org/BIRD/CBC/hr/index.html, that demonstrates the
> species
> steady decline.
>        Did you know, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources
> Agency's web
> site, http://www.state.tn.us/twra/pdfs/waterfowldates.pdf, that in the
> 2008-2009 hunting season, you can legally bag 20 Ross' Geese a day; 15
> coots
> and gallinules; and 25 Virginia Rails and Soras? This is not something
> new.
> My memory goes back decades on this. I asked why species that were so
> uncommon or rare in Tennessee were listed, much less in those numbers.
> The
> steady answer was--in case someone shoots one, it will be legal. By the
> way--you can take only 2 Brant per day.
> -------------------------------------------------------
> Bill Pulliam wrote:
> A trend which has far more to do with suburban sprawl and the riding
> lawnmower than with hunting.  I live in a rural area on 40 acres of
> woods and weeds, all my neighbors hunt voraciously, and I flushed 19
> bobwhite just this morning 100 yards from my front door (not to
> mention that we are covered up in deer and turkey, and the woodcock
> display right over my house).  Suburbanization and factory farming
> are the culprits behind most bird declines in the southeast, not
> hunting.  If you want to find the villain, look at your neighbors
> manicured lawn, not his gun cabinet.
>
>
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Be sure and visit the Bristol Bird Club website at:
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This is a regional birding list sponsored by the
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between birders and bird clubs of Southwest Virginia
and Northeast Tennessee.  
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           (423)764-****

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