[TN-Bird] re quail hunting discussion
- From: dnldhlt@xxxxxxx
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:26:04 -0500
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
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*
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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